Contact: Jenny Heath, Best Value Project Manager, ext 7402

1 Best Value Programme

1.1 The five year Best Value Review Programme was originally approved by the Best Value and Performance Sub-Committee at its meeting on 9 December 1999. The five year review programme continues to be kept under review to ensure it reflects current priorities and learns from reviews undertaken so far.

1.2 The review programme for this Best Value Review Panel is attached. It provides the timetable for those reviews already completed in year 1 of Best Value (2000/01) and for the current year, year 2 (2001/02). It shows how Members might be engaged in the review through both formal meetings and through informal workshops with officers and other stakeholders.

2 Support for Members

2.1 The Best Value process is outlined and supported by considerable detail in the Best Value Step-by-step guide and Toolkit. This is available on Hantsweb (www.hants.gov.uk/bestvalue) or as a hard copy, for those Members who have not yet received a copy.

3 Future meetings

3.1 This will be the last meeting of the Best Value Review Panel (Environment). The work of this panel will transfer to the Policy Review Committee (Environment) as the new constitution takes effect on 1 September 2001.

3.2 While the scrutiny role has been developed within the Best Value Review Panels during the first year of Best Value, it is not yet clear how the Policy Review Committees will manage that role plus the wider remit of policy review. The Best Value Review programme will provide a starting point for agreeing the work of the new committee and it is, therefore, proposed that the first meeting of the new Policy Review Committee includes an opportunity for discussion of these issues. This will be facilitated by the Corporate Best Value Team, who will provide an update on the progress made with Best Value to date and a reminder of the principles of scrutiny based on lessons learnt so far.

Recommendation

1 That the timetable be noted, in order that Members are aware of the opportunities to be involved in the Best Value Reviews.

Section 100D - Local Government Act 1972 - background papers

The following documents disclose facts or matters on which this report, or an important part of it, is based and has been relied upon to a material extent in the preparation of this report.

NONE

N.B. The list excludes:

1. Published works

2. Documents which disclose exempt or confidential information as defined in the Act.