Archived decisions
AT A MEETING of the POLICY AND RESOURCES POLICY AND REVIEW COMMITTEE of the COUNTY COUNCIL held at The Castle, Winchester on 14 December, 2001.
PRESENT:
Councillor: S.A. Hayes (Chairman); I.F.E. Beagley; J.V. Bryant; M.F. Cartwright; A.P. Collett; B.D. Dash; C. Davidovitz; Mrs. P.M. Devereux; R.J. Ellis; W.J. Filer; J.K. Glen; M.J. Kendal; P. Luffman; P.A. Pierce; M.J. Roberts; Mrs. M. Snaith; J.G.L. Wall.
9 MINUTES
The Minutes of the meeting held on 19 November, 2001 were confirmed as a correct record and signed by the Chairman.
10 BEST VALUE SUPPORT FOR VOLUNTARY AND COMMUNITY SECTOR - UPDATE
The Committee considered the report of the Chief Executive (Item 2(i) in the Minute Book) giving an update on the best value review of support provided by the County Council to voluntary and community organisations.
In discussion Members considered that there was scope in the future for the County Council to work more closely with district councils and felt it was important not to burden voluntary and community organisations with unnecessary bureaucracy.
RESOLVED:
That the update on the review of support for the voluntary and community sector be noted and that a full options report on the matter be taken to a future meeting of the Committee.
11 BEST VALUE CROSS-CUTTING REVIEW OF CATERING SERVICES - OPTIONS REPORT
The Committee considered the report of the Director of Property, Business and Regulatory Services (Item 2(ii) in the Minute Book) summarising the main findings and conclusions of this review. A presentation was included as part of this item. It included further background information and details of the different improvement options identified in the report. The presentation material appears as Item 2(iii) in the Minute Book.
Following a discussion Members concluded in favour of supporting Option 5 recognising that this was the starting point for catering service improvements and did not preclude other options being developed, in the light of experience, at a later date.
RESOLVED:
(i) That the improvement plan for the best value cross-cutting review of catering services be based on Option 5 as set out in the report and that this involve the re-alignment of existing resources to establish a new County Catering Unit.
(ii) That the final outcome report be presented to the next meeting of the Committee in January, 2002.
12 PROPOSALS TO IMPROVE THE PERFORMANCE OF THE HEALTH SERVICE IN NORTH AND MID HAMPSHIRE
The Committee considered the report of the Director of Social Services (Item 3 in the Minute Book) about proposals to improve the performance of the Health Service in North and Mid Hampshire.
In discussion the Committee noted that whilst seeking to achieve savings of £7.5m, the current health service proposals which were the subject of consultation would only save approximately £500,000. Members felt that to make any meaningful comments the Director of Social Services needed to press the Health Authority for more details of its overall Performance Improvement Plan and proposed service changes. Also, they wished to have an opportunity to question the Chief Executive of the North and Mid Hampshire Health Authority on the matter and to invite Community Health Council representatives to their next meeting. Accordingly, it was
RESOLVED:
(i) That at its next meeting the Committee considers the matter further in the light of a presentation by the Chief Executive of the North and Mid Hampshire Health Authority and reports back to Cabinet with comments, to inform the latter's final response to the proposals.
(ii) That the Director of Social Services invite the Chief Executive of the North and Mid Hampshire Health Authority to attend the January meeting of the Committee, together with appropriate Community Health Council representatives.
13 COUNTY COUNCIL'S FORWARD PLAN - DECEMBER 2001 - MARCH, 2002 IN RELATION TO LEADER'S KEY DECISIONS
The Committee received the report of the Chief Executive (Item 4 in the Minute Book) on the County Council's Forward Plan in relation to Leader's key decisions.
During discussion Members endorsed a mix of styles in reporting to incorporate both presentations and written reports in order that each meeting agenda provides a balance of debate and focus on recommendations. Also, it was suggested that those items to the Leader relating to broader policy issues might usefully be considered by this Committee in the first instance. Accordingly, it was
RESOLVED:
(i) That the report be noted.
(ii) That any Member seeking an item on this Committee agenda, including Leader Key Decisions on broader policy issues should contact the Chairman in the first instance.
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