Contact: Malcolm Cole, ext 7385, e-mail: [email protected]

1 Introduction

1.1 On 22 November 2003 the Leader reported to the Council on proposals for establishing enhanced scrutiny arrangements and on 25 February 2004 regarding the creation of area based committee representation.

1.2 Accordingly, Cabinet have recently been considering

- Proposals for modifying and strengthening the Council's arrangements for scrutiny by enhancing - for an initial trial period - the role of the Policy and Resources PRC; and

- Proposals for the establishment of `pilot' Area Committees to act as the `eyes and ears' of the County Council in its communities and to enhance the profile of the County Council as a community leader and provider of both strategic policies and local services.

1.3 This report outlines the two sets of proposals for confirmation by the Council.

2 Policy and Resources Scrutiny and Select Committee

2.1 Cabinet wish to take an evolutionary approach to the development of scrutiny within the County Council (a key issue for development identified in the CPA improvement Plan). As a first step they propose that the operation of the Policy and Resources PRC should be developed in order to move its activity and style of working to align more closely with the Parliamentary Select Committee model.

The key elements of the proposal are -

- Policy and Resources PRC to be re-named the Policy and Resources Scrutiny and Select Committee

- The remit of the Committee to focus more strategically across all areas of activity of the County Council including external relationships and their impact on the County Council's work and in the community, and particularly the examination of cross-cutting issues.

- The existing activities of the Committee i.e.

· to assist the Council and the Executive in Policy development

· to scrutinise decisions of the Executive

· to conduct Best Value Reviews

to remain unchanged.


- the Committee to annually establish a programme of Policy reviews to be undertaken during the following (financial) year with the flexibility to vary it during the year. This programme to be established after consultation with Cabinet/CMT and other Council Members and to reflect issues of public interest determined, for example, by responses to customer surveys.

- the Committee to examine policies/decisions of the Council and service delivery basing deliberations on oral and written evidence, questioning of witnesses and on appropriate research. The role to encompass both retrospective examination of policy effectiveness alongside examination of current Cabinet/Executive Member decisions.

- the committee to examine issues relating to external bodies and partnerships where these impact on the work of the Council and/or the community.


- the Committee to have the power to call witnesses, both internal and external to the County Council and to seek and pay for specialist advice on specific issues where it is appropriate to do so.

- the Committee to comprise 24 members on the basis of political proportionality (15 :7 :2) with a Chairman and 3 Vice-Chairmen (one each from the 3 political groups)

- review work to be undertaken via small review panels (based on Political proportionality) chaired by the Committee Vice-Chairmen with final reports submitted to the main Committee for approval before submission to the County Council. The style of working in these groups to be based upon the style of the Parliamentary Select Committee.

- allocation of the review programme work to the Chairmen of Review Panels to be agreed by the Chairman on the basis of political proportionality.

2.2 At present, there are no proposals to change the work and operation of other PRCs.

3 Area Committee `Pilots'

3.1 Cabinet have debated the issue of Area Committees within the context of a number of key issues -

- the introduction of the new constitutional arrangements

- the arguments being developed by Government in the context of `new localism',

- the CPA comments on consultation of all relevant stakeholders

- enhancing the role of non-Executive Members.

3.2 The County Council, through the Cabinet and Executive Members, provides a strong and visible focus for the strategic and political leadership of the authority as a whole. At the more local level the County's presence is significant (local members, area offices, libraries etc) but less co-ordinated and probably poorly recognised and understood.

3.3 The scale of expenditure and the range of services provided by the County Council is almost certainly not as widely understood by members of the public as it might be. Taken alongside the Council's desire to improve its engagement with the Community (a Best Value review is underway focusing on consultation) the desire of all members to improve communication and dialogue with, and receive information from, representatives and groups within the local community, and to influence priorities and pump-prime local initiatives, Cabinet consider the time is right to develop an Area Committee structure. Such an initiative would also develop the Council's position as Community Leaders and Community Champions at both the County and the area level.

3.4 Cabinet are of the view that this initiative should be developed incrementally and their proposal envisages the `pilot' arrangements based on Havant and Test Valley districts. Cabinet consider that both the pilots should be allowed sufficient flexibility to develop as they see fit and to evolve to suit local circumstances. In outline, however, the role of the Area Committees will be -

- To advise the Cabinet on matters of interest affecting the area of the Committee.

- Undertake local consultation/response on strategic and service based issues referred by the Cabinet or individual Executive members.

- To contribute to effective liaison with the district based Local Strategic Partnerships and Community Safety Partnerships.

- To provide, at the invitation of the appropriate Executive Member, a local view on issues under consideration by building panels in respect of:

· Education Projects

· Social Services Projects

- To undertake local liaison with District Councils and Parish Councils.

- To receive, as appropriate, delegations from the Local Communities.

- To develop, as appropriate, partnerships between the Council and other public private and voluntary sector organisations operating within the Committee's area.

- To reflect the views, needs and aspirations of the Local Community as input to Council, Cabinet and Executive Member policy making.

- To respond to other matters referred to the Committee by the Leader or Cabinet or Executive Members.

3.5 In general terms it is intended that the committees will be advisory committees to the Cabinet and the individual Executive Members, with the membership comprising those County Councillors representing electoral divisions within the district area, with the Chairman appointed annually by the County Council upon the recommendation of the Leader. It is expected that the committees will meet between 3 and 4 times a year within the Committee's area.

3.6 Initially, however, to be worthwhile and effective and to meet a key objective of these committees actually becoming the `eyes and ears' of the County Council in its communities these committees need to have a real profile and to act locally in a practical manner. To enable them to do this, Cabinet believe that two key principles should guide the more specific terms of reference. Specifically, the committees should be charged to establish from their local community:-

- What that Community expects from the County Council locally to improve their quality of life

- How that Community wishes to see the main actions of both the local and county community strategies delivered.

3.7 These key principles make a clear link between the Area Committee and the local community (a key feature of future CPAs proposals) and with the Community Strategies.

3.8 The Cabinet accordingly feel that a natural consequence of these key principles would be to co-opt on to the Area Committee the following (non-voting) representatives:-

- one District Council representative

- one Parish Council representative (or appropriate alternative in non-parished areas) nominated by the appropriate District Association

- the local LSP Chair

- the Chief Executive of the District Council for Voluntary Services.

4 Timescale and Evaluation

4.1 Subject to the Council's endorsement, Cabinet hope to put the arrangements for both the Policy and Resources Scrutiny and Select Committee and the `pilot' Area Committees in place as soon as possible and it is hoped that first meetings could take place before the summer break.

4.2 As indicated above, both proposals are put forward on a trial basis. It is suggested that each proposal be given an initial one year trial, with the benefit of external evaluation before any proposals are put to the Council to move towards any permanency and extension of these arrangements. It is, therefore, suggested that engagement be sought with an appropriate University Business school such as INLOGOV to set up evaluation arrangements for both projects.

Recommendation:

That the Council endorse, for a trial period, the proposals of Cabinet for:-

a) extending the role of the Policy and Resources PRC; and

b) establishing Area Committees in Havant and Test Valley

in accordance with the details set out in the above report

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.

NB the list excludes:

1. Published works

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

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