Archived decisions

AT A MEETING of the POLICY AND RESOURCES SCRUTINY AND SELECT COMMITTEE of the COUNTY COUNCIL held at The Castle, Winchester on 2 December, 2004.

PRESENT:

Councillors: S.A. Hayes (Chairman); Mrs P.G. Banks; I.F.E. Beagley; J.V. Bryant;

A.P. Collett; B.D. Dash; A.G. Dowden; K. House; Mrs. C.A. Leversha; A. Ludlow;

P.A. Pierce; M.J. Roberts; J.G.L. Wall.

235 DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST

Members were mindful that, where they believed they had a personal or personal prejudicial interest in any matter to be considered at the meeting, they should, normally at the time of debate, declare their interest and, having regard to the circumstances described in paragraphs 9,10,11 and 12 of the County Council's Code of Conduct, consider whether to leave the meeting whilst the matter was discussed. On item 6 (Minute 240 - Health White Paper) - Councillor A. Ludlow declared a personal interest in view of his professional links with the Health Service. This interest did not amount to a personal prejudicial interest and the Chief Executive confirmed that he could remain in the meeting whilst the relevant item was discussed.

236 MINUTES

The Minutes of the meeting of the Committee held on 4 November, 2004 were confirmed as a correct record and signed by the Chairman.

237 CHAIRMAN'S COMMUNICATIONS

There were no communications on this occasion.

238 MEMBERS' QUESTIONS

No Members' questions had been received.

239 DEPUTATIONS

There were no deputations notified.

240 HEALTH WHITE PAPER

The Committee considered a briefing paper by the Chief Executive (Item 6 in the Minute Book) giving details of the relevant sections of the White Paper on Public Health - "Choosing Health". The chapters to be considered were numbered 4, 7 and 8, the remainder being matters for the Health Scrutiny Committee. Members felt that public health was a core issue to the County Council's strategic objective of "Developing quality of life for everyone". They suggested a range of speakers who might be invited to a future meeting in order to concentrate their minds on practical ways forward in fields where the County Council could make a difference. They saw effective partnerships as essential, particularly with district councils and the health service. Their preliminary view was that the approach should be to identify what services were available, what gaps there were, and what the County Council could do as a means of adding value.

RESOLVED:

    (i) That the Chief Executive be requested to commission research on:

      · What departments are already doing in relation to public health;

      · What the County Council currently does in relation to the health of its
      employees;

    (ii) That further information be sought from the following external sources:

      · What other Councils are doing with regard to provision for their own staff and Councillors;

      · What proactive health strategies could be undertaken for County Council staff;

    (iii) That further research be commissioned pursuant to (i) above, to include:

      · Getting external speakers to help understand the possibilities and opportunities;

      · Assessing what other drivers may exist for the County Council taking an active role in public health;

      (iv) That in the light of the outcomes from (i), (ii) and (iii) above, a small task group be established at the next meeting to come up with suitable recommendations.

241 UPDATE ON SELECT COMMITTEE INQUIRIES

Councillor Ludlow reported on the meetings already held by Inquiry Panel 1; a copy of the document setting out the subject "The Prevention and Management of Risk relating to Children and Young People" was circulated, and a copy is set as Item 7 in the Minute Book. Potential contributors had been asked to forward information for consideration by early January, and the Panel would meet again on 10 January to review the material received. Members of the Panel thanked Share D'All for her guidance. It was explained that the timetable for the review meant it was no longer possible for outcomes to be ready for the February meeting of the Policy and Resources Scrutiny and Select Committee, and it was therefore

RESOLVED:

That approval be given to the outcome and recommendations from Inquiry Panel 1 being submitted to the 11 April meeting of the Policy and Resources Scrutiny and Select Committee.

There was no update to make on progress with Inquiry Panel 2.

242 INFORMATION MANAGEMENT OF LOCAL ISSUES FOR MEMBERS

The Committee considered a briefing paper by the Chief Executive on current arrangements and initiatives. During discussion Members highlighted the following issues of importance to them in this area:

      · the urgent need for a comprehensive list of contacts showing who does what, in the form of a staff directory which covered all departments giving names, main responsibilities and contact details;

      · a consistent system whereby all departments, as a matter of routine, notify local County Councillors of decisions arising within their areas, to enable County Councillors to

        (a) be aware of the issues first and so to be in a position to respond on behalf of their communities;

        (b) have the opportunity for early input by local elected members;

        (c) ensure that all reports contain an accurate statement of the views of the local elected member;

      · departmental strategies for ensuring that officers are keeping Members informed;

      · the best value review of communications and consultation strategy to take into account the views of the Hampshire Compact;

      · for the future, an accurate map of the new electoral divisions so that newly elected Councillors after May 2005 are aware what is going on within their areas and to assist officers to know what is in each division;

      · Members to receive by post a full printed copy of all agenda papers for meetings of which they are members - it seems that there are some joint and partnership meetings where this does not happen at present.

      · There were several IT-related issues which would be discussed with Michelle Smith at the next meeting - as appropriate.




      RESOLVED:

      (i) That Michelle Smith, Chief Executive's Department, be requested to
      attend the next meeting of the Committee to report on the above, and on
      other work relating to e-Government and communications with
      Members.

      (ii) That the Officer present speak to the Chief Executive about strategies to
      improve officer awareness of the need to keep Members informed.

243 REVIEW OF DEMOCRATIC AND DECISION-MAKING PROCESSES

The Chief Executive reported that there had been 40 responses from elected members and invited further feedback from others yet to contribute. A summary of the responses would be referred to the next meeting of the Committee.

244 COMMITTEE'S TIMETABLE AND FUTURE ITEMS/KEY DECISIONS FROM THE FORWARD PLAN

The Committee received and noted the report of the Chief Executive (Item 10 in the Minute Book) setting out a list of forthcoming key decisions and items for the Committee's forward programme.

245 KEY DECISIONS GOING TO THE LEADER WHICH MAY REQUIRE SCRUTINY

The Committee identified Budget Strategy 2005/06 as an item which they would like to scrutinise as part of the budget preparation process, as timing will allow.

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