Archived decisions
AT A MEETING of the POLICY AND RESOURCES SCUTINY AND SELECT COMMITTEE of the COUNTY COUNCIL held at The Castle, Winchester on 11 April 2005.
PRESENT:
Councillors: P.A. Pierce (In the Chair); Mrs P.G. Banks; M.F. Cartwright; P.J. Chegwyn; A.P. Collett; A.G. Dowden; R.J. Ellis; P.R.C. Hutcheson; Mrs C.A. Leversha; A.R. Ludlow; A.W. Rice; M.J. Roberts; J.G.L. Wall; J.K. West.
Also present: Councillor Mrs P.A. West
261. DECLARATIONS OF INTERESTS
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 regards 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.
262. MINUTES
The Minutes of the meeting of the Committee held on 14 February 2005 were confirmed as a correct record and signed by the Chairman.
263. CHAIRMAN'S COMMUNICATIONS
As it was the last meeting of the Committee before the County Council elections the Chairman thanked Members, for their dedication and hard work, and officers for their support.
264. MEMBERS' QUESTIONS
There were no Members' questions.
265. DEPUTATIONS
There were no Deputations.
266. THE COMMITTEE'S PROACTIVE TOPICS
a) INFORMATION MANAGEMENT FOR MEMBERS
The Committee considered the report of Councillors Cartwright and Wall (item 6(a) in the Minute Book) investigating ways of ensuring that Councillors are informed about actions which impact on their local divisions.
Members welcomed both the style (i.e. Member led) and content of the report. There was a general consensus that a cultural change was needed in order to improve Member/officer communications and that this could best be achieved through the induction programme. Reference was made to the perceived ease of implementation, and importance of, ensuring that Members had access to Hantsnet (the Intranet) and that maps showing Hampshire's electoral divisions were made more widely available to officers. It was confirmed that both of these issues had already begun to be investigated. Members were glad to hear of the reintroduction of the Members Handbook and highlighted the need for improved access to key service `out of hours' answer phones.
RESOLVED:
1. That the Policy and Resources Scrutiny and Select Committee support the initiatives outlined in the report, designed to improve many of the current weaknesses in the system.
2. That the Committee puts the following recommendations forward to the Cabinet for their consideration:
(i) The County Council explore ways to link County Councillors with consultation of the community and community engagement by officers in order to co-ordinate input to decision making.
(ii) Any centralised resource of collated information, including the intranet, needs to be accessible to Members as well as officers.
(iii) Information needs to be provided on a District basis as a minimum - and by Division where relevant and possible.
(iv) Action is taken, within existing budgets, to enable the use of the District, Division, and Local Council fields of the Grants Database to be used for reporting (estimated cost £450).
(v) The County Council explore linking in with the www.writetothem.com system so that our Councillors can be identified and contacted in this simple way (useful for officers and the public). Use of photos may also be worth considering.
(vi) Induction of officers:
· The Managers Role Induction is adapted to include a section on the role of Councillors and how managers need to interact with them.
· There is consideration given to the best mechanism to include appropriate understanding of the democratic aspects of the organisation in the induction of all officers.
(vii) Corporate Communications are asked to produce some costed options for a `Your Councillor is Interested' campaign which would be initially targeted at Hampshire County Council staff to achieve the following objectives:
· To reinforce the democratic as well as service delivery objectives of the organisation.
· To clarify the role of County Councillors and how this sits alongside officer roles.
· To identify the issues about which officers need to be keeping Councillors informed - and how.
· To identify ways in which officers and Members should be working together.
(viii) The County Council explore the possibility of providing Political Assistants who serve Party Groups in researching and providing information to support their role.
(ix) The County Council develop a good system of internal and external links as part of the Member website.
(x) That the Members Handbook be reintroduced.
3. That following its consideration of these recommendations the Cabinet be requested to respond to the Committee detailing which of the resolutions would be implemented, which would be rejected and the reasons for their decision.
4. That the Committee receive a further report in due course appraising them of the actions which had taken place as a result of these recommendations.
b) PUBLIC HEALTH
The Committee considered the report of Councillor Ellis and Roberts (item 6(b) in the Minute Book) examining the current and potential role of Hampshire County Council in the promotion of public health and the health of it's employees. Councillor Ludlow declared an interest as Chairman of the North Hampshire Primary Care Trust.
It was reported that there were many initiatives, led by the County Council and other agencies, designed to improve the health of Hampshire's population but that these were fragmented and a more coordinated approach was necessary, particularly in light of increasing pressures on Primary Care Trusts' budgets.
RESOLVED:
1. That the Cabinet be recommended to request that the Policy Unit research how Hampshire County Council might develop a strategic and coordinated approach to public health and that this should:
(i) Take into account all the valuable work already being undertaken across the County in a number of departments and partnerships.
(ii) Be developed to align with the public health themes already presented in the County Councils Community Strategy and PSA targets.
(iii) Take into account responsibilities to both the Community and to the County Council's staff.
(iv) Develop an approach which:
· Gets the full benefit from a strategic alignment of the work already undertaken by the County Council to reduce `health inequalities' as well as developing positive and healthy life choices.
· Is forward thinking and invests in the future, not just with money but in setting up the necessary infrastructure for positive change.
· Includes targets and mechanisms for clear measurement of ongoing and long term impact so that money can be well targeted.
(v) Look at how we could access support from funding that is likely to become available in this area to take any agreed approaches forward.
2. That following its consideration of these recommendations the Cabinet be requested to respond to the Committee detailing which of the resolutions would be implemented, which would be rejected and the reasons for their decision.
3. That the Committee receive a further report in due course appraising them of the actions which had taken place as a result of these recommendations.
267. SCRUTINY PANEL 1, SERVICES FOR CHILDREN AND YOUNG PEOPLE
The Committee considered the report of Councillor Ludlow, Chairman of the Panel (item 7 in the Minute Book) covering the final recommendations of the Inquiry Panel looking into Prevention and Management of Risk to Children and Young People as well as giving a brief review of the Panel's experiences operating in the style of a select committee.
A presentation was received summarising the salient points of the report, including the potential for further work to be undertaken in this area should time and resources be made available. Members highlighted the need for additional training, particularly for teachers and support staff, so that early signs that a child may be a risk were not overlooked. Training for Councillors was also considered appropriate particularly in their role as Corporate Parents, but it was noted that the information necessary to effectively perform that role was often unobtainable for security reasons.
Members' debate focused on the process by which the recommendations would, if agreed by the Council, be implemented. It was felt important that timescales for implementation be set and that the Committee continue to review the progress made on this matter. It was agreed that the Full Council should receive progress reports on the outcomes of this, and all future, inquiry panels.
RESOLVED:
That Hampshire County Council be informed of this Committees views that:
1. IN DESIGNING STRATEGIES NOW:
(i) The County Council should, in its lead role under the Children Act, plan to ensure that the whole of the workforce delivering universal services to children and young people in Hampshire is trained to:
a. Know how to spot the early warning signs of risk to children & young people - they should know what development to expect of children at certain ages and be able to identify deviations and lack of progress.
b. Understand the theory and importance of attachment and bonding between parents and children and be able to observe indicators of its absence.
c. Have and use a common language, which enables common understanding and information sharing.
d. Know how they in their role can support families and develop resilience in children.
e. Understand their accountabilities and responsibilities for individual children.
f. Know how to share information between partner organisations.
g. Know how to assess when specialist services may be appropriate and how to access them.
(ii) A proactive lead should be taken by the County Council in collecting and collating data of risk indicators across the county in order to:
a. Prioritise needs (both locally and strategically)
b. Establish trends
c. Collect ongoing data for measuring impact
(iii) Data should be used effectively by:
a. Mapping needs for each locality against local services already in existence. It is especially important to take account of local schemes, such as "Surestart" and voluntary organisations.
b. Working with partners to agree strategic priorities in preventative work.
c. Agreeing what ongoing data is required to measure impact of strategies - and how it will be collected, collated and learned from.
2. FOR FUTURE PLANNING:
(i) Further attention should be given to resolving the potential conflict between the autonomy of schools and their role in fulfilling Hampshire County Council's leadership of children's services. (The Children Act imposes duties on schools and their staff that will conflict with their autonomy).
(iv) It is important to consider the whole family rather than just children when assessing need for preventative intervention, for example, respite support for parents can have important benefits to siblings as well as parents and children with disabilities.
(v) It is important to make use of resources that already exist - which is why mapping services is so important.
(vi) As the feedback from the public is that they prefer to access familiar local services than have to travel to more expensive ones, this needs to be reflected in our planning.
(vii) We must enable and support innovative solutions - which means good problem analysis and creativity and also opportunities for sharing good practice.
3. An important role for Cabinet will be to ensure that the strategic direction agreed is monitored for:
· Effective implementation
· Desired impact over time
4. All Councillors need to be made aware of their responsibilities in this area both jointly (as Corporate Parent) and individually, especially with regard to the Council's aims and strategy in developing Children's Services and preventative work in particular.
5. That all Councillors should:
(i) Be aware of the strategic and local priorities for children & young people.
(ii) Have a good understanding of the specific needs in their area and the services that are working with them. i.e.
· They should visit schools and other Children's Services establishments
· They should be able to discuss an input to the prevention priorities in their areas with recognition that causes vary and strategies need to be tailored and effective.
(iii) They should monitor the effectiveness of partnership working in their area in this field.
(iv) Where possible be easily able to access the information necessary to fulfil this role.
6. Subject to the Council's approval of these recommendations the Policy and Resources Scrutiny and Select Committee be requested to monitor their implementation.
7. That the Committee receive a further report in due course appraising them of the actions which had taken place as a result of these recommendations.
268. BEST VALUE REVIEW OF EQUALITY AND DIVERSITY
The Committee considered the report of the Chief Executive and Director of Human Resources (item 8 in the Minute Book) detailing the outcomes of the Equalities and Diversity Best Value Review together with the Improvement Plan. It was reported that the Improvement Plan reflected the requirements of the Corporate Performance Assessment.
Members debate focused on the need for on-going training of staff and for further projects to be undertaken to engage ethnic communities.
RESOLVED:
That:
1. The Equality and Diversity Best Value Review outcome report and Improvement Plan be agreed as representing the views of the Policy and Resources Scrutiny and Select Committee.
2. Cabinet be advised of the outcome of the Best Value Review so that they can implement the Improvement Plan.
3. That the Cabinet be advised of the Committee's view that further equalities training should be introduced as mandatory for all Hampshire County Council staff.
4. The Committee receive annual progress reports until the Improvement Plan is completed.
5. A summary of the review is prepared for inclusion in the Performance Plan.
6. Councillors A.R. Ludlow and Mrs P.A. West be involved in overseeing the implementation of the Improvement Plan.
269. ANNUAL EFFICIENCY STATEMENT: FORWARD LOOK
The Committee considered the report of the County Treasurer (item 9 in the Minute Book) outlining the proposals for the County Council's efficiency plan and setting out the calculation of saving for 2005/06 as required by the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister.
RESOLVED:
That the Leader, Chief Executive and County Treasurer be advised to submit the Annual Efficiency Statement: Forward-look, as outlined in Appendix 1 to the report, to the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister on behalf of the County Council.
270. AMPFIELD CHURCH OF ENGLAND PRIMARY SCHOOL
The Committee considered the report of the Chief Executive (item 10 in the Minute Book) on a recent decision taken as a matter of urgency by the Cabinet on the future of Ampfield CE Primary School. Members discussed the reasons for and against the school remaining open and commented on the process which had been taken in coming to the final decision.
RESOLVED:
That the report on the urgent decision and the reasons for it be noted.
271. COMMITTEE'S TIMETABLE AND FUTURE DECISIONS
The Committee received and noted the report of the Chief Executive (item 11 in the Minute Book) on the formal programme of items and setting out the list of forthcoming key decisions which were due to be made by the Leader. No other items were identified for inclusion on the list.
272. ANY OTHER KEY BUSINESS GOING TO THE LEADER THAT MAY REQUIRE SCRUTINY
No additional items were identified by the Committee as requiring further scrutiny.
273. EXCLUSION OF THE PRESS AND PUBLIC
RESOLVED:
That, by virtue of paragraphs 8 and 9 of Part 1 of Schedule 12A of the Local Government Act 1972, the press and public be excluded from the remainder of the meeting.
274. WASTE MANAGEMENT - ALTON MATERIALS RECOVERY FACILITY
The Committee considered the confidential report of the Director of Environment (item 14 in the Minute Book) on capacity and funding issues relating to the Alton Materials Recovery Centre.
It was agreed that increasing the County's capacity for recycling waste was, both economically and environmentally the best way forward, although some concerns were expressed regarding the routing of Heavy Commercial Vehicle's to the Alton site.
The recommendations set out in the report were adopted