DETAIL OF SELECT COMMITTEE WORK

Select Committee role

Type of activity and date

Outcome, including action/s

Impact/Influence

Scrutinising the work of the Executive and the County Council as an organisation

In depth scrutinies during the year of:

- Lydhurst traffic congestion and bypass issue, and

- Transport in the Community

Monitoring outcomes of scrutinies in previous year:

- motorway diversion routes

- bus subsidy mechanism

- street lighting

- Lyndhurst report to March 2008 Cabinet

- Transport report expected to be completed by April 2008

- receipt of Executive response and consideration by Select Committee

Lyndhurst:

a) influence of recommendations to be identified once received and responded to by Cabinet

b) the review itself has impacted on the way in which a long standing issue has been looked at again, involving a wide range of stakeholders and ensuring transparency of evidence considered

- Transport:

a) Influence of recommendations to be identified after the report is received and responded to by the Executive Member

b) The review has impacted on the way in which the public is involved in consideration of county wide transport issues, involving a wide range of stakeholders and ensuring transparency of evidence considered

- Executive response accepted with no further action

Questioning and exploring areas of interest and concern

Consideration of topics at quarterly Select Committee

meetings:

a) Environment Agency State of the Environment Report

b) Carbon offsetting: national consultation

c) Water metering: national consultation

d) The state of Hampshire roads

e) Local Government and Public Involvement in Health Act 2007

Various:

* raised awareness of Hampshire issues in the context of the South East

* consideration of issues being consulted on

* consideration of issues, and submission of comments to DEFRA

* raised awareness of current issues and plans for future changes

* selection of topic for light-touch scrutiny

* increased knowledge about legislative changes affecting overview and scrutiny, to be introduced in 2008

Various:

· connection established between Select Committee and Environment Agency

· raising the profile of Hampshire environmental issues

.

· exercise of influence on national policy setting

· strengthening of scrutiny role through increased knowledge among Members of changes to come

Monitoring the strategic management of performance

a) Environment Department performance against Environment and Transportation Best Value Performance Indicators (BVPIs)

b) monitoring of Local Transport Plan 2006 -2011

* performance considered twice during the year.

* presentation received in October 2007 on a limited range of targets and indicators

· highlighting of and challenge on issues where progress is required

· questionning about plans for improving on areas of weakness

· greater impact could have been achieved if report had been made available earlier

Questioning Executive members about performance, direction and decisions

Invitation to Executive Member to give evidence to the Lyndhurst and Transport scrutinies

* attendance by Executive Member for the Environment at the Lyndhurst meeting in public

* attendance by the Executive Member for the Environment at a Transport scrutiny meeting in public

· broadening of pool of evidence within scrutiny reviews to include the Executive perspective

· consideration of the Executive perspective in drawing review conclusions and making recommendations

Pre-scrutinising recommendations from the

Decision Programme

Consideration of decision lists from the Environment Department

at Select Committee Chairman Agenda Planning meetings throughout the year, with a view to identifying items of interest for consideration by Members at Select Committee meetings

* selection of items for pre scrutiny at Select Committee

meetings during the year:

- establishment of a Transport

Delivery Agency for South

Hampshire

- Hampshire Minerals and Waste

Development Framework -

Core Planning Strategy

- speed and traffic management

- climate change

- Lyndhurst bypass

- vehicles in the countryside

- bus subsidy savings plan

- future funding arrangements for

community transport schemes

- Capital Programme 2007/08

- Revenue Programme 2007/08

· exploration of aspects of topics and appropriate

challenge

· requests for additional reports where necessary

· direct communication of comments and challenges about the budgets to the Executive Member at the meeting

Monitoring impact of external agencies on the people of Hampshire

Environment Agency representative attended April 2007 meeting where the Area Manager for Hampshire and the Isle of Wight engaged in discussion with Select Committee members about the state of the environment in Hampshire and the role of the Environment Agency

Communication of Environment Agency priorities and plans for action

· mutual exchange of information about role and function between the Select Committee and the Environment Agency

· communication to Environment Agency of elected Member perspective on environmental issues

· raised awareness about county wide environmental issues to strengthen scrutiny role of Members

Dealing with other topics

Pre scrutiny / scrutiny areas of investigation and influence

Action/s

Outcome/s

Estimated impact / influence

Consideration of departmental decision lists at Select Committee Chairman Agenda Planning sessions

Included in all Agenda planning sessions during the year

Selection of decisions for further consideration or not

Exercise of Select Committee role of holding the Executive to account

Pre scrutiny of decisions

Discussions of decision topics at all Select Committee meetings during the year

Challenge to the department originating the decisions

- raised awareness of decision topics among the Committee members

- challenge to aspects of proposed decision

Progress with scrutiny reviews

a) in depth scrutiny of Transport in the Community progressed during the year

b) in depth scrutiny of Lyndhurst bypass issues during the year

c) monitoring of outcomes of previous years scrutinies

Reporting timescale: April 2008

Report made to Cabinet in March 2008

Receipt of Executive response and consideration by Select Committee

To be identified after the report is published

To be identified when report is considered by Cabinet

Executive response accepted with no further action