Archived decisions

Hampshire County Council

Policy & Resources Select Committee Item 12

14 October 2008

Cabinet response to the Review of Scrutiny Arrangements and proposed associated actions

Report of the Chairman of the Policy and Resources Select Committee

Policy and Resources Select Committee Recommendations

Cabinet Response (suggested amendments in italic)

Proposed Policy and Resources Select Committee response and associated actions, subject to confirmation with relevant Leads.

A) There is a clearly defined mechanism agreed through which Select Committees can bring issues, reports and recommendations to the attention of the relevant Executive Member, or where appropriate the Cabinet, and a clear timeframe for providing a response to the appropriate Select Committee.

A) There is a clearly defined mechanism, stating the outcomes looked for, through which Select Committees can bring issues, reports and recommendations to the attention of the relevant Executive Member, or where appropriate the Cabinet. Any written report or recommendations will normally be responded to within two months of receipt by the Executive Member or Cabinet.

Cabinet amendments are incorporated into final report recommendations

Action: Operational protocols are amended in accordance with the recommendation. This should include a more detailed protocol for agreeing action from the recommendations and responsibility for taking this forward

Suggested Lead: Democratic Services and Scrutiny Team

A1) When a response is made, if recommendations are not accepted an explanation is provided.

A1) Endorsed.

To be incorporated into operational protocol as above.

B) Where recommendations are accepted there will be an agreed process for following up progress with implementation and reporting this to the relevant Select Committee, with sufficient time allowed in meetings for Members to give full consideration to the actions initiated.

B) Where recommendations are accepted there will be an agreed process for following up progress with implementation and reporting this to the relevant Select Committee and full Council.

To be incorporated into operational protocol as above

C) Make explicit the means by which Executive Members are able to feed into and inform Select Committee work programmes.

C) Executive Members are able to highlight issues of concern (e.g. any partnership working including that supporting the delivery of the Local Area Agreements or National Indicators and which supports the County Council's role as Community Leader) to Select Committees for consideration for inclusion in work programmes.

There will be scope on Select Committee agendas for Executive Members, with suitable notice, to raise questions for consideration by the Committee.

Cabinet amendments are incorporated into final report recommendations

Action: Operational protocols are amended in accordance with the recommendation.

Suggested Lead: Democratic Services and Scrutiny Team

D) At the point of selecting a topic for inclusion in the work programme, Select Committee Chairmen ensure that the prioritisation and scheduling of work allows for maximum opportunities to inform or improve the service/topic under consideration.

D) At the point of selecting a topic for inclusion in the work programme, including taking into account issues raised by Executive Members, Select Committee Chairmen ensure that the prioritisation and scheduling of work allows for maximum opportunities to inform or improve the service/topic under consideration.

Cabinet amendments are incorporated into final report recommendations

Action: Operational protocols are amended in accordance with the recommendation.

Suggested Lead: Scrutiny Team

E) The scope for Select Committee Members to access the expertise within Departments to obtain professional and technical advice/input is explored, taking account of the need to manage an appropriate separation of the work of Departments and scrutiny.

E) The Cabinet Working Group agrees that Select Committees should be able to access expertise within Departments for technical and other professional advice (e.g. the legal and scientific advice currently being provided to the Fluoridation Review Group) when this can be made available. Equally the Select Committees need to work with partner organisations and other external agencies to build arrangements for accessing advice and support as required to inform the delivery of their thematic work programmes.

Cabinet amendments are incorporated into final report recommendations

Action: All Chief Officers are alerted to the need to respond to requests for professional/technical advice and support. Scrutiny officers will ensure such requests are made at the earliest opportunity. Funding for external support is included in the scrutiny budget.

Suggested Lead: Chief Executive and Scrutiny Team

F) The point of contact between lead scrutiny officers and each Department is formally agreed to ensure that information is properly routed both through Departments and to Select Committee Members.

F) Endorsed.

Action: All Chief Officers are alerted to the need have a clear point of contact for Select Committees with responsibility for co-ordinating any contribution from the Department to the work of Select Committees. Scrutiny officers will be responsible for ensuring all requests to Departments from Select Committees are directed through the nominated link

Suggested Lead: Chief Executive and scrutiny team

F1) Briefings and reports for Members can be easily identified and accessed through the County Council's website.

F1) Refer to IT for response, needs to take account of the forward plan and the new Decisions Programme. See also L, P, R and T

The Cabinet Working Group also agreed that it would be helpful if County Council Part I and II reports also include a link to the original Executive Member/Cabinet report for ease of reference.

Action: Refer to IT for a response

Lead: Head of IT Services

Action: Refer to Democratic Services for implementation

Suggested Lead: Democratic Services

G) Regular informal meetings are set up between the relevant Select Committee Chairmen, Vice-Chairmen, Opposition Spokespeople, Executive Members and key officers to provide an early alert to emerging issues and facilitate `real time' scrutiny of decisions, policy development and work programmes.

G) Informal meetings are set up between the relevant Select Committee Chairmen, Vice-Chairmen, Opposition Spokespeople, Executive Members and key officers to provide advance information on emerging issues.

Cabinet amendments are incorporated into final report recommendations

Action: Operational protocols are amended in accordance with the recommendation.

Suggested Lead: Democratic Services and scrutiny team

G1) Select Committee Chairmen have lead responsibility for regularly briefing their Select Committee Members on the issues raised in these meetings.

G1) Being progressed through the Policy and Resources Select Committee.

In respect of `urgent' key decisions that are not in the Forward Plan and therefore require the Chairman of the relevant Select Committee(s) to be notified and/or approval obtained for the decision to be made, appropriate opposition spokespersons also to be notified at the same time.

Action: Select Committee Chairmen have in place clear arrangements for briefing members of their committee.

Suggested Lead: Select Committee Chairmen and scrutiny team

Cabinet amendment is incorporated into final report recommendations

Action: Operational protocols are amended in accordance with the recommendation.

Suggested Lead: scrutiny team

H) The timing and frequency of Select Committee meetings and supporting activities are reviewed to improve alignment with the Executive Member decision making process.

H) Already implemented for the coming year.

I) Mechanisms should be put in place to enable Select Committee Chairmen, taking account of the agreed priorities of that Committee, to initiate a response or action on behalf of the Committee to referrals from external sources that occur between meetings. These will be shared with all Committee members at the earliest opportunity with the chance for feedback where possible.

I) To be progressed through the Policy and Resources Select Committee and the Scrutiny Team.

Action: Scope for Chairman's action between meetings in place. Priorities for Select Committees drafted and out to consultation.

Suggested Lead: Select Committee Chairmen and scrutiny team

J) That the Policy & Resources Select Committee takes a stronger role in identifying priorities for scrutiny and adjusting work programmes as appropriate.

J) See D above. To be progressed through the Policy and Resources Select Committee.

Action: All Select Committee Chairmen actively promote agreed priorities for work programmes, focusing on scope for improving or influencing service delivery

Suggested Lead: Select Committee Chairmen

K) Select Committees actively build working relationships with relevant partner organisations and consider the way in which Hampshire County Council engages with and involves partners as a routine part of any thematic scrutiny activity.

K) To be progressed by the Policy and Resources Select Committee via priority setting arrangements. The Cabinet Review Group suggests that specific emphasis is given to building and understanding of the way in which other agencies impact on Hampshire residents

Action: Cabinet emphasis included in priorities of Select Committees.

Suggested Lead: Policy and Resources Select Committee

L) Consideration is given to the most effective way to support Members in building a knowledge base of, and engagement with, the work of the County Council. This may include the introduction of a `job description' for certain roles, a system of `lead scrutineers/member champions', or specified training completed prior to a Member being appointed to a particular role. The role of the Chairman in supporting non-Executive Member development should be included in this work.

L) Briefing programmes, organised visits and facilities for members should be improved. This should include better information to be made available in the Members Room, consideration of the accessibility of information on Hantsweb and exploration of the feasibility of siting IT support for members in the Members Room.

Action: Lead for supporting member development to co-ordinate a response across all departments. Member input to this work to be clearly identified.

Suggested Lead: HLC, linking with Chief Executive's Resources Group, Democratic Services and the scrutiny team

M) Consideration is given to the resources available to support non-executive Members in the conduct of overview and scrutiny.

M) The feasibility of providing the opportunity for Hampshire based students to act as research assistants/project support to members is explored with Universities and Colleges and also the County Council's Hampshire Own Grown (HOG) programme.

The Select Committee welcomes the recognition that members may be able to benefit from some dedicated support.

The Select Committee Chairmen that the support provided to deliver the overview and scrutiny function needs to be reviewed to ensure that it builds on existing strengths and good practice and is sustainable given the increasing contribution that Select Committees need to deliver in the future.

Action:1) The scope for secondments and other short term project management activities to support the work of members is explored internally and externally. 2) Select Committee Chairmen are able to contribute to the review of Corporate Services

Suggested Lead: 1)Director of Human Resources 2) Chief Executive

N) Work programmes are sufficiently flexible to accommodate unplanned work without compromising the timeliness of planned work undertaken by Select Committees.

N) To be progressed through the Policy and Resources Select Committee. Linked with priority setting by members (see D, J and S).

See response at I above

O) The `Call in' process is reviewed, taking account of national best practice.

O) Examples of other `call in' processes, have been provided for consideration by the Cabinet Working Group and further work will now be taken forward by the Policy and Resources Select Committee.

Additionally the Policy and Resources Select Committee needs to consider mechanisms to call to account the decisions of other partner organisations that impact on the residents of Hampshire

Action: Good practice in relation to the call-in procedure to be reviewed and a draft protocol to be shared with Select Committees and the Cabinet

Suggested Lead: Democratic Services, scrutiny team and monitoring officer

Action: Consideration of impact of decisions by other agencies included in priorities protocol. National regulations on scope for action awaited.

Suggested Lead: Policy and Resources Select Committee

P) The way in which reports and other information is presented to Members be reviewed to ensure that relevant evidence and supporting information is included, previous work can be easily tracked and links with corporate policies are clear.

P) Endorsed. The new Decisions Programme is intended to facilitate this.

See F1 above

Q) A `plain English' handbook is developed setting out the role and function of the Select Committees and the procedures that support their work. This will be clearly accessible on the website and widely circulated in the County Council.

Q) To be progressed by the Scrutiny Team in consultation with the Chairman of the Policy and Resources Select Committee.

Action: a plain English handbook drafted and shared with Cabinet

Lead: Policy and Resources Select Committee and scrutiny team

R) The scope to build Select Committee Member understanding of the key issues with regard to performance and finances, and better alignment with the annual cycle of both disciplines, is explored with the appropriate key leads in the County Council.

R) The Cabinet Working Group agreed it was important for Select Committees to have an understanding of the context in which decisions are made. The forward plan is intended to achieve this but needs to be more user friendly. Work has already taken place with regard to building understanding of budgetary issues and similar plans are in place to begin to share performance information more widely. Linked with C above.

The way in which the plans and programmes of other agencies, such as the Highways Agency and partnerships such as the Partnership for Urban South Hampshire (PUSH) and other 'Diamonds for Growth', impact on Hampshire residents also needs to be taken into account by the Select Committees (linked with K and O).

Action:

1) work relating to building an understanding of budgets and the performance of the County Council continues to enable members to draw on this information when considering work programmes.

2) work on the decisions programme and forward plan is currently being taken forward

Suggested Lead: 1) Scrutiny team 2) Chief Executives Policy Unit and Head of IT

See K and O above

S) A clear set of criteria for prioritising topics for inclusion in Select Committee work programmes is agreed and published. This is also used, adjusted as appropriate, to support the Select Committees in coming to a view about any referral from partner organisations.

S) A set of criteria for prioritising topics for inclusion in Select Committee work programmes is in the process of being agreed by members of the Policy and Resources Select Committee. This will also include criteria to support the Select Committees in coming to a view about any referral from partner organisations. This document will be circulated to all Members for comment, followed by consideration by the Policy and Resources Select Committee on 14 October 2008.

Action: Criteria for setting priorities and responding to referrals have been drafted and circulated to Select Committee Chairmen.

Suggested Lead: Policy and Resources Select Committee and scrutiny team.

T) Work on the website for Hampshire County Council Select Committees continues and includes work programmes and other support activities as well as the handbook (see recommendation R above)

T) Endorsed, although this is a wider issue for the County Council to consider. A plain English website which is easy to navigate is required to support members in the delivery of their work programmes and other supporting activities.

Action: 1) work on the scrutiny website is on-going 2) linked with F1 above

Suggested Lead: 1) Select Committee Chairmen and scrutiny team 2) Head of IT

U) The Hampshire County Council media protocols are revised to ensure they properly reflect the role of the Select Committees

U) To be taken forward by the Head of Corporate Communications. The existing protocol has been shared with the Chairman of the Cabinet Working Group.

Action: Protocol to be updated

Suggested Lead: Head of Corporate Communications