Agenda, decisions and minutes
PDF 231 KBVenue: Council Chamber, District Council Offices, Gernon Road, Letchworth Garden City, SG6 3JF
Contact: Scrutiny Officer Email: ScrutinyOfficer@north-herts.gov.uk
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APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE Members are required to notify any substitutions by midday on the day of the meeting.
Late substitutions will not be accepted and Members attending as a substitute without having given the due notice will not be able to take part in the meeting. Decision: Apologies for absence were received from Councillors Matt Barnes and Adam Compton.
Having given due notice Councillor Lisa Nash substituted for Councillor Matt Barnes. Minutes: Audio recording – 2 minutes 38 seconds
Apologies for absence were received from Councillors Matt Barnes and Adam Compton.
Having given due notice Councillor Lisa Nash substituted for Councillor Matt Barnes. |
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MINUTES - 20 JUNE 2023 To take as read and approve as a true record the minutes of the meeting of the Committee held on the 20 June 2023. Decision: RESOLVED:That the Minutes of the Meeting of the Committee held on 20 June 2023 be approved as a true record of the proceedings and be signed by the Chair. Minutes: Audio Recording – 2 minutes 57 seconds
Councillor Val Bryant, as Chair, proposed and Councillor Nigel Mason seconded and, following a vote, it was:
RESOLVED:That the Minutes of the Meeting of the Committee held on 20 June 2023 be approved as a true record of the proceedings and be signed by the Chair. |
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NOTIFICATION OF OTHER BUSINESS Members should notify the Chair of other business which they wish to be discussed at the end of either Part I or Part II business set out in the agenda. They must state the circumstances which they consider justify the business being considered as a matter of urgency.
The Chair will decide whether any item(s) raised will be considered. Decision: There was no other business notified. Minutes: Audio recording – 3 minutes 44 seconds
There was no other business notified. |
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CHAIR'S ANNOUNCEMENTS Members are reminded that any declarations of interest in respect of any business set out in the agenda, should be declared as either a Disclosable Pecuniary Interest or Declarable Interest and are required to notify the Chair of the nature of any interest declared at the commencement of the relevant item on the agenda. Members declaring a Disclosable Pecuniary Interest must withdraw from the meeting for the duration of the item. Members declaring a Declarable Interest, wishing to exercise a ‘Councillor Speaking Right’, must declare this at the same time as the interest, move to the public area before speaking to the item and then must leave the room before the debate and vote. Decision: (1) The Chair advised that, in accordance with Council Policy, the meeting would be audio recorded.
(2) The Chair drew attention to the item on the agenda front pages regarding Declarations of Interest and reminded Members that, in line with the Code of Conduct, any Declarations of Interest needed to be declared immediately prior to the item in question.
(3) The Chair advised that for the purposes of clarification clause 4.8.23(a) of the Constitution does not apply to this meeting. Minutes: Audio recording – 3 minutes 48 seconds
(1) The Chair advised that, in accordance with Council Policy, the meeting would be audio recorded.
(2) The Chair drew attention to the item on the agenda front pages regarding Declarations of Interest and reminded Members that, in line with the Code of Conduct, any Declarations of Interest needed to be declared immediately prior to the item in question.
(3) The Chair advised that for the purposes of clarification clause 4.8.23(a) of the Constitution does not apply to this meeting. |
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PUBLIC PARTICIPATION To receive petitions, comments and questions from the public. Decision: There was no public participation at this meeting. Minutes: Audio recording – 4 minutes 38 seconds
There was no public participation at this meeting. |
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URGENT AND GENERAL EXCEPTION ITEMS The Chair to report on any urgent or general exception items which required their agreement. At the time of printing the agenda, the Chair had not agreed any urgent or general exception items. Decision: No urgent or general exception items were received. Minutes: Audio recording – 4 minutes 45 seconds
No urgent or general exception items were received. |
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CALLED-IN ITEMS To consider any matters referred to the Committee for a decision in relation to a call-in of decision. At the time of printing the agenda, no items of business had been called-in. Decision: There have been no called-in items. Minutes: Audio recording – 4 minutes 54 seconds
There have been no called-in items. |
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MEMBERS' QUESTIONS To receive and respond to any questions from Members either set out in the agenda or tabled at the meeting. Decision: No questions had been submitted by Members. Minutes: Audio recording – 4 minutes 59 seconds
No questions had been submitted by Members. |
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RESOLUTIONS OF THE OVERVIEW AND SCRUTINY COMMITTEE REPORT OF THE SCRUTINY OFFICER
To consider the outcome of Overview and Scrutiny Committee resolutions.
Decision: RESOLVED: That the report entitled ‘Resolutions of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee’ was noted.
REASON FOR DECISION: To enable the Overview and Scrutiny Committee to review and comment on actions and feedback received regarding resolutions previously made. Minutes: Audio recording – 5 minutes 07 seconds
The Scrutiny Officer presented the report entitled ‘Resolutions of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee’ and drew attention to the following:
· Following consultation with the Chair and Vice-Chair the Task and Finish Group had been cancelled. · The Draft Sustainability SPD had moved to November Cabinet meeting and there was work ongoing on the Design SPD. · The LGA Peer Review Action Plan had been included as an appendix to the Work Programme report to monitor progress, with most actions currently ongoing. · A section had been added to this report to list referrals from this Committee, so that the Committee can review the outcomes. · All referrals from the June meeting had been approved.
Councillor Ralph Muncer welcomed the Scrutiny Officer to their first Committee meeting in their new role.
Councillor Dominic Griffiths proposed and Councillor Nigel Mason seconded and, following a vote, it was:
RESOLVED: That the report entitled ‘Resolutions of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee’ was noted.
REASON FOR DECISION: To enable the Overview and Scrutiny Committee to review and comment on actions and feedback received regarding resolutions previously made. |
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ANNUAL SAFEGUARDING REPORT 2023 REPORT OF THE SAFEGUARDING TEAM LEADER
The Council has robust procedures in place that govern how staff and members deal with concerns about children and adults at risk of abuse in order to maintain our statutory duty to safeguard their welfare. Work is ongoing to ensure that these procedures are understood and followed throughout the organisation. Additional documents:
Decision: RESOLVED: That the Committee:
(1) Received and commented on the annual report of progress made against the Council’s fulfilment of the statutory duty to maintain an effective safeguarding function regarding children, adults, modern slavery and domestic abuse.
(2) Noted the recent Shared Internal Audit Service (SIAS) audit (Appendix A) and its Action Plan tracker (Appendix B).
(3) Agreed that sufficient and robust processes are in place at the Council for application and review of safeguarding processes, and that an annual review and presentation to this committee should continue.
REASON FOR DECISIONS: The recommendations made are the best course of action that can be accommodated within the approved budget and officer resources, that will fulfil our statutory and lawful obligations but also ensure that a regular, corporate review exists. Minutes: Audio recording – 7 minutes 15 seconds
Councillor Alistair Willoughby, as Executive Member for Community and Partnerships, presented the report entitled ‘Annual Safeguarding Report 2023’ and advised that:
· There were 658 referrals made in the year 2022-2023, which was the same as the previous year with a slight change in type. There were 370 adult safeguarding referrals, which marked a 6% decrease, and 288 child safeguarding referrals, which marked an 8% increase. · There had been an increase in mental health referrals due to the impacts of the cost of living crisis, with statutory and third sector organisations noting that these issues can be distressful for the individual and time consuming for officers. · The Council continued to work with SADA, particularly in areas where there was an underreporting of domestic abuse. It was noted that some domestic abuse survivors were being forced to stay with abusers due to the cost of living crisis. · Member completion of safeguarding training was low and all Members should be encouraged to complete the training. · Actions completed this year were included at paragraph 8.2 of the report. · Future plans included a continuation of promoting national and local campaigns, introducing bespoke training on mental health and hoarding and a continuation of the partnership with SADA. · The Shared Internal Audit Service (SIAS) had completed an audit, with the action plan, including any progress updates, included as Appendix B to the report.
The following Members asked questions:
· Councillor Clare Billing · Councillor Ralph Muncer · Councillor David Levett · Councillor Daniel Wright-Mason
In response to questions, the Safeguarding Team Leader advised that:
· Most referrals from the previous three years had been received from Council staff. · In 2020/2021 9 external referrals were made, in 2021/2022 6 external referrals were made and in 2022/2023 3 external referrals were made. · They did not have comparative figures for County Council, or other district councils, but could provide these outside of the meeting. · Without reviewing referrals from recent years, it would not be possible to indicate why there was an increase in both adult and child referrals where the individual was ‘at risk of significant harm’, but this could be completed and provided outside of the meeting. · The numbers in table 1 of the report included those with no recourse to public funds who were referred under the National Referral Mechanism for Modern Slavery.
In response to questions, the Service Director – Legal and Community advised that:
· At an employee level it is now agreed that an appropriate level of training will be undertaken and that all staff, since July 2023, have been required to complete the e-learning module within the first days of employment. · Members at this Committee have previously recommended Members safeguarding training be made mandatory but would need to be agreed to be taken forward. · The e-learning module took around 30 minutes to complete and all, staff and Members, should be encouraged to complete this. · A self-audit of training took place with Members previously and it was felt from this that mandatory training was ... view the full minutes text for item 233. |
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Q1 2023-2024 UPDATE ON THE COUNCIL DELIVERY PLAN REPORT OF THE SERVICE DIRECTOR - RESOURCES
A report to show progress against projects, risks and performance indicators supporting delivery of the Council Plan. Additional documents:
Decision: RESOLVED: That the Committee:
(1) Noted the progress against the Council projects as set out in the Council Delivery Plan (appendix A) including changes to milestones, performance indicators and risks, and makes any recommendations or comments to Cabinet.
(2) Considered the presentation of the report for future meetings, especially in relation to milestones and project status, and made any recommendations or comments to Cabinet.
REASON FOR DECISIONS: The Council Delivery Plan (CDP) monitoring reports provide Cabinet with an opportunity to monitor progress against the key Council projects, and understand any new issues, risks or opportunities. Minutes: Audio recording – 27 minutes 29 seconds
The Controls, Risk and Performance Manager presented the report entitled ‘Q1 2023-2024 Update on the Council Delivery Plan’ and advised that:
· This was the first quarter update on Council projects, as approved by Cabinet, and was intended to be an evolving document and could be updated following feedback from Members. · Point 8.2 of the report detailed the changes to milestones, which were highlighted in yellow in Appendix A. · Point 8.4 of the report clarified that the completion status was based on the current milestone, therefore if milestones were changed the original date would not be visible. It was being explored how this could be presented without referring to past reports. · It was expected those projects with higher priority would have fewer milestone changes. · Project prioritisation had been discussed at the previous Committee meeting and informal discussions were taking place with Executive Members on this, with a view to present this alongside the second quarter report. · All projects, risks and milestones were available for Members to view on Pentana. · As previously requested, an update on resourcing at the Council had been provided at point 8.7 of the report. · The progress bar in Appendix A highlighted the progress on the current milestone, not the entire project, and this only reported on milestones within this financial year. · The 27 projects and their status were included on page 68 of the report pack, with those as amber status included at the front of the report. · There were five projects highlighted amber, three were green with some requests for date changes and there were four new Performance Indicators included on projects. · The report was intended to be an overview of projects, but further details could be provided on specific projects if requested by Members. · Questions submitted by Councillor Matt Barnes had been responded to via email prior to the meeting, and circulated to Members.
The following Members asked questions:
· Councillor Ralph Muncer · Councillor David Levett · Councillor Daniel Wright-Mason · Councillor Nigel Mason
In response to questions, the Controls, Risk and Performance Manager advised that:
· A consultant had been appointed on the Churchgate project, however a longer lead in time was required before they could begin, which had led to the date slippage. · There had been resourcing issues which had affected the digital hubs. · They were keen to add transparency by adding detail around the changing dates to make it easier for Members. However, there was an auditable trail back through Overview and Scrutiny reports of any date slippage. · Detailed updates could be provided on projects, including the history of that project, should Members make these requests. · HR had been doing a lot of recruiting in different ways to address resourcing issues, including social media, making the role more attractive and promoting the benefits of working in local government. · There were some areas that were difficult to recruit into, despite actions being taken by HR, and this was common in these areas across local authorities. · The use of agency staff ... view the full minutes text for item 234. |
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OVERVIEW AND SCRUTINY COMMITTEE WORK PROGRAMME REPORT OF THE SCRUTINY OFFICER
To consider the issues that the Overview and Scrutiny Committee plans to review at future meetings and the activities of its sub-groups. Additional documents:
Decision: RESOLVED:
(1) That the Committee prioritised topics for inclusion in the work programme attached as Appendix A and, where appropriate, determined the high-level form and timing of scrutiny input.
(2) That the Committee, having considered the most recent iteration of the Forward Plan, as attached at Appendix B, suggested that the ‘Update to Common Housing Allocation Scheme’ and ‘Biodiversity Strategy 2023-2028’ items be considered at its meetings in the coming civic year.
(3) That the Corporate Peer Challenge Action Plan as attached at Appendix C was considered.
REASONS FOR DECISIONS:
(1) To allow the Committee to set a work programme which provides focused Member oversight, encourages open debate and seeks to achieve service improvement through effective policy development and meaningful policy and service change.
(2) The need to observe Constitutional requirements and monitor the Forward Plan for appropriate items to scrutinise remains a key aspect of work programming. Minutes: Audio recording – 51 minutes 07 seconds
The Scrutiny Officer presented the report entitled ‘Overview and Scrutiny Committee Work Programme’ and drew attention to the following:
· The LGA Peer Review Action Plan had been included with the report at Appendix C to review progress on actions. · The Crime and Disorder Matters item had been scheduled for 29 January 2024 and requested Members make suggestions on topics. · The Strategic Housing Policy Update, requested in March 2023, had been added to the Work Programme. · There were ongoing discussions with the Chair, Vice-Chair and Officers regarding how best to provide Enterprise Directorate updates to the Committee. · The Call To Account for Harkness Court had been provisionally scheduled for November and there would be a pre-meeting briefing for Members arranged before. · Members were welcome to make other suggestions for topics.
Councillor David Levett requested that the Update on the Common Housing Allocation Scheme and the Biodiversity Strategy 2023-2028 be added to the Work Programme from the Forward Plan. In response to this, the Scrutiny Officer advised that these could be added, however the Biodiversity Strategy item had been delayed, but would be added as to be scheduled.
In response to a question from Councillor Ralph Muncer the Scrutiny Officer advised that the invitation to settle had been sent this week.
Councillor Clare Billing proposed and Councillor David Levett seconded and, following a vote, it was:
RESOLVED:
(1) That the Committee prioritised topics for inclusion in the work programme attached as Appendix A and, where appropriate, determined the high-level form and timing of scrutiny input.
(2) That the Committee, having considered the most recent iteration of the Forward Plan, as attached at Appendix B, suggested that the ‘Update to Common Housing Allocation Scheme’ and ‘Biodiversity Strategy 2023-2028’ items be considered at its meetings in the coming civic year.
(3) That the Corporate Peer Challenge Action Plan as attached at Appendix C was considered.
REASONS FOR DECISIONS:
(1) To allow the Committee to set a work programme which provides focused Member oversight, encourages open debate and seeks to achieve service improvement through effective policy development and meaningful policy and service change.
(2) The need to observe Constitutional requirements and monitor the Forward Plan for appropriate items to scrutinise remains a key aspect of work programming. |