Agenda and minutes

Apologies for absence were received from Councillor C L Strange and Dr E van der Zee (Parent Governor Representative).

No interests were declared.

It was noted that the resolution had been omitted from Minute 69.  The Committee were made aware of this and the Chairman would sign a copy of the minutes with the resolution included as follows:

RESOLVED

1.   That the content of the Overview and Scrutiny Management Committee work programme, as detailed at Appendix A to the report, be approved;

2.   That the work programmes from the Council's other Overview and Scrutiny Committees, as detailed at Appendix B to the report, be approved;

3.   That the Working Group activity, as detailed at Appendix C to the report, be noted;

4.   That the Forward Plan of Key Decisions from 1 February 2016, as detailed at Appendix D to the report, be noted.

RESOLVED

That the minutes of the meeting held on 25 February 2016, as amended, be approved and signed by the Chairman as a correct record.

The Chairman welcomed Dr Emile van der Zee, (a former Parent Governor Representative), and Mrs Patricia Barnett who had both been appointed to sit on this Committee and the Children and Young People's Scrutiny Committee for the next four years as Parent Governor Representatives. 

Unfortunately, Dr van der Zee was unable to attend this meeting.

(To consider Call-Ins, should any be received)

The Committee was advised that no Call-Ins had been received.

(To consider proposals for Scrutiny Reviews, should any be received)

The Committee was advised that no proposals for Scrutiny Reviews had been received.

(To consider Councillor Call for Actions, should any be received)

The Committee was advised that no Councillor Call for Actions had been received.

(To receive a verbal update by Nigel West (Head of Democratic Services and Statutory Scrutiny Officer) on the Review of Scrutiny Working Group)

The Committee received a verbal update from the Head of Democratic Services & Statutory Scrutiny Officer on the Review of Scrutiny Working Group.

At its inaugural meeting on 25 February 2016, six of its eight members were present.  Councillor R B Parker was elected Chair of the Group with Councillor Mrs M J Overton as Vice Chair.

As its first item, the Group discussed the signs of a good relationship between Executive and Scrutiny and what a good relationship should look like.

City of Lincoln Council had won an award for its scrutiny review on poverty.  The Working Group had expressed a wish to find out how this had been achieved and meet with district colleagues to find out more.  In addition, the Working Group had requested a visit to Boston Borough Council to find out more about its scrutiny review on the social impact of population change.

There had been discussion on how scrutiny could improve on looking ahead, and its use of the forward plan to do this. 

The Group had asked if there a greater need for regular meetings between the chairmen of scrutiny committees and the Executive and it had been suggested that Executive members be invited to the Working Group.

The next step for the Group was to liaise with district colleagues regarding a visit to City of Lincoln Council and Boston Borough Council, and create a draft protocol.

During a general discussion the following points were noted:

1.      A protocol between the Health Scrutiny Committee for Lincolnshire and two of its partners had been written which may be of help to the Working Group;

2.      There was discussion regarding devolution in Lincolnshire and how scrutiny should be involved in the process;

3.      Another issue which Members felt warranted scrutiny was that of refugees coming to Lincolnshire;

There would be regular updates and reports from the Working Group at future meetings and a formal report at the end of the process.

RESOLVED

That the verbal update on the Review of Scrutiny Working Group be noted.

(To consider a report by Nigel West (Head of Services and Statutory Scrutiny Officer), which invites the Committee to consider the content of its work programme and the work programmes of the Council's other scrutiny committees)

Consideration was given to a report which enabled the Committee to consider both its own work programme and the work programmes from the scrutiny committees for 2016.

Overview and Scrutiny Management Committee

Discussion regarding refugees in Lincolnshire continued and it was reported that the Corporate Parenting Panel would be receiving a report on Unaccompanied Asylum Seekers at its meeting on 9 June.

It was agreed that the Committee should oversee and lead the scrutiny of the refugee situation in Lincolnshire and the devolution as both issues cross cut through several scrutiny committees.

It was suggested that informal workshops on refugees and devolution be held after future meetings of the Committee, with all Councillors invited.

Adults Scrutiny Committee

On 6 April, the Committee would be considering a request from the Health Scrutiny Committee to look into delayed transfers of care.  Part of the item on Adult Care Seasonal Resilience would cover delayed transfers of care and it would be for the Adults Scrutiny Committee to decide how to take the request forward.

At its meeting on 25 May, the item on Carers and Service Developments would include a representative from the new provider of carers services which would be announced shortly.

The item on Workforce Development, which would be led by Melanie Weatherly, (the new Chairman of the Lincolnshire Care Association (LinCa)) would now be scheduled for the meeting on 29 June.

Children and Young People Scrutiny Committee

There were several amendments to the work programme.

The report on the Early Years and Children's Health Services Commissioning Review had been removed from the 15 April agenda. This was following discussions officers had held with Legal Services which changed the position regarding the legal duty to consult and therefore the decision making route had changed. A final decision report on this commissioning review would be brought to the Committee around September or October. In the meantime, a working group had been established to work with officers on this commissioning review.

The report on SEND Reforms had been deferred from the April meeting to the May meeting to enable officers to invite a representative from the Parent Carer Forum to attend the meeting and to incorporate up to date information about the forthcoming Ofsted inspections of SEND. The framework for these inspections was due to be published around 11 April.

A report on the Department for Education's "Educational Excellence Everywhere" White Paper had added to the agenda on 15 April to inform the Committee of the Government's plans for education and the impact this will have on the Local Authority.  It was felt the implications for Lincolnshire were massive and it could do serious damage to small schools.

A report on Partners in Practice has been added to the 15 July agenda. This is regarding a four year pilot funded by the Department for Education to give academy style freedoms to high-performing authorities, and Lincolnshire had been selected to be part of this pilot.

Community and Public Safety Scrutiny Committee

There  ...  view the full minutes text for item 78.