Agenda and minutes

Venue: Committee Room One, County Offices, Newland, Lincoln LN1 1YL

Contact: Andrea Brown  Democratic Services Officer

Items
No. Item

50.

Apologies for Absence/Replacement Members

Minutes:

Apologies for absence were received from Councillors C E H Marfleet, N H Pepper and Added Member Mr S C Rudman. 

 

It was reported that, under the Local Government (Committee and Political Groups) Regulations 1990, Councillor A Stokes had been appointed as replacement member for Councillor N H Pepper for this meeting only.

51.

Declarations of Members' Interests

Minutes:

No declarations of Members' interests were received at this point of the proceedings.

52.

Minutes of the meeting of the Overview and Scrutiny Management Board meeting held on 26 October 2017 pdf icon PDF 148 KB

Minutes:

The Head of Democratic Services and Statutory Scrutiny Officer advised the Board of some amendments which had been highlighted since the papers had been published and requested the Board's agreement of these changes:-

·       Minute No. 37 – Apologies for Absence/Replacement Members

 

Apologies for absence had been omitted from the minutes for Councillor Mrs A M Newton;

 

·       Minute No. 37 – Overview and Scrutiny Work Programmes

 

o   Environment and Economy Scrutiny Committee – amend the first sentence to read "The Chairman of the Environment and Economy Scrutiny Committee, Councillor A Bridges, reported that, since the election, the Environment and Economy Scrutiny Committee had dealt with a busy schedule, covering many high profile projects across the county.";

 

o   Flood and Water Management Scrutiny Committee – amend the first sentence to read "The Chairman of the Flood and Water Management Scrutiny Committee, Councillor D McNally, updated the Board on the work of the Flood and Water Management Scrutiny Committee, which met quarterly.";and

 

o   Highways and Transport Scrutiny Committee – amend the first sentence to read "The Vice-Chairman of the Highways and Transport Scrutiny Committee, Councillor C J T H Brewis, reported that he and the Chairman had been engaged in site visits."

 

Mr E van der Zee noted that Bishop Burton College had been referred to, under the Environment and Economy Scrutiny Committee section of Minute No. 47 (Overview and Scrutiny Work Programmes), as Bishop Boston College and asked that this also be amended.

 

RESOLVED

 

          That the minutes of the previous meeting held on 26 October 2017, with the amendments noted above, be agreed as a correct record and signed by the Chairman.

53.

Announcements by the Chairman, Executive Councillor for Resources and Communications and Chief Officers

Minutes:

The Chairman announced that he had attended the meeting of the Executive on 7 November 2017 and had reflected the views of the Board in relation to the ESPO Contract.

 

Members of the Board were urged to attend the Budget Workshops as this was an important area for councillors to consider.  Two sessions had been arranged, the first on 4 December 2017 and the second on 6 December 2017.

 

There were no announcements by the Executive Support Councillor for Resources and Communications or Chief Officers.

54.

Consideration of Call-Ins

(An opportunity for the Board to consider Councillor Call-Ins, should any have been received)

Minutes:

No Call-Ins had been received.

55.

Consideration of Councillor Calls for Action

(An opportunity for the Board to consider Councillor Calls for Action, should any have been received)

Minutes:

No Councillor Calls for Action had been received.

56.

2017/18 Council Business Plan Quarter 2 pdf icon PDF 67 KB

(To receive a report by Jasmine Sodhi (Performance and Equalities Manager) which invites the Board to consider a report on the 2017/18 Council Business Plan Quarter 2 prior to it being considered by the Executive on 5 December 2017)

Additional documents:

Minutes:

Consideration was given to a report by Jasmine Sodhi (Performance and Equalities Manager) which invited the Board to consider the 2017/18 Council Business Plan performance data for Quarter 2 which would be presented to the Executive at its meeting on 5 December 2017.

 

The report highlighted the following areas which provided an update from the Chairman of each scrutiny committee on elements thought to be of relevance to the Board:-

·       Plans to amend targets and measures no longer appropriate, i.e. flood risk management; carers receiving direct payments; carers supported to delay the care and support for the person cared for; and Household Waste Recycling;

·       All measures detailed which did not achieve the target in Quarter 2 also did not achieve the target at Quarter 1 with the exception of '16-17 year old Looked After Children participating in Learning' (where performance was expected to improve) and 'Health and Social Care staff trained in making Every Contact Count (MECC)' (where the annual target was expected to be achieved);

·       Measures outside of the direct responsibility of the County Council, e.g. reduction in drug and alcohol misuse, alcohol fuelled violence and anti-social behaviour, domestic abuse, reoffending and the partnership working taking place to improve the outcome; and

·       Alternative local measures in place of or in addition to measures where there was a considerable lag in reporting, e.g. Lincolnshire CO2 reductions, permanent exclusions and timeframes for reporting.

 

The Board noted that:-

·       9 of the 14 Commissioning Strategies reported in Quarter 2 performed well and achieved target.  These included:-

o   Adult Frailty, Long Term Conditions and Physical Disability;

o   Children are safe and healthy;

o   Community resilience and assets;

o   How we effectively target our resources (combination of three commissioning strategies);

o   Safeguarding adults;

o   Specialist adult services; and

o   Sustaining and growing business and economy;

·       5 of the 14 Commissioning Strategies reported in Quarter 2 had mixed performance and some measured were not achieved.  These included:-

o   Carers;

o   Protecting the public;

o   Protecting and sustaining the environment;

o   Readiness for Adult Life; and

o   Wellbeing.

 

It was also noted that Appendix 1A provided a summary of the measures which did not achieve the target in Q2 and that all of the measures detailed had not achieved the target in Q1 and Q2 with the exception of '16-17 year old Looked After Children participating in learning' (where performance was expected to improve) and 'Health and Social Care staff trained in Making Every Contact Count (MECC)' (where the annual target was expected to be achieved).

 

The Board was content with the suggested changes at Appendix 1B to improve the Infographics to demonstrate the cumulative measure in addition to the quarterly figures.

 

The Chairman explained that, as Chairman of the Overview and Scrutiny Management Board, he was required to provide a report to the Executive which reflected the discussions had in relation to this item.

 

During discussion, the following points were noted:-

 

Adult Care & Community Wellbeing

·       The Health Scrutiny Officer was invited to join the meeting  ...  view the full minutes text for item 56.

57.

Property Service Contract Update pdf icon PDF 173 KB

(To receive a report by Kevin Kendall (County Property Officer) which provides an update on the performance of the Property Services Contract with VINCI Facilities Partnership Limited (VFPL) at the end of the second year of the contract)

Additional documents:

Minutes:

Consideration was given to a report by the Executive Director of Finance and Public Protection which provided an update on the performance of the Property Services Contract with VINCI Facilities Partnership Limited (VFPL) at the end of the second year of the contract.

 

Kevin Kendall (County Property Officer) and Brian Goodwin (Contract Manager) introduced the report and gave assurance that Corporate Property continued to deliver and identify further opportunities for efficiencies and savings.  A presentation was also given on Year 2 Performance which highlighted the following areas:-

·       Key Performance Data;

·       Property Services VMOST 2016/17;

·       Health and Safety Report;

·       Pain/Gain;

·       Low Service Damages;

·       Enhanced Governance;

·       External Audit;

·       Peer Review;

·       Continuous Improvement Projects;

·       Staff Engagement, Awards and Recognition;

·       Key Performance Indicators; and

·       Performance Dashboard.


The Service Manager's Assessment of the Contract Performance following the first year of the contract identified a number of areas for improvement which had resulted in an ambitious improvement programme and included three targeted improvement projects with a clear set of 27 tactics for a 12-18 month business plan. 

 

Corporate Property governance had also evolved over time to ensure that the content, frequency and decision-making authority of all meetings supported the risk management requirement.  The buyout of contracts by VINCI Facilities earlier in 2017 had not caused any disruption to service delivery and had resulted in stronger subcontractor supplier management.

 

A second peer review provided outcomes which focussed on setting the priorities for Corporate Property over the next 18 months.  The assessment had also indicated that the contract overall had performed strongly and would continue to do so.

 

During discussion, the following points were noted:-

·       It was reported that £6.4m of the total Council budget was spent on the Property Services Contract minus £176k total gain in year 2;

·       The VMOST had been completed for the next 18 months and the focus was on integration.  VINCI continued to employ Kier as the main sub-contractor and work continued to ensure better partnership working;

·       The refurbishment of Lancaster House had been challenging at times but had been a positive experience in terms of delivery and staff feedback;

·       Prioritisation of property issues in the county's children's homes was explained to the Board.  There was a triage process in place which prioritised jobs and, although there was nothing specifically written in the contract to give children's homes priority, staff manning the manual on-desk system gave high priority to these homes;

·       One member of the Committee asked if the number of leases given in perpetuity by the Council be reported; and

·       Although Property Services utilised the Agresso system, the Board were assured that the two systems were working together well.

 

RESOLVED

 

          That the report be noted.

58.

Scrutiny Committee Work Programmes pdf icon PDF 169 KB

(To receive a report which sets out the work programmes of the Adults and Community Wellbeing Scrutiny Committee and the Health Scrutiny Committee for Lincolnshire in accordance with the Board's agreed programme)

Minutes:

The Board considered the work programmes of two Scrutiny Committees and the following points were noted:-

 

Adults and Community Wellbeing Scrutiny Committee

 

The Health Scrutiny Officer introduced the Work Programme of the Adults and Community Wellbeing Scrutiny Committee and confirmed earlier discussions that the Committee had agreed to consider the performance reports in a themed manner.  For Quarter 1 the Committee had considered Hospital Discharge and Reablement Services, for Quarter 2 the Committee had considered Carers Services and for Quarter 3 it was expected to focus on Assessments and Review of Assessments.

 

During discussion, the following points were noted:-

·       It was requested that the areas within Adult Social Care which were not meeting performance targets be discussed at a future meeting;

·       A suggestion was made to give consideration to the transition between childhood and adulthood following concerns raised by carers about what would happen to the individuals when they transferred over to other services.  It was agreed that this was a subject which should be referred to both the Adults and Community Wellbeing Scrutiny Committee and the Children and Young People Scrutiny Committee for joint consideration; and

·       One Member explained that a case had recently been dealt with where a care provider had not been correctly registering hours which had resulted in the individual being charged for care incorrectly.  Although this particular issue had been resolved, there was concern that this may be happening more widely.  The Health Scrutiny Officer confirmed that this had not been reported to the Committee previously but that this would be raised with the Chairman of the Adults and Community Wellbeing Scrutiny Committee.

 

Health Scrutiny Committee for Lincolnshire

 

Councillor C S Macey, Chairman of the Health Scrutiny Committee for Lincolnshire, updated the Board on the work of the Committee, which met monthly.  Councillor Macey provided the following update to the Board:-

 

Lincoln Walk-In Centre

The Lincolnshire West CCG Governing Body had met on 29 November 2017 where a decision was made to:-

·       Continue to support the rollout of alternative provisions – Out of Hours GP access, NHS111 and CAS, community hubs, increased primary capacity across Lincs West CCG, use of local pharmacy walk-in facilities and local surgery walk-in services;

·       Adjust opening hours of the Walk-In Centre as demand and staffing dictate;

·       Further reduce demand on the Walk-In Centre through continuation of full communication and engagement plan;

·       Support the continued implementation of transitional plan to enable Walk-In Centre service to close at the end of the winter period.

 

The Health Scrutiny Committee was also due to consider the progress of Lincolnshire West CCG in relation to alternative provision to the Walk-In Centre at its meetings in December and February.

 

Grantham A&E – Overnight Closure

A decision on the overnight opening hours at Grantham A&E was expected at the United Lincolnshire Hospitals Trust Board of Directors on 15 December 2017.  Should a particular issue require scrutiny following that decision, this would be scheduled for the January meeting of the Health Scrutiny Committee for Lincolnshire.

 

Non-Emergency  ...  view the full minutes text for item 58.

59.

Scrutiny Panels - Approval of Terms of Reference of Scrutiny Reviews pdf icon PDF 113 KB

(To receive a report by Simon Evans (Health Scrutiny Officer) which invites the Board to endorse the terms of reference and review completion dates of the two scrutiny reviews currently being undertaken – "Future IT Provision to Support Council Working Practices (Scrutiny Panel A)"; and "Impact of the Part Night Street Lighting Policy (Scrutiny Panel B)")

Minutes:

Consideration was given to a report by the Director responsible for Democratic Services which invited the Board to endorse the terms of reference and completion dates of the two scrutiny reviews currently underway:-

·       Scrutiny Panel A – Future IT Provision to Support Council Working Practices; and

·       Scrutiny Panel B – Impact of the Part Night Street Lighting Policy.

 

The membership of each scrutiny panel had been confirmed and discussions with the respective Chairmen and key participants had taken place in order to provide detail on the direction of each review.  Initial meetings of each panel had also taken place.

 

Scrutiny Panel A (Future IT Provision to Support Council Working Practices)

The Health Scrutiny Officer advised that the second meeting of Scrutiny Panel A had been arranged for 13 December 2017.  The Terms of Reference had been based on the detailed scoping document considered by the Panel at the first meeting.  Assurance was given that the Panel would not be involved in the activity of any other committee in relation to contracts with suppliers.

 

The Chairman of Scrutiny Panel A, Councillor Mrs J Brockway, confirmed that this review was a much larger topic than initially anticipated.  She asked that her thanks to the Health Scrutiny Officer for the work undertaken to-date be noted.

 

The main issue raised by the Panel to-date was that the Council did not currently have an IT Strategy.  The Executive Director of Environment and Economy explained that there was not an IT Strategy but that this was in development.  It was also acknowledged that more money was required in this area to ensure service delivery was as efficient as possible.

 

During discussion, the following points were noted:-

·       It was agreed that the review was not only about cost effectiveness but also timeliness, safety and service provision to enable frontline staff to deliver services safely;

·       It was suggested that Apps were essential in order to engage young people who tended to use phone apps rather than the internet and websites.  It was acknowledged, however, that this would require a large programme of upskilling and investment to enable app development.

 

Scrutiny Panel B (Impact of the Part Night Street Lighting Policy)

The Scrutiny Officer advised that two meetings of this panel had been held and a third arranged for 6 December 2017.

 

The Chairman of the Panel, Councillor Mrs A M Newton, reported that the police had commissioned a report on street lighting which suggested that the part-night lighting across the county had not affected crime.  The Assistant Chief Constable had been invited to attend the next meeting to address the Panel with the report findings.

 

The Board was advised that the views of residents had been requested via an online survey, within the press, on the Council's website and within County News.  It was reported that, to-date, 2400 responses had been received.

 

RESOLVED

1.    That the terms of reference and completion date of the review of Future IT Provision to Support Council Working Practices (Scrutiny Panel A) be  ...  view the full minutes text for item 59.

60.

Future Scrutiny Reviews

(An item which provides the Board with the opportunity to discuss potential topics for future scrutiny reviews)

Minutes:

The Chairman referred the Board to an email sent by the Head of Democratic Services and Statutory Scrutiny Officer which invited all Members of the Council to suggest topics worthy of consideration for future review by the Council's two scrutiny panels.

 

The intention was for the Board to consider the topics against the scrutiny review toolkit and for a list of review topics to be compiled so that the panels were in a position to begin the next review soon after the completion of their current work on street lighting and IT.

 

It was asked that any request for a review be supported by a rationale of no more than one side of A4.  Members had also been supplied with a form which was intended to assist with the types of questions asked in the toolkit.

 

Confirmation was given that the deadline for the submission of this round of scrutiny review topics was 5.00pm on Monday 11 December 2017.  This would allow time for any suitable suggestions to be included in the agenda pack for the Board on 21 December 2017.

 

Members were urged to submit suggestions for future reviews.

 

RESOLVED

 

          That the update be noted.

61.

Overview and Scrutiny Management Board Work Programme pdf icon PDF 339 KB

(To receive a report to enable the Board to consider and comment on the content of its work programme for the coming year to ensure that scrutiny activity is focussed where it can be of greatest benefit)

Minutes:

The Board was provided with an opportunity to consider its own work programme.

In order to avoid a clash of dates with the budget meeting of Council in February, it was suggested, and agreed, that the meeting scheduled for 22 February 2018 be moved to 1 March 2017.

 

RESOLVED

 

          That the Overview and Scrutiny Management Board work programme, including the amendment noted above, be agreed.

62.

Information Item

62a

Treasury Management Update 2017/18 - Quarter 2 Update Report to 30 September 2017 pdf icon PDF 263 KB

(To receive an information report by Karen Tonge (Treasury Manager) which provides the Board with information on Treasury Management Performance, for Quarter 2, and compares this activity to the Treasury Management Strategy for 2017/18.  The report also details any issues arising in treasury management during this period)

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The Board received an information report by the Executive Director of Finance and Public Protection which provided information on Treasury Management Performance, for Quarter 2, and compared this activity to the Treasury Management Strategy for 2017/18.  The report also detailed issues which arose in treasury management during the Quarter 2 period.

 

The Board indicated that they had considered the content of the report and had no issues to raise.

 

RESOLVED

 

          That the report for information be noted.

 

 
 
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