NOTICE OF MEETING
COMMITTEE:
COMMUNITY SCRUTINY COMMITTEE
DAY/DATE:
WEDNESDAY, 18TH JULY 2007
TIME: 2.30
PM
VENUE:
EAST COMMITTEE ROOM
MUNICIPAL BUILDINGS
EARLE STREET
CREWE
Despatch date: 9th July
2007
Enquiries to: Carol Jones
Tel: 01270 537598
Fax: 01270 537605
E-mail: agendas@crewe-nantwich.gov.uk
Chair: Councillor J Lewis
Tel: 01270 627507
E-mail: cllr.john.lewis@crewe-nantwich.gov.uk
To: Members of
the Community Scrutiny Committee
[ Councillors T E Ankers (Deputy Chair), D N
Bebbington, J D Bratherton, D H D Charlesworth, S Conquest, C Goff,
M Grant, G Griffiths, R Jones, J Lewis (Chair), M A Martin, S J S
Mottram (Deputy Chair) ]
Chief Executive, Executive Directors,
Assistant Chief Executive
Other Members of the Borough Council (agenda
only electronically)
Local press and radio
Notes for Members of the
Public
The Borough Council welcomes and encourages
members of the public to attend its Committee, Board and Council
meetings.
If you plan to attend, please report to the
Reception Desk in the Municipal Buildings, where you will be
provided with a Visitor’s Pass.
Car parking is not available at the
Municipal Buildings, but there are several town centre car
parks. There is a disabled access to the rear of the
Municipal Buildings, and this can be accessed through the side door
on Vernon Way. Please press the button for attention, and
someone will meet you and escort you through to the main reception
area.
You are asked to remain quiet whilst the
meeting is taking place, and to enter and leave the meeting room,
or public gallery of the Council Chamber, as quietly as
possible. Please ensure that if you have a mobile phone or
pager, it is switched off for the duration of the meeting.
You are not allowed to have drinks or food
in the meeting rooms, nor in the Public Gallery, other than
refreshments which are offered by the Borough Council during a
break in proceedings.
Fire Evacuation
If the fire alarm rings, you should make
your way to the nearest exit with your belongings, as quickly as
possible, and leave the building. Please follow any
instructions from staff about evacuation
routes.
Copies of the agenda will be available if
you attend. Agendas are also made available on the Internet and can
be accessed via the Council’s website – see front page for
details.
On occasions, members of the press and
public will be excluded from the meetings when the business to be
transacted is of a confidential nature, for example, dealing with
individual people, contracts and financial affairs of other
parties.
If you require any further information,
please contact Carol Jones the Committee Officer (details on front
page).
AGENDA
1.
Apologies
2.
Declarations of Interest
Any Member present (including non-Committee
Members) to declare any personal or prejudicial interest, and the
nature of the interest, which they have in any item of business on
the agenda and, if necessary, to leave the meeting prior to
discussion of that item.
Members who also serve as County, Town or
Parish Councillors are reminded of the need to make declarations in
respect of any item which directly concerns the business of the
appropriate authority.
Declarations are a personal matter for each
Member to decide. Whilst Officers will advise on the Code of
Conduct and its interpretation, the decision to declare, or not, is
the responsibility of the Member, based on the particular
circumstances.
3. Whipping
Declarations
Members to declare in respect of items where
the whip has been applied.
4.
Record of Meeting –30th May
2007
To approve as correct, the Record of the
Meeting held on 30th May 2007. (4)
5. Board
Business
5.1 Board Meeting –
26th July 2007
The Committee is invited to comment on Board
reports which fall within its remit.
5.2
Provisional List of Board Items
(Board’s Forward Plan)
To consider the Board’s Forward Plan for July
and September 2007. (5.2)
5.3 Responses/Referrals from the
Board or Council
At the previous meeting, the Committee made
comments on a Board report (Wulvern Housing – Governance
Review). At its meeting held on 31st May, the
Board took into account the Committee’s comments, together with the
comments from the other two Scrutiny Committees and deferred making
a decision, remitting the item to the Organisation Scrutiny
Committee for consideration and recommendation back to the Board at
the earliest opportunity.
The Organisation Scrutiny Committee
(formerly known as the Performance and Overview (Organisation)
Committee) held a special meeting on 25th June 2007, and
its recommendation to Board is attached. (5.3)
6. Air
Quality Monitoring
To receive a short presentation from Nick
Kelly, Environmental Health Officer, which provides an up-date
since the last presentation.
7.
Performance Monitoring
7.1 Best Value Performance
Indicators
The enclosed report provides service
performance information in respect of key national Performance
Indicators for the period 1st April 2007 to
30th June 2007. (to follow)
7.2 Financial Out-Turn
– 2006/2007
The Committee is invited to consider the
out-turn report for 2006/2007, as submitted to Full Council on
27th June 2007.
7.3 Financial
Monitoring – (first quarter) 2007-2008
To consider the Financial Monitoring report
for the period 1st April to 30th June 2007.
(to follow)
7.4 Private Sector
Housing
To receive for information the report of the
Head of Housing (7.4) which summarises the
expenditure on the four main housing renewal grants or assistance
up to 30th June 2007 –
1. Decent Home Grants
2. Disabled Facilities Grants
3. Empty Property Grants
4. Energy Efficiency Grants
8. Work
Programme
8.1 Educational
Attainment
At its meeting held on 7th February
2007, the Committee considered a report of the Local Strategic
Partnership Manager (Su Turner) together with additional data on
GCSE results; the Portfolio Holder for Neighbourhoods was in
attendance on that occasion and addressed the Committee.
It was reported that subsequent to the
previous presentation to the Committee (in February 2006), the
Local Strategic Partnership had carried out some work on attainment
levels. The presentation to the Committee covered the
attainment levels for Crewe Education Improvement Partnership and
Nantwich Education Improvement Partnership and also focused on
attainment levels in the vicinity of the regeneration areas.
This highlighted collective performance for ten primary schools and
four secondary schools in Crewe.
Following discussion, the Committee expressed
concern at what appeared to be low attainment levels and declining
attainment trends for certain local schools and it was agreed that
the appropriate Executive Member (Cheshire County Council) be
invited to a future meeting to provide an overview of the relative
reduction in educational standards in the borough.
It is understood that County Councillor
Shirley Harris will be in attendance at this meeting, together with
Su Turner and Councillor R Westwood. As background
information, a copy of the LSP Manager’s report (excluding graphs)
as submitted to the February 2007 meeting, is attached.
(8.1)
8.2 Cheshire
County Council – Social Care
The Committee has agreed to conduct this
review by way of witness evidence. At the previous meeting
Councillor Conquest undertook to invite a representative from
Cheshire Carers to the meeting.
An invitation has also been extended to Jayne
Parkinson (Social Services) at Cheshire County Council to give the
County Council’s perspective on the issue. No response has
yet been received.
8.3 Police
Service Review
The Assistant Chief Executive to report
progress on discussions with Superintendent Mick Garrihy in respect
of the most appropriate method of conducting a review into the
delivery of Police services.
8.4 Other
Reviews
8.4.1 Timing of Reviews
Within the Timetable of Public Meetings for
2007/2008, there are four remaining meetings of this Committee
(19th September, 14th November,
9th January and 5th March). If the
Committee intends to complete its reviews within the Municipal
Year, it may wish to consider appointing task groups to undertake
some of the work, reporting their progress to the main
Committee.
8.4.2 Identified
Reviews
The Committee is reminded that at its meeting
on 30th May 2007, the following were agreed for review
–
+ Grants Allocation
+ Leisure Charge Increases
+ Neighbourhood Renewal
(1)
Grants Allocation
(2)
Leisure Charge Increases
The Committee is invited to identify
- the reasons for the review
- the scope of each of these
reviews
- timeline
- method of review (eg, task
group, witness evidence?)
- who can assist in providing the
information?
- potential outcome of each
review
(3) Neighbourhood Renewal
At the previous meeting, Councillor Griffiths
undertook to complete a scrutiny form for consideration by the
Committee.
8.5 Climate Change –
Appointment of Member to the Local Economy and Environment Scrutiny
Committee
The Local Economy and Environment Scrutiny
Committee has established a task group entitled “Climate Change”
and has requested each of the other two Scrutiny Committees to
appoint a Member to it. This issue has previously been raised with
this Committee which declined to nominate anyone in the absence of
Terms of Reference.
The Terms of Reference have been agreed by
the Committee as follows -
(a) To
discuss and agree the content of a Climate Change Strategy
for Crewe & Nantwich Borough Council, specifically -
(i) To consider and comment on
existing Council policies and strategies;
(ii) To
identify Council policies and practices which need to be
addressed;
(b) That
discussions be lead by relevant Crewe & Nantwich Borough
Council Officers; and
(c) That
contributions from Officers from external agencies such as the
North-West Regional Development Agency, the Environment Agency and
associated ‘not-for-profit’ organisations and other local groups be
sought.
9. Next
Meeting
19th September 2007
This
agenda can be made available in larger text on request
Note:
In accordance with the Health and Safety at
Work Act, the Council is required to notify those attending
meetings of the fire evacuation procedures. A copy has
previously been distributed to Members and instructions are located
in all rooms within the Civic Suite.