COMMITTEE:      COMMUNITY SCRUTINY COMMITTEE

DAY/DATE:         WEDNESDAY, 19^TH SEPTEMBER 2007

TIME:                 2.00 PM

VENUE:              EAST COMMITTEE ROOM

                          MUNICIPAL BUILDINGS

                          EARLE STREET

                          CREWE

Despatch date:    11^th September 2007

Enquiries to:        Diane Moulson             Tel:   01270 537026

                                                             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

Guide time

2.30 pm – 2.35 pm

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 – 18^th July 2007

To approve as correct, the Record of the Meeting held on 18^th July 2007. (4)

2.35 pm – 2.40 pm

5.         Board Business

5.1       Board Meeting – 20^th September 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 November 2007 and January 2008.  (5.2)

5.3       Responses/Referrals from the Board or Council

The Committee did not consider any Board reports at its previous meeting; consequently there are no responses from the Board.

There are no referrals from the Board or Council on this occasion.

2.40 pm – 2.45 pm

6.         Educational Attainment

At the previous meeting, the Committee agreed to invite the appropriate Executive Member/s and Officer/s from Cheshire County Council to discuss this topic. 

As a reminder to the Committee, educational attainment was discussed at its meeting in February 2007, at which time Members focused on the attainment levels for Crewe Education Improvement Partnership and Nantwich Education Improvement Partnership and also the attainment levels in the vicinity of the regeneration areas. The presentation by Su Turner (LSP Manager) highlighted collective performance for ten primary schools and four secondary schools in Crewe.

Members expressed concern at what appeared to be low attainment levels and also declining attainment trends for certain local schools. The Committee had concluded that the discussion would be more effective if both an Executive Member (Cheshire County Council) and an Officer were in attendance.

The issue was raised again at the Committee’s meeting on 18^th July 2007 when it was informed of the up-to-date situation in respect of attendance by County Executive Members and Officers. 

Subsequent to that, an invitation to attend this meeting was extended to County Councillors Shirley Harris and David Rowlands and Officers Joan Feenan (Director of Children’s Services) and Linda Brown (County Manager).   

County Councillor Rowlands has responded (copy letter attached) and proposes that three Officers (Linda Brown, Mark Parkinson (Principal Manager) and Sue Jackson (Principal Adviser) who has responsibility for data) attend the Committee’s meeting on 14^th November.  He has also suggested that a Head Teacher representative from each of the Crewe and Nantwich Education Improvement Partnerships attends to outline the strategies being adopted by those EIPs to raise standards.

County Councillor Rowlands has confirmed that either he or County Councillor Harris will also be in attendance on that occasion.

2.45 pm – 3.30 pm

7.         Non-Residential Care – Impact of Care Charge Increases

At the request of Councillor Conquest, the Committee recently agreed to include in its work programme a review of “the impact of care charge increases upon users of the service locally (non-residential care, ie home and day care, transport and meals)”.

At its meeting on 18^th July 2007, the Committee received information from Social Services, but declined to discuss the documents.  As with item (6) above, Members agreed that the discussion would be more meaningful if the appropriate Executive Member and Officer from Cheshire County Council were in attendance to discuss this topic. 

An invitation to attend the meeting was extended to County Councillor Lynn Hardwick and Cathy Reynolds (County Manager – Business Support).  The invitation was followed up with an e-mail reminder;  at time of issue of the agenda, no response has been received.

The scope of this review has not yet been defined and Members of the Committee may wish to take the opportunity to consider this, taking into account the reason for the review and the potential outcome.

3.30 pm –  3.45 pm

8.         Financial Monitoring – (first quarter) 2007-2008

To consider the Financial Monitoring report for the period 1^st April to 30^th June 2007. (8)

3.45 pm

9.         Work Programme

9.1       Grants Allocation

The Committee is invited to consider the Scoping Brief prepared by Councillor Lewis, following his discussion with the Funding and Performance Manager (Lynda Walker).  (9.1)

The Committee is invited to consider if this review should be included in its work programme.

9.2       Leisure Charge Increases

This issue was raised by Councillor R Jones who has provided the following information as the scope of the review.  The Committee is invited to consider if this topic should be included in its work programme.

9.3       Neighbourhood Renewal

At the previous meeting, the Committee agreed to include in its work programme the topic of “Neighbourhood Renewal”.  It was acknowledged that this was a cross-cutting review and required joint Lead Officers from (a) Community Development and Social Policy (b) Planning and (c) Housing.

The Committee considered that the most appropriate method of undertaking this review was by the establishment of a small working group, and Councillors J D Bratherton, S Conquest and G Griffiths were appointed to it.

The Assistant Chief Executive, Bernadette Hurst, was asked to arrange for appropriate Senior Managers from Planning and Housing, together with herself, to comprise the joint Lead Officers for this review.

The Committee is invited to consider the scoping brief and timetable for the review.

10.       Next Meeting

14^th November 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.