COMMUNITY SCRUTINY
COMMITTEE
RECORD OF MEETING
HELD ON 18TH JULY 2007
Present:
Councillor J Lewis; Chair
Councillors D N Bebbington, J D Bratherton, S
Conquest, D H D Charlesworth, C Goff, G Griffiths, M A Martin and S
J S Mottram
In Attendance:
Alastair
Bain Team
Leader – Private Sector Housing
Lisa
Carr
Policy and Performance Officer
Sarah
Edge
Environmental Health Officer
Paul
Goodwin
Assistant Director – Accountancy and Audit
Kirstie
Hercules
Community Engagement Manager
Bernadette Hurst
Assistant Chief Executive – Community Development
and
Social Policy
Nick
Kelly Environmental
Health Officer
Sally
Roper Senior
Accountancy Assistant
Mark
Ward Trainee
Accountant
Claire
Wilson Community
Development Manager
Non-Committee Member in
attendance:
Councillor R
Westwood Portfolio
Holder for Neighbourhoods
Apologies: Councillors
E Ankers and M Grant
8
DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST
No Member made any declaration of
interest in any item of business on the agenda at this point in the
meeting.
9
RECORD OF MEETING
AGREED: That the Record of the
Meeting held on 30th May 2007 be approved as
correct.
10 WHIPPING
DECLARATIONS
In accordance with Paragraph 18 of the
Performance and Overview Procedure Rules, Members were invited to
declare in respect of items where the whip had been applied.
No such declarations were made.
11 BOARD
BUSINESS
11.1 Board Meeting –
26th July 2007
The Committee schedule had been organised to
avoid meeting on the day of Nantwich Show (25th July);
consequently there was no opportunity to comment on Board reports
on this occasion.
11.2
Provisional List of Board Items (Board’s Forward
Plan)
Meeting to be held on 20th
September 2007
Ø The
Local Area Agreement was scheduled for discussion at the Board
meeting to be held on 20th September 2007. The
Committee was informed that in the absence of a full review, which
would be carried out at a later date, the Board would receive a
report on progress.
11.3
Responses/Referrals from the Board or Council
At the previous meeting, the Committee had
made comments on a Board report (Wulvern Housing –
Governance Review). The Board, at its meeting held on
31st May, took into account the Committee’s comments,
together with the comments from the other two Scrutiny Committees
and deferred making a decision, referring the matter to the
Organisation Scrutiny Committee for consideration and
recommendation back to the Board at the earliest opportunity.
The Organisation Scrutiny Committee held a
special meeting on 25th June 2007, and its
recommendation to the Board was as follows –
Comment was made that the recommendation of
the Organisation Scrutiny Committee did not accurately reflect the
concerns expressed by other Members. In response, the
Committee was informed that the Record of Meeting of the
Organisation Scrutiny Committee (25th June 2007) gave
details of the full range of the debate and comments and
responses. Those minutes were to be submitted to the
Organisation meeting on 23rd July 2007 for
approval. In the meantime, copies could be made available to
Members, on request, in advance of the publication date of
30th July 2007.
12
AIR QUALITY MONITORING
Nick Kelly, Environmental Health Officer, was
in attendance for this item and provided the latest official
information in respect of air quality monitoring. For the
benefit of newer Members to the Committee, he gave details of the
pollutants currently monitored by the Borough Council and outlined
the ways in which local authorities controlled air pollution within
their areas.
The seven principal pollutants were –
Benzene
Carbon monoxide
Nitrogen dioxide
Suphur dioxide
1,3-butadiene
Lead
Particles
The Committee was informed of current activity
and proposals for the future.
Reference was made to Hospital Street,
Nantwich which had been the subject of an Air Quality Management
Area Order (AQMA) on 16th December 2006. Following
that, a Steering Group had been set up to monitor progress on the
action plan which had been prepared. This was led by the Head of
Environmental Health and included Nick Kelly as one of its members,
together with representatives from Planning, Cheshire County
Highways, Cheshire County Transport and the Hospital Street
Association.
Mr Kelly responded to questions –
Ø
Performance
The borough compared favourably with other
areas. Crewe and Nantwich was one out of approximately 100
local authority areas which had been subject to AQMA Orders.
The Hospital Street AQMA was a relatively small area compared with
the remainder.
Ø
Pollution caused by traffic
Traffic-calming measures, similar to those on
the A534 Nantwich Road corridor, did not reduce emissions.
Whilst the measures slowed traffic, the “stop-start” nature of
driving released exhaust fumes into the atmosphere; however,
this was offset by reduced traffic where motorists would try to
avoid roads with hard traffic-calming measures.
Ø
Methods of controlling pollution
A range of options were available to try to
prevent vehicles using roads where there was a known hazard, but
this would be dependent upon education, a willingness of motorists
to reduce car use and Cheshire County Council imposing
restrictions, either by highway engineering or prohibitions.
13
PERFORMANCE MONITORING
13.1
Best Value Performance Indicators
Lisa Carr, Policy and Performance Officer, was
in attendance for discussion of this item.
The Committee considered the service
performance information in respect of key National Performance
Indicators for the period 1st April 2007 to
30th June 2007.
Specific reference was made to the following
indicators which fell within the remit of the Committee.
|
BV 78a and b
|
Time for processing Housing Benefit
and Council Tax claims.
|
Performance was above target.
|
LEE 501
|
Environmental Health
|
Clarification was sought in respect of the
number of high risk premises inspected; the Policy and Performance
Officer undertook to provide the requested information for
Members.
|
BVPI 126 & 128
|
Community
Safety
Ø House
burglaries
Ø Vehicle
burglaries
|
In response to comments made on these
performance indicators, and also with reference to the Committee’s
proposed review of Police Services, the Assistant Chief Executive
informed the Committee that community safety was a partnership
issue. However, partner organisations would be unlikely to
respond to requests from Scrutiny Committees and there was no
power, at present, for Scrutiny Committees to require such
organisations to assist with reviews; such information could
only be provided directly by Council Officers.
The Police and Justice Act 2006 (originally
intended to come into force in Spring 2008 but had been delayed)
provided powers for local authorities to scrutinise the work of
Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnerships (CDRP). The Police were
represented on the CDRP and in the longer term, the Committee could
undertake a review with input from those representatives.
Mrs Hurst commented that the figures for
vehicle crime in particular were not a cause for alarm; the
issue was being vigorously addressed at the highest level by Lead
Members of the Crime and Disorder Steering Group, chaired by
Councillor Maureen Grant, who could report progress to this
Committee.
13.2
Financial Out-Turn – 2006/2007
Paul Goodwin, Assistant Director (Accountancy
and Audit) was in attendance for discussion of this item and
summarised the key issues.
The Out-turn report for 2006/2007 had been
submitted to Full Council on 27th June 2007. The
submission of the report to this Committee was to provide an
opportunity for Members to ask questions on those items which were
within its remit.
(Note: In accordance with
Procedure Rule 26(2) Councillor R Westwood spoke on this item with
the permission of the Committee.)
13.3 Financial
Monitoring – First Quarter
In view of the scheduling of this meeting,
the Financial Monitoring report was not yet available. It
would be included in the Board papers for the meeting to be held on
26th July 2007 and the Committee would be given an
opportunity to consider it at its meeting on 19th
September 2007.
13.4
Private Sector Housing
Alastair Bain, Team Leader – Private Sector
Housing, was in attendance for discussion of this item.
The Committee received for information the
report of the Head of Housing which summarised expenditure on the
four main housing renewal grants or assistance up to
30th June 2007 –
1.
Decent Homes Grants
2.
Disabled Facilities Grants
3.
Empty Property Grants
4.
Energy Efficiency Grants
14
WORK PROGRAMME
14.1
Educational Attainment
At its meeting held on 7th February
2007, the Committee considered the report of the Local Strategic
Partnership Manager (Su Turner) together with additional data on
GCSE results; Councillor R Westwood, the Portfolio Holder for
Neighbourhoods, had been in attendance on that occasion and had
addressed the Committee.
At that time, 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 had
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.
Although it had been understood that County
Councillor Shirley Harris would be available for this meeting, it
was reported that she had sent her apologies, but had referred the
matter to her Executive Member colleague, Councillor David Rowlands
and County Officers, Joan Feenan and Linda Brown.
Members agreed that there would be little
value in discussing the topic unless both a County Officer and the
appropriate Executive Member could be in attendance.
AGREED: (a) That an invitation
be extended to the appropriate Cheshire County Council Officer and
Executive Member to attend the meeting to be held on
19th September 2007; and
(b) That the purpose of their
attendance was to provide an overview of the relative reduction in
educational standards in the borough, following the Committee’s
stated concern that there appeared to be low attainment levels and
declining attainment trends for certain local schools.
14.2
Cheshire County Council – Social
Care
Following discussion under item 14.1 above,
the Committee agreed that this scrutiny should commence with an
overview to be provided by the appropriate Cheshire County Council
Officer and Executive Member.
AGREED: That an invitation be
extended to the appropriate Cheshire County Council Officer and
Executive Member to attend the meeting to be held on
19th September 2007 to provide an overview of the
increased charges for non-residential care and the impact upon
users of the service locally.
14.3
Police Service Review
This topic had been discussed, in part, under
Record No. 13.1 above.
It was reported that Police Officers had been
instructed not to attend Scrutiny Committee meetings. It was
suggested that, as an interim arrangement until the Police and
Justice Act 2006 came into force, a small group of Members could
arrange to meet quarterly with either Chief Superintendent Ian
Hopkins or Superintendent Mick Garrihy and that oral reports be
presented to the Committee as and when appropriate.
AGREED: (a) That Councillors D N
Bebbington and G Griffiths arrange to meet with a Police
representative on a quarterly basis; and
(b) That the Assistant Chief Executive
initiate the arrangements and advise the two Members
accordingly.
14.4
Grants Allocation
Councillor Lewis had prepared an outline of
the scope of this proposed review. He undertook to liaise with
Lynda Walker (Funding and Performance Manager) who was the Lead
Officer for this topic and would provide a detailed scoping brief
for the September meeting.
14.5
Leisure Charge Increases
This topic had been suggested by Councillor R
Jones who was not at the meeting. It was
AGREED that he be asked to complete a scrutiny
form for consideration by the Committee.
14.6
Neighbourhood Renewal
The Committee considered a scrutiny form from
Councillor Griffiths which gave the following as the reasons for
his request for a review of “Neighbourhood Renewal”.
Ø
Subject:
“How do we maintain older housing areas,
particularly terraced housing, as attractive places to
live?”
Ø Why do
you consider it needs to be reviewed?
“For decades, terraced housing, built
between circa 1860 and 1910, formed the majority of housing
particularly in Crewe. Changing patterns of behaviour and
lifestyle have created difficulties (eg parking, maintenance etc.)
in maintaining sustainable communities in these areas.”
Ø
Outcome?
“Policy initiatives to restore the
attractiveness of living in such areas.”
Ø
Timeline: Approximately 6
months.
Ø How
should the review be conducted?
“(a) Collection of evidence from local
residents and others (eg Councillors, Officers);
(b) Best practice from other
areas.”
Ø Who can assist the Committee in
terms of knowledge, experience and evidence?
“Residents, officers, other similar
areas.”
Ø What documents might be
required?
“Evidence of initiatives elsewhere,
surveying of relevant
residents.”
Councillor Griffiths outlined other issues
which should be addressed as part of the scrutiny.
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.
AGREED: (a) That a Working Group
comprising Councillors J D Bratherton, S Conquest and G Griffiths
be established;
(b) That the Assistant Chief
Executive, as Lead Officer to the Committee, arrange for
appropriate Senior Managers from Planning and Housing to comprise
the joint Lead Officers for this review; and
(c) That the Group meet with
appropriate Lead Officers to prepare a scoping brief and timetable
for the review, for consideration by the Committee at its meeting
on 19th September 2007.
14.7
Climate Change – Appointment of Members to the Local
Economy
and
Environment Scrutiny Committee Task
Group
The Committee was invited to nominate two
Members to sit on a Task Group established by the Local Economy and
Environment Scrutiny Committee. The Terms of Reference were
noted 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.
Councillor Griffiths volunteered to sit on
this Task Group; no other Member volunteered.
AGREED: That Councillor G Griffiths be
appointed to the Climate Change Task Group established by the Local
Economy and Environment Scrutiny Committee.
15
NEXT MEETING
15.1 Date
19th September
2007
15.2 Topics for
Discussion
In view of the number of items to be discussed
at the meeting on 19th September, it was
AGREED that if County Officers and Members were
able to attend for “Educational Attainment” and “Social Care”, the
meeting should be dedicated to these two topics and commence an
hour earlier (at 1.30 pm).
………………………………………………….Chair
The remaining business of the Committee could
be discussed at a specially convened meeting.