Present at the meeting:
- Councillor J Moodie (Chairman)
- Councillor N D Ash
- Councillor Ms P L Holland
- Councillor B J Fagan
- Councillor J D O’Brien
- Councillor Mrs J Prescott
- Councillor C Rigby
- Councillor P Thompson
- Councillor P A Tushingham
- Councillor Mrs M J Whiteside
- Councillor R Winkworth
Officers in attendance
- Peter Hassett – Principal Solicitor
- Gary Finch – Principal Officer – Scrutiny
- Sue Johnson – Deputy Chief Executive
- Andrew Taylor – Head of Finance
- Michael Williamson – Committee Services Officer
Officer presenting reports
- Sharon Weetman – Head of Customer Services
12 Apologies for absence: Councillors N A Bradbury, G W Fairhurst, G Wilkes and N R Whittingham (Vice Chairman) and Mr D Barber, Reverend R Buckley, Reverend Deacon R Moore, Mr G R Wolstenholme and Mrs K A Stokes (Co-opted Members).
13 Minutes: The minutes of the meeting of this Committee held on 26 May 2009 were approved as a correct record
14 Whipping declarations: The Principal Solicitor, Peter Hassett reminded the Committee that government guidance expected Members of Overview and Scrutiny Co-ordinating Committee not to act in accordance with party whipping and that, if they did, they were to declare it.
There were no declarations made.
15 Questions (if any) on the business of the Cabinet: There were none.
16 Review of Co-opted Membership of the Overview and Scrutiny Co-ordinating Committee: The Committee Services Officer, Michael Williamson, presented a report, which clarified the position on the co-option of statutory co-opted members to the Overview and Scrutiny Co-ordinating Committee.
Members were advised that government legislation stipulated that where the functions of a Scrutiny Committee related wholly or partly to any education function which was the responsibility of the Executive, voting membership was to include representation from the following:-
- the church of England Diocesan Board;
- the Roman Catholic Diocese;
- any other persons directed by the Secretary of State; and
- at least two, but no more than five Parent Governor Representatives.
The report proposed that the statutory Co-opted Members remain as part of the membership of the Co-ordinating Committee as there was a possibility that an education function which was the responsibility of the Executive could potentially be considered by the Co-ordinating Committee in the future.
Resolved: The Committee:-
- agrees that the statutory Co-opted Members remain co-opted onto the Overview and Scrutiny Co-ordinating Committee for the purpose of considering any education function which is the responsibility of the Executive that this Committee may consider; and
- agrees that the decision whether to attend a meeting where there is no item relating to any education function is that of the Co-opted Member.
17 New Scrutiny arrangements and consequential amendments to the call in procedure: The Principal Solicitor presented a report, on the amendments to the call in procedure following the establishment of the five new Scrutiny Committees. The report set out who was eligible to call in a decision and the process that a call in could follow.
Members asked a number of questions, which included the following salient points:-
- would an Elected Member receive an automatic invite to attend a Scrutiny Committee to consider a 'call in' that he/she had supported?
- who would decide on whether a 'call in' request was competent?
- what would happen if a call in covered the terms of reference of more than one Scrutiny Committee?
Members were advised that any Elected Member who supported a call in would be invited to attend the appropriate Scrutiny Committee which would consider the call in. Members were also advised that the Chief Executive would determine the competence of any call in request. Finally, Members were informed that if a call in transcended more than one Scrutiny Committee, either the Co-ordinating Committee would consider the call in or a joint meeting of the two Scrutiny Committees would be arranged.
Resolved: The Committee:-
- thanks the Principal Solicitor for the report; and
- welcomes the changes to the call in procedure.
18 Overview and Scrutiny Annual report 2008/09: The Principal Officer – Scrutiny, Gary Finch, presented a report, on the work undertaken by the Overview and Scrutiny Committee during 2008/09 Municipal year.
Members asked a number of questions, which included the following salient points:-
- How many call ins had been considered during the last Municipal year by other Association of Greater Manchester Authorities (AGMA)?
- Could the progress of recommendations from Select Committees be submitted on a regular basis to meetings of the Co-ordinating Committee?
The Principal Officer – Scrutiny agreed to provide a response in relation to the number of call ins considered by other AGMA authorities over the last three years. Members were also advised that progress reports on the recommendations from future Select Committees would be considered by the Co-ordinating Committee on a regular basis following completion of the work.
Resolved: The Committee accepts the report.
19 Scrutiny Committee work plans 2009/10: The Principal Officer – Scrutiny presented a report, on the outcome of the work programme planning session held in June 2009 and the progress that had been made in creating work plans for each of the scrutiny committees. The report also identified potential topics which could be investigated by the two Scrutiny Select Committees.
Members discussed the merits of the topics identified as potential Scrutiny Select Committee issues. It was agreed that some of the issues that had been identified as topics would be considered by an appropriate Scrutiny Committee and therefore would not warrant a Select Committee review. The membership of the Scrutiny Select Committees was also debated.
Resolved: The Committee agrees:-
- to refer the topic on the redesign of the Brighter Borough Fund application form to the Councillor Services Group;
- that Scrutiny Select Committee No.1 will investigate the topic – Alcohol and substance misuse and its effect on youth crime and will be chaired by Councillor Mrs J Prescott;
- that Scrutiny Select Committee No.2 will investigate the topic – Not in employment and education and will be chaired by Councillor Ms P L Holland; and
- to delegate authority to the Chief Executive, in consultation with the Chairman and Vice Chairman of the Overview and Scrutiny Co-ordinating Committee, to determine the Select Committee membership should more Members nominate themselves than places available.
20 Councillors Call for Action: The Principal Officer – Scrutiny presented a report on the mechanism for a Councillor Call for Action (CCfA). The report set out when it would be appropriate for an Elected Member to use the CCfA mechanism and what issues would potentially warrant a CCfA.
The Committee was advised that further work was required on developing a protocol for administering CCfA’s and this would be reported back to a future meeting.
Resolved: The Committee accepts the report.
21 Minutes of the Children, Young People and Families Scrutiny Committee: The minutes of the meeting of the Children, Young People and Families Scrutiny Committee held on 28 May 2009 were submitted for information.
Resolved: The Committee notes the minutes now submitted.
22 Minutes of the Building Stronger Communities Scrutiny Committee: The minutes of the meeting of the Building Stronger Communities Scrutiny Committee held on 1 June 2009 were submitted for information.
Resolved: The Committee notes the minutes now submitted.
23 Minutes of the Adult, Health and Wellbeing Scrutiny Committee: The minutes of the meeting of the Adult, Health and Wellbeing Scrutiny Committee held on 2 June 2009 were submitted for information.
Resolved: The Committee notes the minutes now submitted.
24 Minutes of the Economy, Environment, Culture and Housing Scrutiny Committee: The minutes of the meeting of the Economy, Environment, Culture and Housing Scrutiny Committee held on 3 June 2009 were submitted for information.
Resolved: The Committee notes the minutes now submitted.
25 Customer Transformation programme: The Head of Customer Services, Sharon Weetman, presented a report, which informed Members on the progress in the area of ‘customer transformation’. The vision for the customer services transformation was based on five key deliverables:-
- a unified call centre approach;
- a Hub and Spokes model of delivery;
- enhanced online access;
- IT system integration; and
- signposting support.
The vision also included the ambition to scope in, after the initial phase of integration of universal and transactional services, other currently specialist telephony-based services, which included an ambition to capitalise on links to NHS and other organisations and to incorporate central government driven initiatives such as ‘Tell Us Once’, which utilised a national hub to handle up to 24 agency contacts, notifying changes of circumstances such as births, deaths and changes of address.
Members asked a number of questions, which included the following salient points:-
- Would the new customer transformation programme address problems identified in using the Environmental Services helpline?
- How would persistent complainants be dealt with?
- What would be the hours of operation for the new service?
- How would the new posts be filled?
- What training would members of staff receive?
- Where would the ‘spoke’ stations be located?
Members were advised that the issues that had been raised would be reported back to Cabinet at its meeting on 30 July when the report was being considered.
Resolved: The Committee:-
- notes the report; and
- requests the Head of Customer Services to submit a progress report in December 2009 on the implementation of the programme.
