Agenda item

To consider the report of the Director of Resources (copy enclosed).

The Committee considered the report of the Director of Resources providing an update on the work programme of the Committee for 2016 / 17 and to discuss potential areas for the 2017 / 18 work programme. 

Appendix 1 to the report provided an update to the Programme of Work agreed at the first meeting of the 2016 / 17 municipal year. 

The Committee discussed each of the 2016 / 17 scrutiny topics as set out in the report and whether they should be included in the 2017 / 18 work programme as follows:

·                 Section 106 – The Interim Director of Planning and Regulatory Services was setting up a Section 106 group to deal with this going forward.

·                 Elections – Following the recent two elections the next meeting of the Committee on 19 July will consider a report on the delivery of these elections.

·                 Planning Enforcement – This was the subject of a separate item on the agenda of this meeting.

·                 Primary School education in the District – A review of this was scheduled to be brought back to the Committee at a future date and it was also on the agenda for the Locality Board.

·                 Stow Maries Aerodrome – The Council was now receiving monthly management accounts and the Chief Executive had met with the scrutiny lead and management.

·                 Community Hospital / Provision of Healthcare Services – The Chief Executive reported that the Community Services Committee had received a detailed report on this matter at its last meeting.  Members were advised of the key messages coming from a recent Health Hub Project Board meeting included a variety of measures to reduce the demands on GPs through use of pharmacists, practice nurses, technology etc. 

Members were advised that at the Project Board meeting a GP representative had raised concern that there was a lot of work being undertaken across Mid Essex but the benefit of this was not reaching GP surgeries in the Maldon District.  These surgeries were struggling to recruit into GP roles, with a number of GPs reaching retirement age.  In response, the Chief Executive that if this Committee was minded the Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) could be called in to explain how it was ensuring Maldon District primary care establishments were benefitting from this work and demonstrating positive outcomes. 

With regards to the Health Hub, Members were informed that three options (as detailed below) for conceptual planning were being worked on for two sites:

·         A health hub with beds;

·         A health hub without beds;

·         A health hub with beds provided from outside of the building e.g. a care home.

The St. Peters site was one of the sites being focussed on and in respect of the second site options appraisals on six sites were being investigated.  Members were advised that delays with the reported project plan were expected but that the Council would be kept informed of these.  A draft outline business case was expected by 17 December 2017 and a public consultation would take place in October 2017.

The Committee considered each of the scrutiny topics detailed in the 2016 / 17 work programme and discussed whether they should be carried forward into 2017 / 18.  A lengthy debate ensued and the following was agreed:

·                 StowMaries Aerodrome – It was proposed by Councillor R P F Dewick that this item be removed as he felt that the evidence requested by the Committee had been provided and the first payment made on time.  He noted that the Finance and Corporate Services Committee would continue to receive regular updates.  This proposal was duly seconded and upon a vote being taken agreed.

·                 Primary School Education in the District – Councillor H M Bass the 2016 / 17 Scrutiny lead on this subject reported on this item of scrutiny.  He explained that the work was unfinished as a report on improvements was just one of the matters still outstanding.  Councillor Mrs M E Thompson proposed that this item of scrutiny continued and be added to the 2017 / 16 work programme.  This was duly seconded and agreed along with Councillor P G L Elliott as the Members sponsor (subject to him not having any conflict of interest).   Councillor Mrs Thompson advised that should Councillor Elliott not be able to be the Member sponsor she was happy to do so.

·                 GP recruitment and retention – Following the earlier update from the Chief Executive it was agreed that this be added as a new item of scrutiny.  Councillor N R Pudney was agreed as the scrutiny lead.

·                 Health Hub (previously named Community Hospital) and Provision of Healthcare Services – Councillor Mrs M E Thompson proposed that both items of scrutiny be kept.  This was duly seconded and agreed.  It was noted that the Member sponsors for these topics would remain unchanged.

·                 Elections – Councillor Mrs Thompson proposed that this item of scrutiny remain on the Committees Workplan until it had received the report from Officers in July 2017. This was duly agreed.  It was agreed that Councillor Mrs Thompson would be Member sponsor.

·                 Section 106 – Councillor S J Savage referred to the importance of this and also requested that Section 52 be included.  This was agreed.  It was proposed and agreed the Councillor Mrs Thompson would be the Member Sponsor with assistance from Councillor Savage.

·                 Planning Enforcement - It was agreed that this would continue and Councillor M W Helm would be the Member sponsor with assistance from Councillor R P F Dewick.  It was noted that this item may be passed back to the Planning and Licensing Committee at a later stage.

·                 Treatment of and Damage to Waste Bins – Councillor Savage proposed that this be added as a new item of scrutiny, particularly to look at the way in which refuse bins were being handled, damaged and broken and the need to ascertain how serious the problem was.  He gave some particular examples that he had been made aware of.  In response, the Director of Customers and Community advised that this was an operational issue and one which the team would deal with.  He suggested that this could be dealt with through the Community Services Committee.  The proposal was not seconded.  In light of this the Chairman requested that the Director of Customers and Community referred the matter to the Community Services Committee and report back to this Committee as to whether there was a problem or not.  This was duly agreed.

·                 Procurement and delivery of 2016 / 17 Capital Programme – In response to a suggestion from the Director of Resources, the Chairman proposed a new item of scrutiny be added to the work programme to incorporate all capital projects, whether they were being delivered on time and on budget and any issues regarding their procurement.  This proposal was duly seconded and agreed with Councillor Helm as the Member sponsor.

·                 Staff Sickness – Councillor N R Pudney proposed that this previous scrutiny topic be added to the 2017 / 18 work programme.  This was duly seconded.  A discussion ensued and in response the Director of Resources advised that the Finance and Corporate Services Committee reviewed sickness information on a quarterly basis.  Sickness information was also available to Members through performance reporting and if improvements were not being seen Members would have the opportunity to raise this with Officers.  In response Councillor Pudney withdrew his earlier proposition.

RESOLVED

(i)              that the contents of the report be noted;

(ii)            that the Director of Resources work with the Chairman and Vice-Chairman of this Committee to produce a work programme for 2017/ 18 based on the discussion and scrutiny topics identified above.