OVERVIEW AND SCRUTINY COMMITTEE
CORPORATE SERVICES
Meeting, 18th November, 2008
at 2.00 p.m.
AGENDA
PART ONE
1.
To note any items which the Chairman considers to be of an urgent
nature.
2.
To receive notice from Members who may wish to move any
delegated matter non-delegated and which will be decided by
a majority of Members present and voting at the meeting.
3.
Admission of Public and Press
To consider whether the public and press should be excluded
from the meeting during consideration of any of the items on the
agenda.
4.
Disclosures of Interests and any declarations under Paragraph 16:
Overview and Scrutiny Procedure Rules (Party Whip).
A Member with a personal interest in a matter to be considered at
this meeting must either before the matter is discussed or when the
interest becomes apparent disclose
1.
The existence of that interest to the meeting.
2.
The nature of the interest.
3.
Decide whether they have a prejudicial interest.
A note on declaring interests at meetings, which incorporates certain
other aspects of the Code of Conduct and a pro-forma for
completion where interests are disclosed accompanies the agenda
and reports for this meeting.
5.
Apologies for Absence/Attendance of Substitutes.
6.
Confirmation of Minutes of the meeting of the Overview and
Scrutiny – Corporate Services held on 16th September, 2008 (copy
attached).
(D)
7.
Cumbria Joint Scrutiny Committee.
(D)
8.
Performance Management.
(D)
9.
Risk Management.
(D)
10.
Health and Safety Progress Report.
(D)
11.
Health and Safety Working Group Minutes – 21st July and
10th September, 2008.
NOTE (D) - Delegated
(R) - Referred
Members on Committee
Councillors
Callister (Chairman)
Flitcroft (Vice-Chairman)
Bell
R. Hamezeian
McClure
Solloway
Part One
OVERVIEW AND SCRUTINY COMMITTEE –
Corporate Services
Date of Meeting:
18th November, 2008
Reporting Officer:
Policy Review Officer
Title:
(D)
Agenda
Item
7
Cumbria Joint Scrutiny Committee
Summary and Conclusions:
To update Members on the progress being made regarding the establishment of
a Cumbria Joint Scrutiny Committee.
Recommendation:
Consider the information.
Report
In July this year Members of this Committee agreed to support the establishment
of a Cumbria Joint Scrutiny Committee (CJSC) to monitor the Cumbria Strategy
and delivery of the Local Area Agreement. At a recent meeting of Scrutiny
Committee Members from around the County a protocol (Appendix 1) and Rules
of Procedure (Appendix 2) were agreed and Terms of Reference (Appendix 3)
for the committee were developed.
The CJSC will be supported by a jointly funded manager based at the Cumbria
County offices in Carlisle, arrangements for the recruitment of this Officer are
progressing and a copy of the job profile is attached (Appendix 4).
It is anticipated that the CJSC will be established early in 2009 and I will keep
Members informed of progress.
Background Papers
Nil
Part One
OVERVIEW AND SCRUTINY COMMITTEE –
Corporate Services
Date of Meeting:
18th November, 2008
Reporting Officer:
Policy Review Officer
Title:
(D)
Agenda
Item
8
Performance Management
Summary and Conclusions:
Provide Members with Q2 progress report on the annual objectives and Priority
indicators.
Recommendations:
Consider the report and determine whether further action is required.
Report
Actions to support the Key Priorities
Twenty six Key Priority actions were due to be completed by the end of Q2 of
which, seventeen have been completed. Seven have been subject to delays and
are still on-going and one has been postponed and one is subject to funding
being secured.
KP1: Safer, cleaner greener
Two of the actions were to explore joint contracts with SLDC for waste collection
and Bring Site management. These actions are the subject of protracted
negotiation and it is anticipated that these negotiations will be completed by the
end of Q4.
KP 2: Meeting the housing needs of the Borough
There were three actions relating to affordable and sheltered housing projects on
Greengate St, Exmouth St and Holker St. These have all been subject to some
delays but are continuing to progress.
The Public Realm improvements in Sub area A and Bath St have been subject to
delays and it is anticipated that these will now be completed in 2009/10.
KP 3: Providing easier access to services
The action to introduce arrangement for monitoring access channel activity is ongoing but will not be completed until Q4.
KP 4: Support economic regeneration
One of the actions for Q1 was to secure funding to support delivery of the Urban
Design Framework. Negotiations are still on-going with the North West
Development Agency. This has still not yet been resolved
KP 5: Improve the effectiveness and efficiency of our Council
The action to agree funding for a feasibility study for a sustainable energy source
at the Dock museum has been delayed. This project has been reprioritised and a
sustainable energy source will be located at the Borough kennels first.
The action to introduce a low volume heating supply for hot water in Forum 28
has been subject to further delays and will be not be completed until 2009/10.
Performance Indicators
There are a number of national indicators and local indicators where it is
appropriate to report data on a quarterly basis. We have demonstrated mixed
performance against these indicators and there are some areas of concern:
o The average number of days sickness absence per member of staff has
increased compared to Q2 2007/08.
o The number of streets and areas of land that have failed the cleanliness
standard for litter has increased from 5% to 7% compared to the same
period in 2007/08.
o The number of streets and areas of land that have failed the cleanliness
standard for detritus has increased from 7% to 11% compared to the same
period in 2007/08.
The cleanliness figures are currently outside the LAA target for 2008/09 but have
improved significantly since Q1.
Local indicator for Q2
Indicator
2a
Q2 2007/08
1
Q2 2008/9
1
9
Description
Level of the equality standard
achieved
Percentage of rent collected
56.11
56.50
10
Percentage of NNDR collected
59.74
60.10
12
Average number of days sick per
member of staff
Number of burglaries per 1000
households
Violent offences per 1000
population
Robberies per 1000 population
4.32
5.58
1.63
1.57
11.67
11.06
0.05
0.04
1.74
1.44
100
100
126
127a
127b
128
218a
Vehicle crimes per 1000
population
Percentage of abandoned
vehicles removed within 24
hours
Change
National Indicator for Q2
Indicator
Description
NI 191
Residual waste per household
N1192
% of waste recycled,
composted
NI 195a
% of streets that don’t meet
the cleanliness standard: litter
% of streets that don’t meet
the cleanliness standard:
detritus
% of streets that don’t meet
the cleanliness standard:
graffiti
% of streets that don’t meet
the cleanliness standard: fly
posting
NI 195b
NI 195c
NI 195d
Background Papers
Nil
Q2 2007/08
464
Q2
2008/9
410
LAA
target
352
23.1
24.9
N/A
5
7
5
7
11
9
0
0
1
0
0
0
Change
Part One
OVERVIEW AND SCRUTINY COMMITTEE –
Corporate Services
Date of Meeting:
18th November, 2008
Reporting Officer:
Policy Review Officer
Title:
(D)
Agenda
Item
9
Risk Management
Summary and Conclusions:
Provide Members with Q2 progress report on the Council’s risk management
arrangements.
Recommendations:
Consider the report and determine whether further action is required.
Report
Risk Management – Policy Review Officer
Management Team have reviewed the key corporate risks for the Council and at the
end of September there are still seven high risks that require mitigating action.
These are detailed in Table 1. The status of these risks and progress against any
action plans will continue to be reviewed on a quarterly basis and reported to
Management Board, the Leader of the Council and the Corporate Services Scrutiny
Committee.
Lower level corporate risks that were identified by Management Board in May still
exist and are detailed in Table 2. The appropriate managers should monitor the
likelihood and the impact of these risks and report any increases in the risk score to
Management Team. The Current level of sickness is higher than for the same period
last year and this may impact on Risk 14.
Similar risk assessments have been carried out for the annual objectives that support
the Council’s key priorities and these are detailed in Table 3. The areas where there
is high risk of us not delivering the annual objectives have already been identified in
corporate risk register and no additional planning is required.
The introduction of the new national indicator set has raised a number of issues
regarding the Council’s capacity to provide accurate performance data that meets the
criteria of the new indicators. A risk assessment has been carried out for all the
indicators where we are required to provide information and this is detailed in Table
4. The risk for NI 187 (tackling fuel poverty) has been change from amber to green
because the required number of responses has been achieved.
Background Papers
Nil
Part One
OVERVIEW AND SCRUTINY COMMITTEE –
Corporate Services
Date of Meeting:
18th November, 2008
Reporting Officer:
Corporate Services Officer
Title:
(D)
Agenda
Item
10
Health and Safety – Progress Report
Summary and Conclusions:
To provide Members with report on the progress of the 22 recommendations of
the Legionella Sub-Committee since the last Committee meeting.
Recommendation:
Consider the information and decide whether further action is required.
Report
This report details the progress made on the 22 recommendations of the
Legionella Sub-Committee.
Recommendation
Action Taken
(i)
The Chairman of the Sub-Committee
attends the Health & Safety Working Group
(H&SWG) in his capacity as the Council’s
official spokesperson for health & safety.
Completed. Now attended by Council’s
Health & Safety Member Spokesperson.
(ii)
Ensure the Council’s policies and decision
making process includes health & safety
considerations
Progress to date: New template introduced
for Committee reports. Officers must
consider and provide a risk assessment
and details of health & safety implications.
(iii)
Health & safety responsibilities are properly
allocated, understood and accepted
The Health & Safety Policy defines
responsibilities for health & safety. This
was last reviewed in December 2007. The
policy is continually reviewed by the
H&SWG.
(iv)
Next major review is scheduled for the first
quarter of 2009.
Plan for corporate health & safety indicating There is a Health & Safety Management
the Council’s medium to long term
Review Plan which sets out the long term
objectives over the next 5-10 years
intentions of the Council.
(v)
(vi)
(vii)
Responsibilities of Contract Co-ordinator
and Premises Managers to be defined.
Inform staff of the changes. Assess Coordinator training needs.
The Council’s Health & Safety Policy
should be amplified to strengthen
individuals’ and managers’ responsibility to
bring relevant correspondence and other
issues to the attention of the H&SWG
making it a requirement not a passive
process
Management arrangements for procuring
all contracted services should be reviewed
regularly. In particular arrangements for
appointing and monitoring Contract
Co-ordinators should be formalised.
Delegated to the CPG.
The Technical Support Unit established
October 2008 to ensure the delivery of safe
and efficient buildings and plant is fulfilling
the Contract Co-ordinator role.
A draft service level agreement is to be
presented to the Contracts and
Procurement Group on 6th November
2008. At the time of writing this report this
document wasn’t available. It will be
brought to the next Scrutiny meeting.
Members of the H&SWG have been
instructed accordingly.
This is to be further reviewed as part of the
Health & Safety Management Review Plan.
Delegated to the CPG
Contract Co-ordinators and premises
managers’ duties should be carefully drawn
up to ensure no gaps in chain of
responsibility.
Existing procedures including informing and
training staff should be updated.
(viii)
Training needs should be identified for
Contract Co-ordinators
Facilitate training for officers.
Refer to item (iv)
Continually assess training needs.
(ix)
(x)
Include relevant health & safety
competencies for respective posts into job
descriptions.
The Contracts & Procurement Group
should actively monitor the work of the
Contract Co-ordinators and require them to
deliver reports on any monitoring they had
carried out.
Ensure that corporate health & safety is
proactive as opposed to passive and
reactive. Actively promote a positive safety
Delegated to the CPG
Establishment of H&SWG.
Health & Safety Joint Committee
Development of Health & Safety Policies.
culture within the organisation.
(xi)
(xii)
(xiii)
(xiv)
(xv)
(xvi)
(xvii)
(xviii)
(xix)
(xx)
(xxi)
(xxii)
Ensure good general awareness of the
Council’s Health & Safety Policies
Consider health & safety implication in all
new policies and corporate decision making
Ensure specific knowledge of job related
Health & Safety Policies and areas of
responsibility
Implement regular training for all staff at
periodic intervals
Make proactive health & safety part of the
staff induction process
Make officers who have responsibility for
health & safety from directors to managers
to all cadres of staff, aware of individual
and corporate responsibility as well as
shared duty of care to all
Continue to implement the conclusions and
recommendations identified from the six
key failures identified in the “Report of the
public meetings into the Legionella
outbreak in Barrow-in-Furness, August
2002”
That the Health & Safety Joint Committee
retains its current status
Two additional representatives from each
of the main political parties be appointed to
the H&SWG
The Health & Safety Joint Committee to
meet every six months to summaries
actions taken and any outstanding actions
from the H&SWG meetings. The
committee to hold a special meeting if
necessary.
Review the staffing levels for health &
safety and consider whether one officer is
adequate to meet the Council’s needs
The Corporate Services Overview &
Scrutiny Committee monitors progress on
the recommendations
Background Papers
Nil
Ongoing risk assessments.
Supporting Safety Reps.
Ongoing H&S Review Plan.
A Technical Support Unit has been
established (October 2008) to ensure the
delivery of safe and efficient buildings and
plant.
Refer to item (iv)
Refer to item (ii)
Refer to item (iv)
Refer to item (iv)
Refer to item (iv)
Refer to item (iv)
Refer to item (iv)
Complete.
Complete.
Meeting schedule to be arranged by
Committee Admin.
Under review by Management Team
Ongoing. Included in Corporate Services
Overview & Scrutiny Work Programme for
2008/9.