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The Chair briefed members of the Panel on discussions which she had held with
officers regarding potential ways to adopt new elements of best practice and improve
the way the Scrutiny Panel operates.
Discussions had been held in regard to whether the reporting of financial data and
items could move to exception-based reporting, rather than bringing full reports to
the Panel each year, mostly showing where performance was either better than
expected, or in-line with expectations/Key Performance Indicators. Owen Howell,
Democratic Services Officer, confirmed that he had discussed the options with
Andrew Weavers, Monitoring Officer, and that it was the officers’ opinion that the
statutory duty for the Panel to scrutinise the Council’s financial performance would
mean that the Panel would need to continue to receive full reports on Council
finances, which would give the public assurance that full scrutiny and oversight were
being carried out, and to allow members of the public to raise their own queries at
public meetings for the Panel to consider in its deliberations.
A number of new items and changes were put forward for the Work Programme
2019-20:
• The North East Essex Health and Wellbeing Alliance presentation would be put
back to 17 March 2020, to allow for a full year of its work to be reported on.
• A presentation on the Council’s approach to, and preparations for, Brexit to be
scheduled for 12 November 2019.
• A report on the Budget Strategy for 2020-21 to be brought before the Panel on
10 December 2019.
The Panel noted that in some other local authorities, the biannual performance
reports brought to Scrutiny were presented by all portfolio holders and assistant
directors. Although this was more difficult to organise, the Panel considered that this
could allow for more information to be given to the Panel and the public, and better
scrutiny conducted. It was considered that this approach could increase
accountability, promote sharing of best practice, show how different portfolios and
service areas related to each other, and give assurance that Cabinet members
understood their portfolios. Concern was, however, raised that the invitation of all
Cabinet and Assistant Directors would make a meeting unwieldy and very long.
The Panel was asked to consider whether it would be best to focus in-depth scrutiny
of the December Half-Year Performance Report on a selection of two or three
portfolio or service areas. It was suggested that Panel members should be given an
advanced copy of the draft report, to see where concerns may lie, and identify which
Portfolio Holders to invite to the meeting.
A request was made by the Panel for scrutiny of Council asset management to be
added to their work programme, to allow the Panel to examine the authority’s use of
its property and land portfolio and ensure that this is being put to best use. It was
posited that this had been examined by the now-retired trading board. The Portfolio
Holder for Business and Resources agreed that the scrutiny of asset management
would be in line with the importance of showing that assets were being used well to
maximise the Council’s income.
A further suggestion made was that the Scrutiny Panel should examine the work,
resourcing, objective-setting and achievements of the Council’s task & finish Groups.
A number of specific areas for enquiry were raised, including how to ensure that
resourcing is sufficient, that value is being achieved by the Groups and that they are
working within their terms of reference and are disbanded once their objectives are
achieved. It was noted that task and finish groups can help backbench councillors to
contribute and provide advice and recommendations to the Executive, and that it
was important to ensure that the right objectives and constructive approach were set
in place.
The Scrutiny Panel resolved to hold an additional meeting in February so as to
discuss and scrutinise the current operation of task and finish groups by Colchester
Borough Council. The Panel requested that the Democratic Services Officer draw up
a questionnaire for each group to complete, and to first circulate this to Scrutiny
Panel members for comment. Following this, the Panel directed that the Chairs of
each task & finish group would be asked to attend the meeting.
The Chair suggested that a second meeting of the Crime and Disorder Committee
be held in February or March 2020, in order to allow a more in-depth examination of
the performance of two selected strategic partners from the Safer Colchester
Partnership. The meeting held in September 2019 had discussed the broad themes
within the work of the Partnership but had not allowed for an in-depth scrutiny of
performance data. It was proposed and agreed that a second meeting of the
Committee be scheduled for February or March each municipal year to allow for
statistics and performance data to be presented by partner organisations, and for
more in-depth questioning of selected statutory partners.
The Chair requested that all Panel members raise any training needs they identify for
themselves or potentially for the whole Panel.
A member of the Panel requested that the subject of Climate Change, and the
Council’s approach to this, be brought to the Panel for scrutiny, to allow the Panel to
be a critical friend, discuss progress made and assist in adding value to the Council’s
action to minimise and mitigate the effects of its work on the environment. This could
then be made into a regular item for the Scrutiny Panel to examine. It was noted that
the work of the Conservation and Environmental Sustainability Task and Finish
Group would be scrutinised at the additional meeting to be arranged for
February/March 2020. The Assistant Director (Environment) informed the Panel that
the motion to Full Council on 17 July 2020 regarding the declaration of a Climate
Emergency resolved that the Conservation and Environmental Sustainability Task
and Finish Group would ‘report to Cabinet and Full Council within six months with an
action plan setting out conservation and environmental sustainability goals to
address targets by 2030; incorporating proposals on the investment implications of
this proposed activity.’ This committed the Group to report by January 2020 at the
latest. The Panel requested that the draft reports be brought to it for pre-scrutiny,
prior to Council and Cabinet receiving them. The Democratic Services Officer
committed to check timings and investigate.
RESOLVED that:-
(a) The Work Programme be amended to add the following meetings and reports:
• The North East Essex Health and Wellbeing Alliance presentation to be
put back to 17 March 2020
• A presentation on the Council’s approach to, and preparations for, Brexit
to be scheduled for 12 November 2019.
• A report on the Budget Strategy for 2020-21 to be brought before the
Panel on 10 December 2019.
• An additional Scrutiny Panel meeting to be arranged for February 2020,
for scrutiny to be conducted into the use of Task and Finish Groups.
• An additional Crime and Disorder Committee meeting to be arranged to
occur each year in February/March.
• Pre-scrutiny of the Environmental Sustainability Task and Finish Group
reports to Council and Cabinet to be arranged.
(b) The duly amended Work Programme 2019-20 be noted.
(c) An early draft of the Half Year 2019 - 2020 Performance Report to be
provided to Panel members, who would then identify Cabinet Members they
wished to invite to answer questions and participate in scrutiny of the item.