Members will be asked to make any declarations of interest in respect of items on this agenda.

The following declarations of interest were made by a Member in accordance with the Code of Conduct –

The Management Board will be asked to agree the minutes of the meeting held on 6 January 2010.

Resolved that the minutes of the meeting held on 6 January 2010 be confirmed as a correct record.

To receive reports on business which, in the opinion of the Chair, should be brought forward for urgent consideration.

There were no items of Chair’s urgent business.

The Chair advised that no executive decisions had been called in.

There were no actions to monitor from call-ins on this occasion.

The Assistant Chief Executive submitted a report on action taken by the Chair of the Overview and Scrutiny Management Board regarding the approval of urgent decisions (in accordance with Special Urgency rules as set out in Paragraph 16, Part 6 of the Constitution) taken by Cabinet Members and by the Cabinet collectively from 21 December 2009 to 22 January 2010.

Resolved that the report be noted.

The Management Board will monitor progress on previous resolutions, including relevant resolutions of the LSP executive.

Members considered a schedule of tracking resolutions and those present commented as follows –

• regarding O & S Commission minute 37(5) (09/10), minutes of the scrutiny panels, Health & Wellbeing OSP minute 87 (1), it be agreed that the Democratic & Member Support Manager be requested to set up presentations for all Members and LSP theme groups.  (A presentation on –

o       how the Care Quality Commission would operate;

o       what the change of inspectorate would mean for the service;

o       how the changes would feed into the CAA.)

Members were advised that these presentations were in hand;

·        regarding O & S Management Board minute 53(a)(1), new Forward Plan items, ‘Contract award for supply of temporary staff’, an update from the Urban Care Project Manager, Community Services, was submitted and accepted;  this resolution could now be considered to be completed;

·        regarding minute 53(b), to agree PIDs/task & finish groups, ‘the Area Committee’s minute in respect of driving speeds at the Hoe be forwarded to the Growth & Prosperity OSP for consideration and, if it was agreed to take the matter further, a PID should be drawn up by the Panel in conjunction with the Chair and Vice Chair of the Area Committee’, this was considered to be a Councillor Call for Action issue.

Resolved that, regarding minute 53(b) above, ‘driving speeds at the Hoe’, this issue to wait until the Councillor Call for Action toolkit has been agreed.

There were no updates on this occasion.

Resolved that a further date for a meeting between Local Strategic Partnership theme group chairs and O & S Board Members be arranged.

The report submitted to Cabinet on 19 January 2010 was received by the O & S Management Board.

The Cabinet Member for Finance, Property, People & Governance, the Cabinet Member for Customer Services, Performance & Partnerships and the Director for Corporate Support advised that –

• the Audit Committee had a new role nationally to look at the Treasury Management Strategy and training had been provided for Audit Committee Members;

·        a response to the Council’s request for capitalisation directions had now been received from the Department for Communities & Local Government and they had approved capitalisation of potential Icelandic bank losses and pensions deficit;

·        the auditors considered that the Council had good partnership mechanisms;

·        CIPs –

o       CIP3, helping people to live independently, was performing strongly;

o       CIP5, providing better and more affordable housing,  the target was on track;

o       CIP9, developing high quality places to learn in, extra funding via Building Schools for the Future had been achieved, e.g. Stoke Damerel;

·        waste collection had improved;

·        there were fewer complaints.

In response to questions from the Board it was reported that –

          (i)        regarding the pension shortfall –

·        a pension shortfall for Devon of £330m was predicted;

·        markets’ performance had improved now;

·        there were further deficits to add due to Plymouth Community Homes and Citybus;

        (ii)        regarding managing the overspend, the aim was to reduce expenditure but reserves would have to support in the last resort;

      (iii)        Citybus money would be used to fund ‘invest to save’ projects;

      (iv)        regarding the Southwark judgement in respect of 16-25 year olds and the impact on Adult Social Care the Local Government Association was calling on Government to be realistic about costs;

        (v)        the slippage in the appointment of a project officer for the work around localities would not affect the ability for Localities working to commence in June 2010;

      (vi)        there were concerns regarding Local Area Agreement health targets, e.g. obesity, teenage pregnancies, smoking;

    (vii)        some stretch targets were realistic but some were not, e.g. unemployment figures; 

  (viii)        partners were challenging each other more and scrutiny needed to bring partners in to hold them to account;  localities working would provide a new opportunity to challenge partners;

      (ix)        Carefirst was a priority and was being addressed: Children Services first then Adult Social Care.

Resolved that Cabinet Members and officers be thanked for their attendance.

(Councillor Wildy declared personal interests in the above item.)

The Vice-Chair reported that she had met with the lead officer for the Health & Adult Social Care Overview & Scrutiny Panel.

See minute 78(a) above.

The Head of Policy, Performance and Partnerships will submit revised Scrutiny and LSP Theme Group inter-working protocols which will be subject to discussion at LSP Executive on 27 January 2010.

Resolved to defer this item until the meeting to be held on 3 March 2010.

The Chair will provide feedback from Cabinet in respect of the recent overview and scrutiny quarterly report.

The Chair provided feedback on the update he had reported to Cabinet and advised that the following Cabinet resolutions had been achieved –

In response to questions, the Board was advised that

• resources had been allocated to support budget scrutiny in February 2010;

·        partners should be asked to contribute resources to scrutiny.

Resolved that Panel Chairs take back to their Panels the thanks of the O & S Management Board for the progress in scrutiny that had been achieved.

Resolved that –

(1)               the following recommendations be approved –

·        Health & Adult Social Care OSP recommendations from minutes 55, 56 and 59;

·        Customers & Communities OSP recommendations from minutes 57, 58, 60 and 61;

(2)               regarding Customers & Communities OSP minute 56 recommendation regarding Councillor Call for Action toolkit, the draft toolkit to be circulated to all Members for consideration and comments then to be collated and presented to O & S Management Board; if there was agreement to the toolkit then it will be confirmed, if dissent then it will go to a Customers & Communities OSP task and finish group;

(3)               regarding Growth & Prosperity OSP revised recommendation arising from minute 37, the following amendments be agreed –

·        all reasons to be included before recommendations;

·        recommendation (a) be confirmed;

·        recommendation (b), amend to say ‘that Plymouth City Council take on a strategic leadership role;

·        recommendation (c) be confirmed;

·        additional new recommendation (d) as follows -

‘that Plymouth City Council reviews its recruitment policies to become an exemplar employing body by providing greater employment/work opportunities for disengaged groups e.g. young people, care leavers, young offenders and the longer term unemployed.’

There were no actions to monitor against recommendations to Cabinet or Council.

The work programmes of the Overview & Scrutiny Management Board and the Overview & Scrutiny Panels were submitted and considered.

Resolved that ‘welfare benefits and tax credits take up’ be removed from the Health & Adult Social Care OSP’s work programme as this was to be included in the Customers & Communities OSP’s task and finish group’s scrutiny of the Financial Inclusion Strategy.  The task and finish group’s scrutiny report will be forwarded to Health & Adult Social Care OSP for information.

Resolved that ‘music in schools’ be added to the Children & Young People’s OSP’s work programme, but not as a priority.

New items from the Forward Plan were submitted for Members’ consideration with a view to identifying items for scrutiny.

Resolved that a presentation on the Plymouth Local Investment Plan (FP 42 09/10) be requested for the meeting on 31 March 2010, subject to the decision date.

The Customers & Communities OSP will submit PIDs for the following two topics –

• Councillor Call for Action Toolkit
• Financial Inclusion Strategy – Refresh Action Plan

The project initiation document (PID) on Financial Inclusion Strategy – Refresh Action Plan was submitted.

Resolved that the Financial Inclusion Strategy – Refresh Action Plan PID be agreed.

There were no updates on Task and Finish Groups on this occasion.

Members reported that –

• recent press coverage for health scrutiny represented a success for that panel;

·        there was press interest in the ‘skateboarding’ review.

Resolved that congratulations be extended to the Health & Adult Social Care OSP for the contribution they have made to scrutiny.

There were no communication plans to consider.