Agenda and minutes

Customers and Communities Overview and Scrutiny Panel - Monday 6 June 2011 4.00 pm

Venue: Council House, Next to the Civic Centre

Contact: Helen Wright, Democratic Support Officer  Email: helen.wright@plymouth.gov.uk

Items
No. Item

1.

CHAIR AND VICE CHAIR

Minutes:

The panel noted the appointment of the Chair and Vice Chair as agreed at the Annual General Meeting held on 20 May 2011.

Welcome

The Chair welcomed the newly elected councillors and newly appointed members to the first meeting of the Customers and Communities Overview and Scrutiny Panel.

2.

DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST

Minutes:

In accordance with the code of conduct, the following declarations of interest were made –

 

Name

Subject

Reason

Interest

Councillor Martin Leaves

Minute 7

 

Member of Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Authority

Personal

Councillor John Smith

 

Minute 7

Housing Benefits

Personal

Councillor Thompson

Minute 7

 

 

 

Minute 8

Director of Plymouth Community Homes Board

 

Director of Citizens Advice Bureau

Personal

 

 

 

Personal

 

3.

APPOINTMENT OF CO-OPTED REPRESENTATIVES

Minutes:

The panel agreed to confirm Dr Anita Jellings as a co-opted representative to the panel for the forthcoming municipal year 2011/12.

4.

MINUTES pdf icon PDF 124 KB

Minutes:

Agreed that the minutes of the meeting held on 14 March 2011 are confirmed as a correct record.

5.

CHAIR'S URGENT BUSINESS

Minutes:

There were no items of Chair’s urgent business.

6.

TERMS OF REFERENCE pdf icon PDF 31 KB

Minutes:

The panel noted its Terms of Reference.

7.

OVERVIEW OF PRIORITIES FOR COMMUNITY SERVICES AND CORPORATE SUPPORT (CUSTOMER SERVICES)

Minutes:

The Director for Community Services gave a presentation together with the Cabinet Members for Community Services (Street Scene, Waste and Sustainability), and Community Services (Safer and Stronger Communities and Leisure, Culture and Sport), on the key areas of work of the department and how it linked with the panel as follows –

 

(a)

the service areas within the department –

 

 

?

Environmental Services

 

?

Adult, Health and Social 

 

?

Leisure, Culture and Sport

 

?

Safer Communities

 

?

Business Support

 

(b)

Cabinet Members informed the panel of the key areas within their portfolios and provided an update on the proposals for the forthcoming year, as follows –

 

 

Community Services (Street Scene, Waste and Sustainability)

 

(c)

 

 u

key areas –

 

 

?

waste management 

 

?

cleansing, waste disposal and recycling

 

?

fleet management

 

?

parks including play grounds, allotments and the Hoe foreshore

 

?

public open spaces

 

?

climate change and sustainability (including the waste to energy plant)

 

?

public protection (covering environmental protection and monitoring and neighbourhood and environmental quality, trading standards, food safety and standards, safety, health and licensing (excluding hackney carriages)

 

 

 

Community Services (Safer and Stronger Communities and Leisure, Culture and Sport

 

(d)

 u

key areas –

 

 

?

anti social behaviour

 

?

community safety

 

?

community cohesion and equalities

 

?

leisure/sports facilities

 

?

events

 

?

culture activities

 

?

heritage, museums and libraries

 

?

Mount Edgcumbe country house and park

 

?

licensing (hackney carriage)

 

(f)

proposals for the forthcoming year –

 

 

?

library modernisation

 

?

Plymouth Life Centre (leisure management contract/transfer of Plymouth City Council staff)

 

?

Mount Edgcumbe (business plan)

 

?

locality working

 

?

police and crime commissioners panels

 

?

financial inclusion

 

?

sex establishment policy

 

The Director for Corporate Support gave a presentation together with the Cabinet Member for Customer Services, the Assistant Director for Customer Services and Business Transformation and the Business Transformation Manager providing an overview of the service which included –

 

?

the current position

?

achievements 2010/11

?

awards and outcomes

? 

2011/12 business plan

?

corporate aspirations 2011/14

?

how customer services will deliver

?

challenges

 

Members of the panel put forward questions to which the following responses were provided –

 

(a)

the Plymouth Life Centre remained on budget;

 

(b)

in developing the Plymouth Life Centre an equalities impact assessment had been undertaken which would have considered such issues as wheelchair access;

 

(c)

 

accessibility options for the Plymouth Life Centre, would have considered such as public transport links to the facility;

 

(d)

 

customer satisfaction was benchmarked by using the public customer forum; the information collected was compared with other local authorities and public sector services (customers were encouraged to leave feedback).

 

 

8.

DRAFT WORK PROGRAMME 2011/12 pdf icon PDF 48 KB

Minutes:

The Vice Chair raised the issue of the Overview and Scrutiny Management Board undertaking the 12 month review of the Locality Working which had been on the panel’s work programme. The panel had been responsible for the original task and finish group and also received regular updates.  The Vice Chair considered that to provide continuity,the panel should undertake the review.

 

The panel agreed the membership of the Task and Finish Group for the Anti Social Behaviour in Compton Vale –

 

Councillor Thompson (Chair)

Councillor Delbridge

Councillor Martin Leaves

Councillor John Smith

Councillor Penberthy

Councillors Mrs Bowyer (Reserve)

 

The panel considered its draft work programme for 2011/12.

 

Recommended to the Overview and Scrutiny Management Board that the following items are included on the panel’s work programme for 2011/12 –

 

(1)

Plymouth Life Centre and Leisure Related Project Programme including the Leisure Management Contract (Staff Transfer), Equality Accessibility;

 

(2)

Library Modernisation;

 

(3)

 

Sex Establishment policy;

(4)

 

Universal Credit;

(5)

Financial Inclusion Service;

 

(6)

Anti Social Behaviour in Compton Vale (Task and Finish Group)

 

(7)

Quarterly Scrutiny reports;

 

(8)

Joint Finance and Performance Monitoring including LAA Performance Monitoring (subject to the Overview and Scrutiny Management Board referring issues to the panel);

 

(9)

Reduce Inequalities;

 

(10)

Value for Communities;

 

(11)

the panel would receive updates for –

 

 

?

Revenue and Benefits

 

?

Social Media

 

?

Locality Working

 

?

Police and Crime commissioner/Panels

 

The panel agreed to appoint lead representatives for the following update items –

 

(1)

Revenues and Benefits (Chair);

 

(2)

Locality Working (Vice Chair):

 

(3)

Social Media (Councillor Martin Leaves);

 

(4)

Police and Crime Commissioner/Panels (Councillor John Smith).

 

9.

TRACKING RESOLUTIONS AND FEEDBACK FROM THE OVERVIEW AND SCRUTINY MANAGEMENT BOARD

Minutes:

The panel noted the progress of its tracking resolutions.

10.

FUTURE DATES AND TIMES OF MEETINGS pdf icon PDF 15 KB

Minutes:

The panel noted the dates and times of its future meetings, as follows –

 

Monday 6 June 2011

Monday 18 July 2011

Monday 12 September 2011

Monday 24 October 2011 (provisional)

Monday 21 November 2011

Monday 23 January 2012

Monday 12 March 2012

11.

EXEMPT BUSINESS

To consider passing a resolution under Section 100A(4) of the Local Government Act 1972 to exclude the press and public from the meeting for the following item(s) of business on the grounds that it (they) involve(s) the likely disclosure of exempt information as defined in paragraph(s)  …. of Part 1 of Schedule 12A of the Act, as amended by the Freedom of Information Act 2000.

Minutes:

There were no items of exempt business.