Agenda and minutes

Customers and Communities Overview and Scrutiny Panel - Wednesday 12 September 2012 4.00 pm

Venue: Council House, Next to the Civic Centre

Contact: Katey Johns, Democratic Support Officer  Email: katey.johns@plymouth.gov.uk

Items
No. Item

20.

DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST

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

Minutes:

In accordance with the code of conduct, the following declaration of interest was made –

 

Name

Subject

Reason

Interest

Councillor Jordan

Library Modernisation PID (Revised)

Director of Trading

Route (Café operating

in Devonport Library)

Personal

 

21.

MINUTES pdf icon PDF 113 KB

The Panel will be asked to confirm the minutes of the meeting held on 18 July 2012.

Minutes:

Agreed the minutes of the meeting held on 18 July 2012.

22.

CHAIR'S URGENT BUSINESS

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

Minutes:

There were no items of Chair’s urgent business.

23.

COMMUNITY RIGHT TO CHALLENGE pdf icon PDF 62 KB

At the request of Cabinet, the Panel will give pre-decision scrutiny consideration to the Community Right to Challenge report with a view to making recommendations back to Cabinet at its meeting on 16 October 2012.

Minutes:

The Chair advised members that this items was withdrawn having been considered by the Overview and Scrutiny Management Board at its meeting on 5 September 2012.

24.

UPDATE ON POLICE AND CRIME PANEL pdf icon PDF 98 KB

The Panel will receive for its information an update on the Police and Crime Panel.

Minutes:

The panel received an update in respect of Police and Crime Panel matters as presented by Councillor Penberthy, the Cabinet Member for Cooperatives and Community Development, and Sarah Hopkins, Community Safety Partnership Manager.  Members were advised that –

 

(a)

 

following a period of protracted negotiations, agreement on panel composition had finally been reached between all 13 local authorities within the force area at a meeting of the Shadow Police and Crime Panel on 25 July 2012;

 

(b)

 

Plymouth’s offer to be Host Authority had also been agreed and submission of the formal return to the Home Office had been made on 26 July 2012;

 

(c)

 

whilst agreement had also been reached in respect of the draft constitution for the Police and Crime Panel this could not be finalised until further guidance on the regulations had been received from the Home Office;

 

(d)

 

an exercise to recruit a number of independent members to the panel was currently under way with adverts having been placed in various forms of communications with our partners, such as the police, health, fire and the guild and voluntary sector and in the press.  There had been numerous expressions of interest received so far and the closing date for receipt of applications was Friday 14 September 2012;

 

(e)

 

the next meeting of the Police and Crime Panel was scheduled to take place on 22 October 2012.

 

At the request of the Chair, the Cabinet Member agreed to invite the Police to provide an update on the budget following the series of cuts announced earlier in the year.  This information to be presented in the form of an all-member briefing.

 

The panel and Cabinet Member offered a vote of thanks to all the officers involved in progressing development of the Police and Crime Panel given the challenges they had encountered, but particularly Sarah Hopkins and Peter Aley.

25.

TRACKING RESOLUTIONS pdf icon PDF 33 KB

The panel will monitor progress on previous resolutions.

Minutes:

In noting the tracking resolutions schedule, Members were advised that –

 

·         Councillor Ricketts had subsequently withdrawn from membership of the Social Fund Replacement Task and Finish Group due to a conflict of interests;

·         an informal scoping meeting in respect of the Social Fund Replacement Task and Finish Group would take place upon the conclusion of this meeting.

 

Consideration was given to composition of the task and finish group in light of Councillor Ricketts withdrawal and it was agreed that the Democratic Support Officer would e-mail members of the Conservative Group with a view to finding a replacement.  Should a replacement not be identified, the task and finish group would proceed with its remaining membership.

26.

LIBRARY MODERNISATION PID (REVISED) pdf icon PDF 94 KB

The Panel will reconsider the Library Modernisation PID, as amended at the request of the Overview and Scrutiny Management Board.

Minutes:

The panel’s Lead Officer reported on the minor changes that had been made to the PID following its consideration by the Overview and Scrutiny Management Board.  Members were advised that the PID had been amended to include an emphasis on accessibility for people who did not have a local library and how to attract people who did not currently use the service. 

 

(Councillor Jordan declared a personal interest in respect of the above item).

27.

WORK PROGRAMME pdf icon PDF 20 KB

The Panel will consider its work programme for 2012/13.

Minutes:

The panel noted its work programme for 2012/13.

28.

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.