(a)

that the Co-operative Scrutiny Board was taking action to strengthen the scrutiny function within the Council and deliver against the Council’s pledge 49, to enhance the scrutiny programme.  She was aiming for scrutiny to report the outcome of the review to the December 2015 Cabinet meeting;

(b)

that the network of scrutiny extended beyond the Council and included the media, pressure groups, bloggers and residents through case work and questions to Cabinet and Council;  

(c)

that a series of workshops had been arranged which would use new and innovative approaches beginning with “What’s the point of scrutiny?” tomorrow to which Cabinet Members were invited to attend.  Following this, training, development and support arrangements for members would be confirmed and improvements would be made to scrutiny’s engagement with the public and partners;

(d)

that councillors and council officers across the country were being asked to watch the Council’s webcasts and complete an online survey to provide feedback on performance;

(e)

some of the main areas of scrutiny work which included -  

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a review into the processes surrounding the Living Streets programme by the Working Plymouth Panel, in response to difficulties encountered by both the public and councillors.  A number of recommendations for improvements would be brought forward for Cabinet’s consideration shortly;

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a detailed review by the Ambitious Plymouth Panel into how Plymouth’s key child protection agencies were responding to child sexual exploitation and to ensure that there was a programme in place to keep children and young people safe from exploitation;

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a review into the impact of the Chancellor of the Exchequer’s Summer Budget focussing on the elements considered to impact most keenly on the residents of Plymouth such as working age benefits, free childcare entitlement and social housing;

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the monitoring of the integration of health and social care and the Devon Challenged Health Economy by the Caring Plymouth Panel.  Cabinet was advised that the panel had visited the excellent facilities at the Plymouth Community Healthcare Mount Gould Site where staff were providing outstanding care but were concerned at the building which was inadequate for the function;

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the continuing monitoring of the Council’s financial position and the delivery of the Corporate Plan by the Co-operative Scrutiny Board.  By using panels where appropriate to maintain ongoing scrutiny it was hoped to lessen the reliance on the annual budget scrutiny process and instead to focus on the issues raised during the year making the most efficient use of both portfolio holders’ and officers’ time;

(f)

that scrutiny was member led and officers would be doing more to ensure that members were properly supported when undertaking scrutiny.  The planned scrutiny programme would ensure that the democratic accountability which overview and scrutiny provided would drive improvement in local public services within an environment of open decision-making.