Agenda and minutes

The Chairman welcomed Councillor Alan Amos to the Board.  Councillor Amos was replacing Councillor Andy Roberts as Chairman of the Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee.

On behalf of the Board, the Chairman expressed thanks to Councillor Roberts for his contribution to scrutiny over many years and wished him well in his new role.

Apologies were received from Tom Wells.

None.

Members of the public wishing to take part should notify the Head of Legal and Democratic Services in writing or by e-mail indicating the nature and content of their proposed participation no later than 9.00am on the working day before the meeting (in this case 24 May).  Enquiries can be made through the telephone number/e-mail address below.

None.

(previously circulated)

The Minutes of the Meeting held on 21 April 2016 were agreed as a correct record and signed by the Chairman.

The Board was asked to consider and approve the draft scrutiny report of the Increasing Physical Activity Scrutiny Task Group.

The Board had approved the scrutiny proposal on 8 June 2015.

The Terms of Reference for the scrutiny exercise led by Councillor Richard Udall were to examine and make recommendations on:

·         Current physical activity rates in Worcestershire;

·         What is the County Council's role in promoting physical activity?

·         How is the County Council working with partners to enable more people to take part in physical activity and sport?

·         What can the County Council do to help increase physical activity rates in order to meet the Chief Medical Officer recommendations of 30 minutes a day, 5 days and week?

Councillor Udall introduced the report highlighting that he thought that the Scrutiny had been a worthwhile and rewarding investigation.  One of the biggest concerns coming out of the scrutiny was the lack social prescribing by GP's. There was a variety of good work and initiatives in Worcestershire which needed sharing and promoting.  He stressed that the recommendation made in relation to the Councillors' Divisional Funding Scheme was a suggestion which was voluntary not compulsory.  The County Council should also be doing more to promote physical activity among the workforce.

During the discussion the following main points were made:

·         The Report was welcomed.

·         In response to the suggestion that there was no mention of childhood obesity or parental responsibility in the Report, the Board were reminded that it was agreed at the outset that these areas were beyond the scope of the scrutiny.

·         It was suggested that the recommendations should be strengthened.  The Board was advised that as not all of the recommendations related to services that the County Council had responsibility for, there was a limitation to which recommendations could be strengthened.

·         It was important to encourage school leavers to stay motivated to remain physically active.

·         A copy of the Report should formally be sent to the Children and Families Overview and Scrutiny Panel and the Health and Well-being Board for consideration.

The Board agreed the Report on the basis that the Chairman and Vice-Chairman would give further consideration to strengthening some of the recommendations where appropriate and would circulate to the Board prior to the report being considered by Cabinet on 16 June 2016.

The Board was asked to consider the proposal for a scrutiny of bus services.

At its meeting in February 2016, the Board was informed of Members' concerns about the potential impact of bus contracts being re-tendered in April 2016.  It was agreed that this issue would be investigated by the Chairman of the OSPB together with the Chairmen of the Adult Care and Well-Being Overview & Scrutiny (O&S) Panel and the Economy and Environment O&S Panel.

A meeting was held with the Cabinet Member with Responsibility for Highways in March and subsequently the Chairman of the OSPB reported that, as a result of a delay in the proposed changes being made, there was no longer a need for urgency on this work and the scrutiny exercise may now take more time.  OSPB heard that issues for further consideration included areas for future investment and the definition of a socially necessary service.

Accordingly it was suggested that Task Group led by Councillor Richard Udall be set up with the following Terms of Reference to:

Socially Necessary Services Definition

·         Investigate what can be included within this definition

·         Investigate what other Local Authorities include in this definition

·         Review what issues in Worcestershire need to be reflected within this definition

£1.6 Million Bus Subsidy

·         Review whether the bus subsidy is being spent in the right areas

·         Review whether or not the level of subsidy is currently able to meet the socially necessary needs of Worcestershire

·         Identify what level of subsidy would be needed to meet the definition of Socially Necessary that the Task Group believes should be adopted

·         Examine WCC's approach for providing services where there is a socially necessary reason and whether this is best through community services, corporate provision or any other form

·         Could the subsidy be better spent on other forms of public travel?

Diamond Bus Service

·         Q&A with Diamond to discuss service issues and how WCC can assist

Recent Bus Service Cuts

·         Investigate accountability and communication from bus providers to determine if it is adequate or could be improved, including how local members are involved

Transport Strategy

·         Review the public transport strategy role for the County Council and determine if it is adequate and fit for purpose

·         Examine what powers/options WCC has if a Bus Provider is delivering a poor service

·         Identify innovative public transport schemes that WCC can learn from

During the ensuing discussion, the following main points were made:

·         The Scrutiny was welcomed.

·         It was suggested that it was important to remember that the quality, reliability and efficiency of the bus services were important to service users and that bus operators should be providing a reliable service within the financial remit.

·         MP's should be lobbied about the bus subsidy mechanism.

·         Information available at bus stops should be up to date and accurate.

·         The County Council had responded to the changes to bus routes which were currently being trialled and feedback was awaited.

It was agreed that the scope of the scrutiny was approved subject to the  ...  view the full minutes text for item 927.

The Board was asked to:

·         note the 2016/17 scrutiny Work Programme as agreed by Council on 12 May

·         consider the issues not completed from the 2015/16 Work Programme and agree which issues should be carried forward to the 2016/17 programme; and

·         consider and approve suggestions for taking the 2016/17 Work Programme forward.

In considering the proposed list of topics, Council expressed concern about the workload implications of the items suggested for the Environment and Economy Overview and Scrutiny Panel.  Therefore it was agreed to remove the following two items from the Panel's Work Programme:

• How can WCC support Retail whilst it is in transition and help support and retrain retail employees?
• What are the benefits to Worcestershire of 20 MPH speed limits and how does this link to Residents Parking Policy?

Members were reminded that in determining how to move the Work Programme forward it was important to consider the following:

·      Ensure that the Work Programme included a balance of different types of work, including short, medium and long-term reviews.  Issues could be considered at single meetings, or may need to be the subject of a longer term, more in-depth scrutiny review;

·      Ensure that the OSPB and panels retained sufficient capacity to respond to issues that may crop up unexpectedly within the year, including call-ins;

·      Take into account the resources available to support scrutiny.

The Board noted the 2016/17 Work Programme and agreed the Scrutiny Panels would consider individual work programmes at the next round of Panel meetings.

The issues incomplete from 2015/16 were then considered and it was agreed that the following items would be removed:

Overview and Scrutiny Performance Board:

·         Climate Change

Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee

·         Administration/Patient Records but would be considered as part of GP Appointments Scrutiny.

Children and Families Overview and Scrutiny Panel

·         Future Governance of Worcestershire Youth Music Service

·         Supporting People System Work

Economy and Environment Overview and Scrutiny Panel:

·      Climate Change – would be included as part of the Environmental mitigation scrutiny.

The Board further approved the follow suggestions for taking the 2016/17 Work Programme forward:

Sexual Violence and Rape

This issue was added to the 2015/16 Work Programme and was one of the Key themes identified by Work Programme consultation exercise.  It was therefore agreed that an initial discussion on this topic would be held as part of the OSPB's Annual Crime and Disorder meeting which would take place late summer with a view to further in-depth scrutiny being undertaken by a Task Group led by Councillor Bloore.

Can Worcestershire County Council do more around environmental mitigation?

A detailed scrutiny proposal would be developed and brought to a future meeting of OSPB.  It was agreed that this Task Group was led by Councillor Tuthill.

Complaints Reporting

Scrutiny work on this topic would be led by Councillor Eyre (in the same way that work on quality assurance was undertaken) and the Board would be updated accordingly.

Commissioning

A detailed scrutiny proposal would be developed and brought to a future meeting of OSPB. It  ...  view the full minutes text for item 928.

The Overview and Scrutiny Performance Board was asked to:

(a) Receive an update on emerging issues and developments within the particular remit of each Member of the OSPB, including an update on each Overview and Scrutiny Panel and Scrutiny Task Group;

(b) Consider the Council's latest Forward Plan in order to identify:

Ø  Any items it would wish to consider further at a future meeting; and

Ø  Any items it would wish to refer to the relevant Overview and Scrutiny Panel for further consideration;

(c) Consider proposals in relation to 'Consideration of Health Issues'

Adult Care and Well-being Overview and Scrutiny Panel

At its last meeting on 23 May 2016, the Panel discussed the 'Your Life, Your Choice' website which was progressing well, although it was still very much in development phase.  Members felt it would be useful to have regular updates across the year.

The Panel also discussed Learning Disability Day Services. It was suggested that Supported Living could be a potential topic for Scrutiny. 

In relation to transition arrangements, the Panel had suggested that this should be widened to look at employment and apprenticeship opportunities. The Board felt that this wasn't a seamless service and shouldn’t be included as part of the Scrutiny. It was agreed that the Children and Families Overview and Scrutiny Panel should also be included in this work to pick up any overlaps.

Children and Families Overview and Scrutiny Panel

At its meeting on 11 May 2016 the Panel had recently discussed:

·         Monitoring The Effectiveness of The Learning and Achievement Services Commissioned to Babcock Prime

·         Update on Back to Basics Safeguarding Improvement Plan

·         Stronger Families Programme.

Corporate and Communities Overview and Scrutiny Panel

The Panel was due to meet after OSPB.

The Commissioning: Staff Terms and Conditions Scrutiny Task Group had met on 24 May 2016 to consider information received in answer to questions from the Head of Adult Social Care, Director of Commercial and Change, Head of Legal Services and the Chief Executive.  Councillor Taylor (Lead Member of the Task Group) reported that the Task Group were seriously irritated by some of the written responses received and suggested that the answers given had been prepared by the same person and that the Scrutiny wasn't being taking the seriously. Information was still outstanding from Unison and next steps would be considered once received.

The Chairman of the Board expressed his concern about these reports and was keen to ensure that the Minutes of the Meeting accurately reflected this.

Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee (HOSC)

Councillor Alan Amos, the new Chairman of HOSC advised that he was currently undertaking a detailed induction into his new role.  It was suggested that as part of his induction he should also have a handover Councillor Andy Roberts (previous HOSC Chairman).

Effectiveness of the Prevention and Recovery Drug and Alcohol Misuse Service Scrutiny Task Group

Councillor Bloor updated the Board on the progress of the Task Group to date.  A meeting with the West Mercia Police and Crime Commissioner  ...  view the full minutes text for item 929.