Agenda and minutes

Apologies were received from Mr A A J Adams and

Mrs J A Brunner.

Mrs E A Eyre, Mr P Middlebrough, Mrs F M Oborski,

Mr C B Taylor and Mr P A Tuthill declared an interest in Item 5: Police and Crime Commissioners: Fire and Rescue Functions as they were Members of Hereford & Worcester Fire Authority.

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 17 July 2017).  Enquiries can be made through the telephone number/e-mail address below.

None.

(previously circulated)

The Minutes of the Meeting held on 19 June 2017 were agreed as a correct record and signed by the Chairman.

At its last meeting, the Board agreed to consider the draft initial Business Case for the joint governance of Police and Fire and Rescue services in Hereford and Worcester, Shropshire and Telford and Wrekin, with a view to providing comments to Council for its Meeting on 14 September 2017.

The Chairman welcomed the Deputy Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) to the Meeting on behalf of the PCC who was unable to attend due to a prior commitment.

The Deputy PCC explained that in September 2015, the then Minister for Policing, Crime, Criminal Justice and Victims, Mike Penning carried out Consultation to look at transforming the way the police, fire service and ambulance services worked together.  Following this Consultation, the Policing and Crime Act 2017 introduced a process enabling a PCC to take on the responsibility for the governance of fire and rescue services in his area and to become the Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner for that area.

Beckford Consulting were subsequently appointed on behalf of the PCC to prepare the draft initial Business Case, which was currently out for Consultation. 

In summary, three options were considered:

·       Maintain the status quo

·       Joint governance

·       Single employer

Beckford Consulting concluded that there was a business case for a change to joint governance of the three organisations.  If achieved the PCC considered that joint governance  would create an opportunity to enhance Public Safety and Community Resilience across the three counties, within current resources, at a time when funding was more likely to be further squeezed than increased. The effect would be to strengthen the long-term resilience of police and fire services in a rural region where maintaining local services was challenging. It would create potential efficiency gains of £4m per year plus.

If the proposals were approved, it would mean that the PCC would take on governance of both Shropshire and Hereford & Worcester Fire and Rescue Services, there would be no changes to front line police and fire crews as a result of the changes to governance. If there were objections to the proposals and one of the local authorities didn't support the proposals, the Secretary of State would arrange for an independent review.

The Deputy PCC stated that no decision had been made and that the good work of the Fire Authorities were not being called into question.  However, she suggested that it was an opportunity for one person to be fully sighted on both organisations by single governance and striving for a better more efficient service for the public.

In summary, the main points made during the discussion were:

·       Paragraph 6.7.5 which stated "Thereafter, from April 2019, the PFCC would be expected to review the senior command and leadership teams, to begin to release any redundant posts and deliver the transformation plan" gave the impression that it was first step towards joint operations for a West Mercia Fire and West Mercia Police. The Deputy PCC advised that the Business Case was about the governance of the fire and rescue services and  ...  view the full minutes text for item 988.

The Board was asked to consider the reports from Panel Chairmen on Panels' discussions of potential Work Programme topics and determine its Scrutiny Work Programme for 2017/18 to be considered by full Council.

Each of the Panels' suggested Work Programmes were agreed as detailed below, including any additions discussed and 'Standing items'  such as Performance Management, Quality Assurance, Budget Scrutiny and Safeguarding (Adults and Children's):

Adult Care and Well-Being Overview & Scrutiny Panel

• Three Conversation model (new model for social work)
• Outcome-based Commissioning – homecare and care providers
• Staffing – sickness, recruitment, retention and agency spend
• Isolation (including social isolation)
• Prevention work and its success in keeping people independent – possible task group
• Technology in care?
• Better Care Plans

Children and Families Overview & Scrutiny Panel

The main focus of the Panel's work would be to follow up to the Ofsted report and the implementation of the Service Improvement Plan, and this would be a standing item on all agendas.  An additional meeting had been arranged for 14 August to include an initial discussion on this issue.  In this context, Panel Members had highlighted the following particular concerns:

• The workload of social workers (including travel time and key workers); and
• The need to consider comparative figures in relation to performance of agency staff, recruitment and retention, and caseloads.

The other issues to be included on the Programme were:

• Child employment and labour
• Education at home
• 0-19 service (Children's Centres)
• Alternative provision (including Babcock Prime and migrant children)
• The performance of Babcock Prime (with a particular focus on performance at KS2)
• Assistive Technology

Corporate and Communities Overview & Scrutiny Panel

• Worcestershire County Council - Property (Place Partnership)
• Worcestershire County Council Workforce – including cultural change to support transformation
• What can WCC do to maximise income generation?
• How can WCC support Local Business?
• Culture: How can we utilise the culture of Worcestershire to maximise the benefit to the County?
• Information sharing with District Councils.
• Councillor IT
• Road safety (particularly around schools)
• Commissioning – How do we manage and ensure value for money and quality service?
• Communications – How do we ensure residents have easy access and we communicate service levels?  WCC brand and the postal service

·       The Council's role in post-Brexit subsidy mechanisms for rural activities.

Economy and Environment Overview & Scrutiny Panel

• Footways
• Cycle paths
• Highways development control – improving joined-up working and include Highway's Engineers capacity (task group?)
• Worcestershire LEP
• How to improve getting around the county
• Local Transport Plan 4 – how plans are implemented
• Cleaning programme for gulleys and drains
• Asset management
• Transport and access to hospitals
• Buses (task group?)
• Evesham's Abbey Bridge – lessons learned
• Budget scrutiny  (mini task group of panel members)
• Flood risk management
• Broadband update
• Relationship with Highway's England
• Residents zonal parking schemes and additional car parks

Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee (HOSC)

The Chairman of HOSC advised that a discussion of the Work Programme would take place at its meeting on 19 July 2017, following which he would submit the details to be included in the Work  ...  view the full minutes text for item 989.