Agenda and draft minutes

The Chairman welcomed everyone to the meeting.

Apologies were received from Councillor Brandon Clayton and Mr Tim Reid (Church Representative).

None.

Members of the public wishing to take part should notify the Assistant Director for Legal and Governance in writing or by e-mail indicating both the nature and content of their proposed participation no later than 9.00am on the working day before the meeting (in this case 16 April 2024).  Further details are available on the Council's website.  Enquiries can also be made through the telephone number/e-mail address listed in this agenda and on the website.

None.

(previously circulated).

The Minutes of the Meeting held on 29 January 2024 were agreed as a correct record and signed by the Chairman.

The Board was invited to consider the draft Scrutiny Work Programme for 2024/25 prior to it being submitted to Council for approval.

By way of introduction, the Chairman reminded Board Members that the draft Scrutiny Work Programme would be presented to full Council on 16 May.  In the past year, although scrutiny task group work had been limited, he felt that the performance of the overview and scrutiny panels had been excellent.

The Board discussed the draft work programme and the following main points were made:

Overview and Scrutiny Performance Board

·         The Board noted that an update on progress in implementing the recommendations of the Developer Funded Highways Infrastructure (Section 278) scrutiny task group was scheduled for June 2024.  It was suggested that it would be helpful for this update to clearly show action (including timescales) against each of the scrutiny report’s 19 recommendations.  The update should show a snapshot of where the service currently was.  The Chairman noted ongoing frustration in district councils at the time taken to receive responses to planning applications from the County Council Highways Department.

·         In July the Leader and Chief Executive of the Council were due to update the Board on the Corporate Plan.  At this point it would also be helpful to get their initial views on the emerging 2025/26 budget and seek a commitment that scrutiny should be involved in budget planning in the autumn in order to influence the medium term financial plan and the direction of the new budget.  It was agreed that this would be added to the Board’s work programme.

·         The Chairman confirmed that he was no longer a member of the Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) and therefore would be available to chair the Board’s discussion with the LEP in September.

·         With reference to the Annual Crime and Disorder meeting, the lead member suggested that the Board may wish to include a discussion on hate crime (and in particular transphobic hate crime) looking at the role of the County Council, both as a local authority and as an employer.  It was agreed that he would look into this further and report back at a future meeting.

·         It was agreed that the budget discussion in November should focus on emerging themes and issues.

·         In response to a question about the issue of safety in parks and open spaces, it was suggested that this may be an area that could be considered by Corporate and Communities O&S Panel.

·         Board Members were reminded that the scrutiny annual report would also be considered by Council on 16 May.  The Chairman would ask Panel Chairman and Lead Members to respond to any detailed questions on their areas of responsibility.

Environment Overview and Scrutiny Panel

·         The Board was updated on amendments that had been made to the Panel’s work programme since the OSPB agenda had been published.  The number of items to be considered in May had been reduced with the update on Net Zero Policy having been moved to July.

Children and  ...  view the full minutes text for item 1362.

The Scrutiny Panel Chairmen/ Lead Member provided an update on recent scrutiny meetings and activities and considered suggestions for future scrutiny task groups.

Environment Overview and Scrutiny Panel (Cllr Alastair Adams)

At its last meeting, the Panel had received an update on developments relating to the Environment Act including Biodiversity Net Gain which, the Chairman suggested, would be a major topic in the next 12 to 24 months.  A further update would be received later in the year.

The Panel had also discussed the latest Performance Indicators.  It was noted that a report on progress on the recommendations of the Developer-Funded Highways Infrastructure (Section 278) scrutiny task group was scheduled for the OSPB in June.

The Chairman of the Panel confirmed that the Highway Maintenance contract was due for renewal in 2026 and the Panel had asked to have an early input into the process.

The Chairman of OSPB expressed frustration that footways were sometimes repaired when there had been no local request for repairs and gave an example of where this had happened within his division.  He suggested that it would be helpful to consult local members on which work was carried out, taking account of the condition of the footway and the amount it was used.  The Chairman of the Panel agreed that transparency was the way forward.

Children and Families Overview and Scrutiny Panel (Cllr David Chambers)

In March the Panel had received a report on 2023 educational outcomes in Worcestershire.  In general, outcomes were still below pre-covid levels but compared well to national figures.  The Panel had also received a detailed report on the early education and childcare national expansion programme and had noted that sufficient early years places would be available at key dates as the programme was rolled out.  In relation to Q3 PIs, it was noted that the number of children with SEND who required an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) was rising dramatically.

The Panel Chairman also updated the Board on plans to recruit specialist foster carers.  The Cabinet Member with Responsibility for Children and Families informed the Board that, in recruiting more foster carers, the aim was to improve outcomes for children as well as benefit the Council financially.  Recent recruitment adverts had resulted in a considerable rise in enquiries which was a positive sign, although the conversion rate would be key.  The Chairman of the Panel informed the Board that he felt the drive to recruit specialist foster carers was an exemplary programme which aimed to recruit carers for children with challenging needs.  Carers would be well paid but the difference they would make would be invaluable and he congratulated the team on this initiative.

The Chairman of OSPB noted that all Members of the Council were corporate parents and as such had responsibility for looking after the most vulnerable children in the County.  He also raised the issue of grandparents who assumed responsibility for children under kinship care arrangements, noting the financial implications for them of not having  ...  view the full minutes text for item 1363.