Agenda and minutes

1.         This meeting is to be webcast. Members are reminded of the need to activate their microphones before speaking.

2.         The Chairman will read the following announcement:

“I would like to remind everyone present that this meeting will be broadcast live to the Internet and will be capable of repeated viewing and copies of the recording could be made available for those that request it.

If you are seated in the lower public seating area it is likely that the recording cameras will capture your image and this will result in the possibility that your image will become part of the broadcast.

This may infringe your human and data protection rights and if you wish to avoid this you should move to the upper public gallery”

The Chairman made a short address to remind all present that the meeting would be broadcast on the Internet, and that the Council had adopted a protocol for the webcasting of its meetings.

(Assistant to the Chief Executive). To report the appointment of any substitute members for the meeting.

It was noted that Councillor K Chana had substituted for Councillor J Hart.

Decisions required:

To confirm the minutes of the meetings of the Committee held on 29 January 2009 (attached).

RESOLVED:

That the minutes of the last meeting of the Committee, held on 29 January 2009, be taken as read and signed by the Chairman as a correct record.

(Assistant to the Chief Executive). To declare interests in any items on the agenda.

In considering whether to declare a personal or a prejudicial interest under the Code of Conduct, Overview & Scrutiny members are asked pay particular attention to paragraph 11 of the Code in addition to the more familiar requirements.

This requires the declaration of a personal and prejudicial interest in any matter before an OS Committee which relates to a decision of or action by another Committee or Sub Committee of the Council, a Joint Committee or Joint Sub Committee in which the Council is involved and of which the Councillor is also a member.

Paragraph 11 does not refer to Cabinet decisions or attendance at an OS meeting purely for the purpose of answering questions or providing information on such a matter.

Councillor Mrs J Whitehouse declared a personal interest in item 6 of the agenda by virtue of being a member of the LSP Learning Partnership.

To receive a presentation  from the Local Strategic Partnership by relevant officers and the Chairman of the LSP.

At their last meeting this Committee resolved that they would like the following items to be addressed:

• An update on the action groups;
• A discussion on Health and Inequalities;
• How schools and colleges are joined up and how are schools being targeted by the LSP;
• How the LSP was intended to work (back to basics);
• What they intend to do (future plans); and
• What they do well and what they struggle to do.

The Chairman welcomed to the Committee the Leader of Council and Chairman of the Epping Forest Local Strategic Partnership (LSP), Councillor Mrs D Collins and Mr J Houston, Epping Forest Local Strategic Partnership Manager.

Councillor Mrs D Collins outlined the Epping Forest Local Strategic Partnership’s origins, she explained how she had taken over the Chairmanship of the LSP in September 2008 and thanked Councillor Mrs A Grigg for having taken over the Chairmanship of the Partnership last summer. Councillor Mrs D Collins also thanked Councillor Mrs A Haigh, Chair of the SIPSIC Committee, for her work.

The Committee was told that the LSP had received £450,000, which would help a great deal in the district. The LSP had been re-structured recently, it now had less committees; currently consisting of four standing and two task and finish panels. Councillor Mrs D Collins was pleased to have J Houston as the new manager of the LSP. She thought that currently, despite successes, the LSP was not geared to outcomes, there had also been little support for the partnership over the last year. She particularly thanked D Macnab and C Overend, for their continued assistance.

Mr J Houston’s Presentation to the Committee.

The LSP brought together all key public agencies, voluntary and private sector. It was the top table of the district representing expenditure, it found new ways of working, piloted new approaches and saved the tax payer money. It identified common problems and developed joined up solutions, pooled expertise, and added value to current developments but without replicating the work of others. The LSP delivered Local Area Agreement targets and acted as an ambassador for the area helping secure additional funding. It researched, consulted and agreed a sustainable community strategy whilst also setting out the milestones it needed to reach. The LSP established local priorities and could “bend” spending by other organisations which would assist in meeting local targets. The LSP enhanced accountability, all its meetings were open to the public.

The LSP was made up of senior members from statutory, voluntary and Business Communities. It included the following:

• Epping Forest District Council
• Essex County Council Education and Social Services
• Primary Care Trust
• Police, Fire and Rescue
• Parish and Town Council Representatives
• Faith Groups

Mr J Houston talked about the LSP’s previous 12 months of work. It had been through various problems, in particular the previous manager leaving. It had secured £455,000 funding to support local schemes and had used its time constructively to review effectiveness. The Partnership had helped put £35,000 into CCTV provision, the Crime and Disorder Partnerships had driven crime down with Offender Panels reducing crime on the Limes Farm Estate by 31%. The LSP had also assisted in reducing the number of jobless people, within the district, from 478 to 303.

The outcomes from the LSP’s activities had shown lots of commitment from partners, £70,000 funding and an enthusiasm to engage. However a sharper focus was needed with more openness and better communication. Emphasis was needed more  ...  view the full minutes text for item 81.

To consider the attached report.

The Committee is asked to consider whether they are happy with the draft report (to be circulated) and to make amendments where necessary. Any comments should be submitted to Democratic Services by Friday, 20 March 2009 for inclusion in the final version. 

The final report will be submitted to the next meeting on 16 April 2009 for endorsement.

The Draft 2008/09 Overview and Scrutiny Annual Report was presented to the Committee.

The following points were made:

• The text of the draft reports may benefit from being shortened and written in a less formal style.

• Members felt that portrait photographs of the Chairmen, from the Task and Finish Panels, should have been added to the Panel’s draft annual reports.

• Extra text was needed in the Finance and Performance Management Standing Panel’s annual report concerning Item 9 Capital Programme 2008/09 to 2012/13, a fuller description of the process for the revenue budget.

Comments were required to be sent to Democratic Services by 20 March 2009. Following amendments being made, a final version was going before the April 2009 meeting of the Committee.

(a)               Updated Schedule

The Committee are asked to note the updated schedule.

(b)               Reserve Programme

A reserve list of scrutiny topics is required to ensure that the work flow of OSC is continuous.

OSC will ‘pull out’ items from the list and allocate them accordingly once space becomes available in the work plan following the completion of existing reviews.

Members can put forward any further suggestions for inclusion in the reserve list either during the meeting or at a later date.

Existing review items will be dealt with first, and then time will be allocated to the items contained in the reserve work plan.

Any space within the work plan is filled on an ongoing basis.

(c)        Item from the 17 February 2009 Full Council Meeting

At their last meeting the council asked that the following be presented to the next Overview and Scrutiny Committee meeting for their consideration.

The Following motion moved by Councillor Bateman and seconded by Councillor Ulkun was adopted –

“That this Council asks the Overview and Scrutiny Committee:

(a)        To recognise the real benefit to local people including those whom I represent of  introducing free London Underground passes for residents in the District, aged 65 years and above, to include the Central Line to Epping; and

(c)                           To establish a Task and Finish Panel to ensure that the review is completed without delay.”

The Council’s Constitution notes that:

“Motions at Council Meetings

Any motion adopted by the Council following due notice from a Member of the Council and which relates to the responsibilities of the Overview and Scrutiny shall, on adoption, stand referred to the Overview and Scrutiny Committee for consideration. In determining how to respond to the motion, the Overview and Scrutiny Committee shall consider whether the proposal should be incorporated in the work programme or held for future consideration in accordance with the procedures outlined in paragraph 4 and 5 above. The Committee shall also advise the Council, via the Member’s Information Bulletin, of the action taken on such motions.”

RECOMMENDATION:

(1)        That the motion be considered to either be added to the committee’s work plan or held for future consideration.

(2)               The Committee can ask that:

a)      A Task and Finish Panel be established to consider this item; or

b)      Allocate it to an existing Standing Panel; or

c)      Add it to their own work programme; or

d)      Establish a sub group of members to research the item and report back to the full committee with their recommendations.

(a)        Updated Schedule

The following changes were noted:

(i)         Overview and Scrutiny Committee

• Item 13 Scrutiny of Essex Police – Community Policing Initiative. Should be widened to Safer Communities Partnership.

• Item 18 Debt Management Review. The Committee was advised that the constituted sub-committee had not met yet.

(ii)        Safer, Cleaner, Greener Standing Panel

The Chairman of the Panel, Councillor M Colling, advised the Committee that they had looked at the strategy guide which included a climate change strategy and the Nottingham Declaration.

(iii)       Leisure Services Task and Finish Panel

The Committee were advised that the feasibility study for Waltham Abbey Sports Centre was commissioned. When the study was completed a date for the Panel would be arranged.

(b)       Reserve Programme

Mr D Macnab advised that the closing date for the review was 20 March 2009.

Councillor Mrs J Whitehouse requested that the Planning and Economic Development Portfolio Holder, Councillor Mrs A Grigg, be invited to the next meeting of the Overview and Scrutiny meeting to answer questions about the Town Centre Partnership.

AGREED:

That the Planning and Economic Development Portfolio Holder be invited to a future meeting of the Committee to discuss the Town Centre Partnerships.

(c)        Item from the 17 February 2009 meeting of Full Council

At their last meeting, the Council asked that the Overview and Scrutiny Committee consider a motion moved by Councillor D Bateman to establish a Task and Finish Panel to ensure that a review be carried out examining the introduction of free London Underground passes for residents in the District, aged 65 years and above, to include the Central Line to Epping.

Members asked for a report to be submitted to the Overview and Scrutiny Committee looking at the feasibility of free London Underground passes for district residents aged 65 and over.

AGREED:

That, a report be submitted to the next Overview and Scrutiny Committee, looking at the feasibility of free London Underground passes for district residents aged 65 and over; and

RECOMMENDATION:

To consider any items to be raised by the Chairman at the Cabinet meeting on 9 March 2009.

(Assistant to the Chief Executive). Under the Overview and Scrutiny rules the Committee is required to scrutinise proposed decisions of the Executive. The Chairman is also required to report on such discussions to the Cabinet.

The Committee is asked to consider the 9 March 2009 Cabinet agenda (previously circulated) to see whether there are any items that they wished to be raised at the Cabinet meeting.

The Committee noted that Item 17 Inter Authority Agreement with Essex County Council, would include a discussion on the ramifications of the agreement. The Committee was advised that the Portfolio Holder was aware of this.

Exclusion: To consider whether, under Section 100(A)(4) of the Local Government Act 1972, the public and press should be excluded from the meeting for the items of business set out below on grounds that they will involve the likely disclosure of exempt information as defined in the following paragraph(s) of Part 1 of Schedule 12A of the Act (as amended) or are confidential under Section 100(A)(2):

The Local Government (Access to Information) (Variation) Order 2006, which came into effect on 1 March 2006, requires the Council to consider whether maintaining the exemption listed above outweighs the potential public interest in disclosing the information. Any member who considers that this test should be applied to any currently exempted matter on this agenda should contact the proper officer at least 24 hours prior to the meeting.

Confidential Items Commencement: Paragraph 9 of the Council Procedure Rules contained in the Constitution require:

(1)        All business of the Council requiring to be transacted in the presence of the press and public to be completed by 10.00 p.m. at the latest.

(2)        At the time appointed under (1) above, the Chairman shall permit the completion of debate on any item still under consideration, and at his or her discretion, any other remaining business whereupon the Council shall proceed to exclude the public and press.

(3)        Any public business remaining to be dealt with shall be deferred until after the completion of the private part of the meeting, including items submitted for report rather than decision.

Background Papers:  Paragraph 8 of the Access to Information Procedure Rules of the Constitution define background papers as being documents relating to the subject matter of the report which in the Proper Officer's opinion:

(a)            disclose any facts or matters on which the report or an important part of the report is based;  and

(b)        have been relied on to a material extent in preparing the report and does not include published works or those which disclose exempt or confidential information (as defined in Rule 10) and in respect of executive reports, the advice of any political advisor.

Inspection of background papers may be arranged by contacting the officer responsible for the item.