Agenda and minutes

Overview and Scrutiny - Monday, 25th November, 2024 6.30 pm

Venue: Oakenshaw Community Centre

Contact: Mat Sliwinski  Democratic Services Officer

Items
No. Item

47.

Apologies and Named Substitutes

Minutes:

There were no apologies for absence.

48.

Declarations of Interest and of Party Whip

To invite Councillors to declare any Disclosable Pecuniary Interests and / or Other Disclosable Interests they may have in items on the agenda, and to confirm the nature of those interests, and any Party Whip.

Minutes:

There were no declarations of interest nor of party whip.

49.

Minutes pdf icon PDF 343 KB

The minutes of the meeting of Overview and Scrutiny Committee from 14th October 2024 will be considered at this meeting.

Minutes:

The minutes of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee meeting held on 14th October 2024 were submitted for Members’ consideration.

 

RESOLVED that

 

the Minutes of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee meeting held on 14th October 2024 be approved as a true record and signed by the Chair.

50.

Public Speaking

To invite members of the public who have registered in advance of the meeting to speak to the Committee. Please note that the deadline for registering to speak is 12 noon on the day of the meeting.

 

Minutes:

There were no public speakers registered to speak at this meeting.

51.

Carbon Reduction Strategy and Implementation Plan Annual Review - Pre-Scrutiny pdf icon PDF 138 KB

The report will follow in a supplementary pack for the meeting after it has been published for the meeting of Executive Committee (due for publication on Monday 18 November).

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The Climate Change Manager presented the Carbon Reduction Strategy and Implementation Plan Annual Review for the consideration of Overview and Scrutiny Committee.

 

Members were reminded that the Carbon Reduction Strategy had been introduced two years’ previously. At the time that the strategy was introduced, Members had agreed that progress should be monitored on an annual basis and that a new strategy should be presented every three years.  The next new strategy was due to be created for 2025-26.

 

During the presentation, the recent actions and updates from the review of the Carbon Reduction Implementation Plan were covered in detail with information highlighted including:

 

  • Use of low carbon fleet fuel options – It was noted that Environmental Services use of fuel meant that currently one fourth of fuel used by the Council’s fleet was hydrogenated vegetable oil (HVO), Using HVO could save up to 90 per cent of the lifetime carbon emissions as compared to traditional diesel. Environmental Services were preparing to increase the frequency of HVO only tanker deliveries to 1 in every 2. It was asked what the financial implication of increasing HVO frequency given fluctuations in HVO costs. It was undertaken that relevant officers would be contacted to obtain the cost-benefit analysis for this.

 

  • Improve energy efficiency of current housing stock – It was reported that these improvements were being made through use of Government funding, including most recently through Sustainable Warmth Competition Local Authority Delivery Phase 3 (LAD3) funding which the Council had been successful in obtaining.

 

  • Crematorium works – Plans are in place to further improve the BEMS at the Crematorium and Abbey Stadium to improve the efficiency of the heat recovery system in place between the Crematorium and Abbey Stadium. Additionally, there are further plans to upgrade the lighting system to an LED system in the building.
  •  
  • EV charging - EV charging across Council-owned car parks  would be supported by the £2.1 million partnership with Zest to deliver EV charging infrastructure across the borough over the next 15 – 20 years. First charging points were due to be installed in Redditch in January 2025.

 

  • Reducing impact of staff travel on the environment through use of video conferencing – It was noted that the Council had seen an increase in staff mileage claims over the last three financial years and further investigation was needed to understand why this was the case. It was noted that staff mileage claims did not cover home to office journeys.

 

  • Recruitment for a Graduate Climate Change Officer – The recruitment for this role was ongoing. This role would support the development of the next iteration of RBC’s carbon reduction strategy and continuation of work with services across the Council to reduce their own carbon emissions.

 

  • New strategy, to be developed in 2025, would be produced to monitor progress through to 2030, which was the target year for the Council to reach 50 per cent carbon emissions reduction.

 

Following the presentation, questions were raised regarding aspects of the report. It was asked  ...  view the full minutes text for item 51.

52.

Health Inequalities - Review of Previous Discussions by Redditch Councillors pdf icon PDF 222 KB

Additional documents:

Minutes:

A report on the previous decisions of Overview and Scrutiny with respect to Health Inequalities Task Group was presented to Members. It was noted that in September 2022, the Overview and Scrutiny Committee agreed to establish a Task Group titled ‘Health Inequalities within the BME Community in Redditch’. This Task Group was never launched, however, as other items around fly tipping and bulky waste were prioritised at the time.

 

The options that were open to Members with regard to this Health Inequalities review were outlined. It was highlighted that the responsibility over health and social care were the remit of Worcestershire County Council (WCC), therefore, the role of any task group established over this matter by the Borough Council would be advisory in nature, and although the Task Group had the power, via the Executive Committee (following prior endorsement by Overview and Scrutiny Committee), to make recommendations to external bodies, those bodies were not legally obliged to consider those recommendations.

 

Following the presentation, Members debated the subject and raised the following points:

 

  • There was consensus that this topic should be widened regardless of whether the Committee would be minded to set up a task group review. It was noted that it was more fruitful to focus any investigation on the geography, identifying areas of deprivation across the whole Borough and to focus on identifying demographics suffering from health inequalities rather than ethnicity as stated in the original topic proposal submitted in September 2022. It was noted that data was available to identify which areas of Redditch had high levels of health inequality through County Council’s Public Health and Office of National Statistics (ONS) statistics.

 

  • Some Members highlighted that although health inequalities constituted a serious issue across Redditch, the Council’s powers in this area were limited as health was a function over which the County Council exercised control.

 

  • The Council’s Representative on the Worcestershire County Council’s Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee (HOSC) addressed Members and commented that at the meeting of HOSC on 12th November 2024 issues in relation to public health were discussed. The matters presented at that meeting were county-wide but there was data specific to Redditch which underscored the concern over health inequality in Redditch.

 

  • The Representative commented that female life expectancy in Redditch was one of the lowest in Worcestershire and significantly lower than the national average, whilst female life expectancy in Bromsgrove, Malvern Hills, and Wychavon was significantly higher than the national average. Male life expectancy in Redditch was close to the national average, highlighting a discrepancy between male and female health in Redditch.

 

  • Analysis of Lower Layer Super Output Areas (LSOAs), which were geographical areas comprising between 400 to 1,200 households (1,000 to 3,000 persons) and grouped together for statistical reasons, showed that two-thirds of LSOAs with highest number of recorded emergency hospital admissions in Worcestershire were located within Redditch Borough, with LSOA areas in parts of Batchley Brook, Smallwood and Church Hill, Winyates (around Ipsley Middle School) being the areas with highest numbers  ...  view the full minutes text for item 52.

53.

Executive Committee Minutes and Scrutiny of the Executive Committee's Work Programme - Selecting Items for Scrutiny pdf icon PDF 247 KB

Minutes:

It was requested that the following items from the Executive Committee Work Programme be added as items for pre-scrutiny at meetings of Overview and Scrutiny:

 

·       Food Waste Business Case and Associated Waste Related Issues

·       Shareholders’ Committee Annual Report.

 

RESOLVED that

 

the Overview and Scrutiny Committee Work Programme be updated with items from the Executive Committee Work Programme as per the pre-amble above.

54.

Overview and Scrutiny Work Programme pdf icon PDF 218 KB

Minutes:

 

 

The Overview and Scrutiny Work Programme was submitted for Members’ consideration.

 

RESOLVED that

 

the Overview and Scrutiny Work Programme be updated to include the items, as from the latest Executive Work Programme for pre-scrutiny, as agreed by Members (and detailed at Minute No. 53).

55.

Task Groups, Short Sharp Reviews and Working Groups - Update Reports

a)          Budget Scrutiny Working Group – Chair, Councillor Warhurst

 

b)          Performance Scrutiny Working Group – Chair, Councillor Warhurst

 

c)           Fly Tipping and Bulky Waste Task Group – Chair, Councillor Dormer

 

d)          Post-16 Education Task Group – Chair, Councillor Warhurst

 

Minutes:

Updates on Task Groups and Working Groups were provided as follows:

 

a)    Budget Scrutiny Working Group – Chair, Councillor Warhurst

 

It was reported that due to apologies submitted by the Chair, the last meeting of Budget Scrutiny, on 21st November, was chaired by Councillor Dormer. Items discussed the budget including fees and charges (tranche 1 prior to consultation) and the revenue and performance monitoring report for quarter two 2024-25.

 

b)    Performance Scrutiny Working Group – Chair, Councillor Warhurst

 

Councillor Warhurst reported that two meetings took place to date, on 16th July and 16th October. It was reported that following discussion at those meetings, Officers were due to provide answers to queries raised by the Working Group, regarding the PowerBI performance dashboard and the upkeep of verges, at the next Working Group meeting.

 

c)     Fly Tipping and Bulky Waste Task Group – Chair, Councillor Dormer

 

Councillor Dormer reported that a Group held a meeting on 6th November. Officers were tasked with researching information relating to the provision of covert cameras to monitor fly tipping and data on costs of fly tipping and income of the bulky waste service in Redditch and across the other district authorities in Worcestershire.

 

The data requested had now been provided and the Task Group were analysing the data and seeking clarification on a number of points. The date of the next meeting would be agreed in due course.

 

d)    Post-16 Education Task Group – Chair, Councillor Warhurst

 

Councillor Warhurst reported that at the first meeting of the Group, on 23rd October, the approach to this review was agreed, including the stakeholders which the Group wished to interview as part of the investigation. The next meeting was scheduled for 2nd December 2024.

 

RESOLVED that

 

the Task Groups, Short Sharp Reviews and Working Groups Update Reports be noted.

56.

External Scrutiny Bodies - Update Reports pdf icon PDF 208 KB

 

a)          West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) Overview and Scrutiny Committee – Council representative, Councillor Kane;

 

b)          West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) Transport Delivery Overview and Scrutiny Committee, Councillor Munro; and

 

c)           Worcestershire Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee (HOSC) – Council representative, TBC.

Minutes:

Updates on the meetings of External Scrutiny Bodies were provided as follows:

 

a)    West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) Overview and Scrutiny Committee – Council Representative, Councillor Kane

 

Councillor Kane reported that two meetings of this body took place since she last provided an update. Councillor Kane provided a written report on the meeting that took place on 21st October 2024, which was included in the agenda papers for this meeting.

 

A further meeting of WMCA Overview and Scrutiny Committee took place earlier today (25th November) and it was reported that the only item on the agenda was homelessness / rough sleeping. It was reported that WMCA had a working culture to ensure that homelessness and rough sleeping were considered and ‘designed out’ in every policy that WMCA produced. It was further reported that WMCA anticipated an increase in rough sleeping across West Midlands next year due to a combination of factors that included an anticipated rise in evictions. Councillor Kane also highlighted that WMCA as a combined authority was represented at central government level and was an important regional partner for Redditch Council.

 

b)    West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) Transport Delivery Overview and Scrutiny – Council Representative, Councillor Munro

 

Councillor Munro stated that there was nothing to report on this body that was of relevance to Redditch Borough Council.

 

c)     Worcestershire Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee (HOSC) – Council Representative, Councillor Munro.

 

An update regarding recent meeting of this body had been provided during discussion under agenda item 6. (Minute No. 52) – Health Inequalities – Review of Previous Discussions by Redditch Councillors.

 

RESOLVED that

 

the External Scrutiny Bodies updates be noted.