To consider information from Members and Officers regarding the Centre for Public Scrutiny Conference and Crime and Disorder Scrutiny Conference.
(Oral reports).
Minutes:
The Committee received feedback reports from Councillors who had recently attended training events and conferences.
a) Crime and Disorder Scrutiny – 15 June 2009
Councillor Norton explained that he, along with one of the Overview and Scrutiny Support Officers, had attended an event in London regarding the scrutiny of community safety issues. The event had been aimed at informing Officers and Members about the new statutory duty for local authorities to establish a Committee to scrutinise community safety issues and Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnerships. He explained that one of the National Indicators was now focussed towards reporting on people’s confidence level in local authorities and their partners to address community safety issues. Councillor Norton suggested that the Council might already be fulfilling this new role through the Committee’s interview of the Portfolio Holder for Community Safety.
Members enquired about whether there had been any guidance provded about how to encourage partners to attend meetings. Members commented that there was a need for the Scrutiny Committee and Members to build up relationships with the Council’s partners. Officers explained that they had already received a letter from the Chief Executive of West Mercia Police Constabulary enquiring about what procedures the Council would be implementing to enable the scrutiny of crime and disorder issues. In this letter, he had also confirmed that West Mercia Police would be willing to send a representative to any meetings where required.
Officers explained that they had spoken with Community Safety Officers and it had been suggested that a meeting take place which would be attended by relevant Officers and the Chair of the Committee to discuss methods for scrutinising community safety issues. Once this meeting had taken place, it was suggested that further information should be provided for the consideration of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee.
b) Centre for Public Scrutiny (CfPS)– June Conference
Councillor Thomas explained that she had recently attended the Centre for Public Scrutiny’s (CfPS’s) annual conference. The conference took place over a period of two days.
One of the main features of the first day was a presentation from the shadow minister for Local Government highlighting key points from their Green Paper on Local Government. Among the proposals was one which would provide local authorities with the choice of moving back to an enhanced Committee system. Councillor Thomas voiced her concerns about this proposal especially given the progress Overview and Scrutiny had made at Redditch since it had been introduced.
Councillor Thomas explained that she had also attended the Good Scrutiny Awards on the evening of the first day of the conference when awards had been given to local authorities that had undertaken good pieces of scrutiny. She suggested that in future, any successful scrutiny exercises undertaken at Redditch Borough Council should be submitted for consideration in this awards process.
On the second day of the conference, Councillor Thomas explained that she had attended a workshop presented by Jo Dungey regarding the new legal framework to scrutinise the Council’s partners. This session had provided useful information about the new powers for scrutiny especially in relation to the scrutiny of the Local Area Agreement but had also highlighted the problems of trying to undertake this in two tier authority areas.
RESOLVED that
1) further information about scrutiny of community safety issues be considered at a meeting of the Committee on Wednesday 29 July;
2) a copy of Jo Dungey’s publication “Changing Place: Local Area Agreements and Two Tier Authorities” be circulated to Members;
3) Officers investigate the new powers available for scrutiny and any limitations that might apply in two tier authority areas; and
4) the reports be noted.