Agenda item

To consider progress to date on the current reviews against the terms set by the Overview and Scrutiny Committee.

The current reviews in progress are:

1.                  Local Strategic Partnership – Chair, Councillor W Norton; and

2.                  Joint Worcestershire Hub – Redditch representative, Councillor R King.

(Oral reports)

The Committee received reports in relation to current reviews:

a)         Local Strategic Partnership – Chair, Councillor W Norton

The meeting was informed that the Group had produced a report detailing a number of interim recommendations arising from the work that had been undertaken to date. Councillor Norton explained that these initial recommendations focused on those matters that could be most easily addressed by the Council and Partnership.

It was acknowledged that performance management would prove a more difficult area on which to make recommendations for improvement. The role of the Group was seen as primarily in devising a structure for performance management but there was uncertainty as to what aspects of the Partnership’s activities might most usefully be monitored.

The Committee commended the Group on its work and noted that other authorities had uncovered similar issues in respect of their Local Strategic Partnerships. A final report from the Group was expected to be completed by June 2010.

b)         Joint Worcestershire Hub – Redditch representative, Councillor J Pearce

It was reported that no further meetings had been held since the initial meeting of the Group. However, members of the Group had visited both the main Hub facility and various district Hub facilities as part of an evidence gathering exercise.

Local Strategic Partnership

RECOMMENDED that

Engagement recommendations: ensuring that the Redditch Partnership involves the public in its work:

1)                                                                                     following pre-scrutiny by the LSP Task and Finish Group, the proposed format and content of the Redditch Partnership’s revamped website coverage, to be hosted by Redditch Borough Council, be endorsed;

2)                                                                                     an event, along the lines of the We are Redditch exhibition, be held every year in a form determined appropriate by Officers;

3)                                                                                     the Redditch Partnership and appropriate partners should publicise their work and invite public reaction by providing regular updates in Redditch Matters;

4)                                                                                     the Redditch Partnership should hold and advertise an Annual Meeting, as required by the terms of the Partnership’s protocol, which partners, potential partners and members of the public could attend;

Accountability recommendations: ensuring the transparency and openness of the partnership:

5)                                                                                     a new item be added to the full Council agenda requiring the Leader of the Council to deliver regular updates on the work of the Redditch Partnership since the previous meeting of the Council;

6)                                                                                     the Leader of the Council formally deliver an Annual Report to the last scheduled full Council meeting of the municipal year covering the work of the Redditch Partnership by formalising the current practice of delivering an annual “State of the Borough” address;

7)                                                                                     information about the Redditch Partnership and LSPs should be provided for Members’ consideration as part of the Member induction process;

8)                                                                                     a training event focusing on LSPs should be provided as a standard part of the Member training programme each year;

and RESOLVED that

9)         the Changing Places report should be considered as part of the subsequent Local Area Agreement Task and Finish review;

10)      the membership of the Local Area Agreement Task and Finish Group should be drawn from the membership of the LSP Task and Finish Group; and

Task and Finish Group – Progress Reports

11)      the progress reports be noted.