Agenda item

The Board considered the report that detailed the outcomes of Overview and Scrutiny Training and Work Prioritisation Session. Members were invited to consider whether to add subjects suggested for scrutiny during the session to the Overview and Scrutiny Board’s Work Programme for 2024/25.

It was noted that in discussing work prioritisation for the year ahead, Members considered best practice approaches to setting the Overview and Scrutiny Work Programme, recognising the need to identify the key items for scrutiny during the municipal year and recognising the need for sufficient time to be allocated to each topic in a way that would add value.

At the training Members also recognised that there were alternative ways to receive information and that doing so, through a “first look” for some topics, would create capacity on the work programme. Subjects suggested, and agreed by Members, as suitable for a “first look” Member Briefing included:

·       The District Heat Network

·       Biodiversity

·       Street Sweeping.

It was noted that at the training session the following key subjects for scrutiny to focus on were suggested. Following discussion, it was agreed that these  should form the key subjects for Overview and Scrutiny to consider in 2024-25.

·       The Bromsgrove Play Audit – Members suggested the potential to discuss this over a number of meetings with an initial overview and scrutiny report at one meeting followed by a pre-scrutiny of a Cabinet report at another meeting.

·       Anti-Social Behaviour (ASB) – Concerns were raised about ASB in the District. The suggestion was made that this could form the basis of a report to the Board alongside the separate annual update to the Board concerning the work of the North Worcestershire Community Safety Partnership in Bromsgrove. It was highlighted that whilst the legislation in respect of the partnership did not enable the work of individual partner organisations to be scrutinised, the Council’s representative on the West Mercia Police and Crime Panel could also be invited to attend the meeting when community safety and ASB was discussed, in order to assist with discussions concerning this subject.

·       Changes to Waste Services in response to the Environment Act 2021 – Members noted that proposals detailed in the Environmental Act 2021, especially with regard to food waste collection services, would have implications for the authority and the wider District. As such detailes scrutiny of this subject would therefore add value.

In discussing the addition of items arising from the Overview and Scrutiny Training and Work Prioritisation Session to the Overview and Scrutiny Work Programme for 2024/25, Members sought further details on the following areas:

·       Levelling Up Projects Update Reports – A Member commented that the greatest risk to the Council was with regard to the delivery of Levelling Up Projects in Bromsgrove and therefore this topic warranted inclusion as one of the key subjects for the Board to consider in 2024-25. The Member explained that the Overview and Scrutiny had not received an update on this topic for a significant period of time and that projects risk registers provided to Members were now out of date. Following discussion, it was suggested that an additional meeting be arranged to scrutinise a Levelling Up report that was due to be reported to Cabinet on 17^th July.

·       A date of 11^th July 2024 was suggested for the additional meeting of Overview and Scrutiny, however, some Members expressed disappointment at the late notification of this additional date. It was thus agreed that Members would be contacted following this meeting with regard to arranging the date for the additional meeting to consider the Levelling Up report.

·       It was suggested that updates on Levelling Up projects should be provided at main Overview and Scrutiny meetings at regular intervals as this was a priority issue for Bromsgrove.

·       Bromsgrove Play Audit – It was reported that a report on this topic had not yet been completed as consultants were currently in the process of undertaking work on this matter. Some Members reported that they had not been approached by officers and / or consultants for individual discussions about play areas in their wards. It was reported that consultants were due to deliver a presentation to Members at the Cabinet Advisory Group (CAG) meeting on 18^th July 2024, with calendar invitation due to be sent following agreement at this meeting. Members expressed disappointment that they had not been provided with calendar invitation for this prior to this meeting. It was agreed that the calendar invitation for 18^th July should be sent to Members following this meeting.

·       Members asked that they be provided with a list of matters / lines of enquiry to consider prior to CAG meeting on play areas on 18^th July, so that Members were able to prepare in advance for this meeting.

·       It was requested by Members that not withstanding the CAG presentation on play audit, Members receive confirmation as to when consultants and/or officers would be available to talk to Members individually about play areas in their wards. There was an expectation that in addition to this Members would be provided with an opportunity to speak to the consultants about issues in their Wards.

·       It was stated that decision on play audit was due to be made on this matter by Cabinet in November, and that the final report would be pre-scrutinised by Overview and Scrutiny Board at November meeting prior to decision-making. It was requested that Members of Overview and Scrutiny Board receive a progress report on play audit at the September meeting.

·       Some Members expressed concern about costs of consultants’ work for the play audits and long timescales with regard to undertaking work on this topic. The Leader of the Council addressed the Board and commented that the report on this had been drafted for consideration of Portfolio Holder prior to District Elections in May 2023, however, it was reported at that time the Leader noted that quality of the report was insufficient and requested that further work had to be undertaken on the play audit.

It was agreed that items arising from the Overview and Scrutiny Training and Work Prioritisation Session be added to the Overview and Scrutiny Board’s Work Programme for 2024/25 municipal year with the addition of items and dates as discussed in the pre-amble above.

Consideration was also given to adopting the work prioritisation tool included at Appendix 1, which would assist Members in selecting topics for scrutiny. During the discussion, Members suggested that the Draft Work Prioritisation Tool should be modified by removing reference to point number four of the tool and adding a clarification to point number five that the topic should be likely to warrant effective recommendations by Members in order to be suitable for scrutiny in any format. The updated work prioritisation tool would therefore read:

“When considering whether to add suggested items for scrutiny to the Overview and Scrutiny Board’s Work Programme, Members should consider the following:

1)    Is the rationale for scrutiny clear?

2)    Is the topic a high council priority and of significant community concern?

3)    Are there sufficient resources for this scrutiny activity?

4)    If the subject is suitable for scrutiny, and likely to warrant effective recommendations, is the topic best scrutinised:

a)    As an agenda item at a meeting of the Board?

b)    As a Task Group

c)     By the Finance and Budget Working Group?

d)    As a Short Sharp Review?”

It was agreed that the Overview and Scrutiny Work Prioritisation Tool should be adopted as per the amendments above.

Consideration was given to the Appendix 2, the presentation of the Board’s Work Programme for 2024-25. It was noted that during the Overview and Scrutiny training session, it was suggested that standing administrative items, whilst continuing to form part of meetings agendas, did not need to be listed on the presented work programme. It was suggested that substantive items should be clearly listed on the work programme and that a reference list of reserve items be included, which would list substantive items where no date had or could yet be set for consideration of those subjects.

It was highlighted that whilst the dates of scheduled meetings of the Board had been recorded on the draft work programme, Members could convene additional meetings where necessary. Consideration was also given to the suggestion that when considering the Overview and Scrutiny Work Programme at meetings of the Board, Members could also identify some key lines of enquiry in relation to substantive items due for consideration at the following meeting of the Board. This would help Officers and other potential witnesses to prepare in advance of the attendance at meetings, but would not prevent Members from asking additional questions on the subject during the meetings. Members agreed that these suggestions should be adopted.

It was agreed by Members that the suggested presentation of the Overview and Scrutiny Work Programme should be adopted as per Appendix 2 to the report.

RESOLVED that

1)    Items arising from the Overview and Scrutiny Training and Work Prioritisation Session, including the items suggested by Members in the course of considering this item (as per preamble above), be added to the Overview and Scrutiny Board’s Work Programme for 2024/25 municipal year;

2)    The Work Prioritisation Tool at Appendix 1 be adopted, subject to amendments in the pre-amble above, to enable the Overview and Scrutiny Board to select appropriate items for scrutiny during the year; and

3)    The layout of the Overview and Scrutiny work programme be updated as detailed at Appendix 2 to the report.