Agenda and minutes

82.1           The evacuation procedure, as noted on the Agenda, was advised to those present.

82.2           The Chair welcomed Richard Bradley, Deputy Chief Executive of the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner, to the meeting and indicated that he would be giving a presentation at Agenda Item 11.  He also welcomed the new Heads of Community Services and Development Services, Peter Tonge and Annette Roberts, to the meeting.  It was noted that Councillor R E Garnham, the Council’s representative on the Gloucestershire Police and Crime Panel, would be providing an update at Agenda Item 7.  Councillors R E Allen and M Dean were present as observers.

83.1           Apologies for absence were received from Councillor G J Bocking.  Councillor Mrs J Greening would be acting as a substitute for the meeting. 

84.1           The Committee’s attention was drawn to the Tewkesbury Borough Council Code of Conduct which was adopted by the Council on 26 June 2012 and took effect from 1 July 2012.

84.2           The following declaration was made:

84.3           There were no further declarations made on this occasion.

To approve the Minutes of the meeting held on 7 February 2017.

85.1           The Minutes of the meeting held on 7 February 2017, copies of which had been circulated, were approved as a correct record and signed by the Chair. 

To determine whether there are any questions for the relevant Lead Members and what support the Overview and Scrutiny Committee can give to work contained within the Plan.

86.1           Attention was drawn to the Executive Committee Forward Plan, circulated at Pages No. 11-17.  Members were asked to determine whether there were any questions for the relevant Lead Members and what support the Overview and Scrutiny Committee could give to the work contained within the plan.

86.2           The Chair noted that the Forward Plan was more populated than it had been in recent months.  The Chief Executive indicated that the Overview and Scrutiny Committee’s recent comments had been noted and, whilst it was not always possible to plan which items of business would come forward, he accepted that the Committee needed to see the Forward Plan to be able pick up on any areas which may require additional support etc.  The Democratic Services team worked with Officers to ensure that the plan was populated regularly and he thanked the Chair for noting the progress that had been made.

86.3           It was

RESOLVED          That the Executive Committee Forward Plan be NOTED.

To consider the forthcoming work of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee.

87.1           Attention was drawn to the Overview and Scrutiny Committee Work Programme 2016/17, circulated at Pages No. 18-20, which Members were asked to consider.

87.2           In response to a query regarding the Economic Development and Tourism Strategy Review, Members were advised that this was an item for consideration later on the Agenda.  It was noted that the Working Group report would be brought to the next meeting of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee on 2 May 2017.  It was subsequently

RESOLVED          That the Overview and Scrutiny Committee Work Programme 2016/17 be NOTED.

To receive an update from the Council’s representative on matters considered at the last meeting. 

88.1           Members received an update from Councillor Rob Garnham, the Council’s representative on the Gloucestershire Police and Crime Panel, on matters discussed at the last meeting of the Panel held on 14 March 2017.

88.2           Councillor Garnham advised that the newly appointed Temporary Chief Constable, Rod Hansen, was present at the meeting.  Mr Hansen had been appointed by the Police and Crime Commissioner for up to one year in order to provide continuity.  This was important given the government’s direction regarding the future of the Fire Service and whether or not it would form part of the remit of the Police and Crime Commissioner.  Comments had been made in relation to the nature of the appointment and the fact that the Police and Crime Panel had not been given any opportunity to endorse Mr Hansen in his role.  It was suggested that the role of the Police and Crime Panel in the appointment of the previous Chief Constable had not gone well and that lessons could have been learnt from that experience.  The appointment was robustly defended by the Police and Crime Commissioner who informed the Panel that the Chair had been notified of the decision the day before any public announcement had been made, nevertheless, Members felt that the Police and Crime Panel could have been more involved. 

88.3           There were no crime statistics to present as the national website had not been updated since his previous report in February.  In respect of emergency services collaboration, the Police and Crime Commissioner’s office had made a grant bid to the national Police Transformation Fund and received £100,000 to enable further work to be undertaken.  External consultants would be appointed to review the business case and Andrew North had been appointed as an assurance adviser.  The Police and Crime Commissioner confirmed once again that he was open to all possibilities and would only make a decision once the business case had been delivered.  The Panel had also been advised that the sale of the land that was previously the Constabulary HQ at Lansdown Road in Cheltenham had now been completed and CALA Homes would be taking possession of the site.  It was hoped that there would be an additional town centre police presence at Cheltenham Borough Council offices shortly.

88.4           Members were informed that, in December 2016, Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary (HMIC) had released its latest leadership and legitimacy reports for all 43 forces in England and Wales.  The effectiveness report for Gloucestershire Constabulary had only been released at the start of March 2017.  In terms of the leadership report, the overall view was that there were no causes for concern and only two areas for improvement, however, improvements were needed in respect of both legitimacy and effectiveness.  It was important to put this into context and there had been a detailed presentation and discussion in relation to the reports which had also included some very good comments about the work of the Constabulary.  National comparisons of levels of crime  ...  view the full minutes text for item 88.

To receive an update from the Council’s representative on matters considered at the last meeting.  

89.1           Members received an update from Councillor Mrs J E Day, the Council’s representative on the Gloucestershire Health and Care Overview and Scrutiny Committee, on matters discussed at its last meeting held on 7 March 2017.

89.2           In light of the closure of Cleeve Link – one of the Council’s home care providers – the Committee had received an update from the Cabinet Member for Older People, the Adult Social Care Commissioning Director and Deputy Commissioning Director.  The Committee appreciated the goodwill and commitment of Cleeve Link staff in continuing to deliver care to their customers following the closure, particularly as many of them had not received payment for some weeks.  Over the weekend following the closure, the County Council had supported these staff by providing free petrol/diesel (via the Gloucestershire Fire and Rescue Service) and food and had subsequently organised a payroll run to ensure that people were paid.  Members had been pleased to note that Officers were working with other providers to ensure that these vulnerable people continued to receive care in the long term. 

89.3           Councillor Day went on to advise that the Committee had been pleased to welcome the Chief Executive and Chair of the Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust to the meeting.  The Chief Executive had apologised that she was not able to present the findings of the financial governance review at the meeting as originally planned.  Whilst the Committee was frustrated with the delay, Members had acknowledged that this was not of the Trust’s making.  There had been a robust and detailed discussion of the Trust’s current financial position and the recovery plan and it was noted that the Trust planned to return to a breakeven position by the end of March 2019.  The Committee was, of course, concerned as to the potential impact of the Trust’s financial situation on services. 

89.4           The Committee had received an update on the Ambulance Response Programme from the South Western Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust Director of Operations.  Members had been informed that the additional time available under the Ambulance Response Programme to triage calls had meant better identification of which calls required an eight minute response, and the despatch of the clinically appropriate vehicle rather than the nearest.  The South Western Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust had been consulting staff on changes to the rota and they would be implemented in April 2017; this would ensure that the right number of staff were on at the right time and in the right place, to better manage peak demands.  Alongside this there would be a re-profiling of vehicles in Gloucestershire.  This would mean 16 more double-crewed ambulances and a reduction in the number of rapid response vehicles.

89.5           In terms of the non-emergency patient transport service, it had been disappointing to note that a significant number of aborted journeys resulted from patients cancelling their hospital appointment but not their transport, or making their own way to the hospital without cancelling their transport.  A text reminder service was  ...  view the full minutes text for item 89.

To review and scrutinise the performance management information and, where appropriate, to require response or action from the Executive Committee.

90.1           The report of the Head of Corporate Services, circulated at Pages No. 21-60, attached performance management information for the third quarter of 2016/17.  The Overview and Scrutiny Committee was asked to review and scrutinise the performance information and, where appropriate, identify any issues to refer to the Executive Committee for clarification or further action to be taken.

90.2           Members were advised that this was the third quarterly monitoring report for 2016/17 and progress against delivering the objectives and actions for each of the Council Plan priorities was reported through the Performance Tracker, attached at Appendix 1 to the report.  Key actions which had advanced since quarter two were highlighted at Paragraph 2.3 of the report and included: approval of the refurbishment of the reception area and top floor; the successful launch of the Council’s website, which continued to enjoy attention nationally; and the adoption of a new Housing and Homelessness Strategy for 2016-20.  Due to the complex nature of the actions being delivered, there were inevitably some which were not progressing as smoothly or quickly as envisaged and these were detailed at Paragraph 2.4 of the report.  In terms of Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), Members were informed that the status of each indicator was set out at Paragraph 3.2 of the report.  Of the 17 indicators with targets, 13 indicators were performing better than the previous year with only two performing worse than the previous year.  Areas of interest included: KPIs 14, 15 and 16 which related to the processing of planning applications and showed a significant improvement in performance compared with 2015/16; KPI 20 relating to the number of reported enviro-crimes where there had been a significant drop in the reports of abandoned vehicles and fly-tipping incidents; and KPI 30 which showed that the amount of waste being recycled or composted had improved compared to the previous year and the level of contamination had also dropped.

90.3           A Member raised concern that the report seemed to be quite negative and gave the impression that a significant number of actions were not being achieved within their timescales.  He questioned how this could be addressed.  The Chief Executive indicated that the covering report aimed to extract the actions where performance was not as anticipated; some of these were things within the Council’s control and others were due to outside organisations which impacted upon the Council.  The report did not highlight the majority of actions which were performing positively.  In an organisation like Tewkesbury Borough Council, with a huge agenda to address, there would inevitably be some negatives to address and it was these areas which were drawn to the Committee’s attention.  He welcomed comments and questions from Members on any specific actions and issues.

90.4           During the debate which ensured, the following queries and comments were made in relation to the Performance Tracker:

To establish an Overview and Scrutiny Committee Working Group to review the Borough News and to approve the proposed Terms of Reference for the Working Group.

91.1           The report of the Head of Corporate Services, circulated at Pages No. 61-64, advised Members of the need to review the Tewkesbury Borough News.  Members were asked to establish an Overview and Scrutiny Committee Working Group to undertake the review and to approve the proposed Terms of Reference for the Working Group as set out at Appendix 1.

91.2           The Communications and Policy Manager advised that a Member workshop had been held in October 2016 to gain feedback on corporate communications.  One specific area discussed was the Tewkesbury Borough News which had generated a lot of discussion around cost, quality, regularity of production and format.  Given that it was a high profile communication tool for the Council, it was felt that it may be beneficial for an Overview and Scrutiny Committee Working Group to be established in order to carry out the review.  The Working Group would be asked to investigate three options: to retain Tewkesbury Borough News in its current format and circulation; to retain Tewkesbury Borough News but consider an alternative format and/or circulation e.g. digital options/issue twice-yearly/reduced circulation; or, to stop producing Tewkesbury Borough News.  The proposed Terms of Reference for the Working Group were attached at Appendix 1 to the report.  It was suggested that the Working Group comprise five Members, plus the Lead Member for Customer Focus, and that the review be conducted over three meetings during May and June 2017. 

91.3           A Member questioned whether it would be possible to publicise the fly-tipping prosecutions, which had been referenced by the Head of Community Services earlier in the meeting, in the Tewkesbury Borough News.  The Communications and Policy Manager advised that the spring edition of the Tewkesbury Borough News was just being finalised; she undertook to find out more about the two cases and include them in the summer edition, if appropriate. She pointed out that a previous prosecution had been publicised in this way as well as having press releases issued.  A Member suggested that it would be helpful to have a list of prosecutions to distribute to Parish Councils for inclusion in their Parish magazines and newsletters.  The Head of Community Services provided assurance that any successful prosecutions would be widely publicised and the relevant information disseminated to partners.

RESOLVED          1.   That an Overview and Scrutiny Committee Working Group be established to review the Tewkesbury Borough News comprising the following Members:

Councillors Mrs G F Blackwell, D T Foyle, Mrs S E Hillier-Richardson, Mrs H C McLain and Mrs P E Stokes plus the Lead Member for Customer Focus.

2.   That the Terms of Reference for the Working Group be APPROVED as set out at Appendix 1 to the report.

To receive a presentation from Richard Bradley from the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner on the role, responsibility and action plan of the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner.

92.1           The Chair introduced Richard Bradley, Deputy Chief Executive of the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner, and indicated that he would be giving a presentation on the role, responsibility and action plan of the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner.

92.2           The following key points were made during the presentation:

·           The Police and Crime Commissioner – Martin Surl – elected November 2012, re-elected May 2016, Independent.  Deputy Police and Crime Commissioner – Chris Brierley – appointed October 2016 to support the Police and Crime Commissioner.

·           Main Responsibilities – Police Reform and Social Responsibility Act 2011: secure an efficient and effective police force for the area; appoint the Chief Constable, hold to account for running the force and dismiss them if necessary; set the police and crime objectives for the area through a Police and Crime Plan; set the force budget and determine the precept; contribute to the national and international policing capabilities set out by the Home Secretary; bring together community safety and criminal justice partners to make sure local priorities are joined up.

·           The Role – Cutting crime; improving outcomes for local people; working in partnership with local leaders for community safety, youth, justice, health and safeguarding/civil contingencies; award grants for community safety objectives; pool funding with local partners.

·           Future Responsibilities for the Police and Crime Commissioner – Fire and Rescue; Criminal Justice (courts, youth justice, victim and witnesses, offender management, oversight of Crown Prosecution Service).

·           Police and Crime Plan – ‘Less crime, more peace and good order’; accessibility and accountability; older but not overlooked; young people becoming adults; safe days and nights for all; safe and social driving; safer cyber.

·           Police and Crime Plan 2017-21 Approach – e.g. Neighbourhood Policing, Community Safety Review, Restorative Gloucestershire, Rural Policing, Home Secretary Directives, information sharing, strength-based working.

·           Funding – Priority Leads - £1.5M over four years; Community Fund - £1.1M annual fund, more than 350 projects being funded within Gloucestershire, each one must meet one or more of the six priorities, look for projects that are sustainable and had match funding; Ministry of Justice funding - £750,000 annual fund for victims and restorative justice; Speed Enforcement Camera System (SPECs) fund; High Sheriff’s fund.

·           Accessibility and Accountability – e.g. Restorative Gloucestershire, Gloucestershire Constabulary, Gloucestershire Fire and Rescue Service, Gloucestershire Constabulary 101.

·           Older But Not Overlooked – e.g. Barnwood Trust, Gloucestershire Age UK, Cheltenham Polish Tenants and Residents Association, Small Sparks Grants, World Jungle, You’re Welcome Keep Safe Scheme, Gloucestershire Deaf Association.

·           Young People Becoming Adults – e.g. Gay-Glos, The Door Youth Project, Prince’s Trust, Young Gloucestershire.

·           Safer Days and Nights – e.g. University of Gloucestershire, Student Community Patrol, Hello Gloucester, Street Pastors, Cheltenham Safe, Hollie Gazzard Trust.

·           Safe and Social Driving – e.g. Gloucestershire Rural Community Council, Road Safety Gloucestershire, Gloucestershire Group Advanced Motorists, Pathfinder, Special Constabulary.

·           Safer Cyber – e.g. Everyman Theatre, Gloucestershire Business Show, Think U Know, Circles South West.

·             Victim Capacity – e.g. Safe at Home, Stroud Beresford Group, Hope House Sexual Assault Referral  ...  view the full minutes text for item 92.

To receive an update on the progress of the Economic Development and Tourism Strategy Review. 

93.1           The Chair indicated that the Head of Development Services would be providing an update on the progress of the Economic Development and Tourism Strategy Review.

93.2           Members would be aware that the Overview and Scrutiny Committee had previously established a Working Group in order to assist with the development of a new Economic Development and Tourism Strategy.  Economic development and tourism was one of four key themes in the Council Plan.  The Council had successfully applied for funding which had enabled a consultant to be appointed to carry out an employment land review, economic assessment and land survey to inform the strategy.  This work had been completed and presented to all Members at a seminar in October 2016.  Since that time, the Economic Development and Tourism Strategy Review Working Group had been designing the strategy and building on the recommendations in the consultant’s report.  The Working Group would be meeting on 30 March 2017 to approve the draft strategy, along with a year one action plan, which would be presented for consideration by the Overview and Scrutiny Committee at its meeting on 2 May 2017.  The Overview and Scrutiny Committee would be asked to endorse the strategy and action plan and to recommend them to the Executive Committee for adoption at its meeting on 7 June 2017.

93.3           A Member indicated that he had expressed concern on several occasions that the review had been ongoing for some time and yet there was no evidence of any outcomes.  He felt that the Committee needed some reassurance about the work that was underway in order for Members be able to give the local communities which they represented some insight into what was planned.  The Head of Development Services provided assurance that there was a very clear work programme which Members would see when the strategy came forward at the next meeting.  The Economic and Community Development Manager advised that there was currently a great deal of work underway, particularly in respect of Tewkesbury Town centre, and not all of it related directly to the strategy.  If Members had any specific queries, or if businesses needed any advice or support, the team would be more than happy to help.  The Chief Executive explained that Tewkesbury Borough was the greatest growth area in Gloucestershire and this would be reflected in the strategy which intended to address the wider, strategic issues as well as the more routine, day-to-day aspects of economic development. 

93.4           A Member raised a specific concern about the loss of traders from Tewkesbury Town market.  The Economic and Community Development Manager advised that Officers regularly communicated with Cotswold Markets - who ran the market in Spring Gardens, as well as the farmers’ market and annual food and drink festival - and, whilst there had been some concerns, he had been informed that there had been an improvement by the end of 2016.  The development of the Spring Gardens site would provide an opportunity to promote the market and bring in more  ...  view the full minutes text for item 93.

To receive the annual report on the progress against the Flood Risk Management Action Plan; and to recommend to the Executive Committee that the Flood Risk Management Group Terms of Reference be adopted with a review undertaken within the first 12 months of the term of the new Council and progress monitored by the Overview and Scrutiny Committee on an annual basis. 

94.1           Attention was drawn to the report of the Head of Community Services, circulated at Pages No. 65-79, which provided an update on the progress of the Flood Risk Management Group action plan and reviewed the Terms of Reference for that group.  Members were asked to consider the progress that had been made and to recommend to the Executive Committee that the revised Terms of Reference and action plan be adopted; that a review of the Terms of Reference be carried out within the first 12 months of the term of the new Council; and that progress against the action plan continue to be monitored by the Overview and Scrutiny Committee on an annual basis.

94.2           The Head of Community Services explained that the Overview and Scrutiny Committee currently received an annual update on the work of the Flood Risk Management Group and the progress made against its work plan.  It was noted that the action plan was a living document to which funding or partnership opportunities were added as and when they arose.  It included the routine maintenance carried out on watercourses on land owned by the Council.  The work plan at Appendix 1 reflected the report that had been presented at the Flood Risk Management Group meeting on 13 March 2017.  At that meeting, the Working Group had also considered the Terms of Reference and thought them still to be relevant and necessary, however, it was felt that it would be more appropriate to undertake a review as to whether there was an ongoing role for the group in line with the term of the Council as opposed to on an annual basis.  If this was agreed, the Overview and Scrutiny Committee would continue to monitor progress against the action plan on an annual basis.  The proposed amendments to the Terms of Reference were set out in Appendix 2 to the report.

94.3           With regard to the maintenance of Tewkesbury Borough Council-owned watercourses, a Member questioned why the charges had doubled when comparing the work completed in 2016/17 against that proposed for 2017/18.  The Flood Risk Management Engineer explained that two contractors had been procured to carry out the maintenance work over the next three years.  This would involve flail cutting of the banks twice yearly in June/July and October/January and de-silting where necessary on a three year programme; this was doubling the amount of work being undertaken and would mean that banks were cut more regularly. In addition, the 2016/17 costs did not account for reactionary work e.g. trees falling into watercourses.  Efficiencies had been made in terms of the total budget so it would actually cost less overall.  In terms of the grant applications, set out at Pages No. 76-77, a Member noted that the Brockworth scheme had been delayed due to landowner objections and she questioned whether this had been resolved.  The Flood Risk Management Engineer advised that the matter had not yet been concluded but progress was being made and there was light at  ...  view the full minutes text for item 94.