To consider the report on the effectiveness of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee and to approve the recommendations set out at Paragraph 2.5. 

69.1           The report of the Head of Corporate Services, circulated at Pages No. 214-229, set out the findings of an assessment of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee’s effectiveness.  Members were asked to approve the recommendations identified at Paragraph 2.5 of the report.

69.2           The Head of Corporate Services explained that the Corporate Peer Challenge, completed in November 2014, had recognised how the Overview and Scrutiny Committee made an important contribution and had made recommendations to maximise its value and increase effectiveness.  Work had subsequently been undertaken by the Committee both in 2015 and in 2016, when the membership of the Committee had changed following Borough Council elections, to obtain Members’ views and ideas.  At the workshop held on 9 February 2016, Members had agreed to be critiqued by an independent assessor and Ann Reeder from Frontline Consulting had observed the Overview and Scrutiny Committee meeting held on 14 June 2016.  Initial observations had been fed back to the Committee directly following the meeting and the formal report was attached at Appendix 1 of the Committee report. 

69.3           The Head of Corporate Services had summarised the main findings within Paragraph 2.0 of the Committee report.  Ann had highlighted numerous examples of good practice including the publication of the annual Overview and Scrutiny Committee report; commitment of the Committee and robust Chairmanship; strong Officer support; relevant and significant issues being included within the Work Programme; and the Committee’s understanding of ‘what mattered’ e.g. policy development and issues relating to the Borough.  Another area where the Committee really added value was when undertaking reviews in Working Group mode, for instance, the reviews of car parking, public participation at Planning Committee, the Housing Strategy and the emerging Economic Development and Tourism Strategy.  The report recommendations were very detailed and there were several statements of fact about what was already taking place.  For example, it was suggested that the Committee focus on RAG (Red, Amber, Green) ratings and direction of travel indicators – these were used within the performance tracker; the report had pointed out that Members could be reminded that they could make suggestions for the Agenda – Members were already aware that they could input into the Committee Work Programme as and when they felt appropriate; and, it was stated that the pre-meeting could usefully help the Committee as a whole to identify the overall areas for focus – the Head of Corporate Services tried to do this in the pre-briefings which were held immediately prior to the Committee meetings.

69.4           Following discussion between Officers, the Chair and Vice-Chair of the Committee and the Lead Member, it was felt that some of the recommendations would add no value to the effectiveness of the Committee and, in some cases the benefits would be disproportionate to the resources available to effectively implement the recommendation, for instance, Members sharing out responsibility for specific areas of performance; conducting preparation for pre-briefings via email in advance; and the introduction of a Select Committee style seating arrangement.  Three key recommendations had been identified which it was believed would add value to the effectiveness of the Committee and they were set out at Paragraph 2.5 of the report.  In terms of the identification of key partners who contributed to the delivery of the Council’s priorities and programming their attendance at the Overview and Scrutiny Committee, it was felt that it would be more beneficial to focus on partners who would help to deliver the Council Plan rather than choosing them more randomly due to an interest in a particular area.  It was also agreed that a consistent approach across all monitoring reports would be advantageous and Officers would ensure that future reports included a RAG rating or direction of travel indicators in a similar way to the performance tracker.  Finally, it was accepted that ongoing training and development, particularly in respect of effective questioning and the relationship between the Executive and Overview and Scrutiny Committees, was necessary and the Heads of Corporate Services and Democratic Services would work on a training and development programme to increase effectiveness.  In addition, attention was drawn to Paragraph 2.6 of the Officer report which explained that, at the time the observation exercise had been undertaken, the Overview and Scrutiny Committee had still been receiving financial information as part of the quarterly performance management report, which was no longer the case as the financial information was now reported directly to the Executive Committee only.  Members may wish to consider whether this was an appropriate arrangement or whether the Overview and Scrutiny Committee should continue to have an input into the Council’s financial position.

69.5           With regard to the updates from the Council’s representatives on the Gloucestershire Health and Care Overview and Scrutiny Committee and the Gloucestershire Police and Crime Panel, a Member suggested that the updates could be circulated in advance of the meeting and another Member agreed this was a good idea.  However, several Members were of the opinion that it was helpful to hear the reports from the representatives at the meeting and that scrutiny of those bodies would be less effective without a verbal presentation.  It was subsequently agreed that the reporting arrangements for these updates remain unchanged.  A Member went on to express the view that the Overview and Scrutiny Committee should receive financial information and Members were advised that this could easily be reincorporated into the quarterly performance management report.  The Chief Executive’s view was that, if receiving this information helped more Members to understand the Council’s financial position, this could only be beneficial in terms of making decisions at Council.  A Member queried whether this would impact upon Officer time and he was advised that the information was produced for the Executive Committee anyway and the Head of Finance and Asset Management already attended Overview and Scrutiny Committee meetings where performance management was being reported so there would be no additional impact. 

69.6           The Lead Member for Organisational Development explained that she was in a difficult position as both a Member of the Executive Committee and Portfolio Holder for Scrutiny.  One of the objectives of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee was to challenge Lead Members and she found it frustrating that this did not seem to happen.  She pointed out that the Lead Member for Built Environment had presented an item earlier on the Agenda but this had been prepared by Officers and no questions had been directed to him by other Members.  Another Member indicated that he frequently raised concern that Lead Members did not provide enough feedback to other Members.  The Chief Executive reminded Members that Tewkesbury Borough Council was a fourth option authority and Committee reports were produced by Officers rather than Members as they would in a Cabinet arrangement.  The Lead Member for Built Environment had presented the report on the Housing Strategy and, given the significance of the document and the complexity of the topic, it was not unreasonable that Officers had assisted with its preparation.  He pointed out that it was down to the Overview and Scrutiny Committee to follow-up with questions if they felt that the information provided needed to be challenged.  Members were advised that Lead Members regularly presented to Council so that all Members were kept abreast of what was happening within their Portfolios.  The Head of Democratic Services agreed that scrutiny in a fourth option authority was much more difficult than in a cabinet arrangement with single party control.  Whilst there was a role for scrutiny, this was much less clear cut and, as a result, the Overview and Scrutiny Committee had tended to play a greater role in other elements such as policy development - a huge area of success for the Committee.  She explained that Lead Members could be invited to attend Overview and Scrutiny Committee meetings; however, this should be on the basis of them being challenged on particular issues and not simply to provide information.  She also highlighted occasions in the past when Lead Members had attended the Committee to answer questions on matters of concern to Members such as recycling.  Tewkesbury Borough Council strived for partnership working between the Executive and Overview and Scrutiny Committees and it was important that the two Committees did not become confrontational as that could be detrimental to the business of the Council and how it operated.  She accepted more training was needed around the nature of the relationship between the Committees and that would be arranged in due course.

69.7           A Member felt that one of the main problems was a lack of understanding among Members as to what was covered within each of the Lead Member Portfolios.  On that basis, he suggested that the performance tracker could be updated to include the name of the Lead Member responsible for each action and it was agreed that would be implemented for the next quarterly report.  The Chief Executive advised that Members had all previously been issued with a list of the Portfolios and this could be recirculated following the meeting.  He clarified that it was down to the individual Lead Members as to how they chose to run their Portfolio.

69.8           Having considered the report, and the views expressed, it was

RESOLVED          1.   That the report on the effectiveness of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee be NOTED and the recommendations identified in Paragraph 2.5 be APPROVED.

2.   That financial information be reported to the Overview and Scrutiny Committee as part of the quarterly performance management report.

3.   That the performance tracker be updated to include the names of the Lead Members responsible for each action.