52.1           The evacuation procedure, as noted on the Agenda, was taken as read. 

52.2           The Chairman welcomed Councillor R E Garnham, the Council’s representative on the Gloucestershire Police and Crime Panel, to the meeting and indicated that he would be providing an update on the last meeting of the Panel at Agenda Item 8.

53.1           Apologies for absence had been received from Councillors Mrs G F Blackwell (Vice-Chairman) and M G Sztymiak.  There were no substitutions for the meeting. 

54.1           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.

54.2           The following declaration was made:

54.3           There were no further declarations made on this occasion.

To approve the Minutes of the meeting held on 20 October 2015.

55.1           The Minutes of the meeting held on 20 October 2015, copies of which had been circulated, were approved as a correct record and signed by the Chairman. 

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.

56.1           Attention was drawn to the Executive Committee Forward Plan, circulated at Pages No. 13-15.  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.

56.2           It was noted that the Customer Services Strategy was due to be considered at the Executive Committee meeting on 13 January 2016, however, it had been suggested that it would be more appropriate for the Overview and Scrutiny Committee to review the strategy first in order for its feedback to be taken into account by the Executive Committee.  The Communications and Policy Manager advised that an Overview and Scrutiny Committee workshop to review the strategy was being arranged for early January and it was intended to include an item on the Agenda for the next available Overview and Scrutiny Committee meeting to discuss the findings; this was likely to be the meeting on 23 February 2016.  On that basis the Executive Committee would consider the Customer Services Strategy at its meeting on 6 April 2016 and the Forward Plan would be updated accordingly.

56.3           A Member sought clarification as to whether the item in respect of Cemetery Provision, due to be considered at the meeting on 13 January 2016, related to Tewkesbury Town or Tewkesbury Borough.  In response, the Finance and Asset Management Group Manager confirmed that it related to provision within Tewkesbury Town.

56.4           It was

RESOLVED          That the Executive Committee Forward Plan be NOTED subject to an amendment to show that the Customer Services Strategy would be considered at the meeting on 6 April 2016 as opposed to 13 January 2016.

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

57.1           Attention was drawn to the Overview and Scrutiny Committee Work Programme 2015/16, circulated at Pages No. 16-17, which Members were asked to consider. 

57.2           The Chief Executive indicated that the Annual Waste & Recycling Action Plan 2015/16 had been due to be considered by the Committee at the current meeting, however, it would now be incorporated into the Joint Waste Partnership Action Plan which would be included as an Agenda item for the meeting on 19 January 2016.  A Member queried whether it would be possible to amend the Work Programme so that it was easy to see when items had been removed or delayed and the Democratic Services Group Manager undertook to ensure that the format of the Work Programme was revised on that basis.

57.3           The Chairman queried whether it was necessary to include an item to discuss the progress of the Joint Core Strategy.  The Chief Executive explained that a full update had been provided to the Executive Committee at its meeting the previous week and a range of actions had been agreed in order to expedite the examination process. He felt that this was all that could be done at the present time.  A Member queried if the other Joint Core Strategy authorities had a view on the current situation and was advised that this had been discussed at the Joint Core Strategy Member Steering Group which had been held the previous day.  The meeting had demonstrated that the other authorities were equally concerned about the lack of progress being made and it was thought that they would support Tewkesbury Borough Council in the actions proposed by the Executive Committee.

57.4           It was

RESOLVED          1.  That the Overview and Scrutiny Committee Work Programme 2015/16 be NOTED.

2.  That the format of the Work Programme be revised to show more clearly when items had been removed or delayed.

To receive feedback from the last meeting of the Gloucestershire Health and Care Overview and Scrutiny Committee.

58.1           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 the last meeting of the Committee held on 3 November 2015.

58.2           Councillor Day advised that the Care Quality Commission Inspection Report had been presented to the Committee and had indicated that the overall rating for the Gloucestershire Care Services NHS Trust was ‘requires improvement’.  Whilst the Committee had recognised the importance for the people of Gloucestershire to be aware of how their health and social services were rated by the Care Quality Commission, it was also important to be clear that it had been recognised that it was a very caring organisation with staff who treated people with kindness, dignity and respect, and who were consistently exceptional at the community hospitals.  The Committee Members hoped that staff morale was not adversely affected by the overall rating.

58.3           The Committee had welcomed the Head of Operations from the South Western Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust to the meeting to inform Members of progress since the implementation of the Out of Hours Service on 1 April 2015.  It was clear that it had been a challenging time for the service, particularly regarding the staffing of the Primary Care Centres which had been closed on occasions during the period.  The target for the service was that people should not have to travel more than 30 minutes but analysis had shown that the closures had resulted in 15 people having an extended journey.  The Committee had been informed that ensuring that the Primary Care Centres in the main urban areas of Gloucester and Cheltenham were fully staffed was a priority.  As the service was not meeting the National Quality Requirements, and given the Committee’s concerns regarding the delivery of this service, it had been agreed that the Committee would receive a further update in six months. 

58.4           It had been positive to hear that the South Western Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust was in discussion with the Council’s Chief Fire Officer to identify options for joint working in Gloucestershire. The Trust was also funding the training of 30 Emergency Care Assistants to become paramedics; the cohort was due to qualify in 2016 and would be followed by another 30.  The Committee was informed that 50% of the new paramedics would be based in Gloucestershire.  The Trust had also been selected by the Department of Health to pilot a new way for ambulance services to respond to 999 calls – Dispatch on Disposition.  This pilot had proved successful and was now being extended to other ambulance services. It was also pleasing to note that the South Western Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust was the best performing English ambulance trust for 999 calls resolved over the telephone and for the percentage of patients cared for through alternative healthcare pathways, avoiding unnecessary admissions to hospital emergency departments.  The Committee had raised concern about the poor response times in  ...  view the full minutes text for item 58.

To receive feedback from the last meeting of the Gloucestershire Police and Crime Panel.  

59.1           Members received an update from Councillor R E Garnham, the Council’s representative on the Gloucestershire Police and Crime Panel, on matters discussed at the last meeting of the Panel held on 5 November 2015.

59.2           Councillor Garnham advised that the meeting had opened with a tribute being paid to Graham Robinson, a former Independent Member of the Panel, who had recently passed away.  The main Agenda items had been an extended Chief Executive’s report and the Police and Crime Plan Highlight Report which the Panel had requested be provided by the Police and Crime Commissioner.

59.3           The Chief Executive’s report had focused on two recent Constabulary Inspections that had been undertaken by Her Majesty’s Inspector of Constabulary (HMIC) and Her Majesty’s Inspection of Prisons (HMIP).  The first report had covered efficiency and had given the Constabulary an overall rating of ‘good’ and stated that the force was “very well prepared to face its future financial challenges”.  The Constabulary had also been commended for producing a balanced budget and for having a “good understanding of the likely financial position through to 2018/19”.  The second inspection was a joint inspection of the new Custody Centre at Waterwells by HMIC and HMIP.  The main item reported was that the Police and Crime Commissioner, and the Police Chief Officer Group, should work with Gloucestershire County Council and youth services to ensure that young people were not unnecessarily detained in Police cells.  One Member had noted that there were 74 instances of Police cells being used as a ‘place of safety’ for people detained under the Mental Health Act.  Additional work had followed on this matter since the Police and Crime Panel meeting and both Councillor Garnham and Councillor Ian Dobie, Chairman of Health Scrutiny at Gloucestershire County Council, had visited the Custody Suite on 26 November which had prompted further work.  The Chief Executive’s report had continued to discuss consultation on greater co-operation between ‘blue light’ services and also the arrangements for the Police and Crime Commissioner elections in May 2016.  The Chief Executive had highlighted that the Police and Crime Commissioner’s office must conduct its business in relation to the election with complete fairness and transparency, whilst still continuing to support the Commissioner in his normal role.

59.4           The Panel had welcomed the Police and Crime Plan Priorities Quarterly Highlight Report which was 31 pages long but gave scope for many questions to be asked regarding current performance.  There were two questions of particular interest, the first of which related to how the Commissioner satisfied himself with regards to outcomes from the projects and details had subsequently been provided about the arrangements in place, for instance, a funding panel that looked at the bids and evaluated them against criteria that included relevance to the plan, value for money and sustainability etc.  The second question had related to the increase in the abandoned call rate in relation to 101 calls.  The Panel had been informed that there had been some technical issues with  ...  view the full minutes text for item 59.

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

60.1           The report of the Corporate Services Group Manager, circulated at Pages No. 18-71, attached performance management information for quarter 2 of 2015/16.  The Overview and Scrutiny Committee was asked to review and scrutinise performance information and, where appropriate, identify any issues to refer to the Executive Committee for clarification or further action to be taken.

60.2           The performance management report comprised the Council Plan Performance Tracker, the Key Performance Indicator (KPI) set, the Revenue Budget Summary Statement, the Capital Monitoring Statement and the Reserves Position Summary.  With regard to the Performance Tracker, attached at Appendix 1, Members were informed that the majority of actions were progressing well and Paragraph 2.3 of the report highlighted a number of achievements since the last update including: establishing an internal project team to review how the Council dealt with complaints; the start of work on the Riverside Walk; review of waste and recycling collection linked to the fleet procurement project; and the new leisure centre build remaining ahead of schedule with a successful open day held for over 100 members of the public.  In terms of those actions which were not going as well as planned, Members were informed that they were all areas which had been flagged in quarter 1.

60.3           Members raised the following queries in respect of the Performance Tracker:

To consider the progress made in delivering the recommendations within the Peer Challenge Action Plan. 

61.1           Attention was drawn to the Peer Challenge Action Plan Monitoring Report, set out at Pages No. 72-101, which outlined the progress made in delivering the recommendations within the Peer Challenge Action Plan.  Members were asked to consider the report.

61.2           Members were advised that the Council’s peer challenge had taken place during November 2014 and the process had been an excellent learning opportunity for the Council, providing an external health check of the Council’s position and how it was set up to meet its future challenges.  Following the challenge, a formal report had been received, attached at Appendix 1 to the report, which summarised the findings of the challenge team.  The report included a number of recommendations for further improvement and the Council had approved an action plan to progress these recommendations on 19 February 2015.  The action plan and a summary of progress in delivering the recommendations was set out at Appendix 2 to the report.  This confirmed that all of the actions were being progressed, the majority via the ongoing work around the development of the new Council Plan.  The intention was to make the Council as effective as possible, and to ensure that there was adequate training in place, and work would be ongoing.

61.3           In terms of training, the Chairman indicated that he had recently attended some speed reading training in his role as a Gloucestershire County Councillor which he had found very useful and he suggested that it might be something which other Councillors would also benefit from.  The Democratic Services Group Manager indicated that she was aware of the training and was looking to organise something for Borough Councillors in the New Year.

61.4           It was

RESOLVED          That the progress made in delivering the recommendations within the Peer Challenge Action Plan be NOTED.

To consider the achievements made to date in respect of the outcomes identified in the Housing, Renewal and Homelessness Strategy 2012-16 Action Plan. 

62.1           The report of the Environmental and Housing Services Group Manager, circulated at Pages No. 102-128, set out the achievements to date in respect of the outcomes identified in the Housing, Renewal and Homelessness Strategy 2012-16 Action Plan.  Members were asked to consider the report.

62.2           The Housing Services Manager explained that the Homelessness Act 2002 and the Local Government Act 2003 required all Councils to develop a strategy that set out their policies, commitments and programme for a wide range of housing matters.  The Housing, Renewal and Homelessness Strategy 2012-16 was developed by an Overview and Scrutiny Working Group and adopted by the Council in September 2012.  In terms of the key activities that had been achieved over the last 12 months, 145 new build homes had been completed with a mix of property types and tenures, of which 24% had been developed to the Code for Sustainable Homes Level 4 of higher efficiency standards, or equivalent standard; all other homes had met the minimum requirement of Level 3 which was now Building Regulations standard for all homes.  A total of 13 affordable properties had been delivered using the cross-subsidy model in Winchcombe and Badgeworth and two rural exception developments were in the planning system for the Parishes of Minsterworth and Sandhurst, both of which would achieve new affordable housing as well as market housing for families and smaller accommodation for downsizers. 

62.3           Members were informed that 132 disabled facilities grants had been completed between April 2014 and March 2015 at a value of £772,410.  Partnership working across all six Gloucestershire Districts continued to facilitate solutions to health improvements, crime reduction and housing matters.  Applications for social housing were banded according to housing need and a total of 424 properties had been let in the Borough in the financial year; the majority of households, 39%, were in silver band, with 36% in gold band, 23% in bronze and 2% in emergency band.  A greater emphasis had been placed on homelessness prevention in line with the Government’s ‘Gold Standard’ to enable those threatened with homelessness to avoid homeless crisis by staying in their existing home, where reasonable and affordable, and to move to a property of their choice in the private rented sector without the need for costly emergency accommodation.  Following the presentation to the Overview and Scrutiny Committee regarding the redeployment of financial housing options, Officers had successfully assisted the first applicants with deposits to move to alternative accommodation in areas where they wanted to live near to existing support i.e. families and schools. Three family households had been assisted with small deposits of £450-700 to move into private rented accommodation within the Borough, alleviating pressure on social housing in the area.

62.4           Members were informed that the six District Councils in Gloucestershire, together with the Police and Crime Commissioner, had piloted a 12 month sanctuary scheme in 2014 to offer target hardening and sanctuary room measures to residents wanting to remain in their homes but who were at  ...  view the full minutes text for item 62.

To consider the progress of the Economic Development and Tourism Strategy Review. 

63.1           Attention was drawn to the update on the Economic Development and Tourism Strategy Review, circulated at Pages No. 129-135, which Members were asked to consider.

63.2           The Economic and Community Development Manager advised that the current Economic Development and Tourism Strategy ‘Regenerating and Growing the Economy’ was now at the end of its life and an Overview and Scrutiny Committee Working Group had been established to develop a new strategy.  Councillor R A Bird had been elected as the Chairman for the Working Group and there had been one meeting to date.  The purpose of the Working Group was to review current work; set priorities for the future; agree a time period for the strategy; and allocate required resources.  It was noted that the work would include a review of the current Small Business Grant Scheme.  Members had been made aware of the current landscape for economic development and tourism and, following discussions, the Working Group had agreed that growth was a key component to a new strategy and suggested an emerging vision “For Tewkesbury Borough to be the engine that delivers growth in Gloucestershire”.  Other key points, particularly in respect of tourism, included the need to support and make the most of larger attractions; utilise external funding opportunities for tourism attractions; and effective promotion of the area including associating with the Cotswold Tourism brand.  There had been a discussion around how best to support the town centre and the need to look at infrastructure requirements around growth e.g. J9 and J10 of the M5 and the need to link with the work of the J9 Area Member Reference Panel.  It was recognised that the emerging strategy should align with the Council Plan progress to ensure that they complemented one another; it was understood that economic development and growth would be a major focus within the new Council Plan.  In terms of timeframe, it was agreed that the strategy itself should have a lifespan of five years but that the work would actually go way beyond that.

63.3           The next meeting of the Working Group would focus on four main topics: ensuring the vision aligned with the J9 Area Member Reference Panel; providing information on economic data/employment sectors; discussing funding opportunities; and a presentation from the Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP), with particular focus on how the Council could best work with the LEP.  In response to a query regarding timescale, the Economic and Community Development Manager indicated that it had originally been intended to have the second meeting before Christmas, however, it had not been possible to find a suitable date.  On that basis, it was likely that the next meeting would now be held in January, subject to the availability of a representative from the LEP.

63.4           In response to a Member question regarding the employment growth in Gloucestershire, the Chief Executive explained that broadband provision for homes, and particularly businesses, would be a crucial consideration for many people thinking about relocating to the area.  Work was ongoing  ...  view the full minutes text for item 63.