Agenda and minutes

When the continuous alarm sounds you must evacuate the building by the nearest available fire exit. Members and visitors should proceed to the visitors’ car park at the front of the building and await further instructions (during office hours staff should proceed to their usual assembly point; outside of office hours proceed to the visitors’ car park). Please do not re-enter the building unless instructed to do so.

In the event of a fire any person with a disability should be assisted in leaving the building.

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

16.2          The Chair welcomed the Managing Director of Ubico to the meeting and indicated that he was in attendance for Agenda Item 10 – Annual Ubico Report.  The Council’s representative on the Gloucestershire Police and Crime Panel was also present for Agenda Item 7 – Gloucestershire Police and Crime Panel Update.

17.1          Apologies for absence were received from Councillor T A Spencer.  There were no substitutions for the meeting. 

18.1          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.

18.2          There were no declarations made on this occasion.

To approve the Minutes of the meeting held on 12 June 2018.

19.1          A Member drew attention to Minute No. OS.14.4 which set out that the Head of Community Services had undertaken to provide additional enviro-crime data and indicated that this had not yet been received.  The Head of Community Services apologised for the oversight and undertook to ensure that the information be provided as soon as possible.

19.2          The Chair advised that he had attended the Executive Committee meeting on 11 July 2018 to feed back on the Overview and Scrutiny Committee’s review of the performance management information.  Prior to this, he had informed Members that the Overview and Scrutiny Committee had taken part in a workshop with an external provider on the national review of scrutiny and improving effectiveness which some Executive Committee Members had attended.   At that session, there had been general agreement that the Executive Committee could be subject to more challenge by the Overview and Scrutiny Committee, either through Lead Members being invited to attend Overview and Scrutiny Committee to present reports, or the Chair of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee attending Executive Committee meetings to raise any issues arising.

19.3          In terms of the performance management review, whilst there had been some good outcomes, two particular areas of concern had been identified: trade waste and Healings Mill regeneration.  He had reported that the Committee was disappointed that there was a third slippage in delivering the trade waste project which had an original target date of April 2017.  The Overview and Scrutiny Committee had seen the positive impact of the garden waste project and felt that trade waste was another area that could be commercially exploited.  During the workshop, it was generally agreed that the information reported to the Overview and Scrutiny Committee was open and transparent; however, in respect of trade waste, there was continued reference to a report undertaken by the Association of Public Service Excellence (APSE) but Members were yet to be informed of what that contained.  Both the Lead Member for Clean and Green Environment and the Head of Community Services had responded with the latter offering to bring a summary of the APSE report to Members.  As Chair, he would support this offer and recommended that it be added to the Overview and Scrutiny Committee Work Programme.  In terms of the Council Plan action to review the trade waste service, it had been confirmed that this could be achieved by the end of March 2019; this would include whether the service could provide a recycling element - something potential customers were looking for but the Council could not currently provide - and whether it would be more economical to take a joint approach with other partners.

19.4           With regard to Healings Mill, it was recognised that this was somewhat beyond the Council’s control but the dates had slipped three times and, given that the current target date was September 2018, was likely to slip again.  There was support, particularly from one Member of the Executive Committee, that the Council should “have more  ...  view the full minutes text for item 19.

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.

20.1          Attention was drawn to the Executive Committee Forward Plan, circulated at Pages No. 17-22.  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.

20.2          A Member expressed concern that the Forward Plan looked very light; something which had repeatedly been raised in the past.  He reiterated that it was difficult for the Overview and Scrutiny Committee to scrutinise the plan if it was unclear which items were coming forward.  The Deputy Chief Executive accepted this point and undertook to review the situation in more detail following the meeting.  It was subsequently

RESOLVED          That the Executive Committee Forward Plan be NOTED.

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

21.1          Attention was drawn to the Overview and Scrutiny Committee Work Programme 2018/19, circulated at Pages No. 23-31, which Members were asked to consider.

21.2          It was noted that the Head of Corporate Services had arranged for the representatives from Gloucestershire Healthwatch to attend the meeting on 12 February 2019. It was

RESOLVED          That the Overview and Scrutiny Committee Work Programme 2018/19 be NOTED, subject to the inclusion of the items raised in Minute No. OS.19.6 – Trade Waste and Healings Mill - and the Gloucestershire Healthwatch Update being moved from the pending items to the meeting on 12 February 2019.

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

22.1          Members received an update from the Council’s representative on the Gloucestershire Police and Crime Panel, on matters discussed at the last meeting of the Panel held on 13 July 2018.

22.2          Members were advised that, as this was the first meeting of the municipal year, a Chair and Vice-Chair had been appointed and were unchanged from the previous year.  One Member had highlighted the long gap between meetings of the Panel in the period March to July each year; whilst it was understood that the County and District Councils had to ratify their membership, it was suggested that an additional meeting could be included, or at least a meeting earlier in the calendar year, to ensure reports remained relevant. 

22.3          It was noted that a motion had been passed by Gloucestershire County Council on 6 May requiring the County Council to write to the Police and Crime Commissioner for further details regarding funding, constabulary spending, the appointment of a Deputy Police and Crime Commissioner etc.  The Police and Crime Commissioner was of the view that all nine questions came under the remit of the Police and Crime Panel and so wanted to share the response with Members – this had resulted in a lively debate among the Panel. 

22.4          The Council’s representative was pleased to report that, as of the end of the year to April 2018, Tewkesbury Borough was second out of 15 in its ‘Most Similar Areas’ group and, overall, there had been a 1% reduction in crime; Gloucestershire was bucking the national trend as crime was increasing in many areas.  It was noted that a new project was being launched to address shortcomings identified during the recent inspections in relation to vulnerable children.  “Child Friendly Gloucestershire” was based on the “Child Friendly Leeds” approach which brought together many agencies in the city.  A draft of the Police and Crime Commissioner’s annual report had been endorsed by the Panel and Members were advised that the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner was happy to receive any feedback in relation to where the report should be circulated. 

22.5           Notable in the Commissioner’s Police and Crime Plan Priorities Highlight Report was the aim of improving neighbourhood policing.  The key Constabulary pledges included: making local policing accessible by providing a dedicated, named Police Community Support Officer (PCSO) in every neighbourhood so that everyone knew who their local contact was and how to get in touch with them; appointing 55 or more PCSOs to act as a first point of contact for local concerns; and, investing additional Officers in neighbourhood policing in 2018 including schools officers, vulnerability PCSOs and rural liaison officers.

22.6           Members were informed that the National Association of Police Fire and Crime Panels was a recently formed association and would be a special interest group of the Local Government Association (LGA); this was something Police and Crime Panels had been aiming for across the country.  It would cost £500 for the Gloucestershire Police and Crime Panel to  ...  view the full minutes text for item 22.

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

23.1          Members received an update from the Council’s representative on the Gloucestershire Health and Care Overview and Scrutiny Committee on matters discussed at the last meeting held on 10 July 2018.

23.2           The Council’s representative advised that it had been confirmed that Gloucestershire would become one of only 14 Integrated Care Systems (ICS) in the country; the county had been given a huge vote of confidence and was praised by the NHS England Chief Executive for providing strong leadership and effective partnership working.  An ICS for Gloucestershire would mean: an even greater focus on supporting people to stay healthy and independent; local people with long term conditions should see more joined-up care and support in their own homes; greater freedom to make local decisions about services; and, the ability to attract additional money. 

23.3           The Committee had been pleased to welcome the Chief Operating Officer from the Gloucestershire Care Services NHS Trust (GCS), the Clinical Lead Therapist from the Gloucestershire Clinical Commissioning Group (GCCG) and the Consultant Physician in Stroke and General and Old Age Medicine at Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust to discuss the clinical case for change for bed-based stroke rehabilitation.  The Committee had been concerned about performance against stroke targets for some time and the clinical evidence supporting the change was clear that creating a centre of excellence for stroke patients in Gloucestershire was the best way forward for patients.  It would deliver benefits to patients’ health and reduce social care needs and would be staffed in line with national guidance from the Royal College of Physicians and the Stroke Association.  The options appraisal that had been undertaken had identified the Vale Community Hospital in Dursley as the preferred location.  The question was posed as to whether the service development would adversely affect the number of beds available across the county and the Chief Operating Officer from the Gloucestershire Care Services NHS Trust had discussed the bed modelling that had been undertaken which demonstrated that there would be no adverse impact.  The GCCG and GCS had not identified the proposal as a substantial variation and therefore the Committee did not have a statutory role, instead it had a significant role as a critical friend.  All Members of the Committee had been fully supportive of this proposal as it was clear that moving to a community setting was significantly better than trying to deliver a comprehensive stroke rehabilitation regime in an acute hospital setting. 

23.4           The Director of Adult Social Services had informed the Committee that overall performance was good; however, performance relating to carers and self-directed support was not where it needed to be.  A report was being taken to Gloucestershire County Council’s Cabinet on 18 July 2018 with regard to the procurement of a new carers’ contract and, within this context, consideration had been given as to how this funding could be made more widely available.  Some Members had expressed disappointment that not all of the data in this report – or the public health report  ...  view the full minutes text for item 23.

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

24.1          Members received an update from the Council’s representative on the Gloucestershire Economic Growth Scrutiny Committee on matters discussed at the last meeting held on 20 June 2018.

24.2          In noting the outcomes of locally-held meetings at Tewkesbury Borough Council and Cotswold District Council, the Committee had agreed to review the processes and issues raised at the meetings and to discuss the arrangements for future ‘district held’ meetings at the next Gloucestershire Economic Growth Scrutiny Committee meeting.  The review would be prior to the meeting scheduled to take place at Cheltenham Borough Council on 31 October 2018.

24.3          The Gloucestershire Economic Growth Joint Committee had requested the Scrutiny Committee to consider the aspiration by the Cotswold Conservation Board to establish a National Park in the Cotswold Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and the Committee had engaged in a detailed discussion on its merits, as well as the feasibility of the request.  The Chair of the Joint Committee and the Chief Executive of Tewkesbury Borough Council had attended the meeting to respond to questions and to provide details of the Joint Committee’s forward plan.  With a slight majority, it had been agreed that the Scrutiny Committee would seek approval from the County Council’s Overview and Scrutiny Management Committee to establish a task group to consider the impact of obtaining National Park status for the Cotswold Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.  In response to comments that had been made by the Government’s Environment Secretary pending a national review of National Parks and Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty, it had been suggested that the scope of the review could be extended to include other areas within Gloucestershire that might have an interest in obtaining National Park status.  A meeting between the Chair/Vice-Chair and senior officers would be held in early August to draft a one-page strategy for the proposed review.  The draft document would be shared with Gloucestershire County Council lead opposition Members before seeking views from the Economic Growth Scrutiny Committee and submitting to the Overview and Scrutiny Management Committee for approval – if approved, the first meeting of the task group would be arranged in the autumn.

24.4          In terms of the work plan, Members were advised that a request had been made for a task group to be established to consider some of the specific implications relating to Brexit.  It had been noted that the Gloucestershire Economic Growth Joint Committee and the Local Government Association were both involved in aspects of this work and – taking into consideration the national position – it was considered that it may not be an appropriate time for such a review and it had subsequently been agreed that the viability of setting up a task group be reviewed periodically.  A suggestion had been made to invite the Leader of the Council, or a representative from the Local Government Association, to give an update at a future meeting of the Joint Committee on current issues and the potential implications of Brexit post-March 2019; it was  ...  view the full minutes text for item 24.

To consider the annual Ubico report.

25.1          The report of the Head of Community Services, circulated at Pages No. 32-69, provided an update on the Ubico contract for waste and recycling, street cleansing and grounds maintenance services.  Members were asked to consider the annual report.

25.2          The Head of Community Services explained that Ubico had been delivering the Council’s waste and recycling, street cleansing and grounds maintenance services since 1 April 2015 and the Overview and Scrutiny Committee reviewed the performance of the contract on an annual basis.  The last annual report had been presented to the Overview and Scrutiny Committee in May 2017 but had not included quarter four figures due to the timing of the report.  It had subsequently been agreed that the annual review be taken to the Committee in July each year.  It was noted that the Committee had received an interim report in September 2017. 

25.3          Members were reminded that a range of performance information was collected and reported to the Environmental Services Partnership Board (ESPB) on a quarterly basis and monitored by the Joint Waste Team on a monthly basis.  The Commissioner Report prepared for the ESPB was attached at Appendix 1 to the report and detailed service requests, performance and health and safety statistics for the year.  It was well documented that there had been problems with missed bin collections earlier in the year following the roll-out of a significant service change in April 2017 that had seen over 60% of households having a change in collection day or week.  In previous years, the target for missed bin collections was 1%, or 42,000 misses per year, and, following a request from the Overview and Scrutiny Committee to make that more challenging, the Managing Director of Ubico had agreed a new target of 0.1%, or 4,200 misses per year.  During 2017/18, a total of 5,317 bin collections had been missed which was just outside of the new target; however, there had been improvement during the year.  The table at Page No. 34, Paragraph 3.3.1 of the report, showed that the amount of residual household waste taken to landfill had decreased significantly with the percentage of household waste reused, recycled and composted increasing from 53.29% in 2016/17 to 54.07% in 2017/18 against a national downturn. 

25.4          With regard to grounds maintenance, Members would be well aware of the issues that had been experienced earlier in the year in relation to grass cutting and an urgent improvement plan, attached at Appendix 2 to the report, had been put in place to address this.  There were two main aims: to bring the situation back under control and to ensure that the Council was not in the same position when the grass cutting season commenced next year.  The Head of Community Services indicated that a lot of time and effort had gone into working with Ubico to address the situation and there had been significant improvement – the recent hot weather had helped as the grass had stopped growing over the last few weeks.  ...  view the full minutes text for item 25.

To consider the report on local arrangements for community safety.

26.1          Attention was drawn to the report of the Head of Community Services, circulated at Pages No. 70-76, which provided an update on the work of the Community Safety Steering Group and the progress that had been made so far.  Members were asked to consider the update.

26.2          Members were reminded that, at its meeting on 6 February 2018, the Overview and Scrutiny Committee had agreed that a report on the local arrangements for community safety should be brought back to the Committee, prior to consideration by the Executive Committee.  The Head of Community Services advised that Community Safety Partnerships (CSPs) had been suspended pending the outcome of a countywide review.  With the agreement of the Lead Member for Community, a steering group had been established to investigate how community safety could be delivered within the borough; this included representatives from key community safety partners including Gloucestershire Police Constabulary, Gloucestershire Fire and Rescue and Severn Vale Housing.  The steering group had met several times to develop a new structure for Tewkesbury Borough CSP and had informally agreed Terms and Conditions, attached at Appendix 1 to the report.  A report was now being prepared for the Executive Committee to approve the reconvening of the Tewkesbury Borough CSP and its Terms of Reference, with the intention of reconstituting the CSP by the end of September 2018. 

26.3          A Member queried which Members would attend the CSP meetings; although the previous meetings had become somewhat of a “talking shop” they had been useful for exchanging information and finding out what was going on locally.  The Head of Community Services noted this comment and agreed that Member involvement was key, on that basis, it was proposed to hold a number of annual events to keep Members updated; notwithstanding this, Member representation on the CSP needed to be kept to a reasonable level to prevent meetings becoming parochial.  In response to a query regarding timescales, the Head of Community Services clarified that, if the CSP was reconstituted by September, it would have an opportunity to formulate a strategy for adoption in 2019 – any later and there would not be enough time. 

26.4          Having considered the report, it was

RESOLVED          That the update on local arrangements for community safety be NOTED.