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.   

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

6.1            Apologies for absence were received from Councillors H C McLain, H S Munro,                  C E Mills and R J G Smith.  There were no substitutions for the meeting.

7.1            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.

7.2            There were no declarations made on this occasion.

To approve the Minutes of the meetings held on 5 April and 17 May 2022.

8.1            The Minutes of the meetings held on 5 April and 17 May 2022, copies of which had been circulated, were approved as correct records 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.

9.1            Attention was drawn to the Executive Committee Forward Plan, circulated at Pages No. 12-18.  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. 

9.2            The Head of Corporate Services advised that service plans had been endorsed by the Executive Committee at its meeting last week so he would be working with Democratic Services to identify any relevant items for inclusion within the Executive Committee Forward Plan, therefore, Members could expect the Plan to be more densely populated moving forward.

9.3            It was

RESOLVED           That the Executive Committee Forward Plan be NOTED.

To consider the forthcoming work of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee and the actions arising from previous meetings.

10.1          Attention was drawn to the Overview and Scrutiny Committee Work Programme, circulated at Pages No. 19-29, and the action list setting out the actions arising from meetings of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee between October 2019 and March 2022, circulated at Pages No. 30-44.  Members were asked to consider the Work Programme and action list.

10.2          The Head of Corporate Services pointed out that the Community Services Improvement Review which had previously been in the pending items section of the Work Programme had now been scheduled for the meeting on 7 February 2023.  The Head of Democratic Services advised that NHS Gloucestershire would be attending the meeting on 12 July 2022 to give a presentation on Fit for the Future 2, a new engagement which focused on the medium and long-term future of some of its health services. Whilst the general consultation events finished at the end of June, the NHS was continuing to engage with people until the end of August so it was felt it would be beneficial for the Overview and Scrutiny Committee to gain an understanding of what this would mean for Tewkesbury Borough.  The Council’s representative on the Gloucestershire Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee advised that the next meeting of that Committee was on 12 July 2022, which was the same date as the Overview and Scrutiny Committee, therefore, she would give a brief verbal update on matters discussed with a more detailed report to follow by email.

10.3          A Member noted that the Committee was due to consider the results of a trial of mobile surveillance equipment for fly-tipping investigations but this had been in the pending items section of the Work Programme since 12 October 2021 and he asked whether the cameras had been purchased and deployed.  The Environmental Health Manager explained that purchase of the cameras had been delayed due to legal issues with procurement; however, that had now been resolved and it was hoped the cameras would be available for roll-out within the next month.  The Member asked whether it was intended to consult Members about potential locations for the cameras and the Environmental Health Manager indicated that he would be happy to speak to Members on an individual basis to identify feasible hotspot locations.  As soon as he was in a position to do so, he would email all Members to notify them about the cameras and to invite suggestions.

10.4          In terms of the action list, the Head of Corporate Services advised that only six of the 29 actions were outstanding; two of these were in relation to a Member seminar on the Government’s Housing Design Guide and, whilst this had not yet been delivered, there was now a target date of September 2022.  Overall, good progress had been made in terms of delivery of the actions.  The following issues were raised during the discussion:

To receive an update from the Police on local arrangements. 

11.1          The Chief Executive explained that the Committee had historically been interested in local policing arrangements and community safety and he was pleased to report that the vacancy for the local police commander for the Tewkesbury policing area had now been filled.  Given the importance of this role, the new Chief Inspector was in attendance at today’s meeting, together with the Chief Inspector for the Cheltenham and Tewkesbury Policing Area, to give a brief update on the appointment and local policing; however, it was to be borne in mind that the new Chief Inspector had only been in post for three weeks so it may be beneficial for the Committee to invite him back to a future meeting when he was in a position to provide a more detailed update.

11.2          The Chief Inspector for the Cheltenham and Tewkesbury Policing Area advised that she had a 26 year background in the Police and had spent the majority of her career in Gloucester as a Neighbourhood Inspector and working in community harm and reduction.  She was also the Constabulary Liaison Officer in the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner.  In terms of the policing structure within Cheltenham and Tewkesbury, there was one Superintendent for the whole area and the teams were split into neighbourhood policing and local policing i.e. the response function.  The local policing team worked 24/7 shift patterns and the Duty Inspector covered all areas.  There were three Sergeants for Cheltenham and Tewkesbury and 15 Police Constables per response shift.  The new Chief Inspector for Tewkesbury would be supported by two Sergeants on the local neighbourhood policing team and five Police Constables and Police Community Support Officers per shift pattern.  Due to its rural location and the fact there was no nightclub, staff on the Tewkesbury team worked until 0200 hours whereas those in Cheltenham worked until 0500 hours.  Each Police Community Support Officer had a detailed area for which they were responsible and those were listed on the Gloucestershire Constabulary website.  The Police Community Support Officers were supported by a Beat Officer who helped with enforcement, arrests and investigations.  In addition, following a bid for resources, the Operation Vanguard Team was also supporting the Cheltenham and Tewkesbury Local Policing Team – that Team focused on serious crimes, such as drug dealing and residential burglaries, and comprised an Inspector, Detective Sergeant, Uniform Sergeant and 10 other Police Officers with a varied skill set including method of entry training and surveillance etc.  In terms of the way the Tewkesbury team operated, the response team was mainly led by radio and covered the whole of the borough which was a wide policing area.  Police Officers were currently single-crewed during the day and double crewed for night shifts and they would more than likely be the first point of contact for any incidents which came in.  The response team worked a six day on, four day off pattern including two early shifts, two late shifts and two night shifts so someone  ...  view the full minutes text for item 11.

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

12.1          The report of the Head of Corporate Services, circulated at Pages No. 45-121, attached the performance management and COVID-19 recovery information for quarter four of 2021/22.  The Overview and Scrutiny Committee was asked to review and scrutinise the information and, where appropriate, identify any issues to refer to the Executive Committee for clarification or further action to be taken.

12.2          Members were informed that this was the final quarterly monitoring report for 2021/22 and represented the latest information in terms of the status of the actions set out in the Council Plan and the Corporate Recovery Plan.  Progress against delivering the objectives and actions for each of the six Council Plan priorities was reported through the performance tracker, attached at Appendix 1 to the report, which was a combined document that also included a set of Key Performance Indicators (KPIs).  In addition, a Corporate COVID-19 Recovery Plan had been established based on the Council Plan priorities, and a recovery plan tracker, attached at Appendix 2 to the report, had been created to monitor progress in delivering those actions and objectives.  Key financial information was usually reported alongside the tracker documents but, given the complexities of the year end closedown, this was not yet available and would be reported as soon as possible. 

12.3          Key actions for the quarter were highlighted at Paragraph 2.3 of the report and included: receipt of the Inspector’s final report on the Tewkesbury Borough Plan with adoption being recommended to the Council at an Extraordinary meeting the following night; approval of the Housing and Homelessness Strategy; income of £111,354 from the new bulky waste service during 2021/22 with 95% customer wait time being reduced from six weeks to less than one week; the new Carbon Reduction Programme Officer had taken up his post in February; and work was underway on the solar canopy in the Council Offices car park.  Members were reminded that, due to the complex nature of the actions being delivered, it was inevitable that some would not progress as smoothly or as quickly as envisaged and the details of those actions were set out at Paragraph 2.4 of the report.  It was noted that the Medium Term Financial Strategy had been taken to the Executive Committee last week where it had been recommended to Council for adoption so this was progressing.  The Head of Corporate Services indicated that the third action on Page No. 49 in respect of delivering the approved trade waste business case contained a typographical error and should state that the target date had been ‘amended from March 2023 to July 2023’.  In terms of KPIs, the status of each indicator was set out at Paragraph 3.2 of the report and KPIs where direction of travel was down and/or were not on target, were set out at Paragraph 3.3 of the report.  The majority had been reported earlier in the year and it was noted that, with regard to planning indicators, whilst the local targets had not been achieved,  ...  view the full minutes text for item 12.

To consider the list of corporate polices and strategies, attached at Appendix 1 to the report, and identify any for review by the Overview and Scrutiny Committee during 2022/23. 

13.1          The report of the Head of Corporate Services, circulated at Pages No. 122-130, provided a list of policies and strategies that were due for review in 2022/23.  Members were asked to consider the list attached at Appendix 1 to the report and identify any to bring forward to the Overview and Scrutiny Committee.

13.2          The Head of Corporate Services advised this was an annual report which was brought at the request of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee and set out the corporate policies and strategies that would be coming forward for review during the year.  The list would inform the Executive Committee Forward Plan and Members were asked if it would be beneficial for any of the policies and strategies listed to be brought to the Overview and Scrutiny Committee for consideration.  Members were reminded that it was not effective to duplicate the work of other Committees, for example, the Audit and Governance Committee reviewed any governance-related policies, and the Overview and Scrutiny Committee should not review policies which were the responsibility of quasi-judicial Committees such as Planning and Licensing.  It was suggested that Members select no more than two policies or strategies to consider during the year.

13.3          A Member noted that Page No. 130 of the report made reference to the Parking Strategy which was already being reviewed by an Overview and Scrutiny Task and Finish Working Group.  He indicated that he was a Member of that Group but it had not met for some time so he asked for an update on the current position.  The Head of Finance and Asset Management advised that he needed to write the strategy and circulate to Members of the Working Group for approval prior to bringing it to the Overview and Scrutiny Committee. This was on his work plan and he would get to it as soon as possible.

13.4          A Member indicated that he would like to scrutinise the Medium Term Financial Strategy and the Capital Strategy and the Chief Executive explained that, the function of the Transform Working Group was specifically to develop the Medium Term Financial Strategy and the Council’s budget going forward so this would be a duplication of work which was within the remit of the Executive Committee.  The Head of Finance and Asset Management indicated that it would be a huge piece of work to scrutinise and would require a lot of additional resources.  A Member seminar on the interim Medium Term Financial Strategy would be held prior to it going to Council and he encouraged Members to attend that session and ask as many questions as they wished.  The Chief Executive also pointed out that any Member could attend Transform Working Group if they wished to know more.  In response to a query as to whether the Medium Term Financial Strategy was also scrutinised by the Audit and Governance Committee, the Head of Finance and Asset Management clarified that it was not within that Committee’s remit.

13.5          A Member suggested that the  ...  view the full minutes text for item 13.

To consider those external organisations that contribute to the Council’s priorities and potentially could be added to the Committee’s Work Programme. 

14.1          The report of the Head of Corporate Services, circulated at Pages No. 131-139, provided Members with a list of key external organisations which the Overview and Scrutiny Committee may wish to scrutinise during the year.  Members were asked to consider the list and identify those which could potentially be added to the Overview and Scrutiny Committee Work Programme.

14.2          The Head of Corporate Services explained that, at the session held in November 2021 on ways to improve the effectiveness of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee, Members had indicated they would like to hear from external organisations and it had been agreed that Officers would compile a list for consideration.  The list attached at Appendix 1 to the report was closely linked to the Council Plan refresh and was by no means exhaustive; however, if the Committee did wish to hear from an external body, it would be necessary to agree a formal scope for the presentation in order to ensure there were clear objectives and outcomes.  Consideration should also be given to the wider Work Programme to ensure Agenda did not become overloaded and it was suggested that no more than two organisations be invited to attend future meetings of the Committee.

14.3          A Member agreed there should be clear reasons for inviting external organisations to the Overview and Scrutiny Committee as this was not the right place to have presentations for information.  He was particularly interested to understand what was happening with the Community Safety Partnership, which did include Member representation but no reports were received back as far as he was aware, and the Aston Project which ran from the Public Services Centre and was something which the Council had an input into.  The Chief Executive clarified that the Community Safety Partnership was not an outside body as it was operated by the Council and therefore did not form part of the list provided in the report; however, he felt it was probably time to look at this to see if it was delivering against its Terms of Reference and he suggested this could be done as part of the follow-up scrutiny session with the Police which would need to be worked up outside of the meeting.  In terms of the list before Members, the Council had contractual arrangements with Places Leisure and there had recently been a change of Manager at the Leisure Centre so that would lend itself to a presentation about what it was offering and how things were working.  Gloucestershire Rural Community Council was also a contractor with the Council in a different arrangement and had recently appointed a new Chief Executive so, although it would need to be handled carefully, it may be beneficial to hear from that organisation.

14.4          It was subsequently

RESOLVED          That the following organisations be AGREED as those the Committee would like to scrutinise during the year:

-        Community Safety Partnership/Aston Project – to evaluate whether it is delivering against its Terms of Reference;

-        Places Leisure –  ...  view the full minutes text for item 14.

To consider the progress made against implementation of the corporate peer challenge action plan. 

15.1          The report of the Head of Corporate Services, circulated at Pages No. 140-154, provided Members with an update on the implementation of the corporate peer challenge action plan.  Members were asked to consider the report.

15.2          Members were reminded that the corporate peer challenge had taken place during March 2020 and, whilst the Local Government Association’s report had been largely positive, some areas for improvement had been identified in the form of five key recommendations.  The majority of areas were things which the Council had already been aware of such as financial sustainability, the Medium Term Financial Strategy, New Homes Bonus and the Garden Town and most of the actions were ‘business as usual’.  Although there were a small number of actions still in progress, such as the new corporate reporting template, these were nearing completion and it was envisaged that the action plan could be closed off when it was reported upon in six months’ time.

15.3          The Chief Executive advised that it was now time to review the peer challenge – the full inspection had been carried out immediately prior to the lockdown and the intention was for the Local Government Association to offer a review meeting to establish what had been done in the intervening period; however, it would be for the new Chief Executive to decide the most appropriate way forward as he may prefer a more fundamental peer challenge given the huge amount of change experienced over the last two years.

15.4          A Member expressed the view that it would be worth waiting to see what the new Chief Executive wanted to do in terms of a complete peer challenge or a review before closing off the current action plan and he felt it was necessary to wait for an update from him before making that decision.  The Chief Executive indicated that there was nothing fundamental within the actions and the Council had been regarded as a good authority in the feedback from the peer challenge so he did not have any concerns about closing off the action plan; however, that was up to Members and the new Chief Executive to decide.

15.5          It was

RESOLVED           That the progress made against implementation of the corporate peer challenge action plan be NOTED.

To receive an update from the Council’s representative on matters considered at the last meeting (17 May 2022). 

16.1          Attention was drawn to the report from the Council’s representative on the Gloucestershire Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee, circulated at Pages No. 155-158, which gave an update on matters considered at the meeting held on 17 May 2022.

16.2          The Council’s representative drew attention to Page No. 156 of the report and recommended that people read the consultation booklet in relation to Fit for the Future 2 in order to be better informed to ask questions at the next meeting of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee which representatives from the NHS would be attending. The booklet contained a survey which needed to be completed by the end of June.

16.3          It was

RESOLVED          That the Gloucestershire Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee update be NOTED.

To receive an update from the Council’s representative on matters considered at the last meeting (31 May 2022). 

17.1          Attention was drawn to the report from the Council’s representative on the Gloucestershire Economic Growth Scrutiny Committee, circulated separately, which gave an update on matters considered at the meeting held on 31 May 2022. 

17.2          Accordingly, it was

RESOLVED           That the Gloucestershire Economic Growth Scrutiny Committee update be NOTED.