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.   

65.1          In the absence of the Chair, the Vice-Chair took the chair for the meeting.

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

66.1          Apologies for absence were received from Councillors H C McLain and J W Murphy (Chair).  There were no substitutes for the meeting.

67.1          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.

67.2          The following declarations were made:

67.3          No further declarations were made on this occasion.

To approve the Minutes of the meeting held on 22 November 2022.

68.1          The Minutes of the meeting held on 22 November 2022, copies of which had been circulated, were approved as a correct record and signed by the Chair. 

To receive a presentation from NHS Gloucestershire on the outcomes arising from the Fit for the Future 2 engagement. 

69.1          Attention was drawn to the Fit for the Future 2 Outcomes presentation, circulated separately.  The Chair introduced the Associate Director Engagement and Experience and the Fit for the Future 2 Programme Director from NHS Gloucestershire and the Fit for the Future 2 Programme Director indicated that the purpose of today’s presentation was to inform Members of the outcomes of the engagement activity in relation to Fit for the Future 2. 

69.2          Members were advised that the key objective was around using the Cheltenham and Gloucester hospital sites as effectively and efficiently as possible by separating planned and emergency care to maximise the opportunity for planned operations without the risk of cancellation due to emergency activity.  Five services were being considered as part of the consultation: at Gloucestershire Royal Hospital this was Diabetes and Endocrinology (in-patient), Respiratory (in-patient and high care) and Non-Interventional Cardiology (in-patient); at Cheltenham General Hospital this was Benign Gynaecology (day case) and stroke (in-patient).  The Associate Director Engagement and Experience explained that comprehensive engagement had taken place with the residents of Gloucestershire with over 50 engagement events, group meetings and online sessions. Over 3,000 engagement booklets had been distributed and made available in places such as libraries and GP surgeries.  There had also been live streaming on Facebook Live – this had been used successfully during the pandemic to connect with new audiences and attract a different demographic and was something which would continue to be used going forward.  Over 1,800 face to face conversations had taken place with members of the public and staff through focus groups or when out and about on the NHS Information Bus which had been located in Spring Gardens Car Park and Morrison’s in Tewkesbury.  More than 200 surveys had been completed which showed people’s dedication due to their comprehensive nature – people had been asked to answer the questions which were relevant to them as it was recognised that not everyone would have an interest in all five services.  There had also been a lot of communication with partners and presentations had been given to the Primary Care Networks (PCNs), Integrated Locality Partnerships (ILPs) and Clinical Programme Groups (CPGs) as well as the Gloucestershire Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee (HOSC).

69.3          In terms of what had been learnt from the engagement, the Fit for the Future 2 Programme Director explained that staff responses had been separated from the public although he stressed they were not treated differently in their views.  There was overall support of more than 90% for four out of five services with the results for Stoke slightly lower at 84% which was primarily due to concerns about vascular surgery and a misunderstanding about how the service would be configured.  As well as this qualitative feedback, it was equally important to know what people had to say and several themes had been identified in the feedback from public and patients around supporting the centre of excellence approach; travel and transport; car parking; ward environment – Stroke patients  ...  view the full minutes text for item 69.

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.

70.1          Attention was drawn to the Executive Committee Forward Plan, circulated at Pages No. 20-24.  Members were asked to determine whether there were any questions for relevant Lead Members and what support the Overview and Scrutiny Committee could give to the work contained within the plan.

70.2          The Head of Corporate Services advised that great effort had been put in by Officers to ensure the Forward Plan was populated, as requested by Members.  He stressed that, due to the nature of Council business, it was a fluid plan so additional items would come forward and dates may change.  He drew attention to Page No. 20 of the report and indicated that the ‘Health in All Policies’ Policy had been considered by Management Team and needed some further work around how it could be practically implemented so that would not be going to the meeting on 1 February 2023 as set out in the Forward Plan.  In terms of the meeting on 1 March 2023, it had been felt prudent to defer both the Council Plan 2020-24 Refresh and the High Level Service Plan Summaries until after the Borough Elections in May.

70.3          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.

71.1          Attention was drawn to the Overview and Scrutiny Committee Work Programme, circulated at Pages No. 25-30, and the action list setting out the actions arising from meetings of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee between October 2019 and October 2022, circulated at Pages No. 31-52.  Members were asked to consider the Work Programme and the action list.

71.2          The Head of Corporate Services advised that the Work Programme covered the next three meetings which would take Members to the end of the current municipal year.  He confirmed that the Review of the Economic Development and Tourism Strategy would be coming to the next meeting on 7 February having been deferred from today’s meeting.  There were a number of pending items and work was being done at an Officer level to bring those forward into the Work Programme.  With regard to the pending items, a Member asked if a date had been agreed with the Police and Crime Commissioner to present to the Committee and the Head of Community Services advised he would take this up with the Commissioner who he was due to meet the following day.  Another Member asked what the current situation was in relation to the Parking Strategy and the Head of Corporate Services advised that the Head of Finance and Asset Management had emailed Members of the Working Group to establish whether there was any appetite to reconsider car parking charges - that had appeared not to be the case so he hoped this would come forward sooner rather than later.  He undertook to speak to the Head of Finance and Asset Management following the meeting and update Members accordingly.

71.3          In terms of the action list, the Corporate Services Manager advised that 13 of the 54 actions remained outstanding with 11 of those relating to meetings which had taken place in July 2022 or earlier.  Members had previously asked for an audit trail of when outstanding actions would come back to Committee and there was now a requirement for Officers to include a target date.  The following issues were raised during the discussion:

To receive a presentation from Active Gloucestershire on progress of its ‘We Can Move’ project which the Council agreed to fund for five years (2021/22-2025/26).

72.1          Attention was drawn to the Active Gloucestershire ‘We Can Move’ presentation, circulated separately.  The Community and Economic Development Manager advised that the Council had agreed to provide funding support to Active Gloucestershire’s ‘We Can Move’ project for five years from 2021/22 to 2025/26 and he introduced the Chief Executive from Active Gloucestershire who would be  giving a short presentation and answering questions.

72.2          The Chief Executive for Active Gloucestershire explained that the case for sport and physical activity was very clear and had been proven to change lives, not only from a medical perspective, but it did require behavioural change and therefore was inherently complex and challenging.  The positive impact which physical activity could have on mental health meant that it was very important for deprived and new communities - this was particularly relevant to Tewkesbury Borough given the significant population growth in the area .  The ‘We Can Move’ programme had come about as a result of his predecessor joining Active Gloucestershire and the realisation that the approach being taken, based on helping the already active get more active through direct delivery of programmes, was not working.  The potential for grassroots participation in sports had not been realised following the 2012 Olympics and this had sparked a period of change during which Active Gloucestershire had worked with Sports England, NHS Gloucestershire, Gloucestershire County Council and district authorities to redefine its role and support the county’s approach to sport and physical activity.  The Integrated Care Board and Health and Wellbeing Partnership Board, along with Active Gloucestershire, supported ‘We Can Move’ with training, resources and learning to assist voluntary and professional organisations.  ‘We Can Move’ became the movement to inspire, connect and enable individuals, communities and organisations across Gloucestershire to help the least active to move more.  The key values were to be brave – the best way to see if something worked was to give it a go; be curious and listen hard – gather learning, insight and data and look to understand the experiences of those with perspectives furthest from your own; stand shoulder to shoulder – ask for help when you need it, offer it when it would be useful and be prepared to grow ideas together; find the energy – focus on strengths, emphasise the positive and gently challenge the negative; and, build relationships of trust – invest in others as much as in getting things done.  He went on to give examples of initiatives where ‘We Can Move’ had made a significant contribution, the first of which was a countywide yoga programme for schools which had targeted those who were not interested in school sports – typically there was a drop-off in school sports participation in girls aged 14.  Active Gloucestershire had worked with Gloucestershire Healthy Living and Learning to develop a yoga programme with an expert yoga teacher which was provided to teachers to deliver in schools.  An unintended consequence was that teachers had really enjoyed it and had started to practice yoga themselves.  ...  view the full minutes text for item 72.

To consider the biannual update on the work of the Depot Services Working Group. 

73.1          The report of the Waste Contracts Manager, circulated at Pages No. 53-66, provided Members with an update on the progress of the Depot Services Working Group.  Members were asked to consider the report.

73.2          The Waste Contracts Manager advised that the Depot Services Working Group had met on three occasions during 2022/23 and a further meeting was planned on 1 March in accordance with its Terms of Reference.  The main considerations had been the Ubico overspend, which was largely due to the increased cost of diesel, and the impact of the pay award going forward; improvement in grass cutting standards with 82% of inspections meeting the required target compared to 48% in the previous year; waste fleet procurement; and, ongoing discussions with Gloucestershire County Council around the grass which Tewkesbury Borough Council cut on its behalf – discussions had reached an impasse but were now moving forward again.

73.3          A Member of the Depot Services Working Group raised concern regarding the discussion that had taken place at the Working Group in relation to land maintained on behalf of Gloucestershire County Council.  He felt there had been a lack of understanding amongst Officers regarding the implications of changing the current arrangements – something which had been discussed at length by the former Grass Cutting Improvement Plan Working Group, which had been subsumed into the Grounds Maintenance Working Group and subsequently the Depot Services Working Group.  The Waste Contracts Manager explained that, since the Depot Services Working Group had requested that further negotiations take place at a senior officer level, Gloucestershire County Council had been more accommodating and work was being undertaken with Ubico to put together a proposal based on increased capital spend, as such, it was now considered that it may be possible to carry out two cuts per year using cut and collect methods which he hoped would be a good outcome for everyone.  The Member explained that certain areas would need to be cut more than twice per year, for instance, the Wheatpieces roundabout which was the gateway to Tewkesbury.  In his view it should not be all about money and he felt this needed to be looked into more fully.  The Head of Community Services recognised these concerns and clarified that the discussions with the County Council were in relation to having the correct equipment and it would be Tewkesbury Borough Council’s decision to continue to cut certain areas more frequently than twice per year but, for the majority of areas, two cuts would be reasonable.  The Member raised concern that it was not as straightforward as it seemed, for instance, would the areas be weeded, and he indicated that wildflower planting was something the Grounds Maintenance Working Group had also been keen to explore, and was included in the pending items of the Depot Services Working Group Work Programme, so he asked if consideration would be given to that.  The Head of Community Services took this point on board and advised that the initial conversation  ...  view the full minutes text for item 73.

To receive an update from the Council’s representative on matters considered at the last meeting (6 December 2022). 

74.1          Attention was drawn to the report from the Council’s representative on the Gloucestershire Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee, circulated at Pages No. 67-69, which gave an update on matters considered at the meeting held on 6 December 2022.

74.2          The Council’s representative on the Gloucestershire Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee advised that the main issues discussed were dentistry and mental health  In terms of dentistry, there was currently a shortage of NHS dentists with 29.2% of the population being able to access services in Gloucestershire – a lot of younger people could not find an NHS dentist therefore the focus was on preventative care e.g. giving out toothpaste and advice.  Local commissioners had been instructed by NHS England to look at this and it was hoped the situation would improve over the next two years.  With regard to mental health, there had been an increase in referrals, particularly into the crisis team, child and adolescent services and those dealing with eating disorders and autism.  Specialist mental health practitioners were being employed so that the correct services could be provided at GP level. 

74.3          The Committee had also been provided with performance reports and it was noted that weekly reviews were being carried out to check on progress in relation to ambulance call answering times, handover delays, category 2 response times and bed occupancy – all issues which had been in the national media recently.  A report from the Gloucestershire Integrated Care Board had referenced pooling of capital budgets to enable investments in specialist Housing Occupational Therapists, nursing to work on better outcomes for the homeless, two hospital step-down flats to aid movement of patients from hospital, fall prevention work and a Housing Frailty Officer.  The Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust report had highlighted that £12.1m funding had been secured to transform the tower block at Gloucestershire Royal Hospital.

74.4          A Member was aware that work was being done with universities such as the University of Worcestershire to bring new doctors to the area and he asked if there were any similar plans regarding dentists.  The Council’s representative on the Gloucestershire Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee confirmed that efforts were being made to get retain dentists from local dentist schools within the area but a lot wanted salaried roles as opposed to partnerships.  As with doctors, dentists tended to go to cities once they were qualified, unless they had areas of specialism.

74.5          It was

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

The Chair will move the adoption of the following resolution:

That under Section 100(A)(4) Local Government Act 1972, the public be excluded for the following items on the grounds that they involve the likely disclosure of exempt information as defined in Part 1 of Schedule 12A of the Act.

75.1          The Chair proposed and it was

RESOLVED           That, under Section 100(A)(4) of the Local Government Act 1972, the public be excluded from the meeting for the following items on the grounds that they involve the likely discussion of exempt information as defined in Part 1 of Schedule 12A of the Act. 

(Exempt –Paragraph 3 of Part 1 of Schedule 12A of the Local Government Act 1972 –Information relating to the financial or business affairs of any particular person (including the authority holding that information))

To receive an update on the progress of the trade waste project.

(Exempt –Paragraph 3 of Part 1 of Schedule 12A of the Local Government Act 1972 –Information relating to the financial or business affairs of any particular person (including the authority holding that information))

76.1          Members considered an update on the progress made in relation to the trade waste project and agreed that a further report be brought to the next meeting of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee on 7 February 2023.