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.   

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

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

34.1          Apologies for absence were received from Councillors N D Adcock, C Agg, T J Budge, M Dimond-Brown (Chair), G C Madle, H C McLain and M J Williams.  There were no substitutes for the meeting.

Pursuant to the adoption by the Council on 24 January 2023 of the Tewkesbury Borough Council Code of Conduct, effective from 1 February 2023, as set out in Minute No. CL.72, Members are invited to declare any interest they may have in the business set out on the Agenda to which the approved Code applies.

35.1          The Committee’s attention was drawn to the Tewkesbury Borough Code of Conduct which was adopted by the Council on 24 January 2023 and took effect on 1 February 2023. 

35.2          There were no declarations made on this occasion.

To approve the Minutes of the meeting held on 12 September 2023.

36.1          The Minutes of the meeting held on 12 September 2023, copies of which had been circulated, were approved as a correct record and signed by the Chair.

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

37.1          Attention was drawn to the Overview and Scrutiny Committee Work Programme, circulated at Pages No. 24-31, and the action list setting out the outstanding actions arising from meetings of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee between 17 January 2023 and 11 July 2023, circulated at Pages No. 28-34.  Members were asked to consider the Work Programme and action list. 

37.2          The Director: Corporate Resources advised that the Communications Strategy, currently listed in the pending items section of the Work Programme, would be brought to the next meeting on 5 December 2023.  As it stood, the Agenda for the meetings in January and February 2023 were quite light so Officers would look to see what else could potentially come forward to those meetings.  It was noted that the Leader of the Council and the Chair of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee had been looking at a potential piece of work around the cost of living and the scope for that was currently being determined; other work flows may also come forward in due course.  A Member noted that Community Safety/Aston Project Presentation had been in the pending items section since June 2022 and asked when this would come to the Committee.  In response, the Director: Corporate Resources undertook to speak to the relevant Officer following the meeting to establish a date for that.

37.3          In terms of the action list, the Director: Corporate Resources indicated that five of the 34 actions remained outstanding; those actions relating to evaluation of the Grange Field project, work the Business Transformation Team was doing on the Report It system in line with Ubico in-cab technology, the Police and Crime Commissioner presentation to Members, the sweeper schedule being made available to Members and the update on what was planned for workforce development.  It was noted that contact had been made with the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner so a date for the Member briefing would be confirmed shortly.

37.4          Accordingly, it was

RESOLVED           That the Overview and Scrutiny Committee Work Programme 2023/24 and the action list be NOTED.

To consider the annual report on the Council’s comments, concerns, complaints and compliments to provide assurance that complaints are managed effectively.

38.1          Attention was drawn to the report of the Head of Service: Audit and Governance / Communications and Customer Experience Manager, circulated at Pages No. 46-64, which provided a summary of the compliments, comments, concerns and complaints (4Cs) which made up the Council’s Have Your Say approach, received during 2022/23.  Members were asked to consider the annual report to provide assurance that complaints were managed effectively.

38.2          The Associate Director: Transformation explained that the Have Your Say approach was introduced in 2021 and incorporated the four C’s – compliments, comments, concerns and complaints.  The framework was built on the Council’s digital platform, Liberty Create, which ensured feedback was captured in a standard way and that responses were timely.  Compliments, comments and concerns were not supported by a statutory framework so these were aligned with the customer care standards which required a response within five working days.  In terms of the amount of compliments received in 2022/23, this remained on par with 2021/22 but had increased significantly since the system had been introduced.  These figures did not capture the full picture as some service areas did not log compliments on the system so that was something which would be considered when the process was reviewed next year.  Comments had increased by over 40%, from 340 in 2021/22 to 483 in 2022/23, which indicated that more people were using the system to feedback to the Council on issues which did not necessarily sit under the formal complaints/concerns process but were important to residents.  During 2021/22, 196 concerns had been received which was a 14% increase compared with the previous year; the benefit to the customer was that they received a quicker response than formal complaints – concerns typically covered things such as repeat missed bins or progress of planning applications.  The number of formal complaints had reduced since the system was introduced and this was particularly evident in terms of waste and recycling with a 58% reduction of complaints in that area since the launch.

38.3          The Director: Corporate Resources advised that formal complaints sat within the Audit and Governance team and, unlike the other three C’s, there was a statutory process in place to deal with them.  Page No. 56 of the report showed that 110 formal complaints had been made to the authority in 2021/22, of which 34 were found to be justified and 72% had been responded to within the required timescale of 20 working days against a target of 90%; however, it was pleasing to note that the current outturn was 95% which was positive compared to last year’s annual outturn.  A breakdown of complaints by service area was set out at Page No. 57 of the report and it was no surprise that the highest number of complaints related to frontline services with 30 complaints in respect of waste and recycling, 27 in relation to planning and 29 regarding revenues and benefits.  Page No. 58 of the report illustrated the nature of complaints along with an indication  ...  view the full minutes text for item 38.

To receive an update from the Council’s representative on matters considered at the last meeting (10 October 2023). 

39.1     Attention was drawn to the report from the Council’s representative on the Gloucestershire Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee, circulated at Page No. 65, which gave an update on matters discussed at the last meeting held on 10 October 2023.

39.2     In the absence of the Council’s representative, the Chair advised that a response would be sought to any questions and circulated following the meeting.  A Member indicated that a local resident had stated that other parts of England had psychology units for children with cancer and Gloucestershire was the only one in the country which did not so she asked whether this was correct and if anything was being done to address it.  Another Member noted that the update stated that there were too many out of area placements in relation to adult and child mental health and he asked why that was the case and if anything was being done to rectify that.

39.3     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.

40.1          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 consider the performance of Places for People Leisure Management in its operation of Tewkesbury Leisure Centre and progress made in relation to returning to the original contract terms and conditions.

(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))

41.1          Members considered the performance of Places for People Leisure Management in its operation of Tewkesbury Leisure Centre and noted the positive progress made in relation to returning to the original contract terms and conditions post pandemic.