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Agenda and minutes

Venue: Tewkesbury Borough Council Offices, Severn Room

Contact: Democratic Services Tel: 01684 272021  Email:  democraticservices@tewkesbury.gov.uk

Items
No. Item

53.

Announcements

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.   

Minutes:

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

54.

Apologies for Absence and Substitutions

To receive apologies for absence and advise of any substitutions. 

Minutes:

54.1          Apologies for absence had been received from Councillors K Berliner (Vice-Chair), H S Munro and C Softley.  There were no substitutes for the meeting. 

55.

Declarations of Interest

Pursuant to the adoption by the Council on 26 June 2012 of the Tewkesbury Borough Council Code of Conduct, effective from 1 July 2012, as set out in Minute No. CL.34, Members are invited to declare any interest they may have in the business set out on the Agenda to which the approved Code applies.

Minutes:

55.1          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.

55.2          There were no declarations made on this occasion.

56.

Minutes pdf icon PDF 129 KB

To approve the Minutes of the meeting held on 11 October 2022.

Minutes:

56.1          The Minutes of the meeting held on 11 October 2022, copies of which had been circulated, were approved as a correct record and signed by the Chair. 

57.

Executive Committee Forward Plan pdf icon PDF 399 KB

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.

Minutes:

57.1          Attention was drawn to the Executive Committee Forward Plan, circulated at Pages No. 13-18.  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. 

57.2          The Head of Corporate Services advised that the Review of Capability Policy would now be taken to the meeting on 4 January 2023 having been considered by the Overview and Scrutiny Committee at two workshops and included later on the Agenda for today’s meeting.  A report on the first floor refurbishment project would also be taken to that meeting following consideration at Transform Working Group last week where it had been well-received.  A Member sought clarification as to what the first floor refurbishment project involved and the Head of Finance and Asset Management advised that this was building upon the work which was started in 2013 and was about updating the working environment and providing the facilities required to reflect modern working practices.  The Member queried how much this was likely to cost in view of the current economic climate and the Head of Finance and Asset Management explained that there were a whole host of aspects to the project.  The amount of desk space had been rationalised prior to COVID and it was now necessary to put measures in place to meet the requirements of hybrid working; a lot of Teams calls currently took place in the open office area which meant it could be difficult to hear and could cause confidentiality issues.  It was intended to make provision for collaborative and innovative working spaces which could be used flexibly by services at different times of the year.  Part of the project would also be about providing better staff facilities as the current staff lounge and kitchen areas were very dated and not well-used.  Furthermore, there would be an opportunity to add some colour to what was currently a fairly blank canvass and to promote the Council’s vision and values as well as using display screens to communicate information to staff.  He stressed it was not intended to do a major re-fit, rather it would be a number of smaller elements coming together as a project.  It was a matter of balancing the needs of Officers, in terms of an improved working environment, against the background of the rising cost of living; however, Officers were satisfied that the proposals would provide the changes needed and would be value for money in terms of the expenditure incurred.

57.3          A Member noted that the Parking Strategy Review had been moved to the pending items section of the Forward Plan – he had asked on several occasions for an update on how and when this would be progressed and was concerned that his questions remained unanswered.  The Head of Finance and Asset Management advised that he was in a position to be able to write the draft strategy in December.  There was a question  ...  view the full minutes text for item 57.

58.

Overview and Scrutiny Committee Work Programme 2022/23 pdf icon PDF 148 KB

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

Minutes:

58.1          Attention was drawn to the Overview and Scrutiny Committee Work Programme, circulated at Pages No. 19-26.  Members were asked to consider the Work Programme.

58.2          The Head of Corporate Services advised that, as discussed at the last meeting, the Work Programme had been updated to reflect that, due to the Council Plan Performance Tracker – Quarter Two 2022/23 being brought forward to this meeting, the Depot Services Working Group Update and the Active Gloucestershire report on the progress of its ‘We Can Move’ project had both been moved from today’s meeting to January.  Members were advised that the Fit for the Future 2 Outcome Report which had previously been in pending items had now also been scheduled for the January meeting.  In addition, the report regarding the trial of mobile surveillance equipment was now included on the Agenda for the meeting on 4 April 2023.

58.3          It was

RESOLVED           That the Overview and Scrutiny Committee Work Programme 2022/23 be NOTED.

59.

Gloucestershire Police and Crime Panel Update pdf icon PDF 70 KB

To receive an update from the Council’s representative on matters considered at the last meeting (4 November 2022). 

Minutes:

59.1          Attention was drawn to the report from the Council’s representative on the Gloucestershire Police and Crime Panel, circulated at Pages No. 27-30, which gave an update on matters considered at the meeting held on 4 November 2022.

59.2          The Council’s representative on the Gloucestershire Police and Crime Panel advised that Gloucestershire had applied for Government funding and had been successful in securing £2m for its Safer Streets programme – this was the highest award per capita of any of the 43 forces in England and Wales which reflected the efforts invested.  There were a number of other bids pending so hopefully further funding would also be received.  The Police and Crime Commissioner had discussed a number of ways the money would be spent including tacking anti-social behaviour and rural crime.  A presentation had been delivered to the Panel in relation to the operation of the police complaints function within the Police and the Police and Crime Commissioner’s Office.  It was noted that a lot of calls received were not Police matters and required signposting people to the right locations.  The Council’s representative reminded Members of the PEEL (Police Effectiveness, Efficiency and Legitimacy) review which had been carried out in early 2021 and had assessed the Constabulary in 13 areas of policing with four of those being graded ‘good’, one ‘adequate’, six ‘inadequate’ and the remaining two being ungraded.  At the time, he had reported that Gloucestershire had been subject to a new form of review which was a more granular system then the previous one which had consequences for how matters were recorded and reported.  A new regime had subsequently been introduced by the Police to address the key issues around the recording of crimes and the operation of the control room in terms of how quickly calls were being answered.  It was noted that the number of recorded crimes was increasing as people were able to get through more quickly so it was possible that the amount of crime may look to be increasing because it was being captured more effectively.  He explained that, as with all public services, there was a lot of pressure on the Police budget and further details were awaited in relation to Government funding.  He pointed out that two independent Members had joined the Panel – they were classed as independent as they did not represent local authorities in Gloucestershire – and they were a welcome addition in terms of the diversity and new perspectives they would bring.

59.3          A Member indicated that he had received complaints from members of the public who had called 101 to report anti-social behaviour but had not been able to get through; he had a direct number for the Police and was not able to get through on that either which meant that, by the time an incident had been reported and Police despatched, the offenders had left the scene.  The Council’s representative agreed this was an area for focus in terms of improving the speed calls  ...  view the full minutes text for item 59.

60.

Council Plan Performance Tracker - Quarter Two 2022/23 pdf icon PDF 221 KB

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

Additional documents:

Minutes:

60.1          The report of the Head of Corporate Services, circulated at Pages No. 31-90, attached the performance management information for quarter one of 2022/23.  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.

60.2          Members were informed that this was the second quarterly monitoring report for 2022/23 and represented the latest information in terms of the status of the actions set out in the Council Plan which was refreshed and adopted by Council on 26 July 2022.  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).  The remaining actions from the COVID-19 Corporate Recovery Plan had been incorporated into the Council Plan Performance Tracker so there would be one strategic document going forward.  Key financial information was also reported alongside the tracker documents with a revenue budget statement attached at Appendix 2 to the report, a capital monitoring statement attached at Appendix 3 to the report and a reserves position summary attached at Appendix 4 to the report. 

60.3          Key actions for the quarter were highlighted at Paragraph 2.3 of the report and included all units within the Council’s commercial property portfolio being let and occupied; the appointment of Shared Intelligence to start work on the economic assessment which would form the basis of the new Economic Development and Tourism Strategy which had been subject to an Overview and Scrutiny Committee workshop on 15 November; preparation of an Empty Homes Strategy and an Electric Vehicle Charging Strategy which had both been well-received at Executive Committee last week; success of the solar canopy which had enhanced the Council’s reputation and received extremely positive feedback on social media.  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.  These included actions around the Joint Strategic Plan; review of the corporate website which had been delayed due to difficulties with recruitment, although it was noted that interviews had taken place earlier in the day; three actions in relation to the Garden Town; and the review of the litter pickers scheme which had been deferred to 2023/24 following a review of the Business Transformation team priorities.  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 not on target, were set out at Paragraph 3.3. of the report.  Particular reference was made to KPIs 10 and 11 in relation to homelessness, and it was noted that the Housing and Homelessness Strategy Action Plan Monitoring Report  ...  view the full minutes text for item 60.

61.

Review of Planning Key Performance Indicators pdf icon PDF 224 KB

To be aware of the revised proposals to the Key Performance Indicators in relation to Planning. 

Additional documents:

Minutes:

61.1          Attention was drawn to the report of the Head of Development Services, circulated at Pages No. 91-107, which informed Members of the proposed changes to the Planning Key Performance Indicators (KPIs).

61.2          The Head of Development Services advised that Members would be aware that a review of the Planning service had been undertaken last year and it was intended to hold a briefing for all Members in January to update them on progress.  An action plan in response to the review had been approved by the Executive Committee in November 2021 and this had included a performance management stream which focused on ensuring there was effective monitoring in place.  One of the overarching recommendations was to review the way planning performance was reported internally and to bring the approach in line with national reporting as it was recognised that the current reporting targets were in line with what was expected for a high-performing authority which was not an accurate reflection of the current service. 

61.3          Members would be familiar with the current KPIs in relation to major, minor and ‘other’ applications; however, this was not in line with the criteria for reporting to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC).  As such, it was proposed to change internal reporting to align with the national standards the authority was required to report i.e. two categories relating to major applications and non-major applications.  The current threshold for speed of decisions was 60% for major development and 70% for non-major development – the Council was performing above those thresholds but improvement was still needed to become a high-performing planning authority.  As such, it was proposed to introduce a stretch target over three years, as set out at Pages No. 97-98 of the report.  The Government also required reporting on the quality of decisions which was not reported as a KPI currently so this was something which was proposed to be introduced going forward. 

61.4          In explaining the thinking behind the new targets, the Head of Development Services advised that the Business Transformation team had done a lot of analysis of other authorities with a similar make-up to Tewkesbury Borough Council in terms of the nature of the Borough and the type of applications submitted.  As mentioned, the current targets were what would be expected for a high performing authority and had increased year on year without being reviewed to check if they were appropriate - continually missing targets was very demotivating and demoralising for Officers.  The stretch targets proposed reflected the current situation and encouraged incremental improvement in performance.

61.5          A Member understood the need for more realistic targets, particularly in light of the comparison of the speed and quality of planning decisions against other authorities as set out at Appendix 2 to the report.  He expressed the view that it was necessary to get things in order before the planning application tracker was introduced.  He continued to have problems contacting Planning Officers by telephone and he asked when communication  ...  view the full minutes text for item 61.

62.

Housing and Homelessness Strategy Action Plan Monitoring Report pdf icon PDF 120 KB

To consider the progress made against the Housing and Homelessness Strategy Action Plan.

Additional documents:

Minutes:

62.1          The report of the Housing Services Manager, circulated at Pages No. 108-135, provided Members with an update on progress made against the Housing and Homelessness Strategy Action Plan.  Members were asked to consider the report.

62.2          The Housing Services Manager advised that the Housing and Homelessness Strategy had been approved by Council in April 2022 where it had been agreed that monitoring of delivery would be undertaken by the Overview and Scrutiny Committee.  This report gave an update on the progress made to date against the action plan which had been agreed by the Executive Committee.  It was noted that the strategy had been compiled prior to the issues in Ukraine and the impact of inflation so Officers had moved things around within the action plan to prioritise actions around improvements for tenants, for instance, working with partners to secure better build standards with committed funds and changing tenure type from affordable rent to social rent.  It was noted there had also been a change to the approach in delivery of rented affordable housing with social rent being prioritised through the new evidence base of local housing need; this would have a significant impact on affordability for tenants.  The second priority related to the development of an Empty Property Strategy which had been approved by the Executive Committee earlier this month.  In relation to this, a housing stock condition survey was being undertaken across the county and, once that had been carried out in Tewkesbury Borough, the results would be incorporated into the strategy to improve the housing stock.  Bromford had recently done a survey of its own stock and that data could be matched with the information on the housing register to inform those findings.  Priority three related to meeting the housing needs of homeless households and others with specific needs.  Part of this would involve engaging with people with a lived experience of homelessness and other disadvantage to inform how Officers worked with customers and understand the reasons why they might not make the right choices.  In terms of work on care leavers, the Council was committed to assisting with the corporate parenting model and was leading on the protocol on behalf of the Housing teams across the county to help them move on from care settings into accommodation.

62.3          A Member asked for clarification as to the difference between affordable and social rent and was informed these were different tenure types; by definition, affordable rents were 80% of the market rent capped at housing benefit levels so some still could not afford them whereas social rent was the cheapest tenure type available.  The Member asked how many empty homes there were in the borough and for more information about the proposal to incentivise people to downsize in terms of how that would be achieved.  The Housing Services Manager explained that, as at October 2021, there were 510 empty homes in the borough and a breakdown was provided within the Empty Property Strategy along with information about  ...  view the full minutes text for item 62.

63.

Review of Capability Policy pdf icon PDF 88 KB

To endorse the revised Supporting Performance Policy (previously the Capability Policy) and recommend it to the Executive Committee for approval. 

Additional documents:

Minutes:

63.1          The report of the Head of Corporate Services, circulated at Pages No. 136-170, asked Members to endorse the revised Supporting Performance Policy (previously the Capability Policy) and to recommend to the Executive Committee that it be approved.

63.2          The HR and OD Manager advised that two successful workshops had been held with the Overview and Scrutiny Committee to review the Capability Policy and a revised Supporting Performance Policy had been developed as attached to Appendix 3 to the report.  She had been made aware of some typographical errors which she undertook to amend prior to the report being taken to the Executive Committee.  The key elements of the new policy were that it set out an expectation of high performance from staff and placed emphasis on support, guidance and early intervention being most effective to turn performance around.  The process had also been streamlined and gave clear steps to escalation where appropriate with flexibility for rapid progression if warranted.  She thanked Members for their support in the development of the policy.

63.3          Accordingly, it was

RESOLVED           That the Supporting Performance Policy be ENDORSED and it be RECOMMENDED TO THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE that it be APPROVED.

64.

Corporate Peer Challenge Action Plan pdf icon PDF 116 KB

To consider the progress made against implementation of the Corporate Peer Challenge Action Plan and to approve the suggestion at Paragraph 2.2 of the report for the Action Plan to be closed off and removed from the Committee’s Work Programme.

Additional documents:

Minutes:

64.1          The report of the Head of Corporate Services, circulated at Pages No. 171-183, provided Members with an update on the implementation of the corporate peer challenge action plan.  Members were asked to consider the report and to approve the suggestion at Paragraph 2.2 for the action plan to be closed off and removed from the Committee’s Work Programme.

64.2          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.  Most of the actions were complete or ongoing and it was felt there was no value in continuing to bring the action plan to the Committee when these were reported upon in other ways, e.g. via the performance tracker.  As such, Members were asked to agree to close off the report.

64.3          Accordingly, it was

RESOLVED          1. That the progress made in relation to the implementation of the Local Government Association Corporate Peer Challenge Action Plan be NOTED.

2. That it be AGREED that the action plan be closed-off and removed from the Committee’s Work Programme.