Agenda and draft minutes
Venue: M71, 7th Floor, Town Hall, Mulberry Place, 5 Clove Crescent, London, E14 2BG
Contact: Angus Taylor, Democratic Services Tel: 020 7364 4333, E-mail: angus.taylor@towerhamlets.gov.uk
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COUNCILLOR S. ISLAM (CHAIR) IN THE CHAIR |
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APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE To receive any apologies for absence.
Minutes: Apologies for absence were received on behalf of: · Councillor A. Miah. · Mr H. Mueen Uddin Co-opted Muslim Community Representative · Mr Gavin Cannsfield, Chief Executive - Tower Hamlets Homes for whom Mr Jamie Carswell, Director Strategy and Performance - Tower Hamlets Homes was deputising.
Apologies for lateness were received on behalf of Councillor A. Asad, Lead Member Children, Schools and Families.
Noted |
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DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST PDF 29 KB To note any declarations of interest made by Members, including those restricting Members from voting on the questions detailed in Section 106 of the Local Government Finance Act, 1992. See attached note from the Chief Executive.
Minutes: Councillor A. Alideclared a personal interest in Agenda item 7. “Scrutiny Spotlights – Health and Wellbeing”. The declaration of interest was made on the basis that the the item of business might involve discussion of matters pertaining to the Tower Hamlets Primary Care Trust, and Councillor Ali was an employee of the Tower Hamlets Primary Care Trust (a General practice in Spitalfields).
Councillor D. Jones declared a personal interest in Agenda item 7.1 “Scrutiny Spotlights – Health and Wellbeing”. The declaration of interest was made on the basis that the item of business might involve discussion of matters pertaining to the Tower Hamlets Primary Care Trust and Councillor Jones was a non-executive member of the governing body of Tower Hamlets Primary Care Trust.
Councillor A. A. Sardar declared a personal interest in Agenda item 7.1 “Scrutiny Spotlights – Health and Wellbeing”. The declaration of interest was made on the basis that the item of business might involve discussion of matters pertaining to the Tower Hamlets Primary Care Trust and Councillor Sardar’s daughter was employee of the Tower Hamlets Primary Care Trust (a member of staff at the Stroudley Walk Primary Care Centre).
Councillor D. Jones declared a personal interest in Agenda item 7.2 “Scrutiny Spotlights – Children Schools and Families”. The declaration of interest was made on the basis that the item of business might involve discussion of matters pertaining to secondary schools in general and perhaps Mulberry Secondary School in particular and Councillor Jones was a member of the governing body at Mulberry Secondary School.
Councillor S. Islam declared a personal interest in Agenda item 7.2 “Scrutiny Spotlights – Children Schools and Families”. The declaration of interest was made on the basis that the item of business might involve discussion of matters pertaining to secondary schools in general and perhaps Mulberry Secondary School in particular and Councillor Islam’s daughter was a pupil at Mulberry Secondary School.
Councillor A. A. Sardar declared a personal interest in Agenda item 7.2 “Scrutiny Spotlights – Children Schools and Families”. The declaration of interest was made on the basis that the item of business might involve discussion of matters pertaining to secondary schools in general and perhaps Marner Primary School in particular and Councillor Sardar was a member of the governing body at Marner Primary School.
Councillor A. Heslop declared a personal interest in Agenda item 8.1 “Performance Monitoring Update - Housing”. The declaration of interest was made on the basis that the item of business related to the Authority’s performance in relation to housing services, including that of Tower Hamlets Homes and Councillor Heslop was a representative of the Authority on the governing body of Tower Hamlets Homes and a Tower Hamlets Leaseholder.
Councillor D. Jones declared a personal interest in Agenda item 8.1 “Performance Monitoring Update - Housing”. The declaration of interest was made on the basis that the item of business related to the Authority’s performance in relation to housing services, including that of ... view the full minutes text for item 2. |
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UNRESTRICTED MINUTES PDF 85 KB To confirm as a correct record of the proceedings the unrestricted minutes of the meeting of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee held on 01 December 2009.
Minutes: The Chair Moved and it was: -
Resolved
That the unrestricted minutes of the ordinary meeting of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee held on 1st December 2009 be approved and signed by the Chair, as a correct record of the proceedings. |
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REQUESTS TO SUBMIT PETITIONS To receive any petitions (to be notified at the meeting).
Minutes: Nil items. |
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REQUESTS FOR DEPUTATIONS To receive any deputations (to be notified at the meeting).
Minutes: Nil items. |
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UNRESTRICTED REPORTS 'CALLED IN' There were no unrestricted reports ‘called in’ from the meeting of Cabinet held on 02 December 2009.
Minutes: Nil items. |
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SCRUTINY SPOTLIGHTS |
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Health and Wellbeing The Lead Member Health and Wellbeing, Councillor Anwara Ali, will attend to report on her portfolio.
(Time allocated – 45 minutes)
Minutes: Councillor Anwara Ali, Lead Member Health and Wellbeing, gave a presentation on the key issues, achievements and challenges arising from her portfolio which focused on the points set out below.
The Chair informed members of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee that a paper containing the main points of the Lead Member presentation had been Tabled, a copy of which would be interleaved with the minutes.
Key headlines of current service provision in response to demand for social care and homecare from residents:
Achievements · Performance assessment: rated “Excellent” for 6th year, in annual performance assessment for adult social care, and improved customer satisfaction ratings which compared favourably with other authorities. · Telecare now a free service with significantly improved uptake (76%) particularly amongst BME communities. · Additional resources - £1 million from reserves identified to improve services supporting older people, allocated to expansion of lunch club provision and also aids/ adaptions which enabled older people to remain in their own home. · Beacon Award for positive engagement of older people. · Initial feedback from the Care Quality Commission Inspection of November 2009 was good. · Linkage Plus: Increased emphasis on outreach and prevention, with the Council and PCT providing £640,000 joint funding for a successful pilot project. · National pilots for Integrated Care, Health Needs Assessments of Carers and Home Improvement Agency - Tower Hamlets lead role. · Transforming Adult Social Care Programme: successful pilot work following Cabinet approval, which increased choice and control for service users through a “Personal Budget”. · Re-ablement service introduced: assessment of support needs for elderly on hospital discharge to enable them to come to terms with living alone
Challenges · Improving safeguarding of vulnerable adults at risk of abuse. A much higher priority nationally in the context of Baby P and some high profile media cases. Tower Hamlets leading work in the field with a Safeguarding Adults Board established (and to be strengthened) to work closely with that for Children and jointly with partners eg PCT and Police. Attention to now focus on engaging other organisations such as RSL’s that dealt with older people. · Full implementation of Transforming Adult Social Care Work – a lengthy process with huge service implications. · Improving value for money. In the context of future public sector funding constraints an innovative approach to provision of social care and home care was needed to achieve savings without any significant impact on service delivery. · Integration of Social Work teams and Community Nursing Teams. The Council must work to meet patient demands for all their needs to be assessed at one point, rather than having separate appointments with various health professionals. Much work done under Corporate Director guidance but would require information sharing and adoption of best practice. Performance was however lagging against LAA targets, and the implications for employees of the PCT and Council needed worked through, as did the future scrutinising role of the Council. · Working Closely with NHS Tower Hamlets on moving care closer to home. · Increasing employment of people with learning disabilities ... view the full minutes text for item 7.1 |
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Children Schools and Families The Lead Member Children’s Services, Councillor Abdul Asad, will attend to report on his portfolio and also respond to concerns raised at the last meeting in relation to second quarter performance against strategic indicators.
(Time allocated – 45 minutes)
Minutes: Councillor Abdul Asad, Lead Member Children’s Schools and Families, gave a presentation, supported by Ms Isobel Cattermole, Acting Corporate Director Children Schools and Families, on points of detail, which: · Set out the key issues, successes and challenges arising from his portfolio. · Responded to concerns expressed by the Committee in December 2009, in relation to quarter 2 (September 2009) under performance against indicators for Children/ Education. the points which the presentation focused on are set out below.
The Chair informed members of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee that a paper containing the main points of the Lead Member presentation had been Tabled, a copy of which would be interleaved with the minutes.
Successes · The Ofsted annual assessment rating of Children, Schools and Families (CSF) Directorate, gave it the top grade of 4 “Performs Excellently” and commended work done with vulnerable groups in the borough. · Beacon Award for work on child poverty. · Some excellent exam results achieved young people from Tower Hamlets at both primary and secondary level. Results were above the national average at Key Stage 2, and progressing particularly well in maths between Key Stages 1 and 2. GCSE results this year were the best ever and improving at twice the national average. · A reduction in the number of children and young people not in education, employment or training. · An increased number of 13-19 year olds accessing youth work services in the borough. · 100% of final statements of special education need were issued within 26 weeks.
Performance concerns CSF had a policy of setting challenging targets as a spur to accelerated progress and particular care was being paid to the 8 performance indicators. Slide 3 before the Committee showed progress since quarter 2, but two indicators remained of concern: § A level attainment: performance had dipped against national figures. An ambitious action plan included: robust progress monitoring, targeting individual pupils with additional tutoring, increased opportunities for 6th form providers through professional development/ sharing good practice. § More needed to be done to ensure that primary schools did not slip below floor targets for Strategic Indicators 317 and 318: Reasons for underperformance varied with different schools, but none were persistently under-performing. Intervention measures were outlined, but concerns remained about the implications of Head Teacher turnover. § For the other 6 indicators, much progress had been made and the direction of travel was encouraging. Performance was above the national average and improving for most targets across the piece, but unlikely to be met entirely.
In relation to the concern expressed regarding some social care targets: · Initial and core assessments for social care: unprecedented volume nationally of referrals after Baby P. Managing this in Tower Hamlets, given demanding Government completion timescales and a national recruitment problem, was more difficult due to volume far above average. A raft of initiatives were in place to sharpen focus at the “front door into care”, streamline the associated work, monitor performance; and performance had improved on the previous year. A detailed briefing note ... view the full minutes text for item 7.2 |
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PERFORMANCE MONITORING |
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Performance Monitoring Update - Housing The Lead Member Housing and Development, Councillor Marc Francis, will attend to respond to concerns raised at the last meeting in relation to second quarter performance against strategic indicators.
(Time allocated – 15 minutes)
Minutes: Councillor Marc Francis, Lead Member Housing and Development, gave a presentation, which responded to concerns expressed by the Committee at their previous meeting, 1st December 2009, in relation to under performance against indicators relating to housing at the end of quarter 2 (September 2009). The presentation focused on the following points: · Acknowledging the legitimacy of concerns expressed by the Committee regarding performance reported to the end of September 2009, clarification given as to the Strategic Indicators and related performance for which the Lead Member was/ was not directly responsible. · A summary of progress in performance against targets: o Strategic 207 Net additional homes provided: the Lead Member considered the target, set by the current Mayor of London and Government Office for London, was not of direct local relevance but would be achieved through delivery of affordable homes. However 3000 new homes had been built in 2008/9; and significant progress was expected in 2009/10 Quarter 3 performance, with approximately 2000 homes additional to the 350 already built, primarily in the Isle of Dogs. o Strategic 208 Number of affordable homes delivered: by the end of Quarter 2 476 units had been completed and a further 377 in Quarter 3, approx 850 in total, with 2/3 of these being social for rent. Schemes delivering a further 500 social for rent units were expected to complete in Quarter 3 with a further 400 being of intermediate nature. Therefore it was expected that year end performance would meet the target (1688). o Strategic 223 Number of social rented housing completions for family housing: The 2009/10 target was 467 units and at the half year point 175 had been completed. Quarter 3 would see a further 140 more and 225 of these were family size units. With regard to year end target the Administration had not been satisfied with the level of ambition and had consequently invested an additional £20 million to accelerate delivery of such homes, with a focus on buying back home bought under the Right to Buy and 70 buy backs would be achieved by financial year end. o Strategic 224 Percentage of residents satisfied with outcome to ASB: Priority 2 cases were dealt with by Tower Hamlets Homes (THH) and performance had improved, with satisfaction ratings currently 68%, and expected to improve further. Performance on Priority 1 cases dealt with by the Community Safety Team continued to lag but a satisfaction rating of 66% had now been achieved. o Strategic 225 Average time to re-let property: Performance continued to be marginally below the target of 28 days primarily relating to voids resulting from regeneration schemes. However performance compared well with other ALMO’s and London authorities. o Strategic 226 Total service charge debt outstanding at year end: performance had been slow at start of financial year but had improved with £6.28 million collected year to date. It remained expected that the year end target, of no more than £15 million outstanding, would be met. THH had a good ... view the full minutes text for item 8.1 |
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Diversity and Equality Action Plan 2009/2010 - Six Monthly Monitoring Report PDF 489 KB To consider and comment upon the contents of the report.
(Time allocated – 20 minutes)
Minutes: Councillor Joshua Peck, Deputy Leader of the Council, in introducing the report at the request of the Chair articulated what he considered to be the incredible success story of Tower Hamlets leadership leading to performance and achievement across all equality strands, that comprised the progress reported in relation to the Diversity and Equality Action Plan and Disability Equality Scheme. However homophobic hate crime was highlighted as an area where further work was required to address poor resident perception.
A discussion followed which was centred on the following points: · Whether there was a preponderance of policies directed at improving outcomes for young people rather than older people and, the importance of continued awareness of age discrimination/ associated legal requirements; and specifically the importance of ensuring opportunities for older people at the top end of their career in the context of the direction of Government policy. · Consideration that the DEAP indicated that a lot of work was being undertaken but some of this appeared incongruent with stated objectives. · Acknowledging that achievements in this area were fantastic, both individually and holistically, clarification was sought and given as to Corporate understanding of associated costs, and the need to achieve value for money for the local taxpayer. · Whether some of the objectives/ targets set out in the DEAP lacked clarity and consequently outcomes could not be properly measured, leading to a lack of confidence in the adequacy of the actions being put in place. · Concerns expressed that the implementation of “Councillor Call for Action” was flagged as amber, given that it was a statutory requirement being placed on local authorities. · Whether the DEAP contained sufficient performance indicators relating to gender inequality. · Concerns expressed regarding slow progress towards establishment of the Pan Disability Forum and the implications for an already marginalised element of the community in terms of being heard. But also importance of ensuring operational effectiveness and resident led without being driven by unrepresentative elements. · Dissatisfaction expressed with progress on investigation of the effectiveness of responses to disable people’s complaints about services, with particular reference to final 2 sentences on page 82 of agenda). Lead Member to examine this issue. · Merits of rolling out the Swanlea School Disability Day. Lead Member to examine this issue.
The Chair Moved and it was: -
Resolved
That the progress in implementing the Council’s Diversity Action Plan 2009/10 and the Disability Equality Scheme, as set out in Appendices 1 and 2 to the report respectively, be noted.
Motion and Resolution to Extend the Proceedings
Prior to the completion of the discussion of the above item by the Committee, being 10.09pm, the Chair, Moved a motion, to extend the proceedings for a further 30 minutes to allow the Committee to transact all remaining business detailed on the agenda, for the consideration of members of the Committee; and it was:-
Resolved
That pursuant to the Authority’s Constitution, Part 4 Rules of Procedure, Section 4.1 Council Procedure Rules, Rule 9, that the meeting be extended for a period of up ... view the full minutes text for item 8.2 |
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SCRUTINY MANAGEMENT |
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Scrutiny Challenge Session - English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) PDF 83 KB To consider and comment on the outcomes of the Scrutiny Challenge Session.
(Time allocated 10 minutes)
Minutes: The Chair briefly introduced the report.
Councillor Tim Archer considered the Committee should satisfy itself, at a future point, that issues identified at the scrutiny challenge session, and captured in its recommendations, had been addressed. He added that Working Neighbourhood Fund funding and subsequently other funding identified by Cabinet for ESOL provision had been “one offs” and the Committee should also satisfy itself that further resources had been identified to maintain provision. He emphasised that any reduction of provision would have a detrimental impact on community cohesion and particularly exacerbate the isolation of Bengali women. Accordingly, Councillor Archer proposed an additional recommendation to those set out in the report, for the consideration of members of the Committee, as follows:
“That the Overview and Scrutiny Committee examine the issues relating to ESOL provision in January 2011 with a view to satisfying itself that funding and other issues identified in the scrutiny challenge session had been addressed.”
The Chair, Moved, the recommendations contained in the report (taking account of the amendment from Councillor Archer); and it was:-
Resolved
1. That the outcome of the ESOL scrutiny challenge session be noted.
2. That the recommendations set out in Section 9 of the report be endorsed, subject to the addition of the recommendation set out above. |
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PRE-DECISION SCRUTINY OF UNRESTRICTED CABINET AGENDA To consider and agree pre-decision scrutiny questions/comments to be presented to Cabinet.
(Time allocated – 5 minutes)
Minutes: The Chair informed members of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee that no pre-decision questions/ comments in respect of the unrestricted business contained in the agenda for consideration by the Cabinet, at their meeting to be held on 13th January 2009, had been submitted for consideration and agreement.
Councillor Jones, in referring to Agenda item 7.1 “Update on Consultation on Proposals for a National Challenge Trust at St Paul’s Way Community School” on the agenda for consideration by the Cabinet on 13th January, and an addendum to the original report only circulated to members of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee on the evening of 12th January, expressed the following concerns: · The addendum report recommended approval of proposals for a National Challenge Trust at St Paul’s Way Community School but also that the Corporate Director be authorised to appoint the Council’s director/ trustee, after consulting the Lead Member; and this was unprecedented. Normally appointments of the authority’s representatives to outside bodies was a matter reserved to full Council or the General Purposes Committee between Council meetings. Councillor Eaton concurred that this was a new approach and inappropriate in terms of governance procedures. · The original report indicated that if the Trust was dissolved, publicly funded land would revert either to the school or the local authority and this lacked clarity. · The addendum report recommended approval of leasehold transfer of land to the St Paul’s Way School Foundation Trust but did not specify the duration of the lease and should do so. Councillor Jones accordingly proposed, for the consideration of members of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee, that pre-decision scrutiny questions in relation to these matters be submitted to Cabinet.
The Chair Moved (taking account of the motion from Councillor Jones), and it was:-
Resolved:-
That the following pre-decision questions be submitted to Cabinet for consideration:
Agenda Item 7.1 Update on Consultation on Proposals for a National Challenge Trust at St Paul’s Way Community School (CAB 097/090)
1 With reference to paragraph 7.4 of the addendum report can the Cabinet clarify why the appointment of the Council representative is being delegated to the Corporate Director as this is usually undertaken by Full Council or the General Purpose Committee?
2 With regard to paragraph 5.5 of the original report can we ensure that if the Trust’s role ends then the land reverts back to the local authority?
3 Would the Cabinet specify the length of the lease and ensure this is agreed as part of recommendation 7.1 of the addendum report? |
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ANY OTHER UNRESTRICTED BUSINESS CONSIDERED TO BE URGENT To consider any other unrestricted business that the Chair considers to be urgent.
Minutes: Nil items. |
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EXCLUSION OF THE PRESS AND PUBLIC In view of the contents of the remaining items on the agenda the Committee is recommended to adopt the following motion:
“That, under the provisions of Section 100A of the Local Government Act 1972, as amended by the Local Government (Access to Information) Act 1985, the press and public be excluded from the remainder of the meeting for the consideration of the Section Two business on the grounds that it contains information defined as Exempt in Part 1 of Schedule 12A to the Local Government Act, 1972.”
EXEMPT/CONFIDENTIAL SECTION (Pink Papers)
The exempt committee papers in the agenda will contain information, which is commercially, legally or personally sensitive and should not be divulged to third parties. If you do not wish to retain these papers after the meeting, please hand them to the Committee Officer present. Minutes: The agenda circulated contained no Section Two business (business containing information defined as exempt or confidential in Part 1 of Schedule 12A to the Local Government, Act 1972. There was therefore no requirement to exclude the press and public, under the provisions of Section 100A of the Local Government Act 1972, as amended by the Local Government (Access to Information) Act 1985, to allow for consideration of such business prior to the conclusion of the meeting.
SUMMARY OF EXEMPT/ CONFIDENTIAL BUSINESS
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EXEMPT/ CONFIDENTIAL MINUTES Nil items.
Minutes: Nil items. |
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EXEMPT/ CONFIDENTIAL REPORTS 'CALLED IN' There were no exempt/ confidential reports ‘called in’ from the meeting of Cabinet held on 02 December 2009.
Minutes: Nil items. |
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PRE-DECISION SCRUTINY OF EXEMPT/ CONFIDENTIAL CABINET AGENDA To consider and agree pre-decision scrutiny questions/comments to be presented to Cabinet.
(Time allocated – 5 minutes)
Minutes: Nil items. |
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ANY OTHER EXEMPT/ CONFIDENTIAL BUSINESS CONSIDERED TO BE URGENT To consider any other exempt/ confidential business that the Chair considers to be urgent.
Minutes: Nil items. |