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 Monitoring Officer.

No declarations of disclosable pecuniary interest were received at this meeting.

The Chair Moved and it was:-

RESOLVED

That the unrestricted minutes of the meeting of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee held on 26^th November, 2018 were approved as a correct record of the proceedings.

To confirm as a correct record of the proceedings the unrestricted minutes of the meeting of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee held on 28th January, 2019.

That the unrestricted minutes of the meeting of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee held on 28^th January, 2019 was approved as a correct record of the proceedings. Copy to sign

The Committee will receive a presentation that will outline performance in terms of service delivery and the challenges the Council is facing.

The Committee will receive a presentation that will outline performance in terms of service delivery and the challenges the Council is facing.  The main points of the discussion maybe summarised as follows.

The Committee:

·         Noted that the intention is to use the Safeguarding Adults Reviews (SAR) to identify trends and the timeliness of learning from serious cases; 

·         Was informed that an action plan is being developed after each SAR to highlight issues/themes/concerns and look at where there are repeating issue’s (e.g. neglect; managing medication and how services are commissioned);

·         Was advised that the Board has placed significant focus on raising awareness (e.g. so that older adults know how and when to report issues and are empowered to do so especially particularly when the abuse occurs in their own homes);

·         Noted that it is important for older adults have support in establishing boundaries within their home/family environment to builds a positive relationship within their family where they may be concerned about  how they are treated

·         Noted that the independent regulator of all health and social care services in England ,the Care Quality Commission monitors  all registered care and are a member of the Safe Guarding Board and they highlight concerns for the Board so if there are safeguarding issues these will be addressed with our partners;

·         Was informed that the standards for commissioned services are the same as in-house and the Council have quality monitoring officers for the services provided via commissioned services in homes and in residential accommodation;

·         Noted that it is clearly very important if improvements are to be made, and, more importantly, sustained, that local arrangements for safeguarding should be subject to scrutiny and challenge which focuses on ensuring adults are properly safeguarded and their life chances improved. This is where the role of councillors who are involved in scrutiny is crucial;

·         Was informed that patients who are consider most at risk of their care escalating into the acute setting are referred to the Integrated Locality Teams who are responsible for joining up and coordinating the care provided by multiple professionals to patients; and

·         Noted that the data on the quality of provision is available to families to make an informed decisions and the Council has access to detailed data on providers to make an informed assessment.

The Chair thanked Christabel Shawcross and the Officers for their presentation.  Then as a result of consideration of this presentation by the

Committee the Chair Moved and it was:-

RESOLVED

The Committee agreed:

1. They would like to regularly revisit the issues highlighted in the discussion and it was suggested that there should be a further discussion on this issue at the November meeting;
2. That this could be held in a community setting where services are delivered e.g. Mellish Street on the Isle of Dogs; and
3. The Committee should be provided with details of the forth coming consultation on the Adults Safeguarding Strategy.

The Committee will receive a presentation on trends and issues.

The Committee received and noted a report regarding the Complaints and Information Annual Report 2017/18 sets out the Council’s activities and performance in response to Information Governance matters and

Information Requests; Corporate Complaints and Statutory Complaints for

Children’s and Adults Social Care. The main points of the discussion maybe summarised as follows.

The Committee:

• Noted that in regards to the Tower Hamlets Homes the Housing Local Government Ombudsmen (LGO) has indicated that THH accept like any organisation they can make mistakes. THH want to know if they get something wrong, and welcome customer feedback so that they can learn from their mistakes and improve their services.
• Noted that training and support is provided to Council Staff so as to improve the response rates and the direction of travel is good;
• Was informed that in April there will be 2 quarters data to reflect upon and have a clearer picture of the situation since the introduction of the 2 stage complaints process;
• Was advised that if required the process can be escalated;
• Noted that the LGO have indicated that complaints provide councils valuable information that they can use to improve customer satisfaction.
• Acknowledged that a councils complaints handling procedure will enable them to address a customer’s dissatisfaction and may also prevent the same problems that led to the complaints from happening again.
• Recognised that handled well, complaints can give council customers a form of redress when things go wrong, and can also help councils continuously improve their services;
• Accepted that resolving complaints early saves money and creates better customer relations. Sorting them out locally and quickly, so they are less likely to escalate to the next stage of the procedure;
• Indicated that it wished to have details of those cases that have been considered by the Environment and Traffic Adjudicators tribunal; and
• Commented that in future it would be helpful to receive details on the numbers of Members Enquiries and complaints handling within a single document.  In response it was noted that the complaints data will in the future integrated into the performance report.

The Chair Moved and it was:-

RESOLVED

To note priorities for action to improve performance for both information governance and complaints handling.

The Committee will receive a report that follows up from the scrutiny challenge session on the Social Value Act, which went to Overview and Scrutiny Committee (OSC) on 9 May 2017, and a subsequent action plan considered by Cabinet in 27 February 2018. This report reviews the progress against the recommendations and action plan.

The Committee received a report that followed up from the scrutiny challenge session on the Social Value Act, which went to Overview and Scrutiny Committee (OSC) on 9 May 2017, and a subsequent action plan considered by Cabinet in 27 February 2018. The report reviewed the progress against the recommendations and action plan.

The Committee.

• Noted that the Council are looking at best practice to develop and embed the action plan and associated toolkit can be used to from area to area to get the best economic benefit;
• Was informed that Res in the Social Value Basket there was a requirement to quantify the costs involved in lower value contracts to secure those benefits;
• Noted that the Council is legally obliged to consider how something it is procuring might improve the economic social and or environmental well-being of its area;
• Noted that the Council must also consider how the mode of procurement will secure such benefit and indicated that it would wish to see the procurement in regard to the new Town Hall;
• Noted that the Members at the Challenge Session had identified that the development of a Social Value Policy would have the benefit of providing both contractors and residents with a clear definition of expectations and requirements in the commissioning, implementation and evaluation of social value elements;
• Noted that taking steps engage and consult with both communities and potential suppliers to evidence and inform the format, scale and range of the Social Value Policy is therefore at the heart of the review and a focus for recommendations; and
• Was informed that where money spent to increase equality impact through the Social Value Act it is aligned to the council’s priorities.

As a result of discussions on this report the Chair Moved and it was:-

RESOLVED

The Committee noted the updates within the report.

The Committee will receive a presentation from Cllr Ronald, Cabinet Member for Resources and the Voluntary Sector and Neville Murton, Corporate Director of Resources on the Council’s finances and a subsequent report to be considered by Cabinet in 27 February 2018. See this link to access the report link

The Committee is asked to consider if these align with Council priorities and provide residents with value for money.

The Committee received a presentation from Cllr Ronald, Cabinet Member for Resources and the Voluntary Sector and Neville Murton, Corporate Director of Resources on the Council’s finances and a subsequent report to be considered by Cabinet in 27 February 2018. The Committee noted that it was being asked to consider if these align with Council priorities and provide residents with value for money.

The Committee:

• Raised concerns that the information provided was too high level and that it would be useful to have more detail in the report to improve transparency. In particular, the directorate analysis could be clearer.
• Noted that new capital governance arrangements are driving through change so that going forward there will be a better understanding future capital expenditure.  Especially with regard to the former Royal London Hospital building that would become the location for the New Town Hall;
• Was reminded that funding for local authorities in England has undergone considerable changes in the 2010s. Central government grant funding has been substantially reduced; after falling in real terms to 2015, council tax has begun to rise; and new grants have been introduced in response to claims of a ‘crisis’ in social care funding;
• Noted that since 2013, business rate retention has also rewarded councils with a share of growth in business rate revenues. In February 2016, the Government complemented these changes with the announcement of a ‘fair funding review’, followed by consultations in July 2016 and December 2017;
• Was informed that the Fair Funding Review will affect how funding is allocated and redistributed between local authorities from 2020 onwards. It is expected to use three main ‘cost drivers’: population, deprivation and sparsity, together with additional cost drivers related to specific local authority services; and
• Queried the implications of the spending review and fair funding review colliding in 2020 and discussed the impact of the lack of provision for deprivation within current Government principles.

The Chair Moved and it was:-

RESOLVED

The Committee

Note the Council’s projected outturn position against General Fund, Dedicated Schools Budget and HRA budgets agreed for 2018-19, based on information as at the end of December as detailed in the Appendices and the summary savings position.

To receive any petitions (to be notified at the meeting).

The Committee was advised that no requests to submit any petition’s had been received for consideration at this meeting.

The Committee are asked to note and to comment upon the Action Log - To follow

Noted

Members are asked to review the Forward Plan and to plan around the Committees priorities

Noted

No decisions of the Mayor in Cabinet on the 28^th November, 2018 in respect of unrestricted reports on the agenda were ‘called in’.

The Committee was advised that no unrestricted reports had been “called in”.

To receive verbal updates from each of the Scrutiny Leads.

(Time allocated – 5 minutes each)

1.    Councillor Bex White Scrutiny Lead for Governance advised the Committee that (i) she had, had a meeting with officers on the development of the Overview and Scrutiny Toolkit (ii) Attended the launch of the Councils Brexit Report and (iii) the report of the Spitalfields Community Governance Review would be going to General Purposes and Cabinet this week.

2.    Councillor Marc Francis Scrutiny Lead for Resources informed the Committee that (i) there had been a Scrutiny Challenge Session on Customer Access and (ii) further work is required on the development of the Grants Scrutiny Sub-committee.

To consider and agree pre-decision scrutiny questions/comments to be presented to Cabinet.

The Committee received and noted those questions to be presented at Cabinet by the Chair in relation to unrestricted business on the agenda – See Appendix 1

To consider any other unrestricted business that the Chair considers to be urgent.

The Chair informed the Committee that Cabinet on 27^th February, 2019 was to agree the Local Authority’s school admission arrangements for Tower Hamlets Community Schools and those schools for whom the Local Authority acts as the admission authority. He stated that due to the urgency of the decision he had after briefing from officers had agreed to this decision being exempt from call-in.

As the agenda circulated contained no exempt/ confidential business and there was therefore no requirement to exclude the press and public to allow for its consideration.

Nil items

Nil items

Nil items

Nil items

To consider and agree pre-decision scrutiny questions/comments to be presented to Cabinet.

(Time allocated 15 minutes).

Nil items

To consider any other exempt/ confidential business that the Chair considers to be urgent.

Nil items