Adam Boey, Head of Strategy and Policy, introduced the first progress update report on the delivery of the of the Council’s Councillor Support Framework since the framework was approved by General Purposes Committee in June 2019. Mr Boey referred The Committee to highlights from the performance report set out in 3.5 of the report, detailing the actions that had been completed, those that were ongoing and actions that had been delayed. 

The Committee discussed a number of issues and in particular the following was noted;

·         That the RAG rating for actions that were ongoing/in progress and had been marked as green should be changed to amber as this often can be misled to thinking the action had been complete.

·         Concerns were raised, that booking children’s centres, for community events was proving difficult, as prices were too high for community groups to hire and therefore groups have had to use alternative spaces which had been hard to get to and as a result the events have had a low turnout and have been less effective. It was AGREED that the pricing structure and concessions for council spaces to be included in the next update report.

·         The results of the consultation for the allocation of the CIL monies to be included in the next update report. 

·         That a protocol for holding Committee meetings in external venues was in place. A list of venues was to be included in the next update report. Councillors were also encouraged to suggest suitable venues to Democratic Services.   

·         Democratic Services to review both timing and notice of Member Learning and Development Training sessions, as they were often at short notice or clashed with Councillors who were employed full time therefore attendances were low. It was suggested that dates of training sessions should be added into diaries in advance to avoid clashes, non-attendance etc. 

·         Democratic Services to repeat the VWAG training as not all Councillors had attended.

·         To explore ways in which training sessions can be promoted better.

·         Officers to provide more information on the ‘Community Driving Change’ in a future update report.

·         To include a new column in the Councillors Support Framework, to note the impact made and capture feedback on how effective the outcome had been.

·         Concerns remained in terms of Councillors not being informed about events and information relevant to their wards. Officers together with the Communication Team are to explore ways in which Ward Councillors can be better informed and notified in advance of upcoming events and promotions in their own wards and the borough as a whole.

·         Concerns relating to Members Enquiries were raised and it was noted that the Head of Democratic Services was currently in the process of liaising with members regarding these matters.

·         Clarity was sought in relation to Safer Neighbourhood Panels and the inconsistency around how they operate in different wards. Officers to provide a briefing note on the governance of ward panels, how they operate, who the lead contacts were and how information is shared in order for consistency across all wards. 

The Committee welcomed the report 

Concluding the discussion it was noted that Members would receive regular updates every six months.

RESOLVED

1.    That the report be noted.