To receive any advice of key issues or questions in relation to the unrestricted business of the Cabinet, arising from the meeting of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee held on 5^th October 2010.

Sheet of questions and comments arising from the Overview and Scrutiny Committee held on 5^th October 2010 Tabled by the Chair of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee.

Resolved

That the questions and comments of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee be noted, and that these be given consideration during the Cabinet deliberation of the items of business to which the questions/ comments related.

Action by:

ASSISTANT CHIEF EXECUTIVE – LEGAL SERVICES (I. FREEMAN)

Executive Team Leader, Democratic Services, Chief Executive’s (A. Taylor)

The Chair informed members of the Cabinet that Councillor Jackson, Chair of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee, had Tabled a sheet of questions/ comments arising from the deliberations of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee, held on 5^th October 2010, in respect of the unrestricted business contained in the agenda for consideration, a copy of which would be interleaved with the minutes.

Councillor Jackson, Chair of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee, addressed members of the Cabinet:

·                    Call In

o                   Summarising the deliberations of the Committee regarding the “Call In” of the provisional decision of the Cabinet, taken on 8^th September 2010, in respect of “Enforcement Policy and RIPA” (CAB 041/101) for members of the Cabinet.

o                   Informing them, in conclusion, that the Overview and Scrutiny Committee had endorsed the decisions previously taken by Cabinet, in relation to this matter, but additionally would review enforcement action at the same time as the Standards Committee.

·                    Scrutiny Spotlight – Lead Member Housing, Heritage and Planning

o                    Outlining the key issues on which this discussion focused: Independent Review of Leaseholder Charges, achievement of the Decent Homes Standards, the impact on the cap on Housing Benefit, buy back of ex-council properties, rationalising the number of RSLs operating in the borough and use of the Private Rented Sector.

·                    Performance and Budget Scrutiny

o                    Highlighting the key elements of the Committee’s consideration of the report “Strategic Performance and Corporate Revenue and Capital Budget Monitoring Quarter One 2010/11” to inform Cabinet consideration of the same report:

Ø                      Overspends relating to the Communications Budget and the Housing Revenue Account.

Ø                      Concern regarding underperformance relating to NI065 “Percentage of children becoming the subject of Child Protection Plan for a second or subsequent time”. Noted that ensuring the safety of young people was the overriding priority, but briefing paper from the Lead Member/ Corporate Director requested to identify specific reasons for underperformance.

Ø                      Performance in delivering the ‘You Decide’ Participatory Budgeting Programme – recommendation that where it is anticipated that a project will not be delivered, alternatives are examined, for example releasing resources for visits to older people.

Ø                      Budget management of concern particularly relating to the Capital Programme where the proportion of spend lagged behind the budgetary timeline and then accelerated towards the end of the financial year.

·                    Scrutiny Challenge

o                    Reporting consideration/ agreement of the report arising from the scrutiny challenge session on Tower Hamlets Enforcement Officers (THEOs) and highlighting the key recommendations.

·                    Reports of Scrutiny Working Groups

Formally introducing the findings and recommendations of two Scrutiny Working Groups as follows:

Responses to the recommendations of the Scrutiny Working Group: Reducing Worklessness amongst Young Adults 18 – 24

Ø                  Led by former Cllr Abdul Aziz Sardar with the aim of identifying the key barriers facing 18-24 year olds in gaining sustainable employment and making recommendations on ways the Partnership could support this group to find employment. An important area given the scale of this problem across London and nationally.

Ø                  Key themes: developing opportunities for young adults and targeted groups, engaging with young adults through developing awareness and information, developing the role of the third sector in reducing worklessness and early intervention to support young people from an early age.

Ø                  Recommendations: over 20 put forward focused on ways the wider partnership could help reduce worklessness in the borough. The report and action plan welcomed by the Prosperous Community Plan Delivery Group, the Employment Task Group and the Achieving Economic Wellbeing Commissioning Delivery Group, and commended to Cabinet.

Ø                  Key message is that reducing worklessness is the responsibility of everyone and especially important in the current climate.

Response to the recommendations of the Scrutiny Working Group: Strengthening Local Community Leadership

Ø                  Led by Councillor Jackson and focused on how the Council could strengthen local community leadership in response to national drivers for strengthening the leadership role of councillors and scrutiny and also an opportunity to test out the proposals for a local model of “Councillor Call for Action”.

Ø                  Outlined review methodology including a discussion with residents on how they can work with their community leaders to resolve complex issues.

Ø                  Key findings: the Council was found to already be doing a lot of work to develop community leaders and ensure it reflected the local community. However more could be done to assist councillors to maintain their links with the community once elected including reducing bureaucracy and meetings.

Ø                  Recommendations: several, at heart of which is developing a new model of community leadership to support Members to engage with local residents more fully. Also a need for innovative methods to increase resident participation in the democratic process and improve our partnership process; it was hoped development of the “Councillor Call for Action” and closer links to Local Area Partnerships (LAPs) would help address this.

·                    Key Issues or Questions (Pre Scrutiny)

Informing members of the Cabinet that she had nothing to add to the questions/ comments raised by the Overview and Scrutiny Committee, as set out in the tabled paper regarding: -

o                   Item 6.1          Conservation Strategy

o                   Item 6.2          Neighbourhood Shops Policy

o                   Item 6.3          Future Contracting Approach for Waste and Public Realm Services

o                   Item 7.1          Contracts Forward Plan

o                   Item 7.3          Mainstream Grants Advice Service Corporate Match Funding Programmes – Arrangements for 2011 and Beyond.

o                   Item 8.1          Food Law Enforcement Service Plan 2010-2011.

The Chair thanked Councillor Jackson for presenting the contribution of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee, and then Moved and it was: -

Resolved

That the questions and comments of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee be noted, and that these be given consideration during the Cabinet deliberation of the items of business to which the questions/ comments related.