Agenda and minutes

No Declarations of Interest were received.

The minutes of the meeting of the Overview & Scrutiny Committee held on 9 February 2017 were approved as a correct record.

Members were reminded that the Council had adopted a ‘Balanced Scorecard’ methodology for measuring the Council’s performance. This methodology placed greater emphasis on customer satisfaction and service quality, with the aim of providing a more rounded way of measuring how the Council’s corporate priorities are being delivered.

The report to Committee set out the Balanced Scorecard information for 2016-17. This was presented by the Corporate Performance Manager, Jo Froggatt. Mrs Froggatt explained that during the course of the year, overall performance had improved on 80% of the measures and that 91% of them had been achieved or exceeded their targets. Similarly, 84% of Corporate Plan actions had been completed or were on track to be completed.

The Committee was told about those targets where performance had been within 10% of the target, but which had not been achieved. In this context, Members heard that the goal for collecting National Non Domestic Rates (NNDR) in the District, had been narrowly missed.  The goal had been to collect 98.50% of the amount owed. The collection rate achieved was 97.86%.

Members were keen to understand what this percentage shortfall meant in practical terms. In particular, they wanted to know how much NNDR the council had failed to collect by not achieving the target. The Corporate Performance Manager agreed to provide this information

Members were then told that the number of Market Stalls occupied in the District’s outdoor markets had fallen. The reasons for this were explained.

The Committee went on to consider the average housing void re-let time target, which had been narrowly missed. The goal had been to re-let void or empty properties in 21 days. The average letting time achieved for the year was 21.6 days.

Members were told that there had been problems finding tenants for small, hard to let, properties towards the end of the year. This had extended overall letting times across the District as a whole.

Finally, the Committee heard that the number of requests from residents for services related to dog fouling was just above target. The aim had been to keep the figure down to 360 requests. The final figure was 370 service requests. 

The Committee discussed the problem of dog fouling. Members felt that the publicity campaigns to discourage owners from allowing their dogs to foul pavements and other public places had been valuable, but they also felt that continuing action was required to both help prevent the problem and to punish those who refuse to clean-up after their dogs. In particular, there was a consensus that sufficient bins ought to be provided in the right locations and emptied regularly, to ensure that dog owners can dispose of the waste properly.

The Committee also thought that, when appropriate, enforcement action should be taken against those who refuse to clean up the waste. Members asked for information about how many fines had been issued against individuals because of dog fouling. Again, the Corporate Performance Manager agreed to provide this information.

The Committee thanked Mrs Froggatt  ...  view the full minutes text for item OS3

Members were next asked to agree up to eight topics to be included in the Scrutiny Workplan for 2017-18. These would be in addition to the regular standing topics, which were looked at each year as part of the scrutiny work programme – Performance, the Budget, Crime and Disorder. There would also be a new standing topic on Housing Performance. The new standing topic had been introduced following on from the Council’s decision to directly manage its housing stock, rather than through the arms-length management organisation, Ashfield Homes.

The report to Committee set out the possible discretionary topics that had been identified as a result of consultation with elected Members and officers within the Council. Members were also informed of other possible topics for the workplan, which had been suggested since the publication of the report.

The Committee discussed extensively what topics should be included in the plan. It was generally felt that the Overview & Scrutiny Committee, along with the two Scrutiny Panels, ought to focus on those areas where they can genuinely add value and should avoid topics where they could have only a limited impact, or where it would be more appropriate for other bodies, such as Cabinet, to carry out the work. 

At the conclusion of the discussion, the Committee decided on the topics to be included as a basis for the 2017-18 Workplan. Members recognised that the plan may need to change over time in order to allow any other pressing issues to be scrutinised, as and when this was required.

RESOLVED:

a)    That the following standing topics be included as part of the Scrutiny Workplan for 2017-18:

(i)            Performance

(ii)          Budget Scrutiny

(iii)         Crime & Disorder Scrutiny (including Community Protection)

(iv)         Housing Performance Scrutiny

b)    That the following other topics be included as part of the Scrutiny Workplan for 2017-18

(i)            Fly Tipping

(ii)          Commercial Enterprise Strategy / Commercialism

(iii)         The Council’s representation on Outside Bodies

(iv)         Pest Control (Street Vermin)

(v)          Peer Challenge Action Plan

(vi)         Absenteeism (attendance management)

(vii)        Leisure Facilities Provision

(viii)      Impact of Car Parking in town centres.

c)    That the scope of the specific investigations into these topics be determined by the Chair of the Overview & Scrutiny Committee in consultation with the Chairs and Vice Chairs of Scrutiny Panel A and Scrutiny Panel B.

Reasons

Consulting, reviewing and agreeing items for the Scrutiny Workplan 2017-18 provides guidance and direction for the work undertaken by scrutiny in the coming year.