Agenda and minutes

No declarations of interest were received.

Apologies for absence were received from Councillors Caulfield and Simmons.

5.10pm to 5.30pm

The Service Director Corporate attended the meeting to provide members with an update on the progress made towards the delivery of the Council Plan Delivery Plan 2022/23 and consider whether there were any areas which required further focus from the Overview and Performance Scrutiny Forum.

The report that was presented showed the progress made on the 36 milestones being tracked during 2022/23.  88% of milestones were said to be progressing well and were expected to be completed during 2022/23. 9% were rated as amber (three milestones) and were currently behind schedule, and one milestone would not be completed during 2022/23 due to procurement challenges.

The 36 milestones were split into three priority areas;

·        Making Chesterfield a thriving borough (14 milestones)

·        Improving quality of life for local people (14 milestones)

·        Provide value for money services (8 milestones)

(These milestones were being tracked and 31 were progressing well and were expected to be completed during 2022/23). 

It was noted that barriers/obstacles remained in some areas as there  continued to be a lasting legacy from the Covid-19 pandemic on service delivery and Council Plan progress. Demand for many services had also increased due to the cost of living crisis. There were also national and local challenges around recruitment and retention, supply chain and inflationary costs which were impacting on some milestones.

It was concluded that despite the significant challenges and barriers, performance continued to be high across the majority of key milestones and measures.  It was also noted that a number of the key activities within the Council Plan Delivery Plan were already planned into the Scrutiny Work Programme for further consideration, for example Climate Change, ICT and the Medium Term Financial Plan.

A member commented on the value for money priority and in particular the broad remit of the asset management plan.  The Service Director Corporate explained that this was a complicated strategy which was under development and a new Interim Service Director was now in place to help push this through.

A question was asked about the Holme Hall estates improvements tender and what was going to be done differently to try to generate any submissions.  The Service Director Corporate confirmed that a variety of factors had prevented submissions previously such as the current economic climate and the unwillingness to commit to price fixed projects but lots of work on the specification of the tender was being undertaken by Housing.  It was agreed that an update to the committee would be shared detailing the changes to the new tender.

Members commented on the Customer Service Centre call answering times detailed in the report and the importance of directing the calls to the right place as well as reducing call wait times.  The Service Director Corporate advised that training was being undertaken to ensure the correct scripting and peak time call management were in place so the right outcome was delivered the first time.

A member also commented on the importance of phone call handling. Whilst the success of MyChesterfield  ...  view the full minutes text for item 31.

To move “That under Section 100(A)(4) of the Local Government Act 1972 the public be excluded from the meeting for the following items of business on the grounds that they involve the likely disclosure of exempt information as defined in Paragraph 3 of Part 1 of Schedule 12A of the Act".

Part 2 (Non Public Information)

RESOLVED –

That under Section 100(A)(4) of the Local Government Act 1972 the public be excluded from the meeting for the following item of business on the grounds that it involved the likely disclosure of exempt information as defined in Paragraph 1 of Part 1 of Schedule 12A of the Act.

5.30pm to 6.15pm

The Deputy Leader of the Council and the Policy and Partnerships Manager attended the meeting to provide members with an update on the CBC Climate Change Strategy and the public engagement on the proposed Climate Change Strategy Themes.

The public consultation was due to run from 14^th November to 12^th December 2022 to gain public views on the 6 proposed Strategic Themes;

·        Buildings and Energy Use

·        Travel

·        Green space, land use and offsetting

·        Communications, engagement, and training

·        Data, monitoring and partnership activity

·        Council influence and partnership activity

A questionnaire was to be shared with the public to gain feedback on this draft set of themes.

The Policy and Partnerships Manager then shared more details around which activities could be undertaken in each theme to help reach both the 2030 and 2050 targets.  It was noted that this delivery plan was a working document with the aim of providing an annual report on progress.

Members asked if CBC had reached out to the community/local community groups for their input into the Strategic Themes.  The Deputy Leader of the Council confirmed that information sharing had been offered to Chesterfield Climate Change Group but no response had been received as yet.  Contact had also been made with various organisations including Chesterfield College.

In response to a question about whether paper copies would be available in areas such as schools and doctors’ surgeries, the Policy and Partnerships Manager confirmed that the Local Democracy work would pick up this theme but the carbon neutral element to leaving paper copies in public areas had to be considered.

Members also commented on some primary schools being reluctant to attend Local Democracy events due to transport costs.  The Deputy Leader of the Council stated that it was possible to utilise digital routes if Town Hall attendance was not possible and a wider consideration could be how to engage older children/teenagers.  Members then discussed engagement in schools, where to target and strengthen links and at what age.

A question was asked around the carbon offsetting element of the proposals and the balancing out of how/when to do this.  The Policy and Partnerships Manager confirmed that the feasibility of when to do this was being considered.

Members asked questions about the data provided and how the delivery plan would be reported going forwards.  The Policy and Partnerships Manager advised that the data had been supplied by the Climate Advisor, a new role to help with Climate Change policy, and it was planned that the next report would go to Cabinet in February 2023.

A member asked for clarification of how vehicle telemetry, as highlighted in the travel theme, would deliver any changes.  The Deputy Leader of the Council stated that telemetry would reduce unnecessary travel by ensuring fleet vehicles attend the jobs required in the most efficient order/route.

The Chair thanked the Deputy Leader of the Council and the Policy and Partnerships Manager for attending.

The Chair then advised that a separate virtual scrutiny session was planned for  ...  view the full minutes text for item 33.

RESOLVED –

That after consideration of an item containing exempt information the public be readmitted to the meeting.

Please follow the link below to view the latest Forward Plan.

Forward Plan

The Forward Plan was reported for information.

RESOLVED –

That the Forward Plan be noted.

The Monitoring Schedule was reported for information.

RESOLVED –

That the Monitoring Schedule be noted.

The Work Programme was reported.

RESOLVED –

That the Work Programme be noted.

An update was shared from Rachel Appleyard regarding the last East Midlands Scrutiny Network meeting on 30^th September in the Rutland County Council offices.

The theme was performance management and the key points included;

·        what performance management meant for councils/scrutiny

·        how information was presented

·        innovative ways to display data

·        the need for an explanation from relevant officers/experts to provide a broader context to the information and aiding members’ understanding of the information being presented.

It was noted that the LGA had a performance management guide for councillors which was available to download from their website.

https://www.local.gov.uk/publications/performance-management-guide-councillors

The next meeting was planned for 2^nd December at 10am and would be virtual on MS Teams. Ed Hammond from the Centre for Governance and Scrutiny would be attending to provide an update on their work.

RESOLVED –

That the update be noted.

The Minutes of the Overview and Performance Scrutiny Forum held on 8 September, 2022 were presented.

RESOLVED –

That the Minutes be approved as a correct record and be signed by the Chair.