Agenda and minutes

Apologies were received from Councillors Andrews and Raper.

The minutes of the meeting of the Overview & Scrutiny Committee held on the 19 August 2010 were presented.

            Resolved

            That the minutes of the meeting of the Overview & Scrutiny Committee            held on the 19 August 2010 be approved and signed by the Chairman   as a correct record.

The first Task Group meeting for the Healthy Weight Group was to be held at 6.30pm on Monday 22 November 2010.  This meeting would include a presentation from the Primary Care Trust.  Councillors Cottam, Clark Raper and Mrs Shields had all joined this task group, but all Members would be welcome to attend.

The first Task Group meeting for the Post Office Closure Group was to be arranged and all Members would be notified shortly, Councillors Andrews, Windress and Mrs Shields had all joined this task group but all Members would be welcome to attend.

To receive notice of any urgent business which the Chairman considers should be dealt with at the meeting as a matter of urgency by virtue of Section 100B(4)(b) of the Local Government Act 1972.

The Chairman reported that there were no items of urgent business to be dealt with at the meeting as a matter of urgency by virtue of Section 100(B)(4)(b).

Members to indicate whether they will be declaring any interests under the Code of Conduct.

Members making a declaration of interest at a meeting of a Committee or Council are required to disclose the existence and nature of that interest.  This requirement is not discharged by merely declaring a personal interest without further explanation.

No declarations of interest were received.

The Corporate Director (s151) submitted a report produced by the External Auditors Deloitte: A final report to the Members on the 2010 Audit. 

Mr Lince and Mr Ritchie from Deloittes attended the meeting and presented their report, and answers queries raised by the Committee in relation to car park revenue, pensions and debt provision.

The report provided detailed information on the following key findings:

·        Key audit risks

·        Other issues

·        Accounting policies and financial reporting

·        Corporate Governance review and our responsibilities

·        Value for Money conclusion

·        Responsibility Statement

The report also highlighted areas were significant progress had been made, particularly in relation to bad debt provision.

            Resolved

            That the report be received.

The Head of Environment submitted a report (previously circulated), in order to provide an update on the position regarding the repairs to the roof and stonework at the former Town Hall, Malton.

The report had been requested at the last meeting of the Overview & Scrutiny Committee on the 19 August 2010, and outlined the history of the project, the reasons for the delays to the work and the progress to date, along with the financial implications.

The report was discussed in details, and queries were raised relating to the cost of the roof works, which had been significantly reduced following the re-tending.  Councillor Cottam also asked when the stonework repairs would be carried out, and progress was expected to be made on this work in the next few months.

            Resolved

            That the report be noted.

The Head of Organisational Development submitted an updated Service Risk Register for the department, since it had last been presented to the Overview & Scrutiny Committee on the 6 August 2009.

Risk identification and management formed an integral element of organisational management to secure the achievement of the Council’s corporate objectives and should form a key part of any budget making decision.

The Head of Organisational Development highlighted the areas of significant risk, and gave details of the procedures in place to mitigate those risks.

            Resolved

            That the report be noted.

The Head of Transformation submitted a report (previously circulated) in order to present the latest monitoring report for the Council’s corporate risks.

The Corporate Risk register should identify those risks that would prevent the Council from achieving the Council Plan, and therefore the Sustainable Community Strategy – Imagine Ryedale.  The management team monitored the actions as part of the risk management cycle and this enabled the Corporate Risk Register to be a living document.  Detailed actions and monitoring also assisted in the revision of the register, which was undertaken during the year.

The report was discussed at length, and clarification was sought on the meaning of the term ‘Unbalanced Housing Market’.  Councillor Clark expressed his concerns in relation to risks involved in partnership working, particularly when not the lead authority, and he requested that partnerships be considered further in the future.

            Resolved

a)    That the report be received.

b)    That the meaning of the term ‘unbalanced housing market’ be supplied to all Members of the Committee.

c)    That the Member training session on ‘Partnerships’ scheduled for November, include the members role on partnership boards, and partnership models.

The Corporate Director (s151) submitted a report, (previously circulated) in order to update Members on the progress with the actions identified in the 2009-10 Annual Governance Statement Action Plan.

Members were advised that the purpose of the Annual Governance Statement (AGS) was to provide a continuous review of the effectiveness of the organisation’s internal control and risk management systems in order to give assurance on their effectiveness.  This allowed remedial action to take place at the earliest opportunity, thereby improving the internal control framework.

The Action Plan appended to the report set out the current position with comments on the actions proposed in the plan.  It was noted that the AGS for 2010/11 would be reported to the committee in June and would complete the reviews of this action plan as they would be incorporated into the action plan for the 2010/11 AGS.

In relation to the issues raised on the previous action plan update, Members were pleased to note that outstanding work on the Asset Management Register had been completed, but were of the opinion that further progress was required in relation to role of the Member Champions.

            Resolved

            That the report be noted.

The Head of Transformation submitted a report (previously circulated) in order to present the committee with the options for the future operation of the Crime and Disorder Committee.

The Crime & Disorder (Overview & Scrutiny) Regulations 2009 were attached at annex A, and covered the following areas:

o   Co-option

o   Frequency

o   Information

o   Attendance

o   Reports and Recommendations

The Committee had decided how it wished to operate to meet most of the regulations, however there were two outstanding items to be resolved in relation to co-option of members from responsible authorities, and the format and frequency of the information it wished to receive.

The North Yorkshire Police authority had recommended that all District Councils co-opt a member of the Police Authority onto the Committee to act in the role as expert advisor on any matters relating to the performance of the police.

The requirement to co-opt a member of the police authority onto the Ryedale Crime & Disorder committee had been discussed at a previous committee meeting, and there were three options recommended in the statutory guidance:

o   One member of the Crime & Disorder Committee should be a member of the Police Authority (county & unitary councils only)

o   Appoint as a non voting expert advisor to attend the committee only when Police or Crime and Disorder matters were being discussed.

o   Appoint as above but as a voting member – this would require a change to the Councils’ Constitution.

In relation to the reporting schedule, the police authority had offered to prepare performance reports for policing in Ryedale, and an example of the reports which could be considered were attached at annex C and included:

o   Safer Neighbourhoods Team priorities and progress – twice a year

o   Policing Pledge, priorities and progress – twice a year

The reporting organisation would be invited to present each of these reports to the committee and respond to any questions.  The reporting organisations would be the Safer Ryedale Partnership for their plan and the police and police authority for the Safer Neighbourhoods Team, priorities and progress and Policing Pledge priorities and progress.

            Resolved

a)    That the committee hold one meeting per year, specifically to deal with Crime and Disorder Scrutiny (plus extra meetings if necessary), and that the relevant representatives from the police or police authority be invited to attend that meeting.

b)    That reports be received from the Safer Ryedale Partnership and Safer Neighbourhoods Team in electronic format, to be reviewed at the crime and disorder scrutiny meeting (s).

It is recommended that Members receive the Annual Report and note the achievements against the priorities of the Council Plan for 2009/10.

The Head of Transformation presented the Ryedale District Council Annual Report for 2009-2010 to the Committee.

Members were advised that the Annual Report presented a summary of the ambitions of the Council and the clear strategic direction.  This Annual Report was a vital element of the Councils’ Strategic Performance Management and contained information in the following categories:

• About Ryedale
• Our Vision
• Our Priorities
• Meeting Housing Need
• Creating Economic Success
• A High Quality Environment
• Supporting Active Safe Communities
• Transforming the Council
• Our Finances
• Useful Contacts

Members thanked the Head of Transformation and her team for an excellent document.

Resolved

            That the report be received.

Commissioning Board held on 23 September 2010

Policy & Resources held on 30 September 2010 (to follow)

List of Decisions from the following Committees were submitted:

Commissioning Board held on the 23 September 2010

Policy and Resources held on the 30 September 2010

Councillor Clark requested that in future, it would be preferable to receive the full minutes of the Commissioning Board and Policy & Resources Committee, whenever timescales permitted, as these provided the level of detail required to enable Members to review the meeting.

            Resolved

a)    That the lists of decisions of the Commissioning Board  held on the 23 September 2010 and the Policy and Resources Committee held on the 30 September 2010 be received.

b)    That at future meetings, the minutes of the Commissioning Board and Policy and Resources, (if available) be presented to the Overview and Scrutiny Committee rather than the decision lists.

There were no items of urgent business.

The meeting closed at 8.15pm.