Agenda and minutes

To confirm and sign as a correct record the Minutes of the Meetings of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee held on Tuesday 28 March 2023, deferred from the last meeting, and Tuesday 4 July 2023.

RESOLVED that the Minutes of the Meetings of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee held on Tuesday 28 March 2023, deferred from the last meeting, and Tuesday 4 July 2023, be approved and signed as a correct record.

Members may make any declarations of interest at this point and may also make them at any point during the meeting.

There were no declarations of interest.

Matters arising schedule setting out current position of previously agreed actions as at 25 September 2023.

With no comments or questions, the Matters Arising Schedule was DULY NOTED.

The Committee heard from the Change, Programme and Performance Manager who explained that the Council undertook a bi-annual review of the Progress & Delivery performance management framework to ensure that the included measures and associated targets remained fit for purpose, and that they provided the information necessary to improve services. An element of this review was the creation of a cross-party Members’ Working Group, which allowed Members to view the proposed measure set and gave the opportunity for Members to feed into the measure set prior to formal approval.

It was highlighted that the purpose of the working group was to review the proposed key performance indicators and associated targets, ensuring they reflected a balanced scorecard approach; targets were ‘stretch based’ to reflect the Council’s ambitions and enable a transparent view of performance across the Council’s service areas. The presented report asked the Committee to commission a time-limited, cross party Member Working Group, and for volunteers of the Committee to join the group. It was anticipated that the working group would be in the format of a two-hour workshop in November, to be held at the convenience of Members.

It was summarised that information derived from this workshop would be used to inform the development of the 2024/25 Progress & Delivery Framework report that was scheduled for formal approval by the Corporate Policy and Resources in February 2024.

The Chairman thanked the Change, Programme and Performance Manager and invited comments from the Committee.

Members were content with the report and, having sought clarification, it was confirmed that the measure set review started with conversations between Team Managers and the Performance Team and ended with the formal Committee approval. There was opportunity for Senior Officers and Councillors to be involved through the entire process. It was suggested that information could be shared via the Members’ Newsletter and this was greeted with positive reactions from all in the room.

On seeking volunteers, the Chairman confirmed those to be involved, and, having been moved, seconded and put to the vote, it was unanimously

            RESOLVED that

a)    the creation of a cross-party Member Working Group to review the 2024/25 Progress & Delivery framework and associated measures, be approved; and

b)    the group membership consist of: Councillors J. McGhee, P. Key, M. Palmer and M. Westley.  

With no comments, questions or requirement for a vote, the Forward Plan was NOTED.

A Member of the Committee requested that an invitation be extended to the organisation ‘Future4Me’, as their presentation in 2022 had been both informative and timely, following on from concerns raised with Lincolnshire Police regarding youth offending. It was suggested that a return visit would provide some additional background and understanding of such matters for new Members of the Council. This was supported by the Committee and Officers undertook to make the invitation.

With no further comments or questions, the Workplan was DULY NOTED.

To resolve that under Section 100 (A)(4) of the Local Government Act 1972, the public and press be excluded from the meeting for the following item of business on the grounds that it involves the likely disclosure of exempt information as defined in paragraph 1 of Part 1 of Schedule 12A of the Act.

RESOLVED that under Section 100 (A)(4) of the Local Government Act 1972, the public and press 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.

Note:              The meeting entered closed session at 6:52pm

The Committee heard from the Senior Democratic and Civic Officer that Lincolnshire Police were invited to attend a meeting of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee on at least an annual basis. There was a statutory requirement for this to occur, however the Committee used it as an opportunity to understand the current status of ‘crime and disorder’ in the district, as well as being an opportunity to understand the priorities of the Police and the challenges they faced.

Members were advised that the attendance of the Police took place in a public meeting and therefore specific incidents, situations, or any comments whereby a person might expect to be identifiable, were not permissible. For this reason, the discussions at this stage would be noted by the Democratic Services Officer and shared with the Police, however specific people or incidents would not be discussed during their presentation.

Members of the Committee discussed their concerns regarding incidents in their wards and how these may be translated into wider issues across the district. Specifically, concerns were raised regarding response times, for both 999 and 101 calls; the location of dedicated Officers and, conversely, the drop in numbers of PCSOs; community interaction and whether any recruitment drives had impacted on West Lindsey. It was suggested that some ‘follow up’ information would be useful, for example regarding the ring-fenced policing teams and current priorities.

A Member of the Committee mentioned a visit by the Police and Crime Commissioner, as there were areas of concern raised that would be more suitably addressed to his Office. It was agreed that the Democratic Services Team would make contact to arrange a visit for the Council.

Finally, with regard to specific incidents in some areas of the district, for example dog attacks, it was agreed that the matter be put forward to the Police and the representative could respond as he saw fit.

It was agreed that information relating to the previous attendances at the Committee be shared with Members for background information.

With no further comments, the Chairman thanked all for their time and brought the meeting to a close.