Agenda and minutes

Meeting of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee held on 8 November 2022

RESOLVED that the minutes of the meeting of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee held on 8 November 2022 be confirmed 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 made at this stage of the meeting.

Matters arising schedule setting out current position of previously agreed actions as at 9 January 2023.

In response to a query about the resolution made at the November 2022 meeting for an invitation to be made to the Member of the Prosperous Communities Committee, the Senior Democratic and Civic Officer explained that there had been communication made to Members in advance of the meeting regarding the decision to not enact the resolution, based on a number of factors, including the fact that the matter had been discussed at length in both policy committee meetings. It was confirmed that the Matters Arising Schedule would be updated to reflect this.

There was discussion regarding the Everyone Active presentation at the last committee meeting. The Chairman explained that a follow up meeting had occurred between herself and the team, and expressed the hope of future collaboration in managing the engagement in Toft Newton. Other Members expressed their opinions of Everyone Active’s engagement, with Members raising apprehensions of communication between themselves and Everyone Active. The Chairman reminded Members that they could raise issues at any time with Everyone Active, and highlighted specific instances of communication made by the organisation.

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

The Committee gave consideration to the Progress and Delivery Quarter Two 2022/2023 and Performance Improvement Plan report, as previously presented to the two policy committees. The minutes of each meeting were included within the report and it was explained that Members of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee were required to scrutinise the challenge of the two policy committees to the content of the council’s Progress and Delivery reports.

This report also included, for the first time, the performance improvement plan, which provided further context and the extra level of assurance the Committee had requested alongside the policy committees. It explained why measures within services were reporting as underperforming, with the plans showing what was being done in direct response to this. The additional information was welcomed at both policy committees and the Chairman also welcomed the additional and in-depth information the improvement plan provided.

Debate ensued, and Members commented on the condition, accessibility, and perception of the district markets, along with shopping trends within the district. There was also a concern raised regarding a perceived lack of measurement of the Council’s overall performance.

In response to a query on the measurement of market stalls and green bin purchase statistics, the Change, Projects, and Performance Officer explained that these targets were to assist in improving the teams’ performances in both services. There was a focus on discerning the commercial activities for the authority’s focus, especially in a market orientated focus, with the acknowledged hope for a vibrant market. These Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) were to ensure that the specific focus of several teams within the authority could monitor the situation as compared to previous years.

A Member raised a query about the new performance measures captured with Everyone Active, following the previous meeting’s scrutiny. The Change, Projects, and Performance Officer explained that she had met with Everyone Active, and gave assurance that the activities fed into the report and were included in the overall narrative.

There was discussion regarding the impact of the work from market stalls and recycling policy generally. These details were clarified and acknowledged, with Members being informed that a new Towns Manager had been appointed, and that future consideration of green waste was a specific focus for the Council.

Responding to a query regarding the KPI covering the average number of days to pay invoices, it was explained that this was to form part of the annual review at the upcoming Corporate Policy and Resources Committee to bring the KPI in line with the contractual 30 days.

A Member brought up a request to include the trends of previous years’ results. The Change, Projects, and Performance Officer explained that she was happy to consider trend graphs in future reports presented to the Committees. Responding to a suggestion by Members, it was suggested that an invitation be extended to the Lincolnshire Waste Partnership to attend a future meeting of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee, with a specific focus on the roll out of the purple-lidded bins. It was  ...  view the full minutes text for item 39.

The content of the full Forward Plan for all Committees was NOTED.

Members gave consideration to the proposed work plan for upcoming meetings of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee. The Senior Democratic and Civic Officer assured the Committee that there would be further communication regarding the meeting on 21 February 2023, as there was currently no business scheduled for that date. Members also learned that the update on Disability Facility Grants, to be presented at the March meeting, was the follow up report having initially been considered at the September 2021 meeting of the Committee.

With no questions or further comments, the Work Plan was NOTED.