Agenda and minutes

To elect a Chair for the meeting.

It was moved, seconded and agreed that Councillor Alison Kelly be elected chair for the meeting.

RESOLVED –

THAT Councillor Alison Kelly be elected chair for the meeting.

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To consider the minutes of the meeting held on 5^th July 2016.

Consideration was given to the minutes of the meeting held on 5^th July 2016.

RESOLVED –

THAT the minutes of the meeting held on 5^th July 2016 be agreed and signed as a correct record by the Chair.

Report of the Assistant Director of Strategy and Change

Members agreed that the agenda should be revised so that this item was taken after the report on the Camden Commission and the role of scrutiny.

Consideration was given to the report of the Assistant Director, Strategy and Change.

Louise Russell, Assistant Director, Strategy and Change, took the Members through the report highlighting that the document sought to provide an update on progress with the issues agreed since Joint Chairs of Scrutiny meeting on 11^th February 2016. It also provided a summary of the scrutiny impact and forward planning meeting involving Cabinet Members, Executive Directors and Scrutiny Members facilitated by the Centre for Public Scrutiny that took place on 1^st February 2017.

Martin Pratt, Executive Director Supporting People, Louise Russell, and Anne Rasmussen, Committee Services Manager, gave the following key responses to Members questions:

·         A full list of the key topics for scrutiny suggested at the joint forward planning and scrutiny session that took place on 1^st February 2017 was listed on page 29 as appendix 4. The workshop had considered that list to suggest some proposed top priorities for the organisation that would benefit from more cross cutting scrutiny. These had been identified in paragraph 5.6.

·         The Leader of the Council had informally indicated her willingness to share with the Joint Chairs of Scrutiny at their meeting in July, her views on the Council’s strategic priorities as part of the discussion on her annual report.

·         The scrutiny process needed to be deliverable within the resources that were available.

·         Training had been offered to scrutiny chairs and Members following the election in 2014. Further consideration would be given as to how this training offer could be improved, both for the next Member induction programme as well as more generally. Officers were happy to work with existing Chairs to help shape the future training programme for scrutiny chairs and Members of scrutiny committees.

ACTION BY: Committee Services Manager 

·         Officers would revisit the scrutiny committee report template, to seek to include a further guiding principle for those drafting scrutiny reports, around how the scrutiny committee could add value to the progression of the issue.

ACTION BY: Committee Services Manager 

The Members then went through the recommendations and debated how they wished to take them forward.

Recommendation a)

The Members agreed that the proposal to programme in a slot in each scrutiny committee’s next agenda, to allow for consideration of the work of the Camden Commission and how scrutiny would feed into its work should be supported.

                        ACTION BY: Assistant Director, Strategy and Change  

Recommendation b)

The Members agreed that the meeting of the Joint Chairs of Scrutiny when the Leader’s annual report to the Council is discussed, be widened to include a look ahead at strategic priorities for the year ahead to inform the scrutiny work planning function and to invite the Leader of the Council to participate in the discussions.

                        ACTION BY: Assistant Director, Strategy and Change  

Recommendation d)

The Members agreed that each scrutiny chair should consider  ...  view the full minutes text for item 8.

Report from the Assistant Director of Strategy and Change

Consideration was given to the report of the Assistant Director, Strategy and Change and the report was taken first at the meeting.

Councillor Danny Beales, the scrutiny lead on the Camden Commission, and Louise Russell, Assistant Director, Strategy and Change, took the meeting through the report highlighting that the document provided an introduction to the work of the Camden Commission, setting out its purpose, remit and main research areas. It further set out the proposed role for scrutiny in the work of the Camden Commission, along with why scrutiny was important to this work and what was being asked of all scrutiny committees.

Councillor Danny Beales, Martin Pratt, Executive Director Supporting People, and Louise Russell gave the following key responses to Members questions:

·         The chair of each specific scrutiny committee was being asked to agree to consider a report, seeking the scrutiny committee’s input in helping to shape the work of the Camden Commission in developing a new Camden Plan.

·         The report would be specifically geared towards each individual scrutiny committee, identifying key background data along with specific questions to be considered.

·         Councillor Beales and relevant officers would be in attendance at each of the scrutiny meetings to help facilitate the discussion. Once each scrutiny committee had determined its position then a composite document would be put together and submitted to the Camden Commission by Councillor Beales.

·         The scrutiny chairs would meet informally to finalise their input into the document before being submitted to the Commission. The final drafting of the submission document would be delegated to the Assistant Director, Strategy and Change in consultation with the scrutiny chairs.

ACTION BY: Joint Chairs of Scrutiny

·         Scrutiny Committees would play an important role in helping the Camden Commission identify the key opportunities and challenges ahead for the borough based on their experiences.

·         Councillor Beales would provide feedback to the other scrutiny chairs regarding the issues arising at the Camden Commission.

ACTION BY: Councillor Beales

Councillors Beales, Kelly, Olad and Headlam-Wells all agreed that an item regarding the Camden Commission would be submitted to the next round of scrutiny committee meetings.

                                    ACTION BY: Assistant Director, Strategy and Change 

RESOLVED –

1.    THAT each scrutiny committee should consider a report at its next round of meetings regarding its input into the work of the Camden commission.

2.    THAT the Assistant Director, Strategy and Change be delegated the authority to produce a composite submission based on the views expressed by each scrutiny committee, in consultation with the chairs of scrutiny.

                                    ACTION BY: Assistant Director, Strategy and Change 

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