Agenda item

To consider the role of the Joint Scrutiny Committee (Five Council’s Partnership) and to adopt its terms of reference.

The committee considered the report of the Interim Client Relationship Director for the partnership on the role of the Five Councils Partnership Corporate Services Scrutiny Committee and the draft terms of reference for this committee.

The committee also considered the proper role of scrutiny committees under the terms of the Local Government Act 2000.

The committee considered the role and usefulness of key performance indicators (KPIs) in the contract, being mindful that each council may have different priorities. It was considered important that KPIs were meaningful for residents of the five councils and that they monitored customer satisfaction. The committee debated the issues around standardised KPIs whilst wishing to leave some flexibility, and also recognised that the contract was still in the early stages and that there was a need for these to evolve. The committee proposed items for the action list at the end of this minute.

There was a discussion as to the best way for the Scrutiny Committee to “call in” items. This Committee has no ability to use call in powers as it is not directly working with an executive committee. However, individual Scrutiny Committees at each council would be able to call in decisions of their executive bodies. If these matters affected all councils they could be referred to Five Councils’ Scrutiny Committee. There could be a standing item on the agenda for councillors to raise any items which had been called in or referred to their own scrutiny committees. It was also appropriate for members of the Five Councils’ Scrutiny Committee to proactively put items onto the agenda outside of the call in process.

The committee considered how it could be effective and develop its role as a “critical friend” to the Five Councils’ Partnership Joint Committee, rather than act as a “helping hand” to management, and proposed items for the action list at the end of this minute.

RESOLVED:

1.     To adopt the draft terms of reference for the Five Councils’ Partnership Corporate Services Scrutiny Committee with the following amendments:

A new point 1.1) to be added stating that this is a Scrutiny Committee constituted under the Local Government Act 2000 (subsequent points to be renumbered accordingly).

A new section 4 to be drafted to cover the regular assessment of the Key Performance Indicators at this Scrutiny Committee.

2.     To agree to the themes for the Joint Scrutiny Committee of:

·           Finance

·           Contract performance

·           Governance and decision making including the Inter Authority Agreement

·           Joint Client team – form and function

·           Review of objectives (including the Communications Strategy)

·           Marketing and brand

·           Risk management

And to also add:

·         Business continuity (especially IT)

·         Data protection.

This list of themes is neither prescriptive nor exhaustive.

3.     To balance public scrutiny and an evidence base which may include commercially confidential (exempt) material. (Exempt items could be considered by task groups which reported back to the scrutiny committee).

Action List

·           Meetings of the Five Councils’ Joint Scrutiny Committee should meet quarterly, in advance of the Five Councils’ Joint Committee meeting.

·           The responsible Democratic Services team will email all councillors on the Joint Scrutiny Committee in advance of agenda publication to ask for items for the agenda.

·           KPIs and how to monitor them will be on the agenda for the next meeting.

·           There will be training for members of the Joint Scrutiny Committee before the next meeting which will explain the KPIs and what they actually mean. Information was requested on how many calls or visits the relevant KPIs represent.

·           The Interim Client Manager Relationship Director will produce a one page organogram showing the management structure for the contract, inter alia: Strategic Management Board, Joint Tactical Board.

·           There will be a standing item on every agenda for councillors to raise items relating to the partnership which have been raised at their own council scrutiny committees.

·           Some time will be scheduled in for the members of the committee to get to know one another informally before the next meeting.

·           All committees, boards etc. relating to these contracts should be preceded with the words “Five Councils’ Partnership Corporate Services” to avoid confusion.