Agenda and draft minutes
Venue: Conference Room 1a, County Hall, Ruthin
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APOLOGIES Minutes: Apologies were received from Councillors Bob Murray, Anton Sampson, David Simmons and Co-optees Debra Houghton and Gareth Williams. |
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DECLARATION OF INTERESTS Members to declare any personal or prejudicial interests in any business identified to be considered at this meeting. Minutes: Declarations of personal interest based on their position of school governors were submitted by Councillors Huw Hildtich-Roberts, Martyn Holland, Rhys Hughes, Cefyn Williams and Cheryl Williams for items 7 and 8. |
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URGENT MATTERS AS AGREED BY THE CHAIR Notice of items which, in the opinion of the Chair, should be considered at the meeting as a matter of urgency pursuant to Section 100B(4) of the Local Government Act 1972. Minutes: There were no urgent matters. |
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To receive the minutes of the Communities Scrutiny Committee held on 30 June 2016 (copy attached). Minutes: The Minutes of the meeting of
the Communities Scrutiny Committee held on the 30 June, 2016 were submitted:- RESOLVED – that the
Minutes be received and approved as a correct record. |
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DWP / PEOPLE PLUS PROVISION IN DENBIGHSHIRE PDF 54 KB To discuss with both organisations their visions for Denbighshire residents, how they intend to deliver their visions and improve outcomes for service-users, the reasons behind the decision to relocate DWP services to Flint and the result of the impact assessments undertaken to inform that decision. Minutes: The Department for Work
and Pensions (DWP) had apologised ahead of the meeting that they did not have a
senior official available on the day to attend the Committee’s meeting for
the discussion. They had however sent a letter outlining the
background to the Work Programme (WP) contract, recent changes, reassurance
that all WP customers are receiving the same level of service and
information on the forthcoming development of the Work and Health Programme. PeoplePlus, the
agency contracted to deliver the WP on the DWP’s behalf, had undertaken to send
a representative to the meeting to discuss the decision to relocate DWP
services from Rhyl to Flint with the Committee. Unfortunately, no
representatives were present. The Committee registered its disappointment
that no representatives were in attendance and consequently: Resolved: - to (i)
write to both the Department for
Work and Pensions (DWP) and PeoplePlus inviting them to attend the Committee’s
next meeting on 27th October 2016 for the purpose of discussing the
decision of relocating services from Rhyl to Flint; and (ii)
discuss with the DWP the
development of the new Work and Health Programme and potential opportunities
for the Council to work with the DWP with the aim of improving outcomes for
residents, reducing poverty and the number of young people that become NEET,
and fulfil the objectives of both the Corporate and Well-being Plans. |
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To examine the results of the most recent Residents Survey and the
effectiveness of the new survey methodology in gauging a decisive indication of
citizens’ views of the Council. Additional documents: Minutes: The Lead Member for Customers and Libraries introduced the report (previously circulated) informing the Committee of the key findings of the Residents Survey and gave them the opportunity to comment on the results. The Lead Member explained that in 2011 the survey had been outsourced to consultants and whilst the response was excellent it had cost the Authority £25000. Subsequently in 2013 the survey had been circulated with County Voice, this was less expensive but there were fewer responses. The latest survey undertaken in 2015 had been circulated electronically and only resulted in 711 responses – less than the intended sample size of 1000. Whilst services had been using the information contained in the survey it was with a degree of reservation. In the report author’s absence the Manager –Corporate Programme Office detailed the analysis of the survey results. Officers advised that: · the response rate to the survey had been disappointingly low. This was probably due to the fact that the exercise had been undertaken electronically (apart from those completed by schools) with a view to reducing costs; · it was important to bear in mind that the survey results measured people’s perceptions of the Council, which may at times contradict validated data on the Council’s performance; and · not all respondents had answered all questions, individuals tended to answer questions in relation to areas that were of most relevance to their personal circumstances. Responding to members’ questions and observations
officers: · acknowledged that restricting the survey to an electronic questionnaire had not realised the desired outcome. Nevertheless the information gleaned from the responses received had provided the Council with valuable information which would help plan and improve service delivery; · advised that the next survey, due to be undertaken during 2017, would not be undertaken solely by electronic methods, other methods would also be used in order to make it easily accessible to all residents; · agreed that the contents and quality of the questions asked was of utmost importance; · highlighted the importance of recognising that the results measured peoples’ perceptions which might seem at odds with the Authority’s performance indicators · advised that the Head of Customers, Communication and Marketing was currently exploring options for a new Customer Relationship Management (CRM) System that would meet the majority of the Council’s needs; · undertook to discuss with the relevant officers why the ‘County Conversation’ exercise currently underway would not be holding a public event in Rhyl, and explore whether one could be arranged for the town; and · outlined the process that would follow-on from the ‘County Conversation’ exercise for the purpose of determining the ‘new’ Council’s corporate priorities and Corporate Plan. Members emphasised the importance of the Council utilising all tools at its disposal for the purpose of seeking residents’ opinions and views on matters e.g. county councillors, residents groups etc. as they could potentially reach out to various sectors of the community and seek their views. Allowing residents to call in to civic offices etc. to complete questionnaires etc. may also help improve public interaction with future surveys. The Committee agreed that exercises such as residents surveys etc. benefitted greatly from careful planning – for them to be effective it was important for the organiser to determine what the organisation needed to know, why they needed to know it and for what purpose the information received would be used. The Leader suggested that, as the term of the current Council would be coming to an end in May 2017, it may useful for all councillors to be interviewed prior to the election (a similar process to ‘exit’ interviews offered to staff) to seek their views ... view the full minutes text for item 6. |
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PRIMARY AND SECONDARY SCHOOL ABSENTEEISM PDF 90 KB To detail the application of the county’s policy with respect to school
attendance. Additional documents: Minutes: The Education
Social Work (ESW) Team Leader introduced the report and appendices (previously
circulated) detailing their contents. He explained the difference between
authorised and unauthorised absences and the process followed prior to the
issuing of Fixed Penalty Notices (FPNs). All process relating to school
absences were highlighted in school publications to ensure that every parent
was aware of their responsibilities and of the consequences of not sending their
child to school. The management of
school absences was devolved to each individual school. However, the
Council did regularly monitor absences and as part of the Schools Standard
Monitoring Group (SSMG) process headteachers and
chairs of governors were held accountable for their school’s performance in
relation to managing absences as well academic attainment. The Education
Social Work (ESW) Team also monitored school absence rates on a monthly basis,
taking into account Free School Meals (FSMs) and Looked After
Children (LAC) factor. Members advised that they had requested the report on the basis of
statistical information and a press release they had seen some time ago, as
they were concerned that poverty levels in the county would not improve if
pupils were absent from schools for long periods at a time. Responding to
members’ questions officers advised that: ·
records
were not kept at county level with respect of ‘authorised absences’ as such
absences had been granted by headteachers; ·
headteachers had been keen for the Council to apply FPNs
consistently across the county. Since the date this had been stringently
implemented there had been a considerable increase in the number of warning
letters/FPNs issued. However, this was expected to fall once parents
realised that the Council would not be hesitant in enforcing the policy; ·
the County did
regularly monitor and check whether schools applied all policies and
procedures. Attendance at school was key as it affected life outcomes for
the pupils; ·
regular
unauthorised non-attendance at school was examined in detail to establish the
underlying reasons for a child’s absence. In such cases the Council would
then offer relevant appropriate support to the child and the family to help
overcome any barriers and get them engaged with the education system; ·
for the most
challenging pupils there were opportunities via the TRAC Project. This
had been a very successful Project in Denbighshire and had helped the county to
move from 19th position to 16th position in the Wales
ranking. Whilst getting pupils engaged with the Project was in the main
the responsibility of the school, they were supported by the Corporate ESW
Team; ·
a
number of schools were now employing their own Attendance Officers; ·
under the Welsh
Government’s All Wales Attendance Framework headteachers
had discretion to permit up to 10 days authorised absence. There had
recently been a High Court appeal against Isle of Wight Council who had served
an FPN on a parent for taking his daughter out of school on holiday despite a
request for ‘authorised absence’ being declined. The appeal was upheld
and since then legal teams across the UK had been examining the judgement to
determine whether policies and procedures required to be tightened; ·
despite
the fact that a number of parents were initially averse to officers telephoning
them about their child’s attendance at school, in the majority of cases by the
conclusion of the conversation they understood the Council’s reasons and
concerns; ·
performance
was improving in this area and it would continually be monitored with a view to
improving performance even further for the benefit of all pupils; and · whilst the All Wales Attendance Framework applied to all education authorities in Wales, policies and procedures in this area were ... view the full minutes text for item 7. |
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HAZARDOUS ROUTES TO SCHOOLS PDF 195 KB Application of rules and guidance in the determination of the safety of
school routes as they apply in the context of the Learner Travel (Wales)
Measure 2008 Additional documents:
Minutes: The Traffic,
Parking and Road Safety Manager and the Road Safety Engineer introduced the
report and appendices (previously circulated) explaining the legislative
framework that governed the hazardous routes to school. They also
outlined the assessment process followed, in line with statutory guidance, when
assessing the safety of a walking route to school. Any changes in traffic
flow or volumes would automatically instigate a review. This had happened
in Rhuddlan recently which had consequently resulted in the installation of a
traffic island to aid safe crossing of the highway for pupils walking to
school. Whilst the introduction of traffic calming measures would assist to slow
down traffic it would never eliminate accidents from happening, as the majority
of accidents were down to human error on the part of one party.
Responding to members’ questions officers advised that: ·
the cost of any modifications to the highway to
ensure the safety of pupils would be the subject of budgetary discussions
between the relevant services e.g. education and highways. Monies could
be vired from the school transport budget to the
highways budget towards the cost of modifications etc. if required; ·
whilst
it was acknowledged that some roads, particularly in rural areas, were deemed
hazardous for children to walk to school, where it was safe for them to walk
the school route there were added benefits as it contributed towards the
pupil’s health and well-being as physical exercise was recognised as a way of
reducing obesity; ·
if traffic volumes or flows altered on any school
routes, once notified of the changes or a request for school transport was
received stating that the route had become hazardous, a hazardous route
assessment would be undertaken. Councillors were encouraged to inform
officers if any such traffic flow or volume changes occurred in their wards; ·
if members so wished officers could inform Member
Area Groups (MAGs) on an annual basis of routes due to be reviewed within their
areas, and include councillors in the consultation process. Members
concurred with this suggestion and officers agreed to adopt this approach from
now on; ·
with respect to routes subject to the bio-diversity
grass cutting regime, officers did act with caution when assessing routes and
gave human life priority over wildlife. However, they did acknowledge
that the assessment could only be based on the visual evidence available at the
time it was undertaken. If verge growths were proving a hazard the Streetscene Team would deal with them as a matter of
urgency and if landowners were responsible for hedges etc. they would request
that they cut them on safety grounds. If the landowner/responsible person
did not respond to the request the Streetscene Team for
safety reasons would cut back the growth and recover the costs later from the
responsible person. Members referred to
a number of examples across the county where officers’ help in reducing traffic
speed or introducing traffic calming measures, particularly in and around
schools, had been invaluable. Work was continuing in those areas with a
view to getting enforcement officers to enforce the measures where some road
users seemed to be flouting the restrictions. Prior to the
conclusion of the discussion the Committee requested the Road Safety officers
to e-mail all county councillors who have non-hazardous routes within their
wards seeking them to inform officers immediately they become aware that a
route may no longer be a safe walking route to school to enable officers to
assess it as soon as possible. Councillors should also be asked to
inform Highways and Environmental Services officers immediately they become
aware that vegetation impair the visibility of road signs in their area. |
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SCRUTINY WORK PROGRAMME PDF 69 KB To consider a report by the Scrutiny Coordinator (copy enclosed) seeking a review of the committee’s forward work programme and updating members on relevant issues. Additional documents:
Minutes: A copy of a report by the
Scrutiny Coordinator (SC), which requested the Committee to review and agree its forward work programme and which
provided an update on relevant issues, had been circulated with the papers for the meeting. A copy of the
‘Member’s proposal form’ had been included in Appendix 2 The
SC requested that any proposals be submitted to herself. The Cabinet Forward Work Programme
had been included as Appendix 3, and a table summarising
recent Committee resolutions and advising on progress with their
implementation, had been attached at Appendix 4. The Committee considered its draft Forward Work Programme for future
meetings, Appendix 1, and agreed the addition of The DWP and PeoplePLus to the next Communities Scrutiny Committee on 27th
October. The Committee requested that the Leader and Lead Member for Social Care,
Adult Care and Children’s Services be invited to attend the next meeting. |
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FEEDBACK FROM COMMITTEE REPRESENTATIVES To receive any updates from Committee representatives on various Council Boards and Groups Minutes: As the meeting followed the August recess there were no meetings for Members to feedback from. The Meeting closed at 11:55am. |