Agenda and draft minutes

No Members declared any personal or prejudicial interests in any business identified to be considered at the meeting.

No items were raised 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.

To receive the minutes of the Communities Scrutiny Committee held on the 17th December, 2015 (copy enclosed).

9:35am – 9:40am

The Minutes of the meetings of the Communities Scrutiny Committee held on the 17^th December, 2015 were submitted:-.

RESOLVED – that the Minutes be received and approved as a correct record.

To consider the implications of the Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015 on the Council, on Denbighshire’s communities and on scrutiny (briefing paper and Essentials guide enclosed).

This business item will be in the form of a workshop:

(i)            The Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015 – update and timetable;

(ii)          What will the Act mean for our communities?

(iii)         How might the Act change the sort of questions we ask in Scrutiny?

(iv)         Discussion on the implications of the Act for Scrutiny in Denbighshire

9:40am – 11:15am

A copy of a briefing paper for Scrutiny Members, Well-Being of Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015, had been circulated with the papers for the meeting.

A Member Workshop was held to present this business item.  The Head of Business Improvement and Modernisation (HBIM) introduced the report which briefly described the key issues in the new legislation which had a particular impact on the Local Authority.  It highlighted areas where Denbighshire was well ahead in its preparation and suggested considerations on a service by service basis, and provided confirmation that the Wales Audit Office (WAO) would be inspecting Denbighshire’s implementation of the duties under the Act as part of their next Corporate Assessment in the autumn of 2016.  The report included a risk register and concluded with a number of recommendations for services.  Details pertaining to the Council’s proposals to conform with the requirements of the new Act were also outlined.

The briefing paper posed the following questions and highlighted the following areas which were summarised by the HBIM:-

·                     What is Act?

·                     What is our desired approach to the Act?

·                     The timetable meeting the Act’s requirements

·                     What is different under the Act? – Details of the seven Well-being goals had been provided in the report.

·                     The seven Well-being Goals and the Sustainable Development Principle of the Act – Five questions and considerations to which the Authority would need to be able answer in order to demonstrate that the Principle had been applied.

·                     The Good News – what Denbighshire was already doing that would meet the Act’s requirements

·                     Suggested considerations for individual services as prepared for the Act’s implementation

·                     Impact on Regulation – what Regulators would be looking for with respect to the Council’s planning for the Act’s implementation

·                     The recommendations and work being progressed by Denbighshire County Council as it prepares for the Act’s implementation.

With the aid of a video and PowerPoint Presentation the HBIM provided a summary of the Well-Being of Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015, which included the following issues and areas pertinent to Denbighshire:-

-           What difference will the Act make to Denbighshire’s communities?

-            Group Work

-            Scrutiny Roles

-            Communities Scrutiny Work

-            The Sustainable Development Principle

-            Scrutiny Model Answer

-            Conclusions

Members of the Committee formed two groups to discuss and consider the five questions and considerations pertaining to the Sustainable Development Principle, and the effect of the Act on the Authority.  The HBIM provided details of the model answers which could be have been provided by Members during their deliberation.  He explained that the Act emphasised the need for all public sector bodies to change the emphasis of their business planning and service delivery from the local to the global, and from short/medium term to long-term i.e. 35 years.  Such a substantial step change would require all public bodies to re-align their work in future and work far more closely together for the benefit of the citizen.

 The following questions and comments were submitted by Members:-

-               Good practices pertaining to the Act were noted by Members.

-               Many of the proposals were already being addressed and undertaken.

-                The legislative nature of the Act raised concerns.

-               Concerns were expressed regarding the central control afforded to Welsh Government.

-               The level of powers held by the Commissioner were questioned.

-               The difference between “holding to account” and scrutiny with regard to the delivery of service provision was questioned.

-               It was felt that reference to the Welsh language and culture should not be accentuated through solely through sports, it should be an integral part of each well-being goal.

-  ...  view the full minutes text for item 5.

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.

11:15am – 11:30am

A copy of a report by the Scrutiny Coordinator, 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 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 the following amendments and additions were agreed:-

24^th March, 2016:- The Committee agreed with a suggestion by the Chair that, if there was only the one item for consideration at the meeting, the requirement to hold the meeting may be reviewed.

The Scrutiny Coordinator confirmed that the Scrutiny Chairs and Vice-Chairs Group had met on the 21^st January, 2016.  In accordance with the Group’s recent decision on the mechanism to deal with national reports published by WAO it had requested that the Committee consider the findings of the national study on leisure services and their implications for Denbighshire.  The Group had agreed that this item be included in the Committee’s forward work programme for the May, 2016 meeting.  As part of the preparatory work for that meeting Members were asked to read the WAO report, ‘Delivering with less – Leisure Services’.  The Chair emphasised the significance and importance of the Act in relation to the future delivery of services by the Council.

In response to a request from Councillor W. Mullen-James the Committee agreed that a follow-up report, in respect of grass cutting issues, should be included in a scrutiny committee’s forward work programme.  A number of Members suggested possible business items for inclusion in the Committee’s forward work programme, and the Scrutiny Coordinator offered assistance to them with completing the Member Proposal Forms for consideration by the Scrutiny Chairs and Vice Chairs Group.  The items referred to included:-

-                 GPs Out of Hours Service.

-                 the new Rhyl High School complex. 

The Scrutiny Coordinator advised that the Sustainable Development Principle and the Well-being Goals could be included in the Information Brief document in future with a view to assisting members to focus on them when discussing subjects, until such time as a new report template had been introduced.  Members also agreed that they be presented to the next meeting of the Scrutiny Chairs and Vice Chairs Group.

RESOLVED – that, subject to the above amendments and agreements, the Work Programme as set out in Appendix 1 to the report be approved.

To receive any updates from Committee representatives on various Council Boards and Groups.

11:30am – 11:40am

Councillor M.L. Holland had attended the Tackling Poverty Working Group meeting, held on the 3^rd February, 2016, where poverty related issues across the County had been discussed.  Councillor Holland informed the Committee that he had raised the matter of pupil attendance records at schools.

Councillor W.L. Cowie had attended the Democratic Services Committee meeting held on the 22^nd January, 2016.  Councillor Cowie informed the Committee that the HLHRDS had provided a detailed presentation on the Local Government (Wales) Bill.

RESOLVED – that the reports be received and noted.

Meeting ended at 11.50 p.m.