Agenda item
MINUTES OF THE LAST MEETING
To receive the minutes of the Performance Scrutiny Committee
meeting held on the 28th January, 2016 (copy enclosed).
Minutes:
The Minutes of a meeting of
the Performance Scrutiny Committee held on Thursday, 28th January,
2016 were submitted.
Matters arising:-
6. Primary School Transport – Councillor Arwel
Roberts enquired on the current position with respect to the school transport
provision for children from Rhuddlan attending Ysgol Dewi Sant,
Rhyl. His concerns related to the fact that free transport was due to be
withdrawn at the end of the spring term and that parents were still awaiting
notification on whether they would be entitled to transport, either free or
concessionary, from the beginning of the summer term. He was also
concerned that he as one of the local members was not being kept informed of
matters relating to this issue and that, despite cross-party support for his
recommendation at the last meeting that the Council use its discretionary power
to arrange concessionary travel for the pupils, nothing seemed to be
happening.
The Scrutiny Co-ordinator assured Members
that the recommendation approved at the last meeting had been forwarded to the
Head of Education who would in due course, upon the completion of the road
safety work on the route and once the road safety assessment had been
undertaken on the ‘new’ route, consider the assessment’s findings and the
Committee’s recommendation in relation to this matter. If, following that
process, the route was deemed safe and parents still had concerns on its
safety, they had the right of appeal to the Head of Service.
Councillor Roberts
indicated that he wished scrutiny to look at the matter again. The
Scrutiny Co-ordinator requested that he complete a
‘scrutiny proposal form’ to enable the Scrutiny Chairs and Vice-Chairs Group to
consider his request. The Chief Executive suggested that scrutiny may
wish, if the route was deemed safe, to consider the effectiveness of the new
arrangements in due course.
The Chief Executive advised that in response to Members’
concerns at the last meeting about this particular route he had asked that an
independent road safety assessment be commissioned to ensure that the Council’s
assessment were correct. He assured Councillor Roberts and the Committee
that local Elected Members would be advised of the outcome of the road safety assessment
and any associated decision before parents. He also undertook to
investigate the claim that officers had not been willing in this case to share
information with local members, and report back to members on the issue.
He assured members that as a matter of courtesy officers would usually keep
local members informed on matters in their wards.
Responding to an enquiry on the secondary school transport
matter that had been referred by parents for Judicial Review, the Chief
Executive advised that the Council had decided to settle this matter out of
court with the family concerned. He emphasised that it was not in the
Council’s interest to make children walk dangerous routes and school transport
routes were reviewed on a regular basis as and when new factors impacted on the
routes. He also drew Members’ attention to the fact that the Scheme of
Delegation to Officers would be reviewed next year and advised Members that
they should examine it closely to ensure that they were satisfied with the powers
delegated to officers.
Following further discussion,
it was:-
RESOLVED
– that, subject to the above, the Minutes be received and approved as a correct
record.
Supporting documents: