Please contact: Emma Denny
Please email: emma.denny@north-norfolk.gov.uk
Please direct dial on: 01263 516010
04 November 2013
Please note change of
venue
A meeting of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee of North Norfolk District Council will be held
in the Council Chamber at North Lodge, Cromer on Wednesday 13th November 2013 at
9.30a.m.
At the discretion of the Chairman, a short break will be taken after the meeting has been running
for approximately one and a half hours.
Members of the public who wish to ask a question or speak on an agenda item are requested to
arrive at least 15 minutes before the start of the meeting. It will not always be possible to
accommodate requests after that time. This is to allow time for the Committee Chair to rearrange
the order of items on the agenda for the convenience of members of the public. Further information
on the procedure for public speaking can be obtained from Democratic Services, Tel: 01263
516010, Email: democraticservices@north-norfolk.gov.uk
Sheila Oxtoby
Chief Executive
To: Mrs A Claussen-Reynolds, Ms V R Gay, Mrs A Green, Mr B Jarvis, Mrs B McGoun, Mr P
Moore, Mr J H Perry-Warnes, Mr R Reynolds, Mr E Seward, Mr R Shepherd, Mr N Smith, and Mr P
Terrington.
All other Members of the Council for information.
Members of the Management Team, appropriate Officers, Press and Public.
If you have any special requirements in order to attend this
meeting, please let us know in advance
If you would like any document in large print, audio, Braille, alternative
format or in a different language please contact us.
Chief Executive: Sheila Oxtoby Corporate Directors: Nick Baker & Steve Blatch
Tel 01263 513811 Fax 01263 515042 Minicom 01263 516005
Email districtcouncil@north-norfolk.gov.uk Web site northnorfolk.org
AGENDA
1.
TO RECEIVE APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE
2.
SUBSTITUTES
3.
PUBLIC QUESTIONS
To receive questions from the public, if any
4.
MINUTES
(Page 1)
(9.30 – 9.35)
To approve as correct records, the minutes of the meeting of the Overview and Scrutiny
Committee held on 17 July 2013.
5.
ITEMS OF URGENT BUSINESS
To determine any other items of business which the Chairman decides should be
considered as a matter of urgency pursuant to Section 100B(4)(b) of the Local Government
Act 1972.
6.
DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST
Members are asked at this stage to declare any interests that they may have in any of the
following items on the agenda. The Code of Conduct for Members requires that
declarations include the nature of the interest and whether it is a disclosable pecuniary
interest.
7.
PETITIONS FROM MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC
To consider any petitions received from members of the public.
8.
CONSIDERATION OF ANY MATTER REFERRED TO THE COMMITTEE BY A MEMBER
To consider updated information from the Corporate Director (NB) on the budgetary impact
of the reception improvement works at the council offices.
9.
RESPONSES OF THE COUNCIL OR THE CABINET TO THE COMMITTEE’S REPORTS
OR RECOMMENDATIONS
To consider any responses of the Council or the Cabinet to the Committee‟s reports or
recommendations.
10.
THE CABINET WORK PROGRAMME
11.
BUSINESS TRANSFORMATION
(Page 10)
(9.35 – 9.40)
To discuss the Cabinet Work Programme and to consider the programme of business for
Cabinet, Overview and Scrutiny, and Full Council.
(9.40 – 10.15)
(Cabinet Agenda 04 November 2013 p. 59)
(Appendix 1- Customer Management Strategy 2013 – 2016 – Electronic Only)
(Appendix 2- IT Strategy 2014- 2017 electronic only) (Appendix 3 – p. 73)
(Appendix 4 – p. 74)
Summary:
This report outlines proposed strategies for IT and Customer
CABINET
DECISION
Services, which together with associated management
support, will provide a comprehensive Programme to
improve and upgrade the Council‟s IT infrastructure and the
way in which we deal with customers.
Key to this will be laying a foundation by reviewing and
improving the IT infrastructure, from which we can then build
improvements across the Council. This will include enabling
many more customer transactions to be completed via
electronic means and facilitating much more flexible working
arrangements, including more efficient, mobile working
solutions across our services.
The suggested improvements are shown with the required
investment and indicative savings arising directly from them.
However, there is a wide range of further savings, which are
likely to arise from the suggested improvement Programme
and others, which will be enabled by it. Going forward, the
Programme will consist of a number of projects, each of
which will be subject to an individual business plan and
procurement process, to be placed before Cabinet in due
course. Together, these will form the following five work
streams:
Telephony
Document management
IT Infrastructure
Website and Channel shift
Customer management
In addition, there will be an overarching project around
business process review and management change, in order
to support the more defined work streams and to ensure that
every opportunity can be taken to drive efficiency in our
service delivery through better use of IT
The report shows a wide range of potential technologies
which, it is proposed, will be implemented at different times
and to different levels, depending on more detailed business
cases. These will be brought forward as the Business
Transformation Programme progresses.
Options considered:
To do nothing is simply not an option. Our customers expect
to be able to deal transact business with us efficiently and via
electronic means and we need to ensure future financial
stability. The existing infrastructure will not allow us to
achieve either the quality levels or efficiencies we will require
in the future.
Recommendations:
That Cabinet approves the Business Transformation
Programme, which will be based on the reports
attached.
That Cabinet allocates funds of £153,000 from the Invest
to Save Reserve to allow appointment of a Business
Transformation Manager and IT support staff as soon as
possible, in order to support the Programme.
That for each major project forming part of the
Programme, a further report will be made to Cabinet, in
order that approval can be given for the funding of such
projects.
That progress on the Programme will be governed by
the Business Transformation Board, which will report
regularly to Cabinet.
12.
13.
Reasons for
Recommendations:
To set out the management, funding and reporting
arrangements for this programme.
Cabinet Member(s)
Contact Officer:
Telephone number
Email:
Cllr T FitzPatrick & Cllr R Wright
Nick Baker
01263 516232
nick.baker@north-norfolk.gov.uk
DOMICILIARY CARE PRESENTATION
(10.15 – 11.00)
To receive a presentation by Christine Futter of the Norfolk and Suffolk Care Support Group
regarding Domiciliary Care in the district.
MANAGING PERFORMANCE Q2 2013/14
(11.15 – 11.35)
(Cabinet Agenda 04 November 2013 p. 75)
(Appendix H – Electronic Only)
Summary:
The purpose of this report is to give a half year progress
report in delivering the Annual Action Plan 2013 – 14 and
achieving targets. It gives an overview, identifies any issues
that may affect delivery of the plan, the action being taken to
address these issues and proposes any further action
needed that requires Cabinet approval.
Options considered:
Options considering action regarding performance are
presented separately, issue by issue, to the appropriate
Council Committee.
Conclusions:
1. The majority of the 49 activities in the Annual Action
Plan 2013/14 are on track and performance is being
closely monitored. Some activities have already been
completed successfully (four) and a further 35 are on
track or progressing to plan.
2. Of the 19 performance indicators where a target has
been set or assessment against the previous year‟s
performance is taking place 7 are on or above target, 3
close to target, 5 below target, 3 improving and 1 worse
compared to last year.
3. Both of these positions are an improvement on Quarter
1.
4. The delivery of the Annual Action Plan is progressing
according to plan but there are some performance
issues in achieving targets. These are detailed in the
document „Managing Performance Quarter 2 2013/14‟
attached as Appendix H.
14.
Recommendations:
It is recommended that Cabinet notes this report,
welcomes the progress being made and endorses the
actions laid out in Appendix H being taken by
management where there are areas of concern.
Reasons for
Recommendations:
To ensure the objectives of the Council are achieved.
Cabinet Member(s)
Ward(s) affected
Contact Officer:
Telephone number
Email:
Cllr T FitzPatrick
All
Helen Thomas
01263 516214
Helen.thomas@north-norfolk.gov.uk
BUDGET MONITORING REPORT 2013/14 – PERIOD 6
(11.35 – 11.55)
(Cabinet Agenda 04 November 2013 p. 10)
(Appendix A – p.19) (Appendix B – p.20) (Appendix C – p. 25) (Appendix D – p.27)
Summary:
This report summarises the budget monitoring position for
the revenue account to the end of September 2013.
Conclusions:
The overall position at the end of period 6 shows a
forecast under spend of £46,475 for the current financial
year on the revenue account.
Recommendations:
COUNCIL
DECISION
Reasons for
Recommendations:
It is recommended that:
Cabinet note the contents of the report and the
current budget monitoring position.
2)
Cabinet agree and recommend to Council the
updated budget as set out in section 5.1, Table 3.
3) Cabinet agree to the release of £100,000 included
within the approved capital programme for the Wells
Maltings Project (6.2 (h)).
1)
To update Members on the current budget monitoring
position for the Council.
LIST OF BACKGROUND PAPERS AS REQUIRED BY LAW
(Papers relied on to write the report and which do not contain exempt information)
System budget monitoring reports
Cabinet Member(s)
Ward(s) affected
Contact Officer:
Telephone number
Email:
Cllr W Northam
All
Malcolm Fry
01263 516037
Malcolm.fry@north-norfolk.gov.uk
15.
TREASURY MANAGEMENT HALF YEARLY REPORT
(11.55 – 12.00)
(Cabinet Agenda 04 November 2013 p. 33)
(Appendix E – p. 38) (Appendix F – p. 40)
Summary:
This report provides information on the Treasury
Management activities undertaken in the first six months
of 2013/14.
Options considered:
It is a requirement of the Chartered Institute of Public
Finance & Accountancy‟s (CIPFA) Code of Practice for
Treasury Management that this mid-year review is
prepared and presented to Full Council.
Conclusions:
That the treasury activities for the year have been
carried out in accordance with the CIPFA Code and the
Council‟s Treasury Strategy.
Recommendations:
That the Council be asked to RESOLVE that the Half
Yearly Treasury Management Report for 2013/14 be
approved.
COUNCIL
DECISION
Reasons for
Recommendations:
The recommendation is being made in compliance with
the CIPFA Code.
LIST OF BACKGROUND PAPERS AS REQUIRED BY LAW
(Papers relied on to write the report and which do not contain exempt information)
Arlingclose Report Template – Semi-Annual Treasury Report 2013/14
Cabinet Member(s)
Ward(s) affected
Contact Officer:
Telephone number
Email:
16.
Cllr W Northam
All
Tony Brown
01263 516126
Tony.brown@north-norfolk.gov.uk
OVERVIEW AND SCRUTINY UPDATE
Summary:
(12.00 – 12.10)
(Page 15)
(Appendix A – p. 17) (Appendix B – p. 22)
This report updates the Committee on progress with topics in its
agreed work programme (attached at Appendix A) and invites
Members to identify any arising items for future meetings. The
Scrutiny Committee‟s working style and role is attached at
Appendix B.
Conclusions:
That progress is being made in some areas, others need to be
monitored and opportunities for scrutiny should be discussed.
Recommendations:
That Members should consider any follow-up actions required
on these topics.
Cabinet Member(s):
Ward(s) affected
Contact Officer
telephone number
and email:
19.
Mr R Oliver
All
Emma Denny
01263 516010
emma.denny@north-norfolk.gov.uk
EXCLUSION OF THE PRESS AND PUBLIC
To pass the following resolution, if necessary:
“That under Section 100A(4) of the Local Government Act 1972 the press and public be
excluded from the meeting for the following items of business on the grounds that they
involve the likely disclosure of exempt information as defined in paragraph _ of Part I of
Schedule 12A (as amended) to the Act.”
20.
TO CONSIDER ANY EXEMPT MATTERS ARISING FROM CONSIDERATION OF THE
PUBLIC BUSINESS OF THE AGENDA
Agenda item no._______4_______
OVERVIEW AND SCRUTINY
Minutes of a meeting of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee held on 16 October
2013 in the Council Chamber, North Lodge Park, Overstrand Road, Cromer at 9.30 am.
Members Present:
Committee:
Mr E Seward (Chairman)
Mrs A Claussen-Reynolds
Mrs A Green
Mr B Jarvis
Mr J H Perry-Warnes
Mr R Reynolds
Officers in
Attendance:
Members in
Attendance:
Mr N Lloyd (sub)
Mrs V Uprichard (sub)
Miss B Palmer (sub)
Mr D Young (sub)
The Head of Finance, The Head of Economic and Community
Development, the Head of Planning, The Economic and Tourism
Development Officer, The Sports and Leisure Services Manager, The
Housing Team Leader- Health and Wellbeing, The Democratic Services
Team Leader, The Democratic Services Officer, The Health Improvement
Officer
Mrs P Grove-Jones, Mr P W High, Mrs L Brettle, Mrs A Fitch-Tillett
Democratic Services Officer (TGS)
67. APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE
Ms V R Gay, Mrs B McGoun, Mr P W Moore, Mr N Smith, Mr P Terrington
68. SUBSTITUTES
Mr N Lloyd for Ms V R Gay, Miss B Palmer for Mr N Smith, Mr D Young for Mr P
Terrington, Mrs V Uprichard for Mr P W Moore
69. PUBLIC QUESTIONS
None received.
70. MINUTES
The minutes of the meeting of the committee held on 11 September 2013 were
approved as a correct record and signed by the Chairman.
Overview and Scrutiny Committee
1
16 October 2013
71. ITEMS OF URGENT BUSINESS
None received.
72. DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST
None received.
73. PETITIONS FROM MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC
None received.
74. CONSIDERATION OF ANY MATTER REFERRED TO THE COMMITTEE BY A
MEMBER
None received.
75. RESPONSES OF THE COUNCIL OR THE CABINET TO THE COMMITTEE’S
REPORTS OR RECOMMENDATIONS
None received.
76. THE CABINET WORK PROGRAMME
Mrs A Claussen-Reynolds enquired about the item regarding the new telephony system.
The Head of Finance replied that the item was due to go to the Cabinet meeting in
November and it could potentially go to the following meeting of the Scrutiny Committee.
Mrs P Grove-Jones asked whether the fraud policy was with regards to internal or
external fraud, and the Head of Finance replied that she believed the policy was an
overview of the current Fraud Policy which aimed to combat issues such as Benefit
Fraud.
The Chairman updated the committee with regards to item from the previous meeting on
Closed Circuit Television. He stated that Cabinet had voted to decommission the CCTV
service, but that individual Town Councils had been offered the option to take over
control of their local services and had been given 6 weeks to make any proposals with
regards to this.
77. OVERVIEW OF THE LEISURE SERVICE
The Sports and Leisure Services Manager introduced this item. He gave an update on
Sports and Leisure Facilities and commented that the year 2012/13 had surpassed the
visitor target by 14,000. He also commented that for the current year, they were already
2,000 visits ahead of target. He discussed a number of items, including the successful
delivery of the Mobile Gym, Fit Together Walks across the district, and the ParkRun. He
explained to members the changes in how Blue Flag statuses were awarded to
beaches. He further commented on the successful events run at various parks across
the district during the summer, and informed members that Council-owned play
equipment which was most at need would be replaced following a capital bid of
£100,000.The Chairman then invited members to ask questions.
1. Mr N Lloyd commented on the rise in prices at Sports Centres and asked the Sports
and Leisure Services Manager if usage had been affected by this. The Sports and
Leisure Services Manager replied that whilst usage at Cromer and Stalham had gone
Overview and Scrutiny Committee
2
16 October 2013
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
down over the summer, this was to be expected due to the good weather. He further
commented that usage at North Walsham had remained stable. He commented that
whilst it was possible that price rises may have an effect on usage, it wasn’t possible
to extrapolate that information from the data they collected. Mr N Lloyd went on to
comment on the restructuring that had taken place at the Sports Centres and
commented that he felt these sports centres might benefit from feedback and further
engagement with the council. The Sports and Leisure Services Manager agreed and
said that meetings had been happening but would be on-going. Mr N Lloyd queried
what the future looked like for the Sports Centres. The Sports and Leisure Services
Manager replied that whilst restructuring was still on-going, the future looked positive
for the centres.
Mr R Reynolds queried if it would be possible in the future to also receive figures
regarding visitor numbers and costings. The Sports and Leisure Services Manager
replied this would be fine and he would bring the figures the next time the report
came to the committee. Mr R Reynolds queried what the upkeep costs were for the
Cromer pier. The Sports and Leisure Services Manager replied that whilst they were
not responsible for pier upkeep, they were responsible for the theatre and would be
able to bring those figures.
Mrs A Claussen-Reynolds queried why the team’s bid for funding for Women and
Girls’ Sport had been unsuccessful. The Sports and Leisure Services Manager
replied that those who had been successful had significantly more resources than
North Norfolk District Council to support their bid, and also had a longer time frame to
put their bid in place. He commented however that the feedback they had received
had been good and would improve their future bids. Mrs A Claussen-Reynolds went
on to question if the District owned playground in Fakenham was being considered
for funding for renovations. The Sports and Leisure Services Manager replied that he
did not believe the Fakenham playground was being considered for renovations at
this time.
Mrs P Grove-Jones commented that she was concerned about high entry costs and
restricted times at the Stalham sports centre. She also commented that whilst she
was happy that the area was getting a new youth facility with the creation of the
Poppy Centre, she was concerned this may impact on the services offered by the
council.
Mr D Young mentioned the 12% drop in sales for the Summer Show and the pier and
queried if that would be an issue for the council. The Sports and Leisure Services
Manager replied that whilst the Summer Show had seen a drop in sales, due to good
sales at other shows, there had only been a 2% drop overall. He also reiterated that
the management fee the council paid to Openwide to provide services was a fixed
price in the contract and not index linked and therefore would not be affected. He
further commented that he would be interested to get members’ feedback on the pier
theatre and its provision of services.
Mr D Young queried if the use of wildflowers in council owned flower beds would
continue. The Sports and Leisure Services Manager replied that whilst growth,
particularly at Mundesley, had been slow, the flowers were coming into bloom now
and the council would be continuing to use wildflowers.
Mr N Lloyd commented that the Sports Centre open day at North Walsham had been
very successful, and he was pleased to see the facilities be so well promoted. The
Sports and Leisure Services Manager replied that he was also happy with the open
day and that they were looking to repeat them at other sports centres.
The Chairman questioned if the council collected demographic data on Sports Centre
and facility usage. The Sports and Leisure Services Manager replied that currently
they were not collecting that data, however at some Sports Centres they were asking
members to do surveys to provide them with further information. He also commented
that he was in talks with Kate Sullivan, Community Liason Officer, with regards to
engaging disabled groups in sporting activities.
Overview and Scrutiny Committee
3
16 October 2013
9. Mrs A Green noted that she was concerned that entry prices at the Fakenham Sports
Centre were too high, and that this was putting off young people from using the
facility. The Sports and Leisure Services Manager commented that schools did use
the Sports Centre considerably during the day but this was an agreement between
the School and DC Leisure.
The Chairman thanked the Sports and Leisure Services Manager for his informative report
and suggested that the Overview of the Leisure Service report become an annual report, to
include as much data regarding demographic usage as possible for the following reports.
Members of the committee agreed and it was
NOTED
That the Overview of the Leisure Service become an annual report for presentation to the
Overview and Scrutiny Committee.
78.
TOURISM UPDATE
The Economic and Tourism Development Officer presented this report which provided an
update on tourism in North Norfolk with regards to the season so far. He commented that
due to the cold start of the season, that tourism had seen a slow start to the year, however
the better weather later in the season would be reflected in the following quarter’s results. He
commented that the estimated figures for tourism were usually reported a year behind in the
Economic Impact of Tourism Study which Tourism South East carried out, they were
awaiting the 2012 results. Consequently, the Tourism Business Confidence Monitor for
Norfolk for the quarter to 30 June 2013, undertaken by Larking Gowen had been used,
which included 18 businesses from the district. Of these businesses, a variety of types of
business had taken part, including accommodation providers, pubs, outdoor venues and
holiday parks. He commented that with regards to the survey, the outlook on tourism
appeared to be optimistic in the district, showing a 61% increase in visitor numbers from the
previous year. This showed to be particularly good in comparison to other areas in the
county. The Economic and Tourism Development Officer then went on to discuss Tourist
Information Centres (TICs), marketing North Norfolk, improved signage in north-east Norfolk,
and Car Parking. The Chairman queried what the costs were for improving signage across
the district, and the Head of Economic and Community Development replied that it was
money set aside from the Pathfinder Project. The Head of Economic and Community
Development suggested that a lot of information for the current season was not yet
available, but initial indications were good, partly reflected by the fine weather.. The
Chairman thanked the Economic and Tourism Development Officer for his report and the
Head of Economic and Community Development for her comments, and then invited
members to ask questions.
1. Mrs V Uprichard queried using a survey for the report which appeared to be costly.
She further commented that the council should utilise information made readily
available by those TICs which were not council owned.
2. Mrs P Grove-Jones queried why only 18 businesses from North Norfolk had taken
part in the survey and asked approximately how many businesses there were in
North Norfolk. The Economic and Tourism Development Officer replied that there
were approximately 1,700 tourism related businesses in North Norfolk and
commented that the survey was working to increase uptake through incentivising
participation. Mrs P Grove-Jones commented on the issue of signage, suggesting
that the Stalham area in particular suffered from a lack of signage, however that in
other areas there appeared to be too much signage, and that it was important for the
council to strike a balance.
Overview and Scrutiny Committee
4
16 October 2013
3. Mrs A Claussen-Reynolds commented that she was concerned over a level of
inconsistency on colour coding of the charts and graphs throughout the survey report
which did not facilitate easy reading. The Economic and Tourism Development
Officer replied that this could be rectified for any further survey reports.
4. Mr R Reynolds queried whether there was any further data regarding visitor numbers
that could be looked at before 2012, and also commented that he believed whilst
work on improved signage had been needed for a long time, that these seemed to be
positive steps forward.
5. Mr D Young queried the information provided on car parking and asked if the
numbers included the use of the £5 season ticket, which may be useful information to
look at. He further commented that figures around who was using the car parks
would also be useful to see. The Economic and Tourism Development Officer
commented that Maxine Collis, the Property Business Manager, was preparing r
further details regarding car parking figures, which would be available soon. The
Chairman questioned if Car Parking was due to come to scrutiny, and the Democratic
Services Team Leader replied that it was due to come in January.
6. Mr D Young went on to query the lack of availability of facilities at TICs for booking
events, referring to the report which suggested tourists would be directed to the Visit
North Norfolk website. He questioned if it was sensible to no longer supply booking
facilities at the TICs and questioned if a hard copy of available accommodation was
still available for tourists. The Economic and Tourism Development Officer replied
that they had discontinued the North Norfolk Holiday Guide, but that TICs were still
providing computers for users. Mr D Young further reiterated that a lack of available
facilities at TICs may put off some of the key demographic of tourists who visited
North Norfolk due to a lack of web literacy. The Economic and Tourism Development
Officer commented that staff at TICs do help individuals with bookings and guide
them to the right resources.
7. Mr B Jarvis queried whether or not tourism in the Broads came under the remit of the
new destination management organisation (DMO), Visit North Norfolk Coast and
Countryside Ltd. The Economic and Tourism Development Officer replied that
tourism businesses in the North Norfolk part of the Broads are welcome to join the
DMO. Visit North Norfolk also includes the Broads in their marketing activities.
However, there was an aspiration that Broads Tourism would become a full DMO to
promote the Broad from its current structure as an association of tourism businesses
being supported by the Broads Authority. Mr B Jarvis commented that this was
promising as the Broads were an important part of tourism in the area.
8. Mr N Lloyd questioned the cost of the survey provided and the Economic and
Tourism Development Officer replied that it costs £200.
9. Mrs A Green commented that she was concerned about the viability of TICs when
they appeared to have unsuitable opening hours which left people unable to find
suitable local accommodation.
The Chairman asked the committee if they thought it would be useful for the Tourism update
to come back to a later committee meeting when further data had been received by the
council. The members of the committee agreed with this and it was
AGREED
for the Tourism Update to come back to the January meeting of the Overview and Scrutiny
Committee to provide further information.
79.
HEALTH UPDATE
The Health Improvement Officer introduced this item. She reminded the committee that the
update was one which was due to go to the September meeting however had been pushed
Overview and Scrutiny Committee
5
16 October 2013
back to October due to time constraints. She explained to the committee a number of
different issues, including the successes of the MyTime Active service and the Living Well
with Dementia service. She further commented that Warm and Well in Norfolk had been a
successful campaign for the 2012/13 winter period. The chairman then invited members to
ask questions.
1. Mrs P Grove-Jones gave positive feedback on the Mytime Active Scheme. Whilst not
a NNDC run initiative the Council has worked proactively with the NHS to establish
the scheme in North Norfolk. Locating the scheme at the Council has been mutually
beneficial for both organisations. She asked the Health Improvement Officer about
the success of the Energy Boxes scheme. The Housing Team Leader- Health and
Wellbeing responded to this. She commented that the Energy Boxes scheme had
been funded from the Department of Energy and Climate Change and consisted of a
set of information relating to energy usage, information about staying warm in winter,
information regarding bills and tariffs, as well as an energy monitor. She commented
that it was informal and was intended to be placed within parishes for members of the
public to use at their leisure. She commented that whilst some people had found it
useful, some parishes had said they had nowhere to keep their box, and that they
would be doing more to work on the scheme in the coming months.
2. The Health Improvement Officer responded to questions regarding the Warm and
Well scheme. She commented that funding had been received from the Department
of Health to help improve heating in cold houses through a number of projects. She
commented that funding had not been made available for this year however they
would be working with partners from the scheme to try and implement some of the
more informal elements on an ad-hoc basis.
3. Mrs A Claussen-Reynolds asked about the Living Well with Dementia project and
queried if it would work with other mental health issues also. The Health
Improvement Officer replied that the North Norfolk Clinical Commissioning Group had
set up the project specifically to improve the low level of dementia diagnosis in North
Norfolk. Mrs A Claussen-Reynolds queried was a ‘dementia friendly’ garden was.
The Health Improvement Officer replied that it was a garden which included sensory
elements, such as sight and smell, to encourage and trigger the memory. She further
commented it was a safe and secure environment for those with dementia. She
commented that if members were interested, she could arrange for them to visit the
garden when it was finished.
80.
BUSINESS RATES POOLING
The Head of Finance introduced this item. She commented that the report outlined the
potential for establishing a pooling arrangement in Norfolk, which North Norfolk District
Council would be part of. She commented that the treatment of Business Rates in terms of
the Council’s funding had changed from April 2013, previously the total amount collected
was paid over to Central Government and then redistributed but under the new Business
Rates Retention scheme an element is retained locally, and the new scheme is hoped to
incentivise local authorities to increase economic growth, through retention of a share of the
locally collected business rates. She further explained that, in two-tier authority areas, the
county council would receive a top up from the government whilst district authorities paid a
tariff, when an authority experiences growth in the business rates incomes then a proportion
of the growth, a levy is paid over to the government. She explained that with the pooling
system, the district would no longer have to pay this levy to central government and this
would be retained in the pool. She did however explain that outside of a pooling
arrangement, a safety net existed for authorities when their business rates income fell by
more than 7.5%. Within a pool, the mitigation of these falls would be met by the pool. She
summarised that the pooling arrangement was to be put in place to support the economic
growth of Norfolk as a county, and that risks to the district were mitigated by the fact that
Overview and Scrutiny Committee
6
16 October 2013
pooling could be re-evaluated on an annual basis, and that those authorities which could
potentially fall below the 7.5% baseline funding level in the following year, were not due to
join the pool. The Chairman queried how North Norfolk would see benefits from the pooling
system, and the Head of Finance explained that the leaders of the pool (being the leaders of
the individual councils), and the Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) made decisions
regarding allocation of funding. She further reiterated that money that would otherwise not
be made available to the county, which would be paid to central government, would through
the pooling system remain within the county itself. She added that it had been approximated
to be about £40,000 which would be kept in-county by the district in the pooling system. The
Chairman then invited members to ask questions.
1. Mrs A Claussen-Reynolds queried if it was possible to leave the pool once an
authority had entered. The Head of Finance said that once an authority had made the
decision to enter the pool, they would be in the pool for that coming year, however
business pools were re-evaluated annually. She further explained that if the district
decided to leave the pool following entry, the entire pool would collapse.
2. Mr R Reynolds questioned if Norwich City Council were to be included in the
proposed pooling arrangement. The Head of Finance replied that no, they were not
proposing to enter the pooling arrangement.
3. Mr N Lloyd questioned if there were any hidden costs regarding joining the pool. The
Head of Finance replied that there were not any significant costs and that most costs
were being met by the county council for administering the pool. Mr N Lloyd then
queried if authorities would then be tempted to raise business rates, and the Head of
Finance replied that these were set with central government so this couldn’t happen.
4. The Chairman commented that the proposals could put pressure on members to
increase the number of new businesses in North Norfolk to increase the amount
levied via business rates. He further commented that it would be useful to receive a
briefing on the arrangement when it was proposed to be put into place in April in
order to fully understand the impact of the arrangement, and to understand public
perceptions. He further commented that it would be useful for members to receive a
simple to understand example of how business rates worked in order to increase
understanding. The Head of Finance commented that she could produce a simple to
understand guide for members, and replied that an overview of the arrangement
could be incorporated into the Budget Monitoring report if members were happy with
this.
NOTED
To incorporate any future information regarding Business Rates Pooling into the cyclical
Budget Monitoring Report.
81. PLANNING UPDATE
The Chairman introduced the new Head of Planning, and stated that this was an opportunity
for her to introduce her hopes for the service and for members of the committee to comment
on important issues. The Head of Planning then introduced herself. She commented that she
had worked in planning in local authorities for a considerable amount of time, and that she
would be interested to hear where members thought the issues lay at North Norfolk. She
further stated that the service was responding to recommendations from the peer review
which should come into practice soon. She stated that she hoped to see improvements in
the service performance by quarter three of the financial year. The chairman then invited
members to ask questions and raise relevant issues, to be taken at once.
1. Mr J Perry-Warnes welcomed the Head of Planning to North Norfolk and mentioned
his concerns regarding issues in the district around renewable energy sources.
Overview and Scrutiny Committee
7
16 October 2013
2. Mr N Lloyd commented that he was concerned with the planning department and its’
organisational structure, and hoped to see improvements to create a more
transparent structure.
3. Mrs P Grove-Jones commented that she was concerned that town and parish
councils were not given a good overview of planning applications and wanted to
ensure that their views were taken into account when considering applications. The
Chairman reiterated this point by stating it would be useful if officers engaged more
with towns and parishes and should consider attending more parish meetings.
4. Mr D Young also commented on the issue of towns and parishes and stated there
was often confusion over dates leading to parishes to make rushed decisions. He
further commented that isolated working often resulted in the planning department
not being aware of other applications when the lead planning officer was away.
5. Mr B Jarvis commented that he felt sometimes members were not given a full
understanding on applications and that they needed further support in order to
support their decision making. He also stated that officers should be available to give
a second opinion if a member disagreed with the lead officer on an application.
6. Mrs L Brettle commented on the previous organisation of the Development
committee and stated that when they were split often workloads were easier to
manage. The Chairman responded to this and stated that he felt issues had arisen
following the committees’ merging. He commented that previous to the committees’
merging 77% of minor applications had been dealt with in 8 weeks, whereas now the
number stood at 35%. He commented that there seemed to be too much of a
hierarchical decision structure which created inefficiencies. He summarised by
stating it was important for the department to get back on target by ensuring there
was a range of experience levels and knowledge within the planning team, and that
consistency should be foremost.
7. Mrs V Uprichard commented that she felt towns and parishes would benefit from
further planning training.
The Head of Planning then responded to some of these concerns. She stated that the
government policy framework encouraged the support of renewable energies, but that this
had to be balanced with local needs and wishes. She stated that a result of the service peer
review had been to encourage better policy notes in this area to encourage transparency.
She stated that she hoped to encourage team work in the service early on through a case
support system, to increase efficiencies. She stated that whilst she had only been in post a
short time, she hoped to quickly make progress. With regards to issues surrounding town
and parish councils, the Head of Planning stated that she hoped to get feedback from them,
potentially through the creation of a planning forum. She hoped to further encourage officer
engagement with local members and stated that members should not be put under pressure
to agree with the officers or to make a decision quickly. Mrs V Uprichard then raised the
issue that occasionally parish and town councils were aware of planning applications before
the local member was, and that this needed to be addressed. The Head of Planning
responded that she would try to ensure members were always the first to know about
relevant applications, but sometimes developers went direct to their local area before putting
in a planning application which may sometimes cause issues.
The Chairman thanked the Head of Planning for her informative and useful update and the
committee hoped to see improvement in the service area soon.
82. OVERVIEW AND SCRUTINY UPDATE
The Democratic Services Team Leader introduced this item. She stated that a presentation
on domiciliary care was due to go to the following committee, and that members may find it
useful to feed into a discussion at county council regarding the topic, following the
presentation. She stated that she was still working on securing the Police and Crime
Overview and Scrutiny Committee
8
16 October 2013
Commissioner for an upcoming meeting but would keep members updated with the status of
this. She further commented that Victory Housing had offered to come to the committee to
discuss their disposals programme and that if the committee were agreeable, they could
come to the December meeting of the committee. She further stated that Sue Lake from the
National Association of Local Councils in Norfolk would be coming to the committee in
December to provide members with an update on issues in parish and town councils. Mrs A
Claussen-Reynolds raised the issue of waste framework which had been in the news, and
asked the Democratic Services Team Leader to respond on this issue. The Democratic
Services Team Leader replied that she would find out the relevant information and return it
to members.
The meeting concluded at 12.26 pm
____________________
Chairman
Overview and Scrutiny Committee
9
16 October 2013
North Norfolk District Council
Cabinet Work Programme
For the Period 01 November 2013 to 28 February 2014
Decision Maker(s)
Meeting
Date
Subject &
Summary
Cabinet
Member(s)
4 Nov 2013
Business
Transformation – IT
Strategy and
Customer Services
Strategy
Tom FitzPatrick
& Russell
Wright
Nick Baker
Corporate Director
01263 516221
Cabinet
4 Nov 2013
Playground
Equipment Review
John Lee
Duncan Ellis
Head of Assets &
Leisure
01263 516330
Cabinet
4 Nov 2013
Scrutiny
13 Nov 2103
Budget Monitoring
Period 6
Wyndham
Northam
Karen Sly
Head of Finance
01263 516243
Cabinet
4 Nov 2013
Treasury
Management half
yearly report
Wyndham
Northam
Tony Brown
Technical Accountant
01263 516126
Performance
Management
Update Q2
Tom FitzPatrick
Helen Thomas
Policy & Performance
Management Officer
01263 516214
Nov 2013
Cabinet
Scrutiny
13 Nov 2013
Cabinet
4 Nov 2013
Corporate
Plan Priority`
Lead Officer
Status
Key Decision
* Schedule 12A of the Local Government Act 1972 (As amended by the Local Authorities (Access to Information) (Exempt Information)
(England) Order 2006)
10
North Norfolk District Council
Cabinet Work Programme
For the Period 01 November 2013 to 28 February 2014
Decision Maker(s)
Meeting
Date
Subject &
Summary
Cabinet
Member(s)
Cabinet
4 Nov 2013
Sheringham
Fisherman’s Ramp
Access Ramp –
match funding
request for a FLAG
application
Angie FitchTillett
Cabinet
2 Dec 2013
Review of Leisure
Service/Contracts
John Lee
Cabinet
2 Dec 2013
Cabbell Park
Tom FitzPatrick
Duncan Ellis
Head of Assets &
Leisure
01263 516330
Cabinet
2 Dec 2013
Fraud Policy
Wyndham
Northam
Louise Wolsey
Revenues & Benefits
Services Manager
01263 516081
Dec 2013
11 Dec 2013
18 Dec 2013
Corporate
Plan Priority`
Lead Officer
Status
Steve Blatch
Corporate Director
01263 516232
Duncan Ellis
Head of Assets &
Leisure01263 516330
Key Decision
* Schedule 12A of the Local Government Act 1972 (As amended by the Local Authorities (Access to Information) (Exempt Information)
(England) Order 2006)
11
North Norfolk District Council
Cabinet Work Programme
For the Period 01 November 2013 to 28 February 2014
Decision Maker(s)
Meeting
Date
Subject &
Summary
Cabinet
Member(s)
Corporate
Plan Priority`
Lead Officer
Cabinet
2 Dec 2013
Big Society Fund &
Enabling Fund
Proposals
Trevor Ivory
Rob Young
Coast & Community
Partnerships Manager
01263 516162
Cabinet
2 Dec 2013
Trevor Ivory
Scrutiny
11 Dec 2013
Enforcement Board
Update
Nick Baker
Corporate Director
01263 516221
Status
Jan 2013
Cabinet
7 Jan 2014
North Lodge Park
Rhodri Oliver &
Trevor Ivory
Duncan Ellis
Head of Assets &
Leisure01263 516330
Cabinet
7 Jan 2014
Scrutiny
15 Jan 2014
Revenues &
Benefits shared
services
Wyndham
Northam
Steve Blatch
Corporate Director
01263 516232
Performance
Management
Update Q3
Tom FitzPatrick
Feb 2014
Cabinet
3 Feb 2014
Scrutiny
12 Feb 2014
Delivering the
Vision (A)
Helen Thomas
Policy & Performance
Management Officer
01263 516214
Cyclical
Key Decision
* Schedule 12A of the Local Government Act 1972 (As amended by the Local Authorities (Access to Information) (Exempt Information)
(England) Order 2006)
12
North Norfolk District Council
Cabinet Work Programme
For the Period 01 November 2013 to 28 February 2014
Decision Maker(s)
Meeting
Date
Subject &
Summary
Cabinet
Member(s)
Corporate
Plan Priority`
Lead Officer
Status
Cabinet
3 Feb 2014
12 Feb 2014
Wyndham
Northam
Delivering the
Vision
Tony Brown
Technical Accountant
01263 516126
Annual
Scrutiny
Treasury Strategy
2014/15
Cabinet
3 Feb 2014
Overview & Scrutiny
12 Feb 2014
Wyndham
Northam
Delivering the
Vision
Karen Sly
Head of Finance
01263 516243
Council
26 Feb 2014
2014/15 Base
Budget and
Projections for
2015/16 to 2017/18
Cabinet
3 Feb 2014
Overview & Scrutiny
12 Feb 2014
Budget Monitoring
Period 9
Wyndham
Northam
Delivering the
Vision
Karen Sly
Head of Finance
01263 516243
4 Nov 2013
New Telephony
System
Russell Wright
Nick Baker
Corporate Director
01263 516221
4 Nov 2013
North Norfolk
Business Loan and
Grant Scheme
Russell Wright
Jill Fisher
Head of Economic and
Community
Development
01265 516080
Cyclical
To be confirmed:
Cabinet
Scrutiny
Cabinet
Key Decision
* Schedule 12A of the Local Government Act 1972 (As amended by the Local Authorities (Access to Information) (Exempt Information)
(England) Order 2006)
13
North Norfolk District Council
Cabinet Work Programme
For the Period 01 November 2013 to 28 February 2014
Key Decision
* Schedule 12A of the Local Government Act 1972 (As amended by the Local Authorities (Access to Information) (Exempt Information)
(England) Order 2006)
14
Overview and Scrutiny Committee
13 November 2013
Agenda Item 16
OVERVIEW AND SCRUTINY UPDATE
Summary:
This report updates the Committee on progress with
topics in its agreed work programme (attached at
Appendix A) and invites Members to identify any
arising items for future meetings. The Scrutiny
Committee’s working style and role is attached at
Appendix B
Conclusions:
That progress is being made in some areas, others
need to be monitored and opportunities for scrutiny
should be discussed.
Recommendations:
That Members should consider any follow-up
actions required on these topics.
Cabinet Member(s):
Ward(s) affected
Mr R Oliver
All
Contact Officer:
Telephone number:
Email:
Emma Denny
01263 516010
emma.denny@north-norfolk.gov.uk
1.
Introduction
The Scrutiny Update report is a standing item on all Overview and Scrutiny
Committee agendas. The report updates Members on progress made with
topics on its agreed work programme and provides additional information
which Members may have requested at a previous meeting.
2.
Progress on topics since the last meeting
2.1
Ambulance response times
Replies have now been received from Norman Lamb MP and Keith Simpson
MP. Copies of the responses will be circulated to Committee members via
email.
2.2
Police and Crime Commissioner
A presentation by the Police & Crime Commissioner was originally scheduled
for November. His PA has now come back to me with the suggestion that he
attends the February Committee meeting. I have provisionally accepted this
date.
2.3
Waste Contract query
The following reply has been received from Barry Brandford, Environmental
Services Manager, in response to Councillor Claussen-Reynolds query
regarding new regulations for the separation of recycled waste.
15
Overview and Scrutiny Committee
13 November 2013
‘The letter from Lord de Mauley was widely covered in the print media.
However, it does not represent any new legal or policy position and this has
been confirmed by our legal advisers working with the councils in the new
MRF contract. Initially the Governments transposition was challenged by part
of the recycling industry in the High Court by way of Judicial Review. The
outcome of the court case was that the challenge failed. It is up to a local
authority to determine its best collection method and for its contractor taking
the collected material to produce high quality outputs capable of being
recycled by the end processors.
The collection of glass in a comingled stream is perfectly acceptable; we will
not be requiring any additional containment. Our proposed contractor has yet
again confirmed today that they will meet the requirements of the specification
to produce high quality recyclable materials with the characteristics of single
stream materials acceptable to the industry in compliance with the current
regulations, which become operational in 2015, and are fully appraised with
the proposals for a ‘Code of Practice’ for their operations.
The risk of a challenge is extremely low and the potential for risk has been
carefully considered by the procurement team on the new contract.’
3.
Items of interest to the Committee:
Victory Housing Disposals Programme
VHT will attend the December meeting to discuss their disposals programme.
Planning Workshops
Starting from January 2014, The Member Development Group will be
organising a series of workshops on areas of interest to all members – aimed
at widening your knowledge and building on existing skills. The first
workshop will focus on planning. It is intended that this will be the first in a
series of workshops on planning which will run throughout the year. The
Head of Planning, Nicola Baker will be running these sessions and has asked
if there are any specific areas that members would like to see covered.
4.
Changes to the Work Programme and Future Topics
The updated work programme is attached at Appendix A. Please note that
some items have been moved to make sure that the schedule for each
meeting is not too heavy.
16
Appendix A
OVERVIEW AND SCRUTINY COMMITTEE WORK PROGRAMME 2013/2014
Period November 2013 – March 2014
Date of
Topic
Meeting
Nov 2013 Domiciliary Care Presentation
Officer/
Responsible Portfolio Holder
Angie Fitch-Tillett
Notes
Requested by members
Business Transformation ~ IT
Tom FitzPatrick
Strategy and Customer Services Russell Wright
Strategy
Nick Baker
Cabinet Decision
(Labelled as Key Decision)
Budget Monitoring Period 6
Wyndham Northam
Karen Sly
Cyclical
Treasury Management Half
Yearly Report
Wyndham Northam
Tony Brown
Cyclical
Council Decison
Performance Management
Update Quarter 2
Tom FitzPatrick
Helen Thomas
Cyclical
Trevor Ivory
Nicola Turner
Cyclical
Dec 2013 Update on Empty Homes Policy
to include an overview on how
the Council is progressing with
reducing empty homes.
Enforcement Board Update
Nick Baker
Trevor Ivory
Victory Housing: Disposals
Trevor Ivory
17
Requested
Date of
Meeting
Topic
programme - presentation
Big Society Fund Grants Panel
– update on how new body is
working. Projects being funded
and whether they added value.
Parish & Town Council Update
Jan 2014 Waste contract update
Officer/
Responsible Portfolio Holder
Nicola Turner
Notes
Rob Young / Sonia Shuter
Trevor Ivory
Requested
Sue Lake (NALC)
John Lee
Nick Baker
Cyclical
Shared services update
Wyndham Northam
Cyclical
Environmental Sustainability
Update
Nick Baker
John Lee
cyclical
Review of Car parks – to include
income by ticket type and
figures for specific car parks.
Report on the Internal Boards –
to cover Functions/powers, who
sits on them, and where the
minutes go
Duncan Ellis
Rhodri Oliver
Feb 2014 Performance management
update Q3
Sheila Oxtoby
Tom FitzPatrick
Requested by Councillor
Terrington
Helen Thomas
Tom FitzPatrick
Cyclical
18
Date of
Meeting
Topic
Treasury Strategy 2014/15
2014/15 Base Budget and
Projections for 2015/16 to
2017/18
Budget Monitoring Period 9
Update on Tourism across the
District – overview of the 2013
season. Include figures for
Mundesley & Wells TICs.
Challenges & progress in
addressing shortcomings
Planning service – overview &
future
March
2014
Officer/
Responsible Portfolio Holder
Tony Brown
Wyndham Northam
Karen Sly
Wyndham Northam
Notes
Annual
Annual
Karen Sly
Wyndham Northam
Jill Fisher
Russell Wright
requested
Benjie Cabbell Manners
Nicola Baker
Equalities Data Annual report
Kate Sullivan
Tom FitzPatrick
Annual
Customer Access Strategy
Nick Baker
Russell Wright
Annual
Annual Action Plan 2014/15
Julie Cooke
Tom FitzPatrick
cyclical
19
Date of
Meeting
TBC
Topic
Officer/
Responsible Portfolio Holder
Housing Renewal Policy
Nicola Turner
Trevor Ivory
Health Update
Sonia Shuter
Angie Fitch-Tillett
Notes
cyclical
Customer Service Update
Police & Crime Commissioner
presentation
Internal Boards Membership
May
2014
Housing Allocations Scheme
Oct 2014
Leisure Services – an overview
of the leisure services across
the District – to include
costings, input by stakeholders,
profit etc.
Requested by Peter
Terrington – scheduled for
January
Nicola Turner
Trevor Ivory
20
Date of
Meeting
Topic
Also figures on running of Pier
Theatre and Openwide contract
Profile of those using leisure
centres
Officer/
Responsible Portfolio Holder
21
Notes
Appendix B
Working Style of the Scrutiny Committee
Independence
Members of the Scrutiny Committee will not be subject to whipping arrangements by party groups.
Member leadership
Members of the Committee will take the lead in selecting topics for scrutiny and in questioning
witnesses. The Committee will expect members of Cabinet, rather than officers, to take the main
responsibility for answering the Committee’s questions about topics, which relate mainly to the
Council’s activities.
A constructive atmosphere
Meetings of the Committee will be constructive, and not judgmental, accepting that effective
scrutiny is best achieved through challenging and constructive enquiry. People giving evidence at
the Committee should not feel under attack.
Respect and trust
Meetings will be conducted in a spirit of mutual respect and trust.
Openness and transparency
The Committee’s business will be open and transparent, except where there are sound reasons
for protecting confidentiality. In particular, the minutes of the Committee’s meetings will explain
the discussion and debate in a balanced style, so that they could be understood by those who
were not present.
Consensus
Members of the Committee will work together and, while recognizing political allegiances, will
attempt to achieve consensus and agreed recommendations.
Impartial and independent officer advice
Officers who advise and support the Committee will give impartial and independent advice,
recognizing the importance of the Scrutiny Committee in the Council’s arrangements for
governance, as set out in its Constitution.
Regular review
There will be regular reviews of how the scrutiny process is working, and a willingness to change
if it is not working well.
Programming and planning
The Committee will agree the topics to be included in its published work programme and the
extent of the investigation to be undertaken in relation to resources, and the witnesses to be
invited to give evidence.
Managing time
The Committee will attempt to conclude the business of each meeting in reasonable time. The
order of business will be arranged as far as possible to minimize the demands on the time of
witnesses.
26
22