PRESENT: - Councillor Davison in the Chair.
Councillors Clark (vice-chair), Armitage, Barker, Berry and C Sherwood.
Councillors Barkworth and Smith attended the meeting in accordance with Procedure Rule 37 (b).
The Panel met at Pittwood House, Scunthorpe.
11 DECLARATIONS OF PERSONAL OR PERSONAL AND PREJUDICIAL INTERESTS AND DECLARATIONS OF WHIPPING ARRANGEMENTS (IF ANY) – There were no declarations of personal or personal and prejudicial interests.
No whip was declared.
12 PUBLIC SPEAKING – There were no requests from members of the public to address the Scrutiny Panel.
13 OVERVIEW AND SCRUTINY AND THE SAFER NEIGHBOURHOODS PARTNERSHIP – The Chair welcomed all members of the Safer Neighbourhoods Partnership to the meeting. The Chair explained the rationale behind the workshop and invited the Service Director – Legal and Democratic to give a short presentation on overview and scrutiny in North Lincolnshire and how it could assist the Safer Neighbourhoods Partnership.
The Service Director informed the meeting that since the Local Government Act 2000 introduced the executive/scrutiny split, the council has had the power to investigate community concerns beyond the council and its services. The Act says scrutiny arrangements should include the power to report ‘on matters which affect the authority’s area or the inhabitants of that area’. Many useful scrutiny reviews have been done on these wider issues. However, when this Act was passed, it required only members of the council executive and staff to respond to scrutiny activities. Scrutiny bodies could invite others to attend or provide information, but not compel them.
The Local Government White Paper, Strong and Prosperous Communities, published in October 2006 proposed a further extended role for council scrutiny in England.
Alongside this, the Police and Justice Act 2006 brings new powers to scrutinise Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnerships (CDRPs).
New statutory roles for scrutiny committees to look at crime and disorder issues were being introduced.
Behind these changes lies the desire to increase the visibility and accountability of partnerships locally, as well as ensure community redress if community safety issues had not been dealt with.
This expands the importance of council scrutiny as one of the means to exercise democratic power over a wider range of services and issues affecting the area. It creates new dynamics between overview and scrutiny, the Council as a whole, and its Executive.
Alongside the changes to CDRPs described above, the CDRP Reform programme also included a new scrutiny role for local overview and scrutiny committees. Responsibility to scrutinise the Safer Neighbourhoods Partnership has been allocated to the Safer and Stronger Communities Scrutiny Panel.
This role can involve contributions to strategy development, review of performance of the partnership in implementing the Crime and Disorder Reduction Reform programme, and in-depth select committee type enquiries into particular issues of local concern which need partnership solutions.
The Chair invited all those present to question the Service Director on his presentation and suggest any potential topics for scrutiny reviews.
Resolved – (a) That all members of the Safer Neighbourhoods Partnership be thanked for their attendance and contribution at the meeting, and (b) that all topics suggested for scrutiny reviews be considered at the next meeting of this Panel.
14 NEIGHBOURHOOD ACTION TEAMS – The Head of Safer Neighbourhoods informed the meeting that further to the meeting of the Safer Neighbourhoods Executive Board on 19 September 2007, an action plan had been prepared in order to establish and resource the 17 Neighbourhood Action Teams in North Lincolnshire. The action plan was produced in partnership with Humberside Police and North Lincolnshire Council.
Resolved – That the Head of Safer Neighbourhoods be invited to the Panels next meeting to present the Neighbourhood Action Team action plan which was agreed by the Safer Neighbourhoods Executive Board.
15 HUMBERSIDE POLICE DIVISIONAL PERFORMANCE CHALLENGE DAY – The Service Director – Legal and Democratic informed the meeting that Acting Divisional Commander Hilditch had invited all Panel members to the next Humberside Police Divisional Performance Challenge Day on 29 October 2007. The Challenge Day was being held at the Kingsway Centre, Scunthorpe commencing at 9am.
Resolved – That Panel members inform the Service Director – Legal and Democratic of their availability with regard to attending the Humberside Police Divisional Performance Challenge Day on 29 October 2007 at the Kingsway Centre, Scunthorpe.
16 HUMBERSIDE POLICE FAMILIARISATION VISITS – The Service Director – Legal and Democratic requested feedback from Panel members on the Humberside Police Familiarisation Visits held on 8 and 9 October 2007.
Members then engaged in a discussion on the Humberside Police Familiarisation Visits held on 8 and 9 October 2007.
Resolved – That the Service Director – Legal and Democratic write to Humberside Police and thank them for their hospitality with regard to the Humberside Police Familiarisation Visits held on 8 and 9 October 2007.
17 (4) LEADER OF THE COUNCIL’S FORWARD PLAN – NOVEMBER 2007 TO FEBRUARY 2008 - The Service Director - Legal and Democratic circulated the Leader of North Lincolnshire Council's Forward Plan for November 2007 to February 2008.
The plan contained details of all matters and issues likely to be the subject of key decisions for a period of the next four months, updated on a monthly basis.
The Panel then engaged in a discussion on the content of the Leader of the Council's Forward Plan for November 2007 to February 2008.
Resolved – That at the next meeting of the Panel, members discuss the Forward Plan item number 11/07 (07) Greening the Workplace and Climate Change Action Plan.
18 ADDED ITEM – There was no added item for discussion at this meeting.