Meeting documents
Overview and Scrutiny Committee (DCC)
Monday 21 July 2008
Meeting: Overview and Scrutiny Committee (County Hall, Durham - - 21/07/2008 10:00:00 AM)
Item: A3 (i) Work Programme - Presentation by Head of Overview and Scrutiny (ii) Overview and Scrutiny Member Development Proposal - Report of Head of Overview and Scrutiny (iii) Feedback on Evaluation of Overview and Scrutiny - Report of Head of Overview and Scrutiny
| Overview and Scrutiny development programme for members of Durham County Council |  |
| Report of Head of Overview and Scrutiny and Development and Performance Manager. | |
To consider a proposal for an overview and scrutiny development programme for members of Durham County Council from the Centre for Public Scrutiny (CfPS). (Proposal attached)
Information
1. The proposal is in line with the corporate approach we take to support and develop members:
Durham County Council has recognised the need to build the capacity of its councillors in order that they are fully equipped and supported to carry out their roles in line with the modernisation of local government. They play a significant part in providing strong community engagement/community leadership, effective overview and scrutiny, working in partnership, performance management and CPA.
-Member Learning and Development Strategy DCC 2006.
2. The proposal should also be seen within the context of the “Councillor Induction and Initial Learning Programme” and the IDeA proposal that aims to offer leading councillors an intensive programme of support that will equip them to rise swiftly to the challenge of being able to agree with the new chief executive what type of new council they want to form and lead.
3. 105 non executive members will be expected to participate in Durham County Councils Overview and Scrutiny function. A significant percentage of these will be first time members and will have a limited understanding of local government or its functions. A significant percentage will be either ex county or district councillors with some understanding.
4. Recent legislation (LGPIH Act 2007) requires overview and scrutiny to look beyond local government with growing emphasis on “scrutiny” of partners within the context of the LAA and the SCS.
5. Overview and Scrutiny adds value if it is focussed, evidence based and outcome driven. Development of a work programme is a major component of the function informed by a number of strategic drivers e.g. Councils corporate priorities, blue print for County Durham, the Forward plan, Local Area Agreement (LAA),Sustainable Communities Strategy (SCS) and so on.
6. The opportunity for support to assist in all of this by a national agency with expertise in public scrutiny should not be overlooked.
7. Links to the recent evaluation undertaken by Phil Thompson, Northumbria University, on developing an effective OS function for County Durham will need to be reflected in the content of the proposed CfPS programme (note the report on progress on this agenda).
Recommendation
8. The OSMC are asked to note and support the proposal.
9. That the OSMC charge the Head of Overview and Scrutiny to make the link with the outcome/action plan from the recent evaluation on developing an effective OS function for County Durham with the programme content of the CfPS proposal.
Proposal from the Centre for Public Scrutiny Introduction Local Government Reorganisation offers opportunities to think afresh about the roles of councillors and democratic decision-making in the new unitary authorities. Conversely there is a risk that behaviours and cultures from the former councils will be carried over if an active approach to developing the members of the new council is not taken right from the start. In Durham, the new council following the May 2008 elections consists of roughly one-third county councillors, one-third district councillors and one-third brand new councillors. There will therefore be a mix of experiences and skills coming into the new council and a need to develop a shared approach and culture as rapidly as possible to build a sense of common purpose in preparation for the formal investing of the new council in April 2009.
DURHAM COUNTY COUNCIL OVERVIEW AND SCRUTINY ACTION PLAN 2008 - 2010 OWNERSHIP OF PROCESS
CRITICAL FRIEND CHALLENGE
REFLECTING COMMUNITY CONCERNS
IMPACT ON SERVICE DELIVERY
1. To seek Member views on proposals arising from the Evaluation of Overview and Scrutiny in County Durham, facilitated by Philip Thompson PhD Student, Northumbria University, as presented to the Committee on 4 June 2008. Background 2. Members will recall that, at the last meeting of the Management Committee, an evaluation of Overview and Scrutiny in County Durham (commissioned by the County Durham Overview and Scrutiny Officer Network, representing the County Council and all District Councils in County Durham), was considered. 3. Members were advised that the evaluation had been conducted between January and March 2008, with interviews undertaken with Chairs/Vice Chairs of Scrutiny and completion of a Self Evaluation Framework by each authority. The analysis in the evaluation document identified the strengths of Overview and Scrutiny in County Durham and development opportunities, with recommendations on a range of issues presented for consideration by Members to achieve a fit for purpose Overview and Scrutiny function in the new Authority. Those recommendations were: · Build capacity for and encourage all Members to be involved in O&S · Provide Members with the necessary Officer support and financial resources to undertake effective Scrutiny · Meet the training needs of Members and Officers for ongoing effective Scrutiny · Develop the structure of O&S to reflect the corporate priorities of the new authority · Develop a closer, more formal working partnership between the Executive and O&S · Develop procedures to monitor and measure the effectiveness of O&S recommendations · Consider new and innovative ways of engaging with the public and develop the O&S role to provide public accountability in local government · Develop a work-plan to take forward the above issues through the transitional year and into the new authority and across partners · Disseminate the findings of the evaluation to partners and interested parties, locally, regionally and nationally. 4. Following consideration of the issues by the Committee, the report was received and it was agreed that a further report would be presented by the Head of Overview and Scrutiny at the next meeting on how the findings and recommendations outlined in the Evaluation document could be taken forward to enhance the development of scrutiny in County Durham. 5. Since the last meeting, work has been undertaken by the Scrutiny Officer Network (and in particular, Martin Dufferwiel from the City of Durham Council and Reece Bowman, Wear Valley District Council) to identify those particular areas which need to be addressed; and to prioritise and identify the work needed to implement the recommendations. In undertaking this process, a Balanced Scorecard approach has been adopted. 6. Briefly, the Balanced Scorecard is a management tool which focuses on four areas of activity of an organisation/function and seeks to identify those which are most important for success. These areas are - customers; internal processes; innovation/learning; and finance. 7. Members will also recall the four principles of good scrutiny (as identified by the Centre for Public Scrutiny) which are: - Management and Ownership of the Scrutiny Process - Demonstrating Challenge (Critical Friend) - Addressing Community Concerns - Demonstrating impact on Service Delivery 8. Applying the balanced scorecard to the above four principles and to the key issues outlined in the evaluation report, a number of areas for development have been identified which need to be progressed. These are set out under the four good scrutiny principle headings as follows: (a) Management and Ownership of the Scrutiny Process · Encouraging Scrutiny Members to attend Executive Meetings · Encouraging liaison between Scrutiny Sub-Committee Chairs and relevant Portfolio Holder(s) · Publicising Scrutiny Protocol to all Members/Officers · Encouraging Leader/Chairman to champion Scrutiny process · Putting in place a properly resourced Scrutiny Function which is “fit for purpose” (b) Demonstrating Challenge · Introduce formal monitoring of scrutiny recommendation implementation · Greater involvement (of scrutiny) in budgeting process · Provide better evidence for the influence of Scrutiny over the Executive · Improve “Challenge” to Executive Members to report progress against priorities (c) Addressing Community Concerns · Improving public involvement/attendance at Scrutiny Meetings · Develop joint overview and scrutiny processes at local level, i.e. Area Action Partnerships · Be more pro-active in reaching and engaging the public · Ensure overview and scrutiny addresses Equality/Diversity issues and Community Cohesion · Forge stronger links between Scrutiny and Local Strategic Partnerships/Local Area Agreement · Innovative communication/meetings in community/target groups (d) Demonstrating Impact on Service Delivery · Better promotion of Scrutiny through greater use of media · Highlight and monitor successes/improvements · Raise awareness of Scrutiny involvement in performance planning and target setting · Ensure that Scrutiny Recommendations are acted upon · Develop better mechanisms to evaluate outcomes 9. Members may be aware that a number of the issues highlighted under 8(a) - (d) above are areas where some initial consideration has already been given to improvements being made (i.e. community engagement; assessing the impact of scrutiny recommendations; and enhanced liaison between executive and non-executive members). Some of the issues identified will also be considered/addressed as part of the Overview and Scrutiny Member Development process to be facilitated by the Centre for Public Scrutiny. This will also allow Member input into how Overview and Scrutiny is developed in the new Unitary Council. However, it is important that an Action Plan be developed to take all the above areas forward in the period up to 2010. 10. A draft Action Plan has been drawn up and is attached to this report. Recommendations 11. (i) That the areas for development highlighted in paragraphs 8(a)-(d) above be agreed. (ii) That the draft Action Plan be agreed. (iii) The Head of Overview and Scrutiny be authorised to amend the Action Plan as necessary (including timescales for projects). (iv) Members of the Management Committee consider how they wish to oversee/be involved in the projects identified in the Action Plan (Members will also have an opportunity to influence/shape the overview and scrutiny process via the development work to be undertaken by the Centre for Public Scrutiny). (v) Consideration be given to how the findings from the Evaluation, Balanced Scorecard analysis, and Action Plan project outcomes are fed back to the Committee and any appropriate Workstreams in the run up to and following Vesting Day for the New Unitary Council.
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Attachments
Evaluation cover report 21jul2008.pdf;
Scrutiny - County Action Plan - MD.pdf;
Cover Report CMT OS CfPS.pdf;
CfPS LGR Durham scrutiny programme revised.pdf