Agenda item

Report of the Director of Transformation and Partnerships.

The Overview and Scrutiny Officer referred Members to the report in the agenda papers relating to the Review of the Committee’s Work Programme for 2018-19 (for copy see file of minutes).

Members noted the report set out the work programme for the year ahead and built on the comments from the March meeting of the Committee.  The Committee noted that Appendix 2 set out the work programme and priorities and noted that an issue that had been raised by Members had been Road Safety and in considering this as a focused review, the Overview and Scrutiny Officer had met with the Road Safety Manager and Traffic Manager.  It was suggested that the focused piece of work would look at partnership working and specific age groups.

In addition to the proposed review, there would also be work looking at crime recording and also at the impact of austerity in relation to an increase in crime. 

It was noted that there would also be a joint review with the Children and Young People’s Overview and Scrutiny Committee in relation to Private Children’s Residential Care Homes, as there would be a number of cross-cutting issues.

The Overview and Scrutiny Officer concluded by noting that as the work programme of the Committee and the SDP ran in parallel and were aligned the updates received from the SDP would be 6 monthly rather than at each Committee.

The Chairman thanked the Overview and Scrutiny Officer and asked the Committee for their comments, and as regards the proposed topic of Road Safety.

Councillor R Crute reminded Members that it was important to factor in some level of capacity within the work programme and added that Durham Constabulary were looking at potential funding from the Home Office, linked to austerity.

The Overview and Scrutiny Officer noted that in respect of the joint review regarding Children’s Residential Care, the group would comprise of 5 Members from each Committee and any volunteers could speak to him as regards membership.

The Chairman asked if Members agreed in relation to the topic of Road Safety, Members agreed and the Chairman noted that the Vice-Chairman, Councillor H Liddle would chair the Road Safety review.

Resolved:

(i)              That the Work Programme at Appendix 2 to the report be agreed.

(ii)            That the review topic of Road Safety KSIs be agreed.

(iii)           That arrangements be made for a seminar on recorded crime.

(iv)          That joint review activity with the Children and Young People’s Overview and Scrutiny Committee on “Private Children’s Residential Care Homes” be undertaken.