Maidstone Borough Council
Scrutiny Coordinating Committee
Wednesday 23 April 2014
Cross Cutting Issues
Report of: Christian Scade, Senior Corporate Policy Officer
1. Introduction
1.1 The terms of reference for the Scrutiny Coordinating Committee includes developing mechanisms for addressing cross cutting issues and to prevent duplication in the work of individual committees.
2. Recommendation
2.1 That the Scrutiny Coordinating Committee:
(a) Consider which Overview & Scrutiny Committee should follow up the Council as a Business? Review SCRAIP responses (attached at Appendix A);
(b) Agree that there are no additional work programme issues that fall within the remit of more than one Overview and Scrutiny Committee.
3. Matters Covering More Than One O&S Committee
3.1 The Overview and Scrutiny Committee structure was changed for the 2013-14 municipal year. As a result of the Governance Review, and the development of an Enhanced Scrutiny Model, the number of Committees increased from 3 to 4.
3.2 The terms of reference for each Overview and Scrutiny Committee is outlined below:
|
Strategic Leadership and Corporate Services Leader; and Cabinet Member for Corporate Services |
Community, Leisure Services and Environment Cabinet Member for Community and Leisure Services; & Cabinet Member for Environment |
|
· Reviewing performance and ensuring appropriate action is identified and executed to remedy performance issues · Asset Management · Communications · Human Resources · Business Transformation and the Corporate Improvement Programme · Equalities · Democratic services · Scrutinising standards of governance and conduct are achieved throughout the business of the Council · Customer service · Corporate finance including regular budget monitoring · Information Technology including scrutiny of the shared service · Council Tax and Housing Benefit including the Revenues and Benefits Shared Service · Mid Kent Improvement Partnership · Democratic Services including electoral services and member services · Procurement, Property Services and Facilities Management
|
· Housing · Community Development · Community Safety (To act as the Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnership OSC twice a year) · Safety In Action · Voluntary and Community Sectors · Health · Parks, open spaces and allotments including grounds maintenance · Leisure activities including sporting and recreational based activities and including services provided via the Maidstone Leisure Centre · Community engagement · Allocation and monitoring of grants · Air Quality · Contaminated Land · Water · Climate change · Licensing · Carbon Management · Local Biodiversity · Waste minimisation, recycling and collection · Cleansing services · Environmental Health services · Bereavement i.e. services provided from the cemetery and crematorium · Capital projects and programmes relevant to the portfolio · Cobtree Golf Course
|
|
Planning, Transport and Development Cabinet Member for Planning, Transport and Development |
Economic and Commercial Development Cabinet Member for Economic and Commercial Development |
|
· The Council’s contribution to securing sustainable construction with respect to development in the borough. · Spatial planning including the Local Development Framework and other spatial planning documents including Development Plan Documents, Development Management policies and development briefs · Transport and Infrastructure (including Highways, Parking, Park and Ride and Public Transport) · Development Management including planning enforcement and land charges · Landscape and andsport and Infrastuctureule/goliciesior to them being considered for formal approval at the next meeting binet Member(s) inviConservation · Building Control |
· Economic Development and Regeneration · Commercial Services Development · The Visitor Economy including the Hazlitt Arts Centre, Maidstone museums, tourism, the Kent Conference Bureau and Maidstone market. · Capital projects and programmes relevant to the portfolio including regeneration and public realm improvement schemes · Events and venues
|
3.3 From time to time, matters may arise which fall within the remit of more than one Overview and Scrutiny Committee. The Overview and Scrutiny Procedure Rules, set out in Part 4 of the Council’s Constitution, state:
“In such instances, one of the relevant Committees may decide to establish a working group which can be made up of representatives from the appropriate committees. The Report will be considered by the appropriate committee following the opportunity of all other appropriate committees to comment, before it is forwarded to the Executive for a response.
Before submitting its findings to the Executive and/or Council for consideration, the report of the reviewing Overview and Scrutiny Committee shall be considered by the other Overview and Scrutiny Committee for comment. Those comments shall be incorporated into the report which is then sent to that body for consideration.
If a single committee decides to examine an issue that falls within the remit of another committee, its report shall be passed to the other relevant committee(s) for comment before its findings are submitted to the Executive and/or Council for consideration. Those comments shall be incorporated into the report which is then sent to that body for consideration.”
3.4 The role of the Coordinating Committee is to review the work of the individual committees, to address overlap and identify opportunities for joint working.
3.5 On the 4th March 2014 the Strategic Leadership and Corporate Services OSC received an update on the recommendations of the Council as a Business Review (attached at Appendix A).
3.6 The Strategic Leadership and Corporate Services OSC will receive an update in financial terms in October 2014 but agreed, given the cross cutting nature of the review, that the Scrutiny Coordinating Committee should consider which Committee should follow up the SCRAIP responses (in full).
3.7 In addition, the work programme for each Committee is attached at Appendix B. The Scrutiny Coordinating Committee is asked to confirm that there are no additional work programmes issues that currently fall within the remit of more than one Overview and Scrutiny Committee.
4. Impact on Corporate Objectives
4.1 The Scrutiny Coordinating Committee will consider reports that deliver against all the Council’s priorities: For Maidstone to have a growing economy, For Maidstone to be a decent place to live and Corporate and Customer Excellence.
4.2 The Strategic Plan sets the Council’s key objectives for the medium term and has a range of objectives which support the delivery of the Council’s priorities. Actions to deliver these key objectives may therefore include work that the Scrutiny Coordinating Committee will consider throughout the coming year.
5. Background Documents
5.1 None.