About the County Council
The Oxfordshire County
Council is made up of 74 councillors who are democratically elected every four
years. The Council provides a range of services to Oxfordshire’s 630,000
residents. These include:
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· libraries
and museums |
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· trading
standards |
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· waste
management |
Each year the Council
manages £0.8 billion of public money in providing these services. Most decisions are taken by a
Cabinet of 10 Councillors, which makes decisions about service priorities and
spending. Some decisions will now be delegated to individual members of the
Cabinet.
About Scrutiny
Scrutiny is about:
· Providing a challenge
to the Cabinet
· Examining how well
the Cabinet and the Authority are performing
· Influencing the
Cabinet on decisions that affect local people
· Helping the Cabinet
to develop Council policies
· Representing the
community in Council decision making
· Promoting joined up
working across the authority’s work
Scrutiny is
NOT about:
· Making day to day
service decisions
· Investigating
individual complaints.
Five Scrutiny committees
‘scrutinise’ or review and challenge decisions made by the Cabinet or the
appropriate Cabinet Member and help it develop Council policies. There are
Scrutiny Committees for:
· Corporate Governance
· Children’s Services
· Environment &
Economy
· Community Safety
· Social &
Community Services
There is also a Joint
Health Overview & Scrutiny Committee which brings together councillors from the
County and the five district councils in Oxfordshire to scrutinise health
issues.
What does this Committee do?
The
Committee meets up to 6 times a year or more. It develops a work programme,
which lists the issues it plans to investigate. These investigations can
include whole committee investigations undertaken during the meeting, or reviews
by a panel of members doing research and talking to lots of people outside of
the meeting. Once an investigation is completed the Committee provides its
advice to the Cabinet, the full Council or other scrutiny committees. Meetings
are open to the public and all reports are available to the public unless
exempt or confidential, when the items would be considered in closed session.
AGENDA
1. Apologies
for Absence and Temporary Appointments
2. Declarations
of Interest – see guidance note
3. Minutes
To approve the minutes
of the meeting held on 13 May 2008 (CH3) and to note for
information any matters arising on them.
4. Speaking
to or Petitioning the Committee
5. Annual
Scrutiny Work Programme July 2008-July 2009
10:10
Background Information: |
At the Scrutiny Co-ordinating Group 2 June 2008, new scrutiny
developments were agreed to enable scrutiny to develop and improve including
a scrutiny proposal form, improved scrutiny resource management and a process
for the effective management of the Scrutiny work programme. |
Why has it been included? |
To enable the Committee to ensure
its workload is more systematically linked to the Council’s corporate
objectives. The new work programme should also lead to the development of a
forward programme to scrutinise, with other local authorities, the
performance of key strategic partnerships. |
How is the Committee going to deal with it? |
The Senior Policy
Manager, Alexandra Bailey will attend the meeting to introduce the work
programme and to answer any questions that Members may wish to ask. The
Committee will then set its work programme for the ensuing year.
Members are asked to consider the
proposed work programme and identify their committee’s priorities including
their first choice activity. |
Who is going to take part in this piece of work? |
All Members of the Committee and
the Senior Policy Manager. |
Work to be done prior to the meeting: |
Members are asked to consider the
report attached at CH5 in preparation for discussion at the meeting.
(CH5 - download as .doc file)
(CH5 - Annex 1 - volunteering - download as .doc file)
(CH5 - Annex 1 - eductional attainment amongst the most deprived - download as .doc file)
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6. Young
(Child) Carers (and Support for them): Final Review Report
11:10
Background Information: |
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How is the Committee going to deal with it? |
Members of the Review Group will
talk to the Review report, highlighting the key findings and recommendations
in the report. The Committee will then be asked to evaluate the response,
paying particular regard to whether the Review has achieved its objectives
and if the findings and conclusions follow from the evidence.
The Scrutiny Committee is
RECOMMENDED by Members of the Lead Member Review Group to agree the report as
submitted to this meeting, or amend the report by consensus to enable it to
be submitted to the Cabinet. |
Who is going to take part in this piece of work? |
All Members of this Committee. |
Work to be done prior to the meeting: |
Members are asked to consider the
report attached at CH6 in preparation for the meeting.
(CH6 - download as .doc file) |
7. Healthy
Schools Scrutiny Review: Evaluation
11:55
Background Information: |
The Cabinet made decisions in respect of the recommendations from
this Scrutiny Review on 20 June 2007. It is now your chance to hold the
Cabinet to account for what it has done since last year.
The Review set out to investigate how the Healthy Oxfordshire Schools
Programme (HOSP) was being implemented in the County’s schools and how
effectively it was working. |
Why has it been included? |
The Committee is asked to
question the Cabinet Member for Schools Improvement in relation to progress
regarding implementing the Review recommendations. |
How is the Committee going to deal with it? |
By means of a question and answer
session. |
When are they going to do it? |
During this meeting. |
Who is going to take part in this piece of work? |
All Members of this Committee and
the Cabinet Member for Schools Improvement.
Ms Anne Whitehead, Healthy
Schools Co-ordinator and Ms Giti Paulin, Schools' Adviser (PSHE & Citizenship) have also been invited to
attend for this item. |
Work to be done prior to the meeting: |
A reminder of the main objectives
of the Review and progress to date is attached at CH7, together with
the full review.
(CH7 - download as .doc file)
(CH7 - Annex 1 - download as .doc file)
(CH7 - Healthy Schools Scrlutiny Review - download as .pdf file). |
8. Progress
update from Task Group: Implementation of the Priorities from the Review of Year
One of the Children & Young People’s Plan
12:25
Background Information: |
One of the items in this Committee’s Scrutiny Work
Programme for 2007/08 is an ongoing review of the Children and Young People’s
Plan (CYPP) as it is implemented.
The Task Group will be reporting back to the
Committee periodically and feeding into the review of Year 2 of the Plan.
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Why has it been included? |
This item has been
included on the agenda to inform the Committee of current progress on the
Task Group exercise. |
How is the Committee going to deal with it? |
The Committee will
receive an oral update from members of the Task Group. |
9. Children,
Young People & Families Directorate Restructuring
12:30
To receive an update by
the Director for Children, Young People & Families on the proposed
restructuring of the directorate.
10. Tracking
Scrutiny Items
12:40
A report by Councillor
Jean Fooks on her findings at a recent visit to the Peers Acadamy is
attached (CH10).
11. Forward
Plan
12:50
The
Committee is asked to suggest items from the current Forward Plan on which it
may wish to have an opportunity to offer advice to the Cabinet before any
decision is taken.
(Please
bring along to the meeting the latest copy of the Forward Plan which, at the
time of writing covers July 2008 to October 2008).
(Members
are asked to contact the Chairman, Deputy Chairman and/or the Committee Officer
at least 3 days before the meeting should they wish to raise an item on the
Forward Plan for possible consideration).
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