Agenda and minutes

Councillor Carol Viney (Councillor Timonthy Hallchurch substituting).

Councillor Sajjad Malik

None

To approve the minutes of the meetings held on 8 November 2010 (SSC3a) and 20 December 2010 (SSC3b) and any matters arising on them.

Minute 91/10 – Colin Thomas, Deputy Chief Fire Officer to respond to question about proper standards for fire safety.

Minute 92/10 – Cllr S Pressel raised the concern that the proposed minimum unit price may be too low.  The Chairman undertook to refer matter to relevant committees.

Minute 93/10 – Cllr Judith Heathcoat to provide update on work on simplifying the grant process for communities.

None.

10.15

The Director for Community Safety & Shared Services, the Deputy Chief Fire Officer and the Acting Head of Community Safety and Trading Standards will give verbal updates on key issues

Updates were given by The Director for Social & Community Services, the Deputy Chief Fire Officer, and the Acting Head of Trading Standards and Community Safety.

The Director for Social & Community Services gave an update on:

Library provision

Proposals to amend provision of libraries in Oxfordshire were announced in November 2010.  A large amount of correspondence has been received which has been collated by staff in Chief Executive’s Office with specific queries being responded to by the Director or members of staff in the Chief Executive’s Office.

Councillor Judith Heathcoat and the Director have been holding public meetings about those libraries which may be closed.  The Director stressed that council will work with community groups who wish to take on the responsibility of maintaining a library at risk of closure.  In light of this, he believed that he and local councillors have been able to work closely together on issue.

Council also working closely with Museums & Libraries Association (MLA) as one of the pilot authorities in the MLA’s ‘Future Libraries programme’.

Director reported that he has met with LSSi, John Lang (Hounslow Borough Council) and Tim Coates, former executive at Waterstones who has worked with Hillingdon Borough Council on its Library Service re-design, but this was more a consultancy offer than a bid to run local libraries.

Broad issues being raised to date can be considered as follows: (i) value of libraries, (ii) impact of proposals on vulnerable groups, (iii) ‘pain’ should be shared across all libraries, and (iv) belief that community libraries initiative will not work.

1. The Director stressed that the library service is valued, and current proposals would have the least impact.  (He noted that the 23 remaining libraries account for 82% of provision).

2. This has already been identified as an issue, said the Director, with many existing building not being suitable for people with disabilities.

3. Prior to current proposals being announced, a 30% reduction in opening hours which would have been a significant reduction for the Central Library (the fourth busiest in the UK) and would not reflect people’s expectations vis-à-vis a ‘big’ central library with good opening hours.

The Director noted that we have experience of the effect of reducing opening hours in Oxfordshire’s library as in 1998-1999 a 15% reduction was put in place to make savings, and book issues fell by 20%.  He stressed that the current proposal should have no major reduction in book issues.

4. The Director did not agree that volunteers would not be found to help run local libraries, and referred to the public meeting at Benson which showed great support for the initiative.  However, practical issues were being raised which would need to be addressed.

Formal consultation was expected to begin at the end of February 2011, and last three months.  This would mean that a final decision of the current proposals was likely to happen in July 2011.  A document outlining the broad approach along with specific information about libraries would be published at the beginning of  ...  view the full minutes text for item 109/11

10.45

Contact Officer: Alexandra Bailey, Corporate Performance and Review Manager, 01865 816384

Fourteen locality reviews are to be undertaken which will aim to

• Understand the current profile of the locality (services, assets and current voluntary sector activity)
• Understand the overall impact of proposed service reductions on local communities
• Identify and encourage Big Society solutions
• Identify opportunities to rationalise property and services outlets

Community responses to the Big Society challenge will be able to bid for a pump-priming grant from the Big Society Fund.  These will be considered in two steps:

• Expressions of interest (January to end of February)
• Applications (March to end of June)

The committee is invited to receive an update from the Corporate Performance and Review Manager.

The Corporate Performance & Review Manager referred to the letter that all Councillors had received in December 2010 outlining the council’s approach to the Government’s Big Society initiative, the council’s Locality Reviews and its Big Society Fund.

Locality Reviews

Three Locality Reviews had been held to date and would carry on until the summer.  Briefings, covering information on community groups and assets were available for initial discussion.  However, overall the focus of the reviews would be informed by local members.

Big Society Fund

A ‘micro-website’ dedicated to the Big Society Fund was scheduled to launch on 16 February 2011.  The website would include information on what the county council was offering, information on applications to the fund, and service specific information.  The website would be updated in line with locality review development.

Rather than a single deadline for applications, there would be instead ‘waves of applications’ allowing communities time to organise bids.

As part of the communication framework, a link would be placed in District Council websites, and Parish Council clerks would also be emailed the link.

Councillor Kieron Mallon (Cabinet Member for Police and Policy Coordination) emphasised that the approached envisaged councillors as community leaders within the localities, but stressed that it would be possible for pro-active groups within a locality to set the pace for change.

Councillor Mallon explained that pump-priming would cover set-up costs for community initiatives, but groups would have to organise long-term funding.

Members of the committee supported the involvement of District and Parish Councils, but were concerned about the sustainability of funding.  However, they recognised that this was the beginning of the process.  In light of this, it was agreed that regular updates would be useful.

11.30

Contact Officers: Richard Webb, Acting Head of Community Safety and Trading Standards;

Ruth Whyte, Manager - Safer Communities Unit, 01865 815396

Every local authority must create or designate a crime and disorder committee. This committee may be new or an existing committee may take on this role. The Safer and Stronger Communities Scrutiny Committee is currently constituted to take on this role for the County Council.

The purpose of a crime and disorder committee is to:

a)         review or scrutinise decisions made/actions taken by the “responsible authorities” in the exercise of their crime and disorder functions; and

b)         make reports or recommendations to the local authority with respect to the discharge of those functions.

The responsible authorities in Oxfordshire are: Oxfordshire County Council, District

Councils, Thames Valley Police, Thames Valley Police Authority, Oxfordshire Fire and Rescue Authority, Oxfordshire Primary Care Trust and the Probation Service.

In relation to the Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnerships (CDRPs) it will be natural for this Committee to scrutinise the Oxfordshire Safer Communities Partnership (OSCP) rather than the individual CDRPs, which lend themselves more readily to scrutiny by the district council scrutiny committees.

Members are reminded that this committee in its role as a crime and disorder committee will need to look at how the different partners come together (how the OSCP is co-ordinating its work to deliver positive outcomes) and what outcomes they are achieving, rather than focusing on one partner.

Councillor Kieron Mallon, the Chairman of the OSCP, has been invited for this agenda item.

A briefing paper will be circulated separately.

The Committee is invited to consider how the different partners are

working together to deliver positive outcomes.

The report was presented by Richard Webb and covered: legal context, the role of the Oxfordshire Safer Communities Partnership (OSCP), the work carried out by OSCP in the previous six months, the review of OSCP, challenges ahead for Community Safety, and changes to Policing in Oxfordshire.

Councillor Kieron Mallon (Cabinet Member for Policing and Policy Coordination) commented on the review of OSCP.  He said that OSCP had achieved a great deal, but had to evolve to engage with changes to police and emerging government policy.  The review would focus on the aims of the partnership, challenges, governance and Big Society.

Members welcomed the report and highlighted: changes to funding, increased activities for local police, alcohol treatment orders waiting list and challenges faced by families with complex needs.

Richard Webb would respond about the alcohol treatment orders waiting list query.

It was agreed that early intervention was important in helping families with complex needs. With this in mind, the Chairman asked for a report back on the ‘Brighter Futures’ project being run in Banbury.

11.45

Contact Officer: Colin Thomas, Deputy Chief Fire Officer, 01865 855206

At the November meeting Scrutiny Committee members commented on the individual projects and agreed that if possible following consultation, the plan be brought back to the Scrutiny Committee prior to final consideration by the Cabinet.

The Cabinet will be asked to approve the attached Draft Oxfordshire Fire and Rescue Service (OFRS) Integrated Risk Management Action Plan (IRMP) 2011-12 on 16 February 2011 (SSC8).

The Committee is invited to comment on the final plan prior to Cabinet consideration.

Committee supportive of IRMP and considered that limited consultation response more a comment on effectiveness of the plan than lack of interest.  Deputy Chief Fire Officer noted that further consultation could be carried out on specific issues, and that other directorates, for example Environment & Economy had suggested that Fire & Rescue could assist with Area Stewards initiative.

Committee agreed that IRMP showed that the Fire & Rescue service were an integral part of the delivery of council services in Oxfordshire.

Councillor John Godden suggested that project should be tracked at committee.

12.00

Contact Officer: Colin Thomas, Deputy Chief Fire Officer, 01865 855206

To brief committee on the benefits secured, the immediate implications and the development work on options for the future.

The briefing was given by Colin Thomas who confirmed that the Fire Minister, Bob Neil MP, had announced on 20 December 2010 the termination of the contract with Cassidian (formerly EADS) for the delivery of the fire control centres.

He asked the committee to note that the Delegated Decisions meeting would be considering a paper directing our nominated SEFRCC Director, Councillor Rodney Rose, to vote for the formal winding up of the company at its next meeting on 18 February 2011.

Oxfordshire would be considering its options for the future provision of call receipt, mobilising and incident management against the following strategic objectives:

• Operational resilience – technical and for spate conditions
• Ability to meet our local requirements, and
• Cost effectiveness

A formal invitation from Royal Berkshire Fire and Rescue Authority to work jointly with them and the Buckinghamshire and Milton Keynes Fire Authority to investigate if a Thames Valley approach is viable.

Oxfordshire would be well placed to secure the benefits of the early deliverables, for example; Mobile data Terminals in all ‘red’ fleet vehicles and 24 new station end mobilising systems.  However the financial consequences also remain unclear at this time.

Colin Thomas paid tribute to our staff who have remained positive and professional during the 7 years of the project.  He also thanked Members for their long standing interest, and commended the council for the continued financial support which has proven to be prudent ensuring that a control room remains resilient in the interim before alternative arrangements can be implemented.

The Chairman thanked Colin Thomas and his staff for their work on this project over the years, and added that the quality of the information provided to the committee has been impressive.

12.20

Contact Officer: Sean Gibson, Corporate Performance Adviser, 01865 815482

To consider current work plan and make amendments if necessary.

Management Review of Sweatbox Youth Centre, Wantage

Councillor Bill Service updated the committee on the Management Review of the Sweatbox Young People’s Centre, Wantage. He reminded the committee that the review had been undertaken after some events had to be cancelled due to health and safety concerns given the high numbers expected to attend and the interest being shown in the events by local and national media.

Councillor Service reported that the reports recommendations were adequate, and would ensure improved clarification of roles, expectations and communication between the centre and the programme managers and their Area line managers.

It was recommended that an update is received in 12 months.

Work programme

Agreed to update work programme, and bring in line with the committee’s remit.

12.35

The Committee is asked to note any items of interest on the current version of the Forward Plan which covers the time period March 2011 to June 2011.

Nothing raised.