Notice of Meeting                                                                                                               

 

 

Community Safety Scrutiny Committee

Monday 1 December 2008 at 10.00 am

at County Hall, Oxford

 

Membership

 

Chairman – Councillor Rodney Rose

Deputy Chairman – Councillor Carol Viney

 

Councillors:

M. Altaf-Khan

Patrick Cartledge

John Farrow

 

Jenny Hannaby

Olive McIntosh-Stedman

Charles Mathew

 

Bill Service

Nicholas P. Turner

 

 

Notes:            Date of next meeting: Monday 2 February 2009

 

What does this Committee review or scrutinise?

·                     Fire and rescue; consumer protection; emergency planning; police issues; coroner’s service; travellers; drugs and alcohol awareness

·                     Those regulatory functions of the Planning & Regulation Committee not falling within the remit of the Environment Scrutiny Committee

·                     Conduct of best value reviews as specified in Paragraph 9 of Schedule 2 to the Functions Regulations

 

How can I have my say?

We welcome the views of the community on any issues in relation to the responsibilities of this Committee.  Members of the public may ask to speak for up to 5 minutes on any item on the agenda or may suggest matters which they would like the Committee to look at.  Requests to speak must be submitted to the Committee Services no later than 9 am on the working day before the date of the meeting.

 

For more information about this Committee please contact:

Chairman                                         -      Councillor Rodney Rose

                                                            E.mail: rodney.rose@oxfordshire.gov.uk

Committee Officer                             -      Kath Coldwell, Tel: (01865) 815902

                                                            E.Mail: kath.coldwell@oxfordshire.gov.uk

 

Tony Cloke

Assistant Head of Legal & Democratic Services                                                                          

November 2008

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:

  • schools
  • social & health care

·        libraries and museums
  • the fire service
  • roads

·        trading standards
  • land use
  • transport planning

·        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 27 October 2008 (CM3) and to note for information any matters arising on them.

 

4.                Speaking to or Petitioning the Committee

 

5.                Service and Resource Planning 2009/10 – 2013/14

10:15

Background Information:

The attached report (CM5) is one in a series informing members on the service and resource planning process and budget issues for 2009/10 and the medium term and provides information that will lead to the Council agreeing a budget requirement and council tax for 2009/10 in February 2009.

 

(CM5 - download as .doc file)

(CM5 - Annex 1 - download as .xls file)
(CM5 - Annex 2 - download as .xls file)
(CM5 - Annex 3 - download as .xls file)

 

The report includes schedules detailing proposed priorities, pressures, efficencies and service reprioritisations for the Community Safety programme area.  The current financial context for 2009/10 and the medium term is also set out in the report against which the proposals need to be considered.

 

Comments from each Scrutiny committee will be collated and fed back to the Cabinet by the Corporate Governance Scrutiny Committee which meets on 15 January 2009.

Why has it been included?

The Scrutiny Committee is invited to consider and comment upon:

a)             the identified budget priorities and pressures and the choices as to how these could be funded for their programme area;

b)             how the target of savings for the programme area should be prioritised; and

c)             what further savings could be achieved to meet the overall funding gap currently being considered.

 

 

How is the Committee going to deal with it?

Members of the Committee will have the opportunity to question the Cabinet Member for Community Safety together with the Director for Community Safety & Shared Services and Chief Fire Officer and the Head of Community Safety & Trading Standards on the identified budget pressures.

Officers from Financial Services will also be present at the meeting to answer any questions the Committee may wish to ask.

Work to be done prior to the meeting:

Members’ attention is drawn to the ‘Effective Budget Scrutiny’ guide which is part of the Scrutiny Handbook, as an aid to the Scrutiny Process.

 

6.                Interim report on Debt and Money Advice Scrutiny Review

11:45

Background Information:

[The Lead Member Review Group comprises Councillors Hannaby, Mathew, McIntosh-Stedman and Service].

The Community Safety Scrutiny Committee appointed the Lead Member Review Group to carry out this review, because it was interested in exploring the range, quality and effectiveness of debt and money advice that is being provided by a host of different agencies across Oxfordshire.  Oxfordshire County Council provides financial support to some agencies that offer debt and money advice and the impact of the recent “credit crunch” has seen an increase in the number of people seeking such advice.  Consequently, this may put pressure on the funding sources for these services.

An interim report of the Review Group’s findings to date is attached for the committee’s consideration at CM6.

Why has it been included?

The Committee is invited to consider the report and if it wishes to continue to investigate the topics suggested in the report.

Work to be done prior to the meeting:

Members are asked to consider the report which is attached at CM6.

 

7.                Fire Service Command and Control Room – the FiReControl and FireLink Projects

12:15

 

Mr Colin Thomas (Assistant Chief Fire Officer) has provided a written update on the progress of the project (CM7).

 

8.                Scrutiny Work Programme

12:25

 

To note this Committee’s work programme (CM8) (download as .doc file).

 

9.                Tracking Scrutiny Items

12:25

 

Report back on advice by this Committee to the Cabinet or Council.

 

·         Update on Coroner’s Bill/Coroner’s Caseload and Interaction with Oxfordshire County Council Scrutiny Review

 

The Committee is asked to note that the white paper is anticipated for 4 December.  Therefore a synopsis of the paper will be presented at this Committee’s February meeting.

 

10.           Forward Plan

12:25

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 December 2008 to March 2009).

 

(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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