Agenda and minutes

The Chair wished to thank the previous members of the Commission, Councillors Matt Binley, John McGhee and Simon Rielly for their work and support over the last year.  She also welcomed Councillors Valerie Anslow and Zoe McGhee to the Commission.

There was an apology for non-attendance from Councillor Mark Dearing.

The Chair invited those who wished to do so to declare any interests in respect of items on the agenda.

There were no requests to address the meeting.

RESOLVED:

The minutes of the meeting held on 17 May 2022 were approved as a correct record and signed, subject to:

Minute 59, Scrutiny Work Plan and Future Meetings – second paragraph add the word “received” so it reads “…had been received by the Chair…”.

The Chair welcomed Stephen Graves of Kettering General Hospital to the meeting.

The Scrutiny Commission considered a briefing paper and presentation on the Kettering General Hospital HIP2 Redevelopment.  The key points made were:

•   In September 2019, Kettering General Hospital (KGH) was announced as one of 40 new hospital projects through the Hospital Infrastructure Plan (HIP2).  This was re-confirmed by the Prime Minister in October 2020.

•   In March 2021, the Trust had submitted a Strategic Outline Case to NHS England/Improvement that established the case for change and gained approval to proceed with its Outline Business Case.

•   The Outline Business Case would be considered for approval by the Trust Board on 29 July 2022 and then submitted to the Department of Health and Social Care and to the Treasury.

•   The planned redevelopment of KGH would comprise two main blocks built in phases.  The phases would be:

Phase 1

Adult and Child Emergency Department

Short Stay Paediatric Assessment Unit

ED Imaging (also inpatient out of hours)

Elderly Frailty Unit & Emergency Decisions Unit

Medical SDEC and Medical Assessment Unit

Surgical SDEC and Surgical Decisions Unit

Six Generic Inpatient Wards

Phase 2

Main Entrance

Endoscopy Unit

Orthopaedics and Fracture Clinic

Diagnostic Imaging Department

6 Operating Theatres and Recovery Suite

20 bed Critical Care Unit

6 Generic Inpatient Wards

FM Service Hub

•   The Trust was working towards having the site cleared and ready for construction to begin Q4 2023/24, although timescales were dependent on the release of funding and national prioritisation of which hospitals were built.

During discussion, the following principle points were noted:

i.     Members welcomed the plans for the future of the hospital.

ii.    Members questioned what had happened to the £46m and £360m which had previously been allocated to the project.  In response, Mr Graves advised that only the £46m had been allocated.  It was not clear where the £360m figure had come from but it had never been allocated.

iii.   It was queried what the interim parking solution would be for Phase 1 of the works. In response, it was advised that it would depend on the start date, but it was hoped that a car park would already be built before the work began.  Conversations were being held with local landowners about temporary off-site parking for staff. It was in the Masterplan to work with a partner to build the car park rather than use NHS monies.

iv.   The timelines were driven by several factors.  The driving issue would be when funding would be available to start.  The move to net zero with the energy centre had made it more expensive.  Making Phase 2 bigger than originally planned had also added more cost.  Out of the hospital’s income, there would be a requirement to pay the costs of the assets and there would be a need to identify where savings were to meet the extra capital costs.

v.    It was suggested that building on a brownfield site was more expensive than building a new hospital  ...  view the full minutes text for item SC/6

Members are requested, where possible, to identify those areas they wish to understand in further detail with the report author at least three working days prior to the meeting.

The Scrutiny Commission considered a report of the Assistant Chief Executive which provided an update on the Council’s performance across a wide range of services, as measured by performance indicators. 

The report provided a summary of the performance of Council services and further detail including trend lines and exception reports.  Performance measures were being developed to better reflect the desired outcomes set out at a high level through the Council’s recently adopted Corporate Plan.

During discussion, the following principle points were noted:

i.             Comments on several specific indicators were made, including:

·                Number of rough sleepers (T8) – were there certain areas where there were rough sleepers and what was being done to address this?  Work was needed to provide shelters for those towns which had issues, particularly in the winter months.  In response, the Executive Director of Adults, Communities and Wellbeing advised that the number of rough sleepers was not static, and they were not necessarily the same people.  It was also a very transient population.  The Outreach Team were aware of the places where people bedded down.  Since the end of the pandemic, when the ban on landlords evicting tenants ended, there had been an increase in the number of eviction notices being issued.  However, the number of rough sleepers remained low.  Some rough sleepers had accommodation but chose to rough sleep and for some it was more stressful for them to manage a tenancy.  Temporary accommodation would be found if needed or wanted and the Council had mobilised a hotel in Wellingborough over the winter.   It had been a government instruction during Covid that shelters were not to be used, to prevent the spread of infection.

·                Number of working days lost to sickness per employee (long-term) (T20) – what was being done to support employees return to work?  The Director of Governance and HR advised that several employee assistance programmes were in place, along with Health and Safety and Wellbeing working groups.  Managers continued to work with employees to find solutions to assist them to return to work.

·                Average time taken to process benefits and Council Tax Support Claims (T17) – was there enough staff to process claims and what was being done to improve performance?  The Assistant Chief Executive undertook to provide a response to Members.

·                Void turnaround time (STP37) - it would be useful to see information on void council homes and how long they remained void to aid understanding on how to improve. The Assistant Chief Executive advised that the next performance report would contain more data around voids.  The Executive Director of Adults, Communities and Wellbeing clarified that the difference between major and minor voids needed to be considered as any major voids could skew the turnaround times.

·                Staffing levels –– was physical and verbal abuse a reason staff were leaving?  The Director of Governance and HR advised that all incidents of physical and verbal abuse should be reported.  Directors regularly meet with the trade unions to discuss incidents and issues.  People would be  ...  view the full minutes text for item SC/7

The Scrutiny Commission considered the draft scoping document for the Grant Maintained Nurseries Scrutiny Review which had been considered by the Finance and Resources Scrutiny Committee.

Councillor Mark Pengelly, Chair of the Finance and Resources Scrutiny Committee, introduced the scoping document and advised that Councillor Valerie Anslow would be a member of the Group in place of Councillor Matt Keane, who would act as a substitute member.  It was proposed that the timescale for the review be three months, with a review at that time.  It was also proposed that substitute members should be included.

RESOLVED:

(i)        To approve the scoping document for the Grant Maintained Nurseries Scrutiny Review, including the timescale of the Review.

(ii)       To approve the membership of the Scrutiny Review Group as:

Cllr Valerie Anslow

Cllr Jim Hakewill

Cllr Richard Levell

Cllr Paul Marks

Cllr Steven North

Cllr Mark Pengelly

Cllr Malcolm Ward

Substitute members to be allowed up to the number of each political grouping.  Names to be provided to Democratic Services.

(iii)      That Councillor Mark Pengelly be appointed Lead Member of the Review at this time.

Councillor Kevin Watt left the meeting and did not return.

The Scrutiny Commission considered the final report of the Levelling Up Communities Scrutiny Review Group.

Councillor Zoe McGhee, Chair of the Scrutiny Review Group, wished to thank everyone who had participated in the Review, particularly David Watts and the other members of the Review Group.  She felt that this was an example of good cross party working.  She also wished to thank all of the communities who had taken part in the Review, particularly with sharing their experiences.  It had been an honour and privilege to Chair the Review and she thanked everyone for their support.

During discussion, the following principle points were noted:

i.     The Scrutiny Commission welcomed the report.

ii.    It was noted that some of the recommendations were already being dealt with by the Executive, for example, there was now an Executive Member with responsibility for Levelling Up, who was present tonight.

iii.   Charities and the voluntary sector should also be included in the sectors to work with on community issues and projects along with local businesses.  The report shined a light on the voluntary and charity sector; however, it was local businesses who were more likely to have the money to invest in local projects.

iv.   The emphasis on youth work was supported and it would be good to link into the existing infrastructure.  There were excellent organisations already engaged with youth work.

v.    The difficulty of some groups accessing small grants and other funding streams was noted.  The previous East Northamptonshire Council had a member of staff who was an excellent resource in helping groups find sources of funding and writing bids and a similar post should be considered for NNC.

vi.   It was noted that there was a commonality in the issues raised in each of the three neighbourhoods.  The outcomes of this Review may be an opportunity for the new Town Councils.

RESOLVED:

(i)        To note the work undertaken by, and on behalf of, the Scrutiny Review Group.

(ii)       To recommend the report to the Executive.

The Scrutiny Commission received the Executive Forward Plan which showed the key and significant decisions the Executive would be making over the next few months. 

At the last meeting, Members indicated that they would wish to consider the Executive Decision on the Garden Waste: Future Service Provision. All Commission members had been invited to attend the meeting of the Service Delivery, Performance and Customers Executive Advisory Panel, where the issue was considered.

It was moved by Councillor John Currall and seconded by Councillor Jim Hakewill that the Scrutiny Commission write to the Leader of the Council requesting that the Green Waste decision be deferred to enable the Scrutiny Commission to consider the proposed decision.

On being put to the vote, there were six votes for the motion and four against, therefore the motion was carried.

RESOLVED:

(i)        To note the Executive Forward Plan.

(ii)       To write to the Leader of the Council requesting that the Green Waste decision be deferred to enable the Scrutiny Commission to consider the proposed decision.

RESOLVED:

That Meeting Procedure Rule 10 (Guillotine) be suspended to enable the Committee to continue the business on the agenda.

The Scrutiny Commission received the Scrutiny Work Plan, details of future meetings and other information relevant to the management of the Scrutiny Commission.

The response from the Assistant Director of Growth and Regeneration providing an update on the S106 audit was noted.

Members identified the following as items they would wish to consider in the future:

·           Knife Crime – follow up from Levelling Up Scrutiny Review.  Officers to liaise with the Police and Crime Commissioner’s office about attending a future meeting.

·           Staff vacancies and the cost of agency staff.

·           Housing repairs service – length of time of repairs and what are the delays.

·           Keyways.

·           Special Educational Needs/Education and Health Care Plans (EHCP) – process, performance and why does it take so long to obtain a Plan.

RESOLVED:

(i)           To note the Scrutiny Work Plan and items for future consideration.

(ii)          To note the items being brought to future meetings.

(iii)         To note the response from the Assistant Director of Growth and Regeneration on the S106 audit.

The Chair thanked members and officers for their attendance and closed the meeting.

The meeting closed at 10.24pm.