PAPER
D2
Purpose : for /Decision
REPORT
TO THE EXECUTIVE
Date : 14 JULY 2004
Title : SELECT COMMITTEE
RECOMMENDATIONS TO EXECUTIVE
REPORT OF THE DEPUTY LEADER
IMPLEMENTATION DATE : 26
July 2004
SUMMARY/PURPOSE
1.
To present as a performance management tool:
·
Those recommendations of the Select Committees made in
the year 2003-2004 and which have not yet been brought to a conclusion.
·
The recommendations made by the Select Committees in
the first quarter of 2004-2005.
BACKGROUND
2.
During the past year, the Select Committee scrutiny
and policy development functions have undergone significant changes to the way
that their work programmes are planned, the methods used to make scrutiny more
effective and the introduction of new procedures to improve effective working
between the Executive and the Select Committees.
3.
Following criticism from the IDeA Peer Review and a
recent OFSTED inspection, the scrutiny function has implemented, with the
assistance of South East Employers, a series of changes to the Select Committee
process. The main differences, which
have resulted from an extensive training programme with South East Employers,
include a reduction in the number of Members on each committee, procedural
changes within the Constitution, i.e. size of quorum, addressing all scrutiny
through the relevant Portfolio Holder(s) and finally implementing procedures in
order to track the recommendations made at Select Committees following detailed
scrutiny, policy development and Best Value Reviews.
4.
A performance management tool that captures all
recommendations made by Select Committees and sets out to whom they were
directed and what action has subsequently been taken, will:
·
Enable the Executive and Portfolio Holders to easily
receive and track the various recommendations directed to them and ensure a
proper and timely response
·
Enable the Select Committee to easily identify what
effect their recommendations have had in changing policy and improving
services, and to hold the Executive to account for the speed and quality of
their responses to recommendations
·
Demonstrate a joined up, responsive and effective
Executive/Select Committee model of corporate governance
·
Tend to improve the quality of the framing and
presentation of recommendations
·
Allow easy analysis of whether Select Committee
activity and recommendations are addressing key issues in shaping and
delivering corporate objectives
5.
This report is the first stage of developing this
performance management tool and does not include all the recommendations made
during 2003-2004, but seeks to draw attention to those recommendations which in
that period have not had an identifiable and conclusive response. This
presentation will enable the Executive to identify those recommendations which still
require closure.
6.
All recommendations from the first quarter of
2004-2005 also are presented in Appendix 1.
It is intended that the Select Co-ordinating Committee considers this
information each quarter. The Executive may wish, at least for the first two
quarterly cycles, to receive this information in its entirety. Thereafter it
may be sufficient to produce an exception report setting out only those
recommendations which have not been conclusively responded to.
7.
Appendix
2 sets out those requests for select committee enquiry which has been made
by the Executive. This allows a
parallel tracking of those requests.
8.
A record of the consideration of the tracking report
by the Executive will form the basis of the next quarterly report and will inform
the Co-ordinating Committee’s consideration of that report.
9.
It is suggested that the Executive receive either the
full information or an exception report at the same meeting which receives
other performance management information, including the Quarterly Performance
Management Report.