PAPER E2

Purpose : For Decision

REPORT TO THE EXECUTIVE

Date : 17 NOVEMBER 2004

Title : SELECT COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATIONS TO EXECUTIVE

REPORT OF THE DEPUTY LEADER

IMPLEMENTATION DATE : 29 November 2004

SUMMARY/PURPOSE

1. To present as a performance management tool:

2. The recommendations made by the Select Committees during the period July 2004 to September 2004.

BACKGROUND

3. During the past year, Select Committee scrutiny and policy development functions have implemented several new procedural, operational and tracking arrangements. These changes were originally introduced following some criticism from external inspectors, with the assistance of a training programme from South East Employers, the following tracking of Select Committee recommendations is now an imbedded performance management tool that sets out to whom they were directed and what action has subsequently been taken.

4. Building upon the key outcomes from the joint workshop between the Executive and the Co-ordinating Committee held on 12 July 2004 at Northwood House, these arrangements are a demonstrative corporate governance tool ensuring a shared set of corporate priorities, effective joined up working and an easily identifiable audit trail to measure the impact of Select Committees on changing Council policy and improving services.

5. This report sets out in Appendix 1 all the recommendations made by Select Committees in the period July to September 2004. The report seeks to draw attention to those recommendations which in that period have not had an identifiably and conclusive outcome.

STRATEGIC CONTEXT

6. The duty under S21 Local Government Act 2000 to establish overview and scrutiny arrangements requires effective and efficient tracking of Select Committee recommendations, monitoring the outputs from the Select Committees enables the quality of the system and its productiveness to be continually improved.

CONSULTATION

7. These procedures have been developed by the Co-ordinating Committee through the feedback from the IDeA Review and subsequent training programme that followed. Those tracking arrangements have been extensively discussed in a series of workshops and Select Committee development days attended by portfolio holders and officers.

FINANCIAL/BUDGET IMPLICATIONS

8. There are no significant costs or budget implications that can be attributed to implementing these new administrative procedures.

LEGAL IMPLICATIONS

9. The duty to conduct effective, open and efficient overview and scrutiny arises under the Local Government Act 2000.

EVALUATION/RISK MANAGEMENT

10. Improvement in shared information between the respective functions can only serve to reduce the likelihood of corporate risk. This development demonstrates a high degree of transparency, integrated working and excellent corporate governance.

RECOMMENDATIONS

(i) Members are asked to receive the Select Committee recommendations and

(ii) for future reports to separate the presentation of the recommendations into

(a) those which arise from or relate to previous QPMPs

(b) those which are directed to the Executive and/or Portfolio Holders

(c) operational recommendations to officers

(d) recommendations concerning the organisation of Select Committee business.

BACKGROUND PAPERS

Select Committee Recommendations Report to Executive – 14 July 2004.

Contact Point : Alistair R Drain, Head of Select Committee and Best Value Support. ( 823801 email: [email protected]

John Lawson, Head of Legal and Democratic Services

( 823203 email: [email protected]

ALISTAIR DRAIN Head of Select Committee and Best Value Support JOHN LAWSON Head of Legal and Democratic Services

PETER HARRIS Deputy Leader