Agenda and minutes

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Contact: Matthew Stembrowicz  Email: matthew.stembrowicz@north-norfolk.gov.uk

Items
No. Item

157.

To Receive Apologies for Absence

Minutes:

Apologies were received from Cllr N Housden and Cllr L Withington.

158.

Substitutes

Minutes:

Cllr N Pearce.

159.

Public Questions & Statements

To receive questions / statements from the public, if any.

Minutes:

Mr D Russell attended to make a public statement during item 15 on ambulance response times.

160.

Minutes pdf icon PDF 339 KB

To approve as a correct record the minutes of the meeting of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee held on 9th February 2022.

Minutes:

       i.          Minutes of the meeting held on 9th February 2022 were approved as a correct record subject to the following amendments:

 

      ii.          Page 3 - item 148 be amended to reflect the increase in costs of brown bin replacement, which had risen twice by 10% in recent months.

 

     iii.          Cllr T Adams responded to questions raised at the last meeting and noted that as a Charity organisation the RNLI were not required to contribute to the running and maintenance costs of Cromer Pier. He added that Openwide had responsibility for maintenance of the dressing rooms.

161.

Items of Urgent Business

To determine any other items of business which the Chairman decides should be considered as a matter of urgency pursuant to Section 100B(4)(b) of the Local Government Act 1972.

Minutes:

None received.

162.

Declarations of Interest pdf icon PDF 233 KB

Members are asked at this stage to declare any interests that they may have in any of the following items on the agenda. The Code of Conduct for Members requires that declarations include the nature of the interest and whether it is a disclosable pecuniary interest.

Minutes:

None declared.

163.

Petitions From Members of the Public

To consider any petitions received from members of the public.

Minutes:

None received.

164.

Consideration of Any Matter Referred to the Committee by a Member

To consider any requests made by non-executive Members of the Council, and notified to the Monitoring Officer with seven clear working days’ notice, to include an item on the agenda of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee.

Minutes:

None received.

165.

Responses of the Council or the Cabinet to the Committee's Reports or Recommendations

To consider any responses of the Council or the Cabinet to the Committee’s reports or recommendations:

Minutes:

None to report.

166.

Crime & Disorder Briefing pdf icon PDF 781 KB

To receive a briefing from the Police & Crime Commissioner  - Giles Orpen-Smellie and the Chief Executive of the OPCCN – Mark Stokes.

 

Briefing Topic:

 

The ‘Police, Crime and Community Safety Plan for Norfolk 2022 – 2024’, and how this coincides with the ‘Safer Norfolk Plan 2021-2024’.

 

Briefing Notes:  

 

·        Members are reminded that the Overview & Scrutiny Committee reviewed the draft Safer Norfolk Plan 2021-2024 in May 2021.

·        Both Plans are approved and under implementation.

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The PCC began by informing Members of his six priorities for the current term of office which included appointing a new Chief Constable, setting the Police budget, establishing the Police and Crime Plan, responding to the PCC review, identifying the evolving role of the PCC in Local Government, and outlining future plans with the Norfolk 2040 project. On the Police and Crime Plan, which was required to be published by 31st March following an election year, the PCC referred to a rope analogy with the Plan at the core, whilst other plans such as the Norfolk County Community Safety Plan, were wrapped around. He described the Plan itself using the analogy of a temple, with solid ground equating to sound ethical policing and standards, whilst the foundations were solid financial planning, on which six pillars stood as key principles of the Plan. The first pillar sought to sustain the Constabulary with staff, equipment and training, as 86% of Police costs (£197m) related to staffing. The PCC stated that pillars two and three presented an expectation gap, as older residents wanted visual policing, whilst the Home Office tasked the Police with tackling crime as outlined in pillar three, and both challenges had to be met to rebuild public trust. It was noted domestic abuse was the most frequently reported crime in Norfolk, whilst drug related crimes were the highest risk to life, and in both cases these crimes were often out of sight and out of mind, but still required significant resources. The PCC stated that for pillar four, prevention of crime was key, and many crimes could be addressed via county level partnerships. For example, better mental health support could help to reduce crime and work was therefore underway to address this. Pillar five represented victim support with aims to improve charging and prosecution rates, as well as the time taken for cases to reach court. The PCC stated that the sixth pillar, representing safer and stronger communities addressed issues such as road safety, and finally the roof of the temple sought to promote engagement and communication with the public to improve awareness of Police activity and help restore trust.

 

Questions and Discussion

 

       i.          The Chairman referred to public confidence in Police ethics, which had been described as a key foundation of the Constabulary, and asked whether the Code of Ethics could be positioned as a more public-facing document. The PCC replied that he had a responsibility to hold the Norfolk Constabulary to account on its values and standards, and had previously checked whether this information was available to officers and easy to find. He added that improvements were required to improve officers’ access to this information, and a review was underway following the actions of former officer Wayne Couzens. It was noted that any officers party to similar issues would now be treated as a primary party, rather than a witness, and officers were expected to report on each other in similar situations. The PCC noted that he  ...  view the full minutes text for item 166.

167.

BUDGET MONITORING REPORT 2021/22 - PERIOD 10 pdf icon PDF 581 KB

Summary:

 

 

 

 

Options considered:

This report summarises the budget monitoring position for the revenue account, capital programme and reserves to the end of January 2022. 

 

Not applicable.

 

Conclusions:

 

The overall position at the end of January 2022 shows an £8,774,619 underspend for the current financial year on the revenue account, this is however currently expected to deliver a full year underspend of £414,439.

 

Recommendations:

 

 

 

 

 

Reasons for

Recommendations:

It is recommended that Cabinet:

 

1)     Note the contents of the report and the current budget monitoring position.

 

To update Members on the current budget monitoring position for the Council.

 

LIST OF BACKGROUND PAPERS AS REQUIRED BY LAW

(Papers relied on the write the report and which do not contain exempt information)

 

 

System budget monitoring reports

 

 

 

Cabinet Member(s)

Cllr Eric Seward

Ward(s) affected

Contact Officer, telephone number and email: Lucy Hume, 01263 516246, Lucy.Hume@north-norfolk.gov.uk

 

 

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The DFR introduced the report and informed Members that it covered the period up to January 2022. He added that the Council was currently projecting an underspend of approximately £400k, though a number of variables such as additional car parking income would continue to effect this figure. It was noted that the Council’s income streams had recovered well after the initial shock of Covid-19, and the income received from Central Government during the Pandemic was estimated to be approximately £140k too much, and may therefore have to be returned.

 

RESOLVED

 

1.     To note the content of the report and the current budget monitoring position.

168.

MANAGING PERFORMANCE QUARTER 3 2021/2022 pdf icon PDF 331 KB

Summary:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Options considered:

The Managing Performance Report attached, as Appendix A, will enable the Council to assess delivery against objectives detailed in the Corporate Plan Delivery Plan 2019-2023 and operational service performance. It gives an overview of progress towards achieving the objectives in the Corporate Plan, assesses the impact that Covid-19 has had on both these aspects of Council performance, and the actions being taken to address these issues and proposes any further action needed.

 

Options considering action regarding performance are presented separately, issue by issue, to the appropriate Council Committee where committee approval is required.

 

Conclusions:

 

Continued progress has been made over this quarter in areas of core service delivery and in respect of key Corporate Plan projects and objectives as detailed in the report, despite corporate focus again having to be directed to COVID response activity with rapidly rising rates of infection in the District in December associated with the spread of the Omicron variant. 

 

The uncertainty caused by the spread of the Omicron variant had particular impact on many hospitality businesses at a critical time of the year and saw the Government announce further grant support for the sector which resulted in an increase of calls to the Customer Services, Environmental Health, Economic Growth and Revenues Teams.

 

Recommendations:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Reasons for

Recommendations:

 

That Cabinet resolves to note this report and endorses the actions being taken by Corporate Leadership Team detailed in Appendix A – Managing Performance.

That Cabinet reviews the benchmarking report attached at Appendix B and requests further information and/ or action as they see fit.

 

To ensure the objectives of the Council are achieved.

LIST OF BACKGROUND PAPERS AS REQUIRED BY LAW

(Papers relied on to write the report, which do not contain exempt information and which are not published elsewhere)

 

 

Cabinet Member(s)

Cllr Tim Adams

 

Ward(s) affected

All

Contact Officer, telephone number and email: Steve Blatch, Chief Executive

Email:- steve.blatch@north-norfolk.gov.uk Tel:- 01263 516232

Additional documents:

Minutes:

Cllr T Adams – Leader introduced the report and informed Members that he was proud of the efforts made to achieve the Council’s corporate objectives, despite the issues caused by the Pandemic. He added that the report covered the period up to December 2021, and benchmarking data had been included for comparisons of the Council’s performance with similar authorities. It was noted that an Energy Officer had now been appointed at a crucial time, and the Economic Growth and Customer Services Teams were thanked for their efforts supporting businesses and residents through the Pandemic. He added that the Climate, Coast and Environment Teams had also made significant progress, alongside positive reports on the opening of The Reef, which supported the Council’s quality of life priorities.

 

Questions and Discussion

 

       i.          Cllr P Heinrich referred to p143 on responses to fly-tipping and asked whether more accurate data had been made available. Cllr N Lloyd replied that he didn’t have the figures available but had recently received a report on the issue and had not been alarmed by the number of incidents, which remained stable with prosecutions pursued where possible. The DFC stated that reporting issues related to problems with Serco’s software and improvements were being made to address this.

 

      ii.          Cllr V Holliday referred to the benchmarking data on household waiting lists and the creation of new businesses and noted that North Norfolk did not appear to be performing well compared to other authorities. She added that quality of life issues, which were reported positively in the performance report also appeared less positive in the benchmarking data. Cllr T Adams noted that many public health matters were the responsibility of NCC, and suggested that he would be happy to discuss this with the Director of Public Health. He added that there was increased pressure on housing in North Norfolk that the Council were always working to address, and the Council would look to improve support for new and existing business, as it had done throughout the Pandemic. Cllr V Holliday suggested it would be helpful to review the benchmarking data in more detail as a Committee. Cllr T Adams stated that he was supportive of this approach and noted that use of public spaces and leisure centres was actively encouraged by the Council. The CE stated that he was supportive of the proposal as it would be helpful to outline the Council’s responsibilities on matters such as public health, especially on the lead up to transitioning to an integrated care model. He added that it was also important to demonstrate value for money and the tangible benefits gained from increased spending on priorities relating to quality of life, such as the funding of The Reef. The DFC stated that Districts would be moving to an Integrated Care System that would take a more holistic approach to health, with Health and Wellbeing Partnerships aimed at providing Districts with more control over the health services provided. He added that work was also underway on  ...  view the full minutes text for item 168.

169.

Planning Performance & Customer Experience Review pdf icon PDF 317 KB

Summary:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Options considered:

This report discusses matters of planning performance and customer experience and sets out the context, an overview of identified issues and a proposed way forward in addressing any perceived issues relating to performance.

 

 

Options considered within this report are as follows:

  1. Do nothing – the Council accepts there are no issues of performance that need to be addressed.
  2. Request that the Director for Place and Climate Change undertakes a Planning Service Improvement Plan.

 

Conclusions:

 

It is recommended that Overview & Scrutiny Committee supports the production of a Planning Service Improvement Plan (PSIP) for referral to the O&S Committee meeting on 14th September 2022.

 

Recommendations:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Reasons for

Recommendations:

 

The Overview and Scrutiny Committee are asked to consider the matters raised within this report and to support the production of a draft Planning Service Improvement Plan for subsequent review by Overview and Scrutiny Committee in September 2022.

 

 

To ensure that an appropriate plan is in place setting out expectations and solutions to identified planning performance issues and so that the objectives of the Council are achieved.

 

LIST OF BACKGROUND PAPERS AS REQUIRED BY LAW

(Papers relied on to write the report, which do not contain exempt information and which are not published elsewhere)

 

 

None

 

 

 

 

Cabinet Member(s)

Cllr J Toye, Cabinet Portfolio holder for Planning

Ward(s) affected: All

Contact Officer, telephone number and email: Martyn Fulcher, 01236 516244, martyn.fulcher@north-norfolk.gov.uk

 

 

 

 

Minutes:

Cllr J Toye Portfolio Holder for Planning and Enforcement introduced the item and informed Members that whilst placed on the Committee’s work programme last year, the report had been delayed for the reasons outlined within the report. He added that in addition to planning performance, the report covered a number of issues raised during a preliminary discussion relating to customer experience. Cllr J Toye stated that at present there was no quantifiable data on these issues, and it was therefore difficult to quantify the scale of issues, if any. He added that complaints had spiked at thirteen per month in September 2021, however the annual average was only three per month, with zero received in the last two months. It was noted that these figures should be considered against the context of approximately 250 planning decisions made each month. Cllr J Toye noted that at this stage issues would be reported as perceived until evidence could be gathered to confirm or refute the claims. He added that previous concerns had been raised around the enforcement process, however data and additional training had improved the perception of this service, and it was hoped the same could be achieved for Planning. It was noted that comments made regarding the prioritisation of commercial applications could not be pursued, as all applicants had to be treated equally.

 

Questions and Discussion

 

       i.          The Chairman referred to the recommendation in point 12.2 and asked whether the Portfolio holder was supportive of the recommended actions. Cllr J Toye replied that the recommendation assumed that there were issues that required action, though evidence and data must first be gathered to confirm the need for any remedial action. He added that he was happy for the recommendation to commence an investigation, and welcomed scrutiny with an evidence-based approach.

 

      ii.          The DFPCC stated that it was important to note that the last two years had been challenging for the Planning Service, with no let-up in demand and an increase in workload over the past year. He accepted that some elements of the service may not always have performed as required, but this had to be taken in the context of the difficulties presented by new ways of working during the Pandemic. It was noted that the Service would always strive for perfection, and on this basis a service improvement plan was good practice to ensure that any perceived or actual issues could be resolved. The DFPCC suggested that if approved, the improvement plan could come back to the Committee in September for consideration, prior to implementation.

 

     iii.          The Chairman noted that the review was particularly relevant to the customer focus theme of the Corporate Plan, and on this basis it was sensible to proceed with the review using an evidence-based approach.

 

    iv.          Cllr V Holliday asked whether it was possible to survey residents or Parishes on the service provided by the Planning Department and suggested this could generate useful feedback. She added that she had previously undertaken her own survey  ...  view the full minutes text for item 169.

170.

Waste Contract: Verbal Update

To receive a verbal update from the Director for Communities on the progress made by the waste contractor on delivering a revised target operating model.

Minutes:

The DFC informed Members that progress was still being made, though there was an indication that the soft date of changes to the new collection operating model had slipped, though this would not effect the hard date on which it was due to go live. He added that other elements of the contract relating to the gap analysis continued to be progressed, with prioritisation given to issues that would have the greatest impact for residents.

 

RESOLVED

 

To note the update.

171.

AMBULANCE RESPONSE TIMES: COASTAL PARISH WORKING PARTY UPDATE pdf icon PDF 132 KB

To receive and note the update.

Minutes:

Cllr V Holliday – Chair of the Coastal Parish and Towns Ambulance Response Times Working Group introduced the report and informed Members that response times were still not meeting targets with wide variations across the District. She added that the Committee had previously looked at category one call-outs for life threatening situations and noted that EEAST were in some areas achieving targets, though not across the board. It was noted that EEAST still found category two calls, relating to emergencies such as heart attacks and strokes challenging. On category three calls, relating to assaults and falls, there still appeared to be unacceptably long wait times. Cllr V Holliday stated that the data suggested it was now more important to focus efforts on categories two and three, where it had been suggested that there was a correlation between turnaround times at hospitals and ambulance response times. She added that the data suggested that ambulance time lost to delays at hospitals amounted to 3000 hours across the County. It was noted that rapid response vehicles (RRVs) remained important, with two in North Norfolk, one of which had recently been relocated to Fakenham to help with poor response times in the West, though it was too soon to determine its impact. Cllr V Holliday stated that nationally RRV numbers were falling in favour of more ambulances, though this was not a preferred model for North Norfolk. She added that Community First Responders were also engaging with Parish and Town Councils to help recruit more staff, with funds available to purchase an additional first response vehicle. Cllr V Holliday suggested that it could be helpful to call in the CCG to discuss the deeper issues effecting ambulance response times, as she expected that EEAST were doing all they could with the available resources. She added that it was also important to continue to lobby local MPs on the matter, to ensure that concerns were raised in Parliament.

 

Questions and Discussion

 

       i.          The Chairman asked Cllr E Spagnola whether NHOSC were due to review the issue again in the near future, to which she replied that it was not currently on the Committee’s work programme, though could be expected later in the year. She confirmed that a key issue was turnaround times at hospitals, with patients left on ambulances for considerable periods. It was noted that slow response times remained a national issue, and there were significant issues that had to be resolved.

 

      ii.          Cllr T Adams referred to call times and noted that he had recently been involved in a situation that had taken thirteen minutes to reach a call handler on a 999 call. He added that ambulance response times had remained as expected, and he was aware that a significant number of bodies were all looking at the issue, and whilst some progress had been made, no significant breakthroughs had been achieved.

 

     iii.          Cllr A Brown stated that he was supportive of requesting that CCG representatives attend a future meeting, though he  ...  view the full minutes text for item 171.

172.

The Cabinet Work Programme pdf icon PDF 129 KB

To note the upcoming Cabinet Work Programme.

Minutes:

The DSGOS informed Members that officers had requested that a property disposal on the Cabinet work programme be reviewed by the Committee as pre-scrutiny, and this could be expected at the April meeting. He added that the Quality of Life Strategy on the Cabinet work programme was also expected as a pre-scrutiny item at the Scrutiny Panel, as this was a key priority of the quality of life theme of the Corporate Plan.

 

RESOLVED

 

To note the Cabinet work programme.

173.

Overview & Scrutiny Work Programme and Update pdf icon PDF 302 KB

To receive an update from the Scrutiny Officer on progress made with topics on its agreed work programme, training updates and to receive any further information which Members may have requested at a previous meeting.

Additional documents:

Minutes:

       i.          The DSGOS informed Members that the Serco briefing was expected in April, followed by Anglian Water representatives in May, with an opportunity for advance questions in relation to sewage outflows. He added that the car park usage report was listed for April, though it was advised that this be delayed until October to review the impact of pricing changes. It was noted that the Reef Leisure Centre review was also expected to be delayed until May. Finally, the scoping report for the CCfA on second homes would be progressed to the April meeting.

 

      ii.          Cllr E Spagnola suggested that she would provide an update from the March NHOSC meeting on NHS Dentistry services in April.

 

     iii.          The DSGOS provided a brief update on the review of public conveniences and noted that an external provider had been invited to attend the next meeting to advise on standards expected across the Country.

 

RESOLVED

 

To note the Committee work programme. 

174.

Exclusion of the Press and Public

To pass the following resolution, if necessary:

 

“That under Section 100A(4) of the Local Government Act 1972 the press and public be excluded from the meeting for the following items of business on the grounds that they involve the likely disclosure of exempt information as defined in paragraph _ of Part I of Schedule 12A (as amended) to the Act.”