Agenda item

Discussion around the following issues:

·        New ways of working and of monitoring City of York Council performance

·        Director update on planned service reviews for 2012/13

·        Agreed CYC related topics (CCTV, Animal Enforcement on CYC land and public highway, and Commercial Waste Services/Commercial Waste Recyling/Incinerator Plan B (Commercial Waste topic focus to be agreed)

Consideration was given to the committee’s draft work plan for 2012-13.  Discussion took place around the following issues:

(i)           Monitoring of City of York Council Performance

The Chair of Corporate and Scrutiny Management Committee explained that each scrutiny committee was being asked to consider how best to monitor City of York Council performance in respect of the areas within the committee’s remit, including whether the committee would wish to continue the arrangement whereby performance monitoring reports were regularly presented at committee meetings. 

Members agreed that it was useful to receive the monitoring reports, particularly if these highlighted challenges being faced in specific areas.  The reports were also useful to identify possible issues for scrutiny review.

The Chair requested that, if possible, Members identified any questions regarding the reports in advance of the meeting and contacted the officer concerned.  This would ensure that the necessary information would be available at the meeting.

(ii)          Director Update on Planned Service Reviews for 2012/13

Details were given of planned service reviews for the areas within the remit of the Cabinet Member for Environmental Services and the Cabinet Member for Crime and Stronger Communities. The reviews would focus on the following areas and recommendations arising from the review would be considered by the Cabinet or by the relevant Cabinet Member:

·        Highways and civil engineering (including practices, procurement and efficiencies)

·        Waste Services – the rationalisation of waste rounds (including consideration of a move away from the policy on same day waste collection arrangements)

·        Policies at household waste sites

·        Greenwaste collection

·        Street level waste services (including street cleaning and street environment services)

Members agreed that when determining the topics for review in 2012/13, it was important that the Committee did not duplicate work that was already taking place as part of the planned service reviews.   They did, however, note that there may be opportunities for the Committee to contribute to some of the service reviews.

(iii)        CYC Related Topics

It was noted that, following discussions at previous committee meetings and at the scrutiny planning event, the following had been identified as possible topics for scrutiny review:

·        CCTV

·        Animal enforcement on CYC land and the public highway

·        Commercial waste/recycling/incinerator

Consideration of the topics in respect of CCTV and Animal enforcement on CYC land were considered under items 5 and 6 on the agenda (minutes 5  and 6 refer).

Discussion took place regarding the proposed topic on commercial waste.  Officers provided an update on the situation in respect of the waste incinerator plan and the arrangements that would be in place depending on the outcome of the planning application.  Details were also given of the issues that were to be considered as part of the service review into commercial waste, including the reasons why income targets were not being achieved and the charging structure.  At Members’ request, officers agreed to circulate information on commercial waste services, including data on the amount collected and the costs and charges involved.¹   

In view of the planned service review of commercial waste, the Committee agreed that it would not be appropriate to carry out a scrutiny review on the topic at this time.  Members agreed that there were, however, aspects of domestic recycling that merited review, for example investigation into the disparity between rates of recycling within different parts of the community and comparisons with other local authorities.

Members queried why, at the last meeting, parking services had been identified as a possible topic for review but this had not been included in the list.  Officers agreed to clarify this matter and report back at the next meeting.²

(iv)        Crime and Disorder Issues

Members noted the crime and disorder issues that were to be discussed with Safer York Partnership and North Yorkshire Police arising from topics put forward at the scrutiny work planning event.  They agreed that the proposed topic on the new 101 police number should not be progressed at this time, as the new system had not yet had time to become embedded.

RESOLVED:       (I)      That the City of York Council

monitoring and performance reports continue to be presented to the committee on a regular basis.

                             (ii)      That a Task Group be established to

carry out a review on issues in respect of domestic recycling.

                             (iii)     That the members of the Domestic

Recycling Task Group be Councillors Healey, Watson and Orrell (subject to his approval).  Councillor King to be appointed to serve on the Task Group if the event that Councillor Orrell declined the offer of appointment.

                                (iv)     That, at the next meeting, the Task

Group report to the Committee on the proposed remit for the domestic waste review.

(v)     That the proposed scrutiny topics on Commercial Waste and the Police

101 number not be progressed at this stage.

REASON:  To progress the work of the Committee in accordance with agreed scrutiny protocols.