Report of the Chair of the Customer Services, Climate Change and Scrutiny Management Committee (CSCCSMC) – November 2023

1. We are now into the third month of public meetings of the council’s scrutiny committees in this municipal year. Moving from quarterly to monthly meetings (apart from February and August) has presented some challenges in terms of the work required of officers from the service areas drafting reports and of Democratic Services officers collating and publishing reports. On behalf of all of the scrutiny committee chairs I’d like to thank everyone who has been involved in ensuring that reports have been produced and published on time.

2. There have been some exceptions which I know have caused frustrations for members and Democratic Services officers. There will always be issues that arise which mean that reports are delayed or in the worst case not available at all, but I very much hope that these situations are few and far between. For that to happen everyone has a part to play, including Committee Chairs and officers, so that there is a clear understanding of what is expected and when.

3. The current monthly cycle of meetings will be kept under review, and I would welcome feedback from members and officers on ways in which we can improve the way scrutiny works.

4. At the time of writing, one decision has been called-in, relating to the approach to the allocation of one element of ward funding. This was considered at a CSCCSMC meeting on 2 October, and the original decision was upheld.

5. I am keen that Executive Members and officers bring items to scrutiny for pre-decision input, and the Economy, Place, Access and Transport (EPAT) Scrutiny Committee has had two such discussions recently, on city centre access arrangements and the draft Local Transport Strategy. This is welcomed, and I hope that other committees will have the opportunity to provide pre-decision input in the coming months.

CSCCSMC

6. At its 25 September meeting the committee discussed the status of the Castle Gateway project and how the council consults and engages with residents. It is intended that an ‘Improving Customer Experience’ report be brought to the committee for further discussion.

7. The 16 October meeting of the committee was focused on the climate change element of the committee’s remit, with a discussion on possible approaches to monitoring progress against the carbon reduction pathway within the Climate Change Strategy. The committee also received information reports on the blue badge application process and the delivery of the 2023 local elections, when mandatory photo ID rules were in place for the first time.

8. The focus of the committee’s next meeting on 27 November will be the status of the York Central project. It has been frustrating that, to date, the committee has not had an opportunity to discuss the scrutiny and overview arrangements proposed for the new Combined Authority, but it is hoped that this will be on the agenda for the meeting on 11 December.

Children, Culture & Communities Scrutiny Committee

9. At its 5 September meeting the committee received updates on the delivery of the SEND operational plan and the current picture of Exclusion and Attendance across the secondary and primary phase in York. Councillors Cuthbertson, Crawshaw, and Wilson were appointed to a Task & Finish group examining changes in the type of Education, Health & Care Plans that children and young people are qualifying for. Councillor Nelson was appointed to the Food Insecurity Task & Finish Group and was subsequently joined by Councillor Knight.

10. At its 17 October meeting the committee received a report on York Learning’s end of year performance against their strategic aims for the academic year 2022/23. The committee also had the opportunity to discuss the Annual Report from York Explore Libraries and Archives.

11. At its 7 November meeting the committee received updates on the council’s work on digital inclusion and the establishment of the Family Hub network, known as ‘Rise York.’ The committee also discussed the 2022/23 annual report of the City of York Childrens Safeguarding Partnership.

Economy, Place, Access and Transport Scrutiny Committee

12. At its 26 September meeting the committee discussed city centre access arrangements and were joined by a number of external guests including Police and counter-terrorism officers. The committee made a number of recommendations for Executive to consider when they came to make a decision.

13. At its 24 October meeting the committee had an in-depth discussion on draft proposals for a new Transport Strategy for York and the draft Fourth Air Quality Management Action Plan. Feedback from the discussion has helped to inform the proposals that are to go out for consultation later this month.

Health, Housing & Adult Social Care Scrutiny Committee

14. At its 19 September meeting the committee received a report providing an update on the approaches that the York and Scarborough Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust is taking to address the issues identified by the CQC across both York and Scarborough hospital sites. The committee also received an update on the content of a previous report, dated 22 November 2022, regarding the findings of a CQC inspection at Foss Park Hospital.

15. At its 18 October meeting the only item of business for the committee to consider was the Q1 Finance & Performance Monitor, due to the non-availability of papers for items that it had previously been agreed would be discussed at the meeting.