Customer & Corporate Services Scrutiny Management  Committee

 

10 May 2021

Report of the Director of Governance

 

Monitoring and Tracking of Approved Council Motions

Summary

1.        This report provides information on approved Council motions since October 2018.  The Committee has asked to look into what processes are in place to ensure that actions arising from approved Council motions are implemented in a timely manner and that movers of those motions are properly informed of progress.

        Background

2.        The Committee had allocated time on its work plan to address this matter prior to the sequence of Covid 19 lockdowns but has been prioritising what it regarded as more essential business during the pandemic.  At its meeting on 17 February 2021 Audit & Governance Committee raised the same issue and being informed that this Committee had scheduled consideration of the matter, specifically asked Corporate & Scrutiny Management & Policy Committee to look into existing processes. It asked this Committee to report back to it on its findings when this Committee had had the opportunity to look into processes.

3.        As Members will be aware, notice is given of motions put forward for Council by elected Members within the agenda for ordinary Council meetings.  Notice of these motions must constitutionally be given to Democratic Services no later than the 8th working day prior to the date of the meeting.  The agenda for Council meetings is published, statutorily, on the 5th working day prior to the date of the meeting.  Advance receipt by Democratic Services of these motions allows time to make sure they are submitted and published in the correct format and enables relevant Chief Officers to ensure any resolved actions are achievable or deliverable and are presented in an appropriate manner.

        Analysis

        Current Monitoring and Implementation Process

4.   As with all public meetings, Democratic Services produce and publish minutes of Council meetings.  Those will include details of all motions considered and the agreed resolution.  Those minutes are then circulated to relevant Chief Officers as a draft to enable them to comment, if necessary, on the accuracy of the record prior to formal publication and to note any further action required.  It is then the responsibility of the responsible Officer (or action owner) to identify and take any necessary steps.  However, to ensure actions are progressed, Council Management Team (CMT), which comprises all Executive Directors and Directors, review all agreed motions.  This is usually done at their first meeting after the relevant meeting of Full Council.  Democratic Services does not currently have any further involvement in this process.

5.      The approach outlined in paragraph 4 is an informal but operative working practice and is not as such a formally or constitutionally required one.

6.    Attached at Annex A is a schedule of approved Council motions since October 2018, giving details of the motion, the mover, the resolution and action status.  This has been checked and updated by CMT.

 

Monitoring of Agreed Scrutiny Recommendations

7.    Prior to the onset of the pandemic, Members will recall that the existing practice in relation to monitoring implementation of any recommendations agreed by the Executive arising from scrutiny reviews was as follows:

·        Six months following approval, a report was submitted to the relevant Scrutiny Committee setting out the agreed recommendations and the actions which had been taken against those;

·        The Committee then formally agreed to ‘sign off’ any actions completed satisfactorily;

·        Any actions which the Committee felt needed further work remained ‘live’ on the monitoring report for future report back in a further 6 months, unless an earlier timescale was considered necessary;

·        Eventually, all recommendations/actions being ‘signed off’ by the Committee as satisfactorily completed.

 8.   The above monitoring arrangements are more formalised than the process currently operating for approved Council motions and are included for comparative purposes.

9.    An annual monitoring report to this Committee may be a potential possibility in addition to current practices outlined in paragraph 4 above.

Consultation
10.  There has not been time in the preparation of this report to consult more widely (within the Council or with other Councils) on existing or other potential monitoring processes.  Nor, as yet, has CMT had an opportunity to comment further.

         

Options
This Committee can      

11.  (i)    comment upon the monitoring and tracking practices currently adopted and make suggestions for consideration by CMT; or

 

        (ii)    request any further information it feels necessary for consideration at a future meeting, prior to making any comments.

 

       

Council Plan 2019-23

12.  Whilst this report does not in itself materially affect how the work of scrutiny can support and develop the Council’s overall priorities set out in the new Council Plan 2019-23, the proper and effective implementation of approved Council motions can contribute those priorities dependent upon the area of concern being addressed in those motions.

        Implications

13.  There are no financial, equalities, legal, information technology, crime & disorder, sustainability or other implications associated with the recommendations in this report.  However, there may, of course, be implications for staff capacity depending upon what comments on processes etc the Committee may wish to make regarding the tracking of Council motions.  

Risk Management

 

14.  Clearly, if the implementation of approved Council motions is not satisfactorily monitored, there is a risk to the organisation around the delivery of democratically taken resolutions.  As referred to in paragraph 2 above, Audit & Governance Committee have already requested this Committee to investigate and satisfy itself that existing processes are fit for purpose.

 

        Recommendations

15.  Members are asked to

(i) consider the information provided and comment upon existing processes and any next steps;

(ii) report back any findings to Audit & Governance Committee in due course.

Reason:      To ensure that processes for monitoring and implementing approved Council motion resolutions are sufficiently robust.

Contact Details

Author:

Chief Officer Responsible for the report:

Dawn Steel

Head of Civic, Democratic & Scrutiny Services

Tel No. (01904) 551030

Janie Berry

Director of Governance & Monitoring Officer

Report Approved

v

Date

 29 April 2021

 

Specialist Implications Officer(s) 

None

 

Wards Affected: 

All

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For further information please contact the author of the report

 

Background Papers: None

 

Annexes:

Annex A - Schedule of approved Council motions since October 2018