Report of the Chair of the Corporate Services, Climate Change and Scrutiny Management Committee (CSCCSMC) – November 2024
1. I am pleased to report that the Centre for Governance and Scrutiny (CfGS) has been commissioned to undertake a review of the council’s scrutiny arrangements. This is in response to the report arising from the Local Government Association (LGA) peer review undertaken earlier this year, and the subsequent improvement plan adopted by Executive.
2. I would like to encourage all members to input into the review over the coming weeks – it’s important that we take this opportunity to help shape scrutiny arrangements ahead of the 2025/26 municipal year.
3. Since my September report there has been one CSCCSMC call-in meeting. The meeting on 4November considered a call-in of the decision made by the Executive on 10October 2024, in respect of community contracts to support early intervention and prevention in adult social care. The outcome was that no breach was found and the original decision was upheld.
CSCCSMC
4. At its 7 October meeting the committee discussed the Quarter 1 Finance & Performance monitor, with headlines including a projected £3 million overspend in 2024/25 which will require a continuation of the cost control measures which have been in place for some time.
5. Members discussed the budget-setting process for 2025/26 and associated engagement and communication with residents and key stakeholders. The financial challenges facing all local authorities were discussed, with City of York Council (CYC) facing a continued need to make significant savings in the coming years. A further report would be brought to the November meeting, at which time it was anticipated that a further phase of public engagement on budget proposals would be underway.
6. Members discussed and were able to input into the planned independent, evidence-based review of scrutiny to be led by the CfGS. This piece of work will cost was £17k, of which £7k will be funded by the LGA. It was confirmed that officer support for scrutiny would be considered alongside the review, the outcome of which would drive the resourcing of the scrutiny function.
7. At its 11 November meeting the committee received a number of reports that were largely to note, including the Annual Complaints Performance and Service Improvements Report for the period April 2023 to March 2024. The report on the Workforce Development Strategy outlined its relationship to the key challenges that the Council faces as an employer and actions to embed good practice and maintain a healthy and resilient workforce. The committee also noted reports which set out actions taken in response to motions passed by Council and petitions received, on which further work is needed to ensure that they contain all relevant information.
8. Finally, members had a further opportunity to input into the council’s proposed approach to setting the 2025/26 budget. It was a constructive discussion which I hope was of some value.
Children, Culture & Communities Scrutiny Committee
9. Cllr Nicolls reports:
10. We have met twice since last full council and we continue to be at forefront of big decisions. The October meeting heard about early years and childcare reforms. One of the highlights was that CYC has been successful in securing £10k from the Department for Education (DfE) to support the commissioning of specialist after school provision for children with complex needs. York is the only local authority to successfully secure this funding via a strategic support partner and is the first in the country to test the market for specialist provision, which is sustainable in the longer term. The team is working closely with the DfE’s strategic support partner who consider CYC to be light touch due to our knowledge, skills and experience.
11. In November we had an update from the teams at Leeds and York Universities on their initial findings into universal free school meals, ie York Hungry Minds project. In general, it has been an initial success, with the early opinion that breakfasts are having a greater positive impact than lunch. All of which will prove food for thought for Cllr Webb going forward. It must be remembered this was the first report back and we have yet to see and end of year outcomes. Interesting reading if you look up the report through the online on the council calendar.
Economy, Place, Access and Transport Scrutiny Committee
12. Cllr Taylor reports:
13. At the time of writing this, since the last Full Council, the EPAT Committee has held two very useful Scrutiny sessions.
14. In September we looked at the Council’s public toilet provision, Local Transport Strategy implementation plan, and the Local Cycling Walking Infrastructure Plan.
15. On the first item it was clear that the Council have a good working relationship with their contractor, Healthmatic. We made recommendations as follows:
· to support the Council bidding for round 3 of Changing Places funding when funding becomes available to fund improvements to public toilet provision;
· that the Executive Member for Environment and Climate Emergency explore how to improve access to public toilets for the visually impaired;
· that the Council ensure that the stakeholder Group on Public Toilets include representation from individuals with health conditions such as Crohn's disease.
16. While not a formal recommendation too we did receive a commitment from the Executive Member to help with efforts to get the University of York to agree to allowing access to the Guildhall’s accessible toilets.
17. On the Transport Strategy Implementation Plan we recommended that:
· Officers reviewed the Local Transport Strategy Implementation Plan 2024-2026 to ensure it followed guidance from the Social Model of Disability and that it gave equal weight to the Department for Transport’s Inclusive Mobility Guidance as it did to LTN120;
· the Local Transport Strategy Implementation Plan be expanded to a longer-term implementation plan, while acknowledging the role the Movement and Place plan will have in the planning of the implementation of the Local Transport Strategy;
· monitoring road safety include data on slight incidents as well as severe;
· the Chair and Vice Chair of the Committee write to the Mayor of York and North Yorkshire asking that the Mayor support the Council’s request to Government for Highway Enforcement Powers to be granted to the Council;
· the consultation on the rollout of 20 mph speed limits be included within the Local Transport Strategy Implementation Plan 2024-2026, with a view to deliver a rollout of more 20 mph speed limits across the whole of the city and surrounding villages where appropriate.
18. On the Local Cycling Walking Infrastructure Plan we recommended:
· that the Networks & Prioritisation plan be shared with Ward Councillors for feedback on their local areas;
· that monitoring road safety include data on slight incidents as well as severe;
· that the Committee recommended that officers include the current public right of way rail crossing location in Copmanthorpe within the Local Cycling and Walking Infrastructure Plan.
19. In October we reviewed how the restoration of blue badge access to the city centre has gone after one year, and also the Council’s management of high-speed broadband installation and its impact on communities. At the time of writing I do not have access to draft minutes so the below is a more brief summary.
20. On the blue badge item it was clear that restrictions still applying to blue badge holders during the Christmas Market season remains both a frustration and a challenge to try and overcome; perhaps through re-modelling the market itself across a different footprint within the city centre, which has the potential to create a better experience for all users beyond blue badge holders. We hope that the relevant Executive Members continue to work on this. There is also more work to do for the Council before it decides how / if to implement technological means to manage traffic through its hostile vehicle barriers in a way that is fully accessible. What was also clear is that, on the whole, this has been a positive change by the administration.
21. On the second item it was very refreshing to see an area of work where the Council has made significant, tangible progress on the ground within a few years.
22. As ever, I would like to thank officers for supporting these sessions, be them behind the scenes in Democratic Services or those fronting up the questions we ask - especially when they run well into the evening. With this in mind too, I would also like to thank Committee Members for their continued engagement; which is both robust and almost always even-handed, which is as it should be.
Health, Housing & Adult Social Care Scrutiny Committee
23. At its 11 September meeting members discussed the provision of community pharmacy services in York, including recent changes and the potential impact on resident access to pharmacies. Officers were joined by the Programme Lead for Primary Care from NHS Humber and North Yorkshire ICB in providing an overview and responding to questions from the committee.
24. Members received an update on the council’s plans to reduce homelessness through the resettlement pathway, with discussion focused on the emerging Homelessness and Rough Sleeping Strategy.
25. At its 9 October meeting members were able to undertake pre-decision scrutiny of the draft Homelessness and Rough Sleeping Strategy 2024-29, ahead of it being presented to the Executive. Members received an update on work towards the co-design of the Adult Social Care Strategy and intended further work, including the development of a ‘strategy on a page’ document reflecting the vision, commitment, approach and priorities that the Adult Social Care Directorate is working towards. Finally, members received an update on preparation for a CQC (Care Quality Commission) assessment following the peer review of Adult Social Care led by ADASS (Association of Directors of Adult Social Services).
26. At its 6 November meeting members received a report from the Humber and North Yorkshire Integrated Care Board (ICB) providing a review of Urgent Care delivery and considered a paper introducing the draft Autism and ADHD health needs assessment (HNA) and a proposed three-phase plan for developing a strategy on the same topic. Finally, members considered a report providing an update on winter planning in 2024/25 and pandemic preparedness in York following the report of the COVID-19 Enquiry Module 1 (Resilience and Preparedness).
Cllr Fenton
Chair of the Corporate Services, Climate Change and Scrutiny Management Committee