Agenda and minutes

At this point Members are asked to declare any personal or prejudicial interests they may have in the business on this agenda or any other general interests they might have within the remit of the Committee.

At this point in the meeting Members were asked to declare any personal or prejudicial interests they might have in the business on the agenda or any other general interests they might have within the remit of the Committee, none were declared.

To approve and sign the minutes of the meeting held on 9 March 2011.

RESOLVED:  That the minutes of the meeting of the Learning and Culture Overview and Scrutiny Committee held on 9 March 2011 be approved and signed by the Chair as a correct record.

At this point in the meeting, members of the public who have registered their wish to speak on an item on the agenda or an issue within the committee’s remit can do so.

Anyone who wishes to register or who requires further information is requested to contact the Democracy Officer for this meeting, details of whom are listed at the foot of this agenda.

The deadline for registering to speak is 5.00pm the working day before the meeting, in this case 5.00pm on Monday 20 June 2011.

It was reported that there had been no registrations to speak at the meeting under the Council’s Public Participation Scheme.

This report highlights this Council’s current structure for the provision of the Overview and Scrutiny function and the resources available to support it and  also details the agreed terms of reference for the individual Overview & Scrutiny Committees.

Members considered a report that highlighted the Council’s current structure for the provision of the Overview and Scrutiny function and the resources available to support it. Members also considered the agreed terms of reference for the individual Overview & Scrutiny Committees.

Officers updated Members and informed them of their roles within the Learning and Culture Overview and Scrutiny committee.

RESOLVED: That the contents of the report be noted.

Reason: To inform Members of scrutiny arrangements.

Senior officers will give presentations on the ongoing work within their directorates and inform Committee Members of future planned work.

Members received a presentation by the Director of Adults, Children and Education and the Assistant Director of Lifelong Learning and Culture. The presentation highlighted the ongoing work within their directorate and informed Members of their successes, future planned work and key challenges within the following areas:

·        YorOK Board

·        Schools and School Improvement responsibilities including 14-19

·        Looked After Children

·        Early years

·        Library and Archives Services

·        Museum Services

·        Park and Open spaces

·        Public Health, Sport and Active Leisure

Officers informed Members of their partnership arrangements and their local performance successes and stated that:

·        York were the only authority in the North that had no schools in the below standards Ofsted category.

·        teenage pregnancies were down.

·        16-18 NEET (not in employment, education or training) figures were the lowest north of Watford.

·        Museum and art gallery visitor figures were up by 38%.

·        the Parks and Open spaces team had won their fifth Green Flag award.

·        library visitor figures were rising.

·        swimming and sports visits to Energise, Yearsley and Waterworld had increased by 1.7% on last years figures.

Officers stated that some of the challenges they were facing included:

·        Looked After Children –pressures in locating the right placements.

·        Participation in active lifestyles – meeting the challenge of reaching the target of 5 x 30mins a week.

·        Demographic changes in the City – growth in the population is putting big pressures on Primary School places.

·        Financial savings.

Members thanked officers for their presentation and congratulated them on their impressive figures. 

In answer to Members questions officers confirmed they would:

·        produce a table that would compare the last few years performance results with the current results. ¹

·        produce the figures for the use of the hydro pool by the general public at Energise. ²

·         welcome Members input in the renewal process of the Museums Trust Partnership Delivery Plan.

·        continue to work with local schools that had received a satisfactory Ofsted result.

RESOLVED:  That the presentation be noted.

Reason: To keep Members informed of future planned work for Adults Children and Education directorate. 

Members are asked to consider the Committee’s workplan for the 2011-12 municipal year.

Members considered the committees draft workplan for the forthcoming year and were asked to consider any additions and or amendments they may wish to make.

Members discussed potential scrutiny topics and agreed some areas to be considered. It was suggested that officers could provide more details on these topics at future meetings which would allow the committee to decide how to proceed. Officers and Members also discussed the way the committee could be run and suggested they :

·        hold informal and formal meetings.

·        encourage more young people to be involved.

·        hold more meetings, with a topic for each meeting.

·        meet at different venues around the City

·        have less paperwork more discussions.

Members agreed to invite the Cabinet Members of Education, Children & Young People's Services and Leisure, Culture & Social Inclusion to the next meeting to allow them to update the committee on their challenges and priorities for this year and to discuss where the Scrutiny Committee could help support those specific areas.

RESOLVED:

(i)        That the following topics be considered for the draft work plan for 2011/2012.

·         Renegotiation of the Museums Trust Partnership Delivery Plan 2013-2018.

·        14-19 agenda – expected impact of removal of EMA (Education Maintenance Allowance).

·        Change of demographics for primary schools.

·        Localism – enabling the provision of Youth, Cultural and Leisure services.

·        Undertaking active lifestyles – Meeting the challenge of reaching the target of 5 x 30mins a week.

·        Schools in the Ofsted Satisfactory category – how they would be supported to receive a ‘Good’ category.

·        Delivery of Museum Services.

·        Delivery of Music Services.

·        Looked After Children.

(ii)That the Cabinet Members of Education, Children & Young People's Services and Leisure, Culture & Social Inclusion be invited to the next meeting.

Reason: In order to provide the Committee with a work programme for future meetings.