Agenda item

Members will be asked to consider a draft workplan for the    forthcoming year including a list of proposed topics for 2012-13 and associated documents.

Members considered a draft workplan for the forthcoming municipal year as well as a list of proposed topics for which had been submitted at the Scrutiny Work Planning Event which had taken place in May.

The Committee had been asked to consider undertaking a review into how to make local libraries work for communities and the Head of Head of Libraries and Heritage was in attendance at the meeting. Members were provided with a copy of the final report of Leisure and Heritage Board who in 2005 had undertaken a review titled “Putting Libraries at the Heart of the Community”. They also received a copy of the update on the implementation of recommendations arising from this review as at January 2007.

The Head of Libraries and Heritage reported that libraries have progressed greatly since 2007 including:

·        Self issue machines and free Wi-Fi in place at all libraries. Staff now have more time to be more interactive with customers.

·        Self service machines have led to increase in collection of fines – due to anonymity of using machines and use of chip and pin machines to pay fines. Also looking at extending services offered though self issue machines including paying for printing/photocopying and possibly in future using to pay for other council services

·        Staffing – 2 restructures have taken place since 2005 and another is due to take place in near future. Staff all  have clear job descriptions and there have been improvements in line management and use of appraisals etc

·        Transformation of Central Library into York Explore – Phase 1 now complete and hailed a great success. It is a flexible space which can be used for a variety of purposes.

·        A bid has been submitted to the Heritage Lottery Fund to renovate upstairs area of York Explore and build additional wing to house archive store – this will fit in with YMTs plans for the Art Gallery and provide a world class local history archive centre.

·        Refurbishment of Library Square – now a social place used for a number of purposes including protests!

·        Libraries Asset Management Plan is now in place – looking at updating it – looking at each community and its library to see what it can offer.

·        Partnership with Adult Education is working well – since last summer people have been able to enrol at local libraries onto courses as a local alternative to enrolling online.

·        Public Consultation – a lot has already taken place with more planned for the next few months including undertaking a  review asking communities what they want to see in local libraries

Members noted that there were now five Explore Centres in York. One Member stated that York and Acomb both offered an exceptional experience but raised concerns that the customer experience was not the same in all centres.

Members agreed it would be useful to have a further update on changes which had taken place since the publication of the January 2007 update on the implementation of recommendations from the previously completed review so members could see what work was undertaken in 2007-08 and since then. They suggested it may also be useful for the library service to be asked to provide an annual update report to the committee in future.

Members agreed it would be also be useful to receive a report detailing what consultation had taken place to date, and what actions have taken place as a result of this consultation, as well as what consultation is planned for the future. In regard to the forthcoming review, they asked to look at the consultation questionnaire before it was finalised in order that they could comment on it.

The Committee then considered the other topics which had been put forward at the Scrutiny Work Planning Event:

·        Members agreed that  two of the topics which had been put forward were very similar as they both related to what issues were faced by, and what support was available to, parents with learning difficulties to help them be effective parents.  Members noted that this issue had been raised at a recent Valuing People meeting. The Director of Adults, Children and Education (ACE) advised members that this topic potentially crossed the remits of both this committee and the Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee and that if they decided to undertake a review on this subject, it could potentially become a joint review between the two committees. The Director of ACE agreed to work with Councillor Jeffries to clarify the issues in question with a view to providing an update to the Committee at its meeting on 19 September.

·        Councillor Reid explained that she had put forward the suggestion to look at Ofsted feedback report on safeguarding looked after children as the question of how the process was scrutinised had been raised during the review. The Director of ACE advised the Committee that the independently chaired Local Safeguarding Board had undertaken some work on sexual exploitation of children and the risks to children surrounding the use of new IT technologies. Members agreed that the Committee should be provided with a copy of the Ofsted report in order that it could decide what work needed to be done. It was also agreed that the independent chair of the Safeguarding Board should be invited to attend the next meeting.

·        Members agreed that the topic put forward by Councillor D’Agorne looking at the impact and implications of changes to careers guidance provision in secondary schools in York could be a good topic to look at in a structured way. The Director of ACE agreed to provide a presentation to the Committee at a future meeting in order that the Committee could decide whether it needs to undertake a formal review or instead take on a monitoring role. It was agreed that Councillor D’Agorne should also be invited to attend this meeting.

·        The proposed topic regarding the decline in the youth service had been put forward due to concerns that primary age children with behavioural problems were being housed in separate provision at the Danesgate Centre. 

·        In relation to a possible review on the inequalities within the city’s public parks, at a previous meeting, a visit to both Hull Road Park and Rowntree Park had been discussed and it had been agreed that this would take place when the new Explore Centre at Rowntree Park opened. The Head of Arts and Culture advised this was due to open at the end of July and that the Young Inspectors had undertaken some work on York’s parks. It was suggested that the Head of Parks and Open spaces and the young inspectors should be invited to attend the next meeting of the committee on 18 July to obtain their views on the two parks. The intention was then to undertake a visit to both parks in early September where Members would have the opportunity to speak to the park attendants and look at the programme of activities for the parks. Members also agreed they would like to hold  their formal meeting in September at the new Explore Centre in Rowntree park.

The Scrutiny Officer advised the Committee that Corporate and Scrutiny Management Committee were due to receive a report at their next meeting asking them to consider whether the quarterly financial monitoring and performance reports should continue to be presented to individual scrutiny committees.

Members were reminded that they currently received this information not to under take a performance/financial management role, but to enable them to identify possible issues of concern, suitable for scrutiny review.   She advised Members that it the decision was taken not to provide them, this did not prevent the committee from receiving this type of information in a different format.  The Chair and other members agreed that it was important that some monitoring continued to take place and asked that this item remained on the workplan in some format.

RESOLVED:      

That the draft workplan be agreed subject to the following amendments:

(a)     That with regard to the topic “Making libraries work for communities”, for the meeting on 18 July 2012, the Head of Libraries and Heritage to provide::

(i)           a further update on the previously completed scrutiny review on libraries.

(ii)      a report detailing what public consultation has already taken place and what forthcoming public consultation is planned. ¹

(b)     That with regard to the two proposed topics in respect of what support was available to parents with learning disabilities to help them be effective parents, the Director of ACE liaise with Cllr Jeffries to clarify the issues and provide an update at the meeting on 19 September 2012. ²

c)      That with regard to the topic on the Ofsted Feedback Report on Safeguarding, Members be provided with a copy of the report at their next meeting on 18 July 2012 and the independent chair of the Safeguarding Board be invited to attend this meeting.

(d)     That with regard to the topic proposed by Cllr D’Agorne, on the impact and implications of changes to careers guidance provision in secondary schools, it be agreed that at its meeting on 19 September 2012,

(i)      the Director of Adults, Children and  Education be asked to provide a presentation to the Committee.³

(ii)          Councillor D’Agorne be invited to attend this meeting as the proposer of this topic.

(e)     With regard to work being undertaken in relation to parks,

(i)      The Head of Parks and Open Spaces and the Young Inspectors be invited to attend the next meeting on 18 July.

(ii)      That a visit to Hull Road Park be arranged to take place in early September prior to the scheduled meeting of the Committee on 19 September.

(iii)        That the meeting on 19 September be held at the Explore Centre at Rowntree Park

REASON:  To progress the work of the Committee.