Agenda and minutes

To receive any declaration of interest by any Member or Officer in respect of any item of business.

No declaration of interest was received.

To present the minutes of the previous meetings of the Corporate Scrutiny Committee held on the following dates –

·         10^th April, 2017

·         31^st  May, 2017 (election of Chair/Vice-Chair)

The minutes of the previous meetings of the Corporate Scrutiny Committee held on the dates noted below were presented –

•          10th April, 2017 which were accepted and noted as pertaining to the  previous Council

•           31 May, 2017 which were accepted and approved

To present the Corporate Scorecard for Quarter 4 2016/17.

The report of the Head of Transformation incorporating the Corporate Scorecard which portrayed the Council’s position against its operational objectives at the end of Quarter 4 2016/17 in relation to Performance Management, People Management, Financial Management and Customer Service was presented for the Committee's consideration.

The Portfolio Member for Corporate Services reported that the scorecard as at Appendix A portrays a mixed picture overall at the end of 2016/17. Whilst the vast majority of indicators performed well against their targets for the year there were areas of underperformance and in the case of four indicators, the performance reflects a year on year decline. Two indicators, the one in Adults’ Services and the other in Children’s Services show as Amber or Red against their annual targets for the year. Details of these are set out in paragraphs 2.1.3 and 2.1.4 of the report along with an explanation in mitigation of the underperformance and an outline of proposed improvement measures. Although the majority of indicators are ragged Green or Yellow, this does not mean that the Authority’s position on a national basis would improve as a result. The Authority’s position relative to that of other authorities in Wales will become known once the 2016/17 national data is published by the Welsh Government.

With regard to People Management, the Authority’s sickness absence rates at the end of 2016/17 has achieved the corporate target at 9.78 days sick per FTE against the target of 10 days sick per FTE and is Green on the scorecard. This is a significant improvement on the 2015/16 performance when 11.68 days sick per FTE was recorded and represents a total of 4,737 days less sickness than in 2015/16. Whilst there remains some issues with sickness absence in Children’s Services and in Highways, Waste and Property Services, the sickness absence rates for 2016/17 in those services still reflect an improving picture. The Wales Audit report on absence management within the Council is positive in its tenor and finds that the Council has made significant improvements in its corporate arrangements for managing attendance, having made it a matter of priority. The report further finds that the Council is now proactive in holding schools to account for attendance management. The report makes two proposals for improvement in relation to how the Council supports schools with their attendance management arrangements.

In relation to Customer Service the percentage rate of responses made within timescale in relation both to complaints and to FOI requests has improved on the 2015/16 performance. The findings of the Mystery Shop exercise undertaken during the year confirms that the standard of customer care within Anglesey has improved since the last audit in 2015/16 but notwithstanding this, the report on the exercise recommends that there is scope for further improvement as outlined in paragraph 2.3.8 of the report.

Mr Gwilym Bury, Wales Audit Office, reported in detail on the findings of the audit of the Council’s management of attendance. The review found that the Council has significantly improved its corporate  ...  view the full minutes text for item 3.

To receive the report of the Statutory Director of Social Services for 2016/17.

The Annual Report of the Statutory Director of Social Services for 2016/17 was presented for the Committee’s consideration and comment. The report provides a review of how well social services were delivered on Anglesey in 2016/17 including the key achievements in both Adults’ and Children’s Services as well the challenges that need to be addressed in the coming year.

The Assistant Chief Executive (Governance and Business Process Transformation) and Statutory Director of Social Services reported that 2016/17 was a challenging year in terms of the context in which social services were delivered. The planning and delivery of services were transformed to meet the requirements of the Social Services and Wellbeing Act (Wales) 2014 (SSWB). In addition, continued austerity and pressures on budgets as well as an awareness of likely future trends and demands are necessitating a radical re-thinking of how services are provided in order to ensure they are sustainable for the future.

The Officer said in relation to Children’s Services that much of the work was driven by the recommendations contained within the report by CSSIW on its inspection of Children’s Services. These recommendations are being implemented through the Children’s Services Improvement Plan and will be monitored by the Children’s Panel reporting back on progress to the Corporate Scrutiny Committee. The focus consequent upon the CSSIW report has been on developing a workforce strategy centred on recruitment and retention; improving supervision for social workers; improving the quality of practice in relation to child protection; strengthening partnership and collaborative working both within the Council with other services and outside with partner agencies; undertaking a review of residential placements and seeking to reduce the reliance on agency staff.

Adults’ Services have seen a period of stability which has enabled the service to focus on the future and to consolidate progress in relation to the development and construction of Hafan Cefni; the expansion of the capacity to care for those with dementia on the Island; re-tendering the contract for home care; developing prevention initiatives such as the Môn Enhanced Care Team and the Night Owls Service; increasing take up of Direct Payments and strengthening the Single Point of Access Service. Priorities for the year ahead will include modernising services for those with learning disabilities and developing co-production with providers on the Island.

As regards Social Services as a whole there has been an emphasis on workforce development and training and on preparing for the introduction at the Council over the next few months of a national IT system (WCCIS) which will enable the service to work more effectively. Improving engagement with service users especially in terms of listening to the views of users through having the What Matters conversation at the point of initial assessment, and also in having regard to their experiences in shaping services and provision continues to be a key area. There is an ongoing need across social services to develop the preventative agenda – taking preventative action will improve the lives and wellbeing of individuals and will also  ...  view the full minutes text for item 4.

To present the report of the Head of Housing Services.

The report of the Head of Housing Services incorporating the Empty Homes Strategy for 2017 to 2022 was presented for the Committee’s consideration and comment. The Strategy set out the achievements to date as well as how resources will be targeted going forward.

The Portfolio Member for Housing and Social Services commended the Strategy as a positive document in assisting the Authority to continue with the good work begun with regard to bringing empty homes back into use thereby helping to meet the housing need on the Island.

The Committee considered the Strategy document and made the following points –

•           The Committee sought clarification of the basis for the calculation that there are currently 840 homes on the Island which have been empty for six months or more. The Empty Homes Officer said that the Council Tax section holds data on empty property owners and second home owners and provides this information annually to the Empty Homes Officer; this information is used to update the empty homes database. The database is further updated every three months as empty homes come back into use and others become empty. One of the strategic objectives is to maintain and improve the accuracy of empty homes data. The reasons why homes become empty can vary from property to property.

•           The Committee noted that bringing empty homes back into use is a concerted endeavour and involves co-operation between a number of services across the Council including the enforcement service. The Committee sought assurance that the Enforcement Team has sufficient capacity to be able to cope with increasing and varying demands. The Empty Homes Officer said that is her responsibility to co-ordinate the Council’s approach to empty homes enforcement and this includes undertaking preparatory work in the form of collating evidence, drafting reports and outlining the steps that need to be taken. However enforcement action is not a quick fix and is always a last resort when all other options have failed to produce a satisfactory result. Homeowners on whom notice has been served have to be given time to respond and to address the issue.

•           The Committee sought clarification of the process taken in seeking to bring an empty property back into use. The Empty Homes Officer said that Officers will always seek to work with the owners of empty properties in the first instance. This includes offering advice, assistance and options designed to help empty property owners as outlined in the toolkit described in section 6 of the report. Where negotiations have failed, and owners of long-term empty properties refuse or fail to return their property back into use, then firmer measures may be pursued. When such action is required, the Council undertakes to adhere to its enforcement principles which provide for fair and consistent enforcement.           

•           The Committee sought clarification of the impact of the proposed new nuclear power station on housing needs; the availability of housing and on the empty homes issue. The Portfolio Member for Housing and Social  ...  view the full minutes text for item 5.

To present the report of the Interim Scrutiny Manager.

The report of the Interim Scrutiny Manager seeking nomination of Scrutiny Members to serve on panels and boards was presented for the Committee’s consideration. The report set out the panels, corporate programme boards and service programme boards on which representation was required, their function and their reporting arrangements.

It was resolved –

•           To nominate the following to serve on the panels and boards listed –

Children’s Services Improvement Panel (1 Member) – Councillor Richard Griffiths

Finance Scrutiny Panel (2 Members) – Councillors Aled Morris Jones and Dylan Rees

School Progress Review Scrutiny Panel (4 Members) – Councillors J. Arwel Roberts and Alun Roberts (nomination of the remaining 2 Members to be deferred to the Committee’s 11th July meeting to allow those Members not present at this meeting to express an interest)

Corporate Parenting Panel (1 Member) – Councillor Richard Griffiths

Governance and Business Process Transformation Board (1 Member) – Councillor Aled Morris Jones with Councillor Dylan Rees acting as deputy

Adults’ Transformation Programme Board (1 Member) – Councillor Alun Roberts

Libraries, Youth and Heritage Programme Board (1 Member) – Councillor J. Arwel Roberts

(Nominations to the Schools Modernisation Programme Board and the Customer Service Excellence Programme Board to be made by the Partnership and Regeneration Scrutiny Committee)

Corporate Safeguarding Board (1 Member) - Councillor Aled Morris Jones with Councillor Dylan Rees acting as deputy.

•           To note the reporting arrangements for the panels and boards listed as outlined in section 4 of the report.

To present the report of the Interim Scrutiny Manager.

The report of the Interim Scrutiny Manager incorporating the Committee’s draft Forward Work Programme for 2017/18 was presented for the Committee’s consideration and comment.

The Interim Scrutiny Manager reported that the Forward Work Programme as presented represents a long list of potential items that were originally put forward under the previous Council. Consideration will now be given to ensuring that the work programmes of the two scrutiny committees are clearly aligned; this will be discussed in the Scrutiny Chairs and Vice-Chairs Forum. The objective is to reduce the volume of business to be considered at each meeting to enable the Committee to focus in more detail and to greater effect on key issues. The Work Programme as presented represents the current draft and will be subject to ongoing review.

It was resolved to accept and to note the Forward Work Programme as an initial draft outline of the Committee’s programme of business for the coming year.

ACTION ARISING: Interim Scrutiny Manager to review the Work programme in consultation with Chair and Vice-Chair with reference to the Executive’s and the Partnership and Regeneration Scrutiny Committee’s respective work programmes.