Agenda and minutes

Any apologies for absence will be noted at this point.

Apologies were received from Mr Hughes.

In the absence of the Vice-Chairman it was proposed and seconded that Mrs Apel be appointed Vice-Chairman of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee for today’s meeting.

RESOLVED

That Mrs Apel be appointed Vice-Chairman of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee for today’s meeting.

To approve the minutes of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee meeting held on 17 November 2020.

To receive an update on progress against recommendations made to the Cabinet and the Council.

The Overview and Scrutiny Committee agreed that the minutes of the meeting held on 17 November 2020 were approved as a correct record.

There were no matters arising.

RESOLVED

That the minutes of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee held on 17 November 2020 be approved as a correct record.

The Chairman will announce any urgent items that due to special circumstances are to be dealt with under the agenda item below relating to late items.

There were no urgent items.

Members and officers are reminded to make any declarations of disclosable pecuniary, personal and/or prejudicial interests they may have in respect of matters on the agenda for this meeting.

Mrs Bangert declared a personal interest in Agenda Item 8 as a Trustee of Tuppenny Barn.

Mrs Purnell declared a personal interest as a member of West Sussex County Council.

Mrs Purnell declared a personal interest as a member of Selsey Town Council.

Mrs Purnell declared a personal interest as Chairman of Manhood Peninsula Partnership.

The procedure for submitting public questions in writing no later than noon 2 working days before the meeting is available upon request from Democratic Services (the contact details for which appear on the front page of this agenda).

There were no public questions.

The Committee has invited a representative from the Hyde Foundation to attend the meeting as a partner of the Council’s Social Prescribing Service.

The Chairman informed the Committee that this item would be discussed under Agenda Item 8.

The Cabinet member for Community Services and Culture is invited to present his priorities and areas over the coming months and to answer questions from the Committee on progress towards achieving the priorities within his portfolio.

The Chairman invited Mr Briscoe, Cabinet Member for Community Services and Culture to address the Overview and Scrutiny Committee. Mr Briscoe informed the Committee of the work undertaken by teams within his portfolio during the Covid 19 pandemic and how they have adjusted to the challenges faced over the last year.

Communities Team

·         Tackling crime and disorder and low level anti- social behaviour. To do this the team are supported by;

o   the Community Safety Partnership a statutory partnership (chaired by Mr Briscoe) which focuses on Domestic Abuse, Acquisitive Crime and Road Safety;

o   the Community Wardens;

o   CCTV cameras.

·         Working with the voluntary sector to help them access both services and grants, and ensure residents can access the support necessary to help them achieve fulfilling and productive lives.

·         Choose-work service targets the long term unemployed who require additional support to either get back into the workplace or be ready for the next leg of their employment journey.

·         Grants and Concessions Panel; administering the discretionary grants programme and New Homes Bonus scheme, as well as S106 contributions for community buildings and public art. 

·         Leading on safeguarding; delivering regular training to staff and Members, facilitating the internal safeguarding working group and supporting the county wide safeguarding agenda.

·         Raising the awareness of issues around exploitation and modern slavery. They are also a lead partner in the Arun and Chichester Serious Organised crime group which is focussed on Organised Immigration Crime, Extremism and drug related harm.

·         Supporting Sussex Police in responding to unauthorised encampments, making immediate contact with the Gypsy Travellers to identify any welfare issues and establish the probable length of stay. They also set some ground rules around behaviours and littering, to help mitigate the impact of encampments on the wider community

Wellbeing Team

Mr Briscoe explained that 2021/22 was the final year of the current 3-year contract with WSCC Public Health (PH); however, discussions were currently in place regarding a new contract.

He explained that the team was currently providing a telephone-based service, with a new 15 min telephone wellbeing check in, to encourage people to engage with the service.

The team provide the support the following services;

·         Weight management programmes

·         Pre-diabetes information and advice

·         Smoking cessation service and free nicotine replacement therapy

·         Support to reduce alcohol consumption

·         Support for CDC staff and workplaces to stay healthy and well during this

·         Falls prevention service

·         Home Energy service,

·         Family Wellbeing, working with families to help the children maintain a healthy weight through healthy cooking and increased exercise

·         The NHS health checks programme and Heart Smart Walks have currently been suspended, but will resume once lockdown restrictions

Support during Pandemic

Mr Briscoe informed the Committee that a small response team had been established during the first lockdown. Team members had been appointed specific roles including;

·         taking the referrals directly from the WSCC Community Hub

·         collecting and delivering essential food to those residents in the district shielding

·         collating offers of  voluntary support

In addition the response team had taken it in turn to  ...  view the full minutes text for item 88.

That the Committee notes progress and outcomes to date for the Social Prescribing service.

The Chairman welcomed Mrs Thomas, Ms Bielsa from the Hyde Foundation, Mr Jones and Ms Haynes from the Tuppenny Barn.

Mrs Thomas presented her report to the Committee, providing an overview of what Social Prescribing is and how the service operates. She highlighted that the service was very much focused on the individual and what their needs are.

Ms Bielsa informed the Committee that the Hyde Foundation had been working with the Social Prescribing team for just over 12 months. During that period a very successful relationship had been established between all partners including the Successful Tenancies Team. Ms Bielsa, explained that the Successful Tenancies team worked with individuals who were suffering from social isolation, had mental health issues or were struggling to access services, through there work with the Social Prescribing team they had been able to help a much larger number of higher risk individuals.

Ms Bielsa commended the Social Prescriber team and the support they had given to a number of other projects. Feedback from residents has been very positive, many of whom would not be where they were today if it had not been for the supported given by the Social Prescribers. Ms Bielsa informed the Committee that the Social Prescribers were a key part of Hyde’s service provision and that they were very keen to continue working with them.

Mr Jones highlighted the benefits that he had experienced in Homeworking  over the past year including; improving relationships with service providers and partners; the ability to see more people as a result of not having to travel and the opportunity to look at the issue of Digital Inclusion.

Mr Jones presented two case studies to the Committee.

Mrs Haynes provided the Committee with an overview of the Horticultural Therapy work undertaken at the Tuppenny Barn and what it set out to achieve. She explained that the project had started in 2019, with clients referred to the service via a number of ways including; GP’s, Social Prescriber’s as well as self-referrals. Prior to the pandemic there had been up to ten clients a week accessing the service. During the lockdown period a weekly Zoom meeting was arranged to support clients, however, not everybody was able to access this service. For clients who were not able to access the online support the phonecalls were made to ensure support was still given.

The Chairman invited Cllr Bangert, as a trustee of the Tuppenny Barn to speak. Cllr Bangert commended the work undertaken at the Barn and emphasised the importance of supporting the people who attended. In addition she informed the Committee of the youth work undertaken at the Barn in partnership with the Bourne Community College.

Officer’s, with support from Ms Biesal, Mr Jones and Mrs Haynes responded to Members’ comments and questions as follows;

·         Mrs Haynes confirmed that the Tuppenny Barn had received funding from the Sussex Community Trust.

·         For the purpose of clarification Mrs Bushby informed the Committee that Public Health were the lead authority for Suicide  ...  view the full minutes text for item 89.

The Overview and Scrutiny Committee are requested to note the contents of this report which provides an update on the impacts of Universal Credit within the district. In addition the report details how the Council is working to mitigate any negative impacts on residents.

The Chairman invited Mrs Rogers to present her report to the Committee. Mrs Rogers explained that the roll out of Universal Credit had been impacted by the Covid 19 pandemic, with the number of claims increasing significantly, particularly during the first lockdown period after the furlough scheme was announced.

Mrs Rogers highlighted to the Committee how the Council supports residents in migrating over to Universal Credit.

Following her presentation Mrs Rogers and Mrs Rudziak responded to members’ comments and questions as follows;

·         Mrs Rogers explained that the Department of Work & Pensions were responsible for the administration of Universal Credit, however, it was her understanding that the six week delay was improving.

·         Mrs Rogers explained that the council has no control over the administering of Universal Credit, however they can offer assistance in other ways including;

o   Delaying council tax payments

o   Mirroring the £20 uplift within the Council Tax Reduction

o   Offering discretionary support to those who have been most impacted by the Covid 19 pandemic. However, members were made aware that the discretionary grant is a limited budget.

In addition, Mrs Rudziak informed the Committee that the Government had launched a Hardship Scheme which provided the sum of £150 towards council tax payments for individuals that met certain criteria and had been impacted by the Covid pandemic; this was in addition to Chichester’s own council tax discretionary scheme which continues to offer 100% relief in some cases.

·         Mrs Rogers informed the Committee that individuals could apply for an advance on their first payment of Universal Credit; however, this could cause further issues later on.

·         On the matter of Universal Basic Income, Mrs Rudziak explained that the council was not able to pilot such a scheme as the financial support was too great. It was also her understanding that local authority which had considered piloting the scheme was also not in a financial position that would allow them to run the pilot, instead they had written to the Government to request that they run a government funded pilot should the government wish to consider the proposal.

·         Mrs Rogers explained that the figures quoted within section 5 of the report were based on those provided by the DWP; however, she would confirm figures outside the meeting. Demand for Universal Credit within the district had increased significantly at the start of the pandemic, particularly before the furlough scheme was announced. In addition, Mrs Rudziak explained that figures may also appear high as people who were on Housing Benefit transfer over to Universal Credit, managed migration has been put on hold till 2024.

The Committee voted in favour of the recommendation.

Resolved;

The Overview and Scrutiny Committee notes the contents of the report which provides and update on the impacts of Universal Credit within the district. In addition the report details how the Council is working to mitigate any negative impacts on residents.  

*The Committee took a short break.

That Overview and Scrutiny Committee recommends to Cabinet that the revised Air Quality Action Plan be approved for public consultation.

The Chairman invited Mr Ballard to present his report to the Committee. Mr Ballard informed the Committee that the Air Quality Action Plan had been recommended by the Environment Panel to Cabinet for its approval to be published for public consultation. The consultation period would run from 17 May to 28 June 2021.

Mr Ballard explained to the Committee why the authority was required to produce an Air Quality Action Plan and that this would be the third plan adopted by the authority. Mr Ballard highlighted some of the initiatives which had been established through the previous plans including;

·         The Chichester Car Club

·         The Local Cycling Walking and Infrastructure Plan

·         Electric vehicle charging points

·         Introducing the Cycle to work Scheme

Mr Ballard explained that unlike previous plans this Plan included Midhurst, due to an Air Quality Action Management Area (AQMA) being declared at Rumbolds’ Hill in 2020.

Mr Ballard informed the Committee of the evidence base that was used in developing the plan, and how air quality was monitored. Future trends suggest that there will be significant levels of improvement in the air quality of Chichester and by 2025 it is expected that all four sites will be compliant with the NO₂ level set by Government.

Mr Ballard explained that the main actions of the plan were to;

·         undeclare both Orchard Street and Stockbridge Road as AQMA’s

·         decommission the air quality monitoring station at Orchard Street

·         decommission the air quality monitoring station in Lodsworth

Mr Ballard explained the different responsibilities that came under each authority (CDC and WSCC), for example WSCC is responsible for the highways and buses.

In response to a recent court case that had been reported in the press, Mr Ballard informed the Committee that Chichester District were not one of the 33 failing authorities that were failing to deliver Government targets and objectives and as such the court case was not relevant to Chichester.

Mr Ballard shared a number of graphs with the Committee, including a graph showing the impact of Covid 19 on NO₂, he explained that it was important that the Committee noted that the AQAP was based on pre Covid datasets.

Mr Ballard explained that that it was important to adopt an Air Quality Action Plan, as having such a document in place also for funding applications to be made for the actions (identified on page 58 of the plan) that will bring about the required changes in air quality. 

Mr Ballard responded to comments and questions as follows;

·         Mr Ballard explained that when the Highways Agency (HA) had originally consulted on their options in 2016, air quality modelling was included as part of that consultation. Chichester District Council had reviewed the modelling data and submitted a response accordingly.

·         Mr Ballard was unaware of whether a specific impact assessment would be undertaken on the Southern Link Road if it was adopted and would check outside the meeting with Mr Ayling, Divisional Manager Planning Policy. However, he did inform the Committee  ...  view the full minutes text for item 91.

To note the actions of the Novium Museum Task and Finish Group and feedback any comments to the group.

The Chairman invited Mrs Peyman to introduce her report to the Committee. Mrs Peyman explained that the report provided information about work undertaken following the conclusion of the Novium Museum procurement process in 2018. 

Mrs Peyman drew the Committee’s attention to 5.1 of the report which detailed the proposals put forward by the consultants, all of which were not only very costly, but had long payback periods. Therefore the Task and Finish group agreed that officers should look at smaller and less costly projects that would still deliver a positive visitor experience, these included; external advertising banners, provision of an external biomass hopper, removal of the large reception desk to provide increased retail space and improvements to the audio visuals for the roman baths.

In addition Mr Briscoe provided the Committee with an update following the most recent meeting of the Task and Finish Group. He explained that Ms Bangert had accepted an invitation to join the group. The meeting had been very productive and will continue to meet to progress discussions and ideas. Mrs Peyman informed the Committee that the group had voted in favour of developing the following;

·         Seeking and developing new funding opportunities

·         Exploring and developing new and existing partnership arrangements with other museums.

·         Subject to planning consent, looking at the banners on the building

·         Considering the biomass boiler as part of the wider Climate Change programme

Cllr Briscoe and Mrs Peyman responded to comments and questions as follows;

·         With regards to the Terms of Reference of the Task and Finish Group going forward Mr Briscoe confirmed that, following discussions with officers, the current terms where still relevant.

·         On the matter of considering the possibility of future relocation of the Novium within the Terms of Reference, Mr Briscoe agreed to consider the suggestion.

·         Mrs Peyman explained that the Novium was a key component in both the economic and cultural offer of the City and wider district. In addition working with cultural partners such as the Great Sussex Way, as well as the work being done as part of the Cultural Partnership for 2022 will further increase opportunities of bringing people together.

·         Mrs Peyman explained that the cost of the banners was only an estimate; the quote was for four banners, however they would need to be made specifically to fit the building which did increase cost. With regards to the cost of the reception desk, this included the removal of the large desk, reinstating the floor, rerunning electrics and the provision of two new pods; this project has not been proposed by the TFG to progress at this time.

·         Mrs Peyman confirmed that she would welcome any feedback from the community on the Novium. She informed the Committee that the Novium worked closely with the local community, for example the recent Cattle Market Exhibition which had been developed in partnership with the local community. There were also a number of new projects coming forward which had all been developed with the community including; a project on Graylingwell  ...  view the full minutes text for item 92.

Members are requested to consider the latest Forward Plan and whether any items should be added to the Committee’s Work Programme.

Item deferred.

Cllr Bangert left the meeting at 5.25pm.

Consideration of any late items as follows:

a)    Items added to the agenda papers and made available for public inspection.

b)    Items which the Chairman has agreed should be taken as matters of urgency by reason of special circumstances reported at the meeting.

There were no late items.

The Committee is asked to consider in respect of the following item whether the public, including the press, should be excluded from the meeting on the grounds of exemption under Part 3 (Information relating to the financial or business affairs of any particular person (including the authority holding that information)) of Schedule 12A of the Local Government Act 1972, as indicated against the item and because, in all the circumstances of the case, the public interest in maintaining the exemption of that information outweighs the public interest in disclosing the information. The reports dealt with under this part of the agenda are attached for members of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee and senior officers only (salmon paper).

Cllr Moss proposed and read the part II resolution in relation to the Efficiency Programme Progress Report agenda item, which was seconded by Cllr Purnell.

The Committee is requested to:

1)  Note the projected total for the programme, as detailed in Appendix 1 now stands at £2.07m of annual revenue savings compared to the original position of £2.09m.

2)  Note that only 75% of this total figure is assumed in the Council’s financial projections.

3)  Note that the 2021-22 budget assumes a net saving of £747,000 from the efficiency programme, but that latest projections predict a net saving of £936,000.

Please note this item was discussed in part II.

Mr Buckley presented the report to the Committee, and then responded to members’ question and comments.

The Committee made the following resolution;

Resolved;

1.    The Committee notes the projected total for the programme, as detailed in Appendix 1 now stands at £2.07m of annual revenue savings compared to the original position of £2.09m

2.    The Committee notes that only 75% of this figure is assumed in the Council’s financial projections.

3.    The Committee notes that the 2021-22 budget assumes a net saving of £747,000 from the efficiency programme, but the latest projections predict a net saving of £800,000