Angela Wakefield, Strategic Director of Law and Governance welcomed members to the meeting and informed them that apologies had been received from the Chair (Councillor Gale Waller) and the Vice Chair (Councillor Nick Begy).  The Committee would therefore be required to vote for an Acting Chair as per Procedure Rule 155.

It was moved by Councillor P Ainsley and seconded by Councillor G Brown that Councillor A Brown should be nominated as the Acting Chair for the meeting.  Upon being put to the vote, with 5 votes in favour and 1 abstention, the motion was carried.

RESOLVED

a)    That Councillor A Brown was approved as the Acting Chair for the meeting of the Strategic Overview and Scrutiny Committee held on the 23 March 2023.

The Acting Chair welcomed everyone to the meeting.  Apologies were received from Councillor Gale Waller (Chair), Councillor Nick Begy (Vice-Chair), Councillor Kenneth Bool, Councillor Leah Toseland, Councillor Stephen Lambert and Councillor Edward Baines.  Councillor Raymond Payne, Councillor Gordon Brown and Councillor Paul Browne attended the meeting as the representatives for Councillors Waller, Begy and Lambert respectively.

To confirm the records of the meetings of the Strategic Overview and Scrutiny Committee held on the 26^th January and the 9^th February 2023.

The minutes of the meetings of the Strategic Overview and Scrutiny Committee held on the 26^th January and the 9^th February 2023 were approved as an accurate record.

To review and update the actions arising from the previous meetings.

SUMMARY OF ACTIONS: 26^th January 2023

SUMMARY OF ACTIONS: 9^th February 2023

Actions from the meeting held on the 26^th January 2023

Action 1

The Deputy Leader and Portfolio Holder for Planning, Highways and Transport to send Councillor Begy the details regarding the post removed within the Development Control team.

Councillor R Powell confirmed that the action had been completed.

Action 2

The Committee requested that the report to Council (27th March 2023) on the Levelling Up Fund be clarified to enable full understanding of the government’s requirements regarding the capital funding.

Action completed.

Action 3

The Committee requested that the Portfolio Holder for Health, Wellbeing and Adult Care kept members up to date on any increase in risks/costs regarding Community Support Services and ASC Demand (Table 2 - P10 and P14).

The Clerk informed attendees that Councillor S Harvey, Portfolio Holder for Health, Wellbeing and Adult Care had confirmed that she would keep members up to date on any increase in risks/costs regarding Community Support Services and ASC Demand.

Action 4

The Strategic Director of Resources to send details to councillors regarding what saving could be made by closing the Council’s post room a few days a week and what impact, if any, this would have on services.

The Clerk confirmed that the action had been completed.

Actions from the meeting held on the 9^th February 2023

Action 1

The Portfolio Holder to ask the Primary Care Network if patients were charged for the call whilst waiting on hold and would notify members of the response.

The Clerk stated she would contact Councillor Harvey for confirmation.

Action 2

The Portfolio Holder to ask the Primary Care Network about the possibility of the GP practices in the future pooling their individual phone services into one combined service and feedback the response to the committee members.

Mark Andrews, Chief Executive informed members that the Primary Care Network had confirmed that they would be discussing the matter with the Integrated Care Board.

Action 3

CULTURE / ASSET REVIEW TASK AND FINISH GROUP

Councillor E Baines, with the support of Governance, to continue to seek information from educational establishments as to how the culture offer would be of most benefit to students and how they might become more involved.

The Clerk confirmed that the action was being undertaken.

Action 4

HOMELESSNESS EVIDENCE PANEL: FINAL REPORT

Councillor Waller to meet with the Portfolio Holder to re-word recommendation 6.2 for discussion/approval at the meeting of the scrutiny committee on the 9th March 2023.

The Clerk confirmed that the action had been completed and was on the agenda for approval.

In accordance with the Regulations, Members are invited to declare any personal or prejudicial interests they may have and the nature of those interests in respect of items on this Agenda and/or indicate if Section 106 of the Local Government Finance Act 1992 applies to them.

There were no declarations of interest.

To receive any petitions, deputations and questions received from Members of the Public in accordance with the provisions of Procedure Rules 25 and 159.

The total time allowed for this item shall be 30 minutes.  Petitions, declarations and questions shall be dealt with in the order in which they are received.  Questions may also be submitted at short notice by giving a written copy to the Committee Administrator 15 minutes before the start of the meeting.

The total time allowed for questions at short notice is 15 minutes out of the total time of 30 minutes.  Any petitions, deputations and questions that have been submitted with prior formal notice will take precedence over questions submitted at short notice.  Any questions that are not considered within the time limit shall receive a written response after the meeting and be the subject of a report to the next meeting.

No petitions, deputations or questions were received.

To consider any questions with notice from Members received in accordance with the provisions of Procedure Rule No 161 and 162.

No questions with notice with notice were received from Members.

To consider any Notices of Motion from Members submitted in accordance with the provisions of Procedure Rule No 163.

No notices of motion were received.

To consider any matter referred to the Committee for a decision in relation to call in of a decision in accordance with Procedure Rule 149.

No call-ins were received.

To receive an update from Councillor D Wilby, Portfolio Holder for Education and Children’s Services covering the Visions Children’s Centre, the Childcare Sufficiency Statement and the Childcare Review.

An update was received from Councillor D Wilby, Portfolio Holder for Education and Children’s Services covering the Visions Children’s Centre, the Childcare Sufficiency Statement and the Childcare Review.  During the discussion, the following points were noted:

·       Ofsted inspections had taken place at Ryhall CE Academy, Ketton CofE School, Great Casterton CofE Primary School, Edith Weston Academy, Uppingham Community College, Catmose Primary and St Nicholas CE Primary School.  The three reports received and initial feedback from the other inspections indicated that Rutland schools were ‘good.’

·       The extension at the Catmose campus was ongoing, the Brightways relocation and internal refurbishment had been finished and the remaining new build project was on-track and on budget.

·       The Interview Project would run from the 3^rd to the 7^th July 2023.  There would be 4 interview offices with 7 interviews held per office per day. Any Member wanting further details or to assist with the Interview Project should contact Councillor D Wilby.

·       Part One of the Uppingham Community College Inclusion Project had been completed and work had begun on Part Two of the project.

·       Casterton College had been successful in their bid for funding from the Department for Education’s School Rebuilding Programme but no details as yet received.

·       The Oakham Church of England Primary School was preparing to join the Rutland Learning Trust led by Rob Gooding.

·       Over 98% of parents received their first choice of secondary school in the school admission process.  Councillor Wilby expressed his thanks to Julie Brown, Admissions Officer at RCC who had done a magnificent job.

·       Places for children with SEND (special educational needs and disabilities) continued to be challenging and expensive but good work had been undertaken by Council Officers with the SEND Recovery Plan.

·       A focused effort had taken place by Officers to engage with the SEND Parent Collaborative Group and meetings had proved positive.

·       A strong Virtual School, for children with a social worker, was in place.  This was led by Lee Martin, Head of Virtual School and good work was being done to support children and young people. 

·       The county currently had 10 unaccompanied asylum seekers and all were doing well and engaging with education.

·       The Ukrainian refugees within the county had all been well received and had all settled well into the schools and the area.

·       The Children’s Centre had been a beacon for the community especially during the Covid lockdown.  It remained a vibrant and well run centre with lots of initiative to run family focused groups and activities and was designated as Rutland’s first ‘Family Hub’ in January 2023.

·       Councillor Wilby shared two presentations with members of the committee.  The first was on the Children’s Centre Data Headlines for January 2022 and the second was on the Parent’s Voice regarding the Children’s Centre – copies attached.

·       Education and Children’s Services continued to be a challenging area.  Additional stresses had been placed on the service by the pandemic, unaccompanied asylum seekers and the war in Ukraine but the Council’s Officers were  ...  view the full minutes text for item 9.

To receive Report No. 50/2023 from Councillor L Stephenson, Leader of the Council and Portfolio Holder for Policy, Strategy, Partnerships and Economy and Penny Sharp, Strategic Director of Places.

Report No. 50/2023 was received from Cllr Lucy Stephenson, Leader of the Council and Portfolio Holder for Policy, Strategy, Partnerships and Economy and was presented by Penny Sharp, Strategic Director of Places.  During the discussion, the following points were noted:

·       A decision regarding the Levelling Up Fund (LUF) would be taken by Council on Monday, 27^th March 2023 so members should have had access to the full Council papers including the exempt reports.

·       Round 2 of the LUF was announced in March 2022 and a combined bid between Rutland County Council (RCC) and Melton Borough Council (MBC) was agreed by Cabinet in June 2022, submitted in August 2022 and a decision was received in January 2023.

·       There were three key elements to the bid:

o   investment in our health economy via the medi-tech digital innovation centre;

o   investment in our public transport via an integrated transport or ‘mobi-hub’ and

o   investment in our culture to enhance tourism via the enhanced digital visitor experience.

·       The Leader of the Council and Portfolio Holder for Policy, Strategy, Partnerships and Economy informed members that only 1 in 5 of the LUF bids were successful.

·       Members were informed that the second item under section 2.17 only referred to women as there was a disparity in wages between men and women.  A compelling evidence base had shown that women in Rutland were at a greater disadvantage than men in Rutland and received lower than national wages.

·       Members were informed that a very tight governance framework would be put in place through the business plan, as set out in the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU).  The Chief Executive informed members that gateway i.e. ‘Go, No Go’ sections would be clearly identified and any decisions to proceed with the projects would be a full Council decision.

·       The Strategic Director of Places confirmed that the Council had an experienced project team but that additional staff would be recruited to support the programme.  It was noted that there would be no additional cost to the Council despite the increased amount of work as the provision of the additional staff had already been integrated into the service costs.  Additional funding streams would also be accessed in line with the strict LUF regulations.

·       Councillor G Brown thanked Officers for the additional documentation and stated that the MoU provided greater clarity and the legal documentation between RCC and MBC was a lot clearer.  However, he expressed concern about the revenue costs, the rising capital costs and the capability and time of Officers.

·       The Leader of the Council and Portfolio Holder for Policy, Strategy, Partnerships and Economy stated that financial thresholds were determined by the Council’s governance rules so might require a Cabinet decision or a full Council decision.  The feasibility plan for Rutland Memorial Hospital had been outlined at the Rutland Health and Wellbeing Board on Tuesday, 21^st March 2023.

·       The Strategic Director of Places confirmed that every successful Local Authority had been requested to provide an updated baseline position with  ...  view the full minutes text for item 10.

To receive an update from Councillor A Brown

·       A verbal update was received from Councillor A Brown regarding the  meeting of the Economic Strategy Task and Finish Group held on the 21^st February 2023 – minutes attached. 

·       The next meeting would be held on the 12^th April 2023 and a further update provided at the next meeting of the scrutiny committee.

To receive an update from Councillor P Browne

An update was received from Councillor P Browne.  During the discussion, the following points were noted:

·       Councillor P Browne had engaged with concerned residents in his ward and discussions had been held with various parties regarding possible traffic calming measures and their implementation into our towns and villages.

·       He had also surveyed the railway-crossing closing times and liaised with Network Rail on their planned future train usage through Oakham, which had identified the extent of closing times from 2024 to 2030 and its consequential effects on traffic flows.

·       Enquires had been made for Members to become involved in the task and finish group but this had been met with no wish for involvement.

·       This was attributed to the fact that the elections were only 4 months away and that the timeframe would have restricted the ability for both the compilation of a realistic analysis and for any appropriate recommendations to be considered.

·       Councillor R Payne proposed that the group should cease and that the matter should be re-introduced after the May election.  This was seconded and being put to the vote was unanimously agreed. 

RESOLVED

That the Committee:

a)    AGREED that the Highways and Speeding Task and Finish Group should cease.

b)    AGREED that, after the elections in May 2023, the Strategic Overview and Scrutiny Committee should consider re-commencing the Highways and Speeding Task and Finish Group.

To approve the amended re-wording of recommendation 6.2 in the final report.

The Acting Chair presented the amended wording of recommendation 6.2 in the final report for approval by the Committee.  During the discussion, the following points were noted:

·       The wording had been amended and approved by Councillor Gale Waller, Chair of the Homelessness Evidence Panel and Councillor Sam Harvey, Portfolio Holder for Health, Wellbeing and Adult Care.

·       The Strategic Director for Children and Families had requested that the term ‘domestic violence’ be amended to ‘domestic abuse’ as this was the correct terminology.

RESOLVED

That the Committee:

a)    AGREED that the phrase ‘domestic violence’ be amended to ‘domestic abuse’.

b)    APPROVED recommendation 6.2 of the Homelessness Evidence Panel to read as follows:

‘That Cabinet, as part of its performance monitoring, review data on rehousing victims of domestic abuse to provide reassurance that the housing provided is suitable for the needs and safety of this cohort of homeless people.’

To consider the current Forward Plan and identify any relevant items for inclusion in the Strategic Overview and Scrutiny Committee Annual Work Plan or to request further information.

The Forward Plan is available on the website at:

https://rutlandcounty.moderngov.co.uk/mgListPlans.aspx?RPId=133&RD=0

The Forward Plan and Annual Work Plan were discussed. No changes or amendments were requested.

To receive any items of urgent business, which have been previously notified to the person presiding.

There was no urgent business.

Thursday, 20^th April 2023 at 7 pm in the Council Chamber, Catmose, Oakham, Rutland LE15 6HP.

Thursday, 20^th April 2023 at 7 p.m.

To receive a quarterly performance report from the Leicestershire, Leicester and Rutland Integrated Care Service FOR INFORMATION ONLY.

·        The quarterly performance data report was received from the Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland Integrated Care System. 

·        Members were informed that the report was ‘For Information Only.’

·        If any Member had any questions regarding the report, they should send them to Governance (governance@rutland.gov.uk) who would collate and forward them on to Kate Allardyce, Senior Performance Manager for a response.