Agenda and minutes

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(if any)

Apologies for lateness were received from Cllr Bull (Cllr Harris took the Chair during Cllr Bulls lateness).

Apologies for lateness were received from Cllr Davies.

The Chair will consider the admission of any late items of urgent business. (Late items will be considered under the agenda item where they appear. New items will be dealt with at item below. New items of exempt business will be dealt with at item 14 below).

There was no such business.

A member with a personal interest in a matter who attends a meeting of the authority at which the matter is considered must disclose to that meeting the existence and nature of that interest at the commencement of that consideration, or when the interest becomes apparent.

A member with a personal interest in a matter also has a prejudicial interest in that matter if the interest is one which a member of the public, with knowledge of the relevant facts, would reasonably regard as so significant that it is likely to prejudice the member's judgement of the public interest.

Cllr Bull declared an interest in respect of Agenda Item 7 (Mobile Phone Masts Review) and was not present at this Item due to his lateness.

To confirm and sign the minutes of the meeting of the Overview and Scutiny Committee held on 13 February 2006.

RESOLVED:

·                    That the minutes of the meeting held on 13 February 2006 be confirmed and signed by the Chair.

To consider any requests received in accordance with Standing Order 37.

There were no deputations or petitions.

The Chair informed the Committee that the Agenda would be varied to first hear Item 7, and then Items 6, 8, 9,10,11,12,13,13, and 14. The Committee concurred with the variance.

The Executive Member for Conservation

The Executive Member, Cllr Hillman, gave answers to questions submitted in advance and answered supplementary questions put to him by the Committee.

RESOLVED:

·                    That the Committee’s thanks to the Executive Members for attending be noted.

·                    That the Executive Members’ answers to questions (written and oral) be noted.

(Report of the Scrutiny Review panel) – to agree the conclusions and recommendations of the Review

The Chair of the Review Panel, Councillor Bevan, gave an outline of the key findings and recommendations contained in the report of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee's Review of Mobile phone masts.  On 22 November 2004 the Overview and Scrutiny Committee received a report on mobile phone base stations. Following this the Committee recommended that current planning consultation procedures should be reviewed and subsequently it was decided to make it the subject of a scrutiny review. When commissioning the review, the Overview and Scrutiny Committee was adamant that the Terms of Reference would not cover health issues, in relation to mobile phone base stations. He outlined the methodology used by the Scrutiny Review Panel. Review meetings were well advertised in advance and there was an article in the Journal Group of local newspapers. All local tenant associations and residents groups received invitations to participate.

Councillor Bevan outlined the following Recommendations for the Committee’s approval:

To Government:

(i)                 That the Government be urged to reconsider the recommendations contained in the Stewart Report and adopt in particular the recommendation that full planning permission be required in respect of all new applications for base stations.

To Operators:

(ii)               That operators be requested to supply evidence to Haringey Council in terms of cell coverage, network demand etc sufficient to justify the need for any additional base stations in the borough.

(iii)             That operators be requested to produce maps (TELSTRA plot) showing the area overlaid with the beam and information on the direction and strength of the beam for all mobile phone base stations (present and planned) and such information to be publicly available.

(iv)              That operators be encouraged to develop better visual screening of antennae.

To both the Operators and the Executive:

(v)                That Annual Roll out meetings be held between the operators and the Local Planning Authority at the earliest possible opportunity after the publication of the roll out plans (refer to Para 6.5 for benefits including site sharing)

(vi)              That following the roll out meeting an Annual meeting be held with  interested groups and residents organisations to enable early notification and consultation on potential site locations.

To the Executive:

(vii)            That site notices be put up advertising all applications for Mobile phone  base stations.

(viii)          That a consultation radius of 100m be introduced for all Mobile   phone base station applications.

(ix)              That the Planning Service responses with respect to applications considered under prior approval be delivered to the operators by fax and by post by the 56^th day.

(x)                That the Director of Environment’s views be sought on the need for an “in principle” decision as to whether to approve of ‘lamp-post swap’ types of installation.

(xi)              That the Mast Register be maintained and made available on      the Council’s Website, together with the Certificates of compliance with the ICNIRP guidelines.

(xii)            That the Radiocommunications Agency  be requested to monitor  emissions in the borough in sensitive areas where there are mobile phone base stations in close proximity to each other or/and in  ...  view the full minutes text for item 162.

(Report of the Scrutiny Review Panel) – To agree the conclusions and recommendations of the Review

Councillor Dawson gave an outline of the Review’s conclusions, stating that there are four areas – contractual requirements; contract-monitoring and enforcement; building on current good practice; and public education – that must be constantly borne in mind in order to effectively keep our streets clean. Under these headings we were developed a number of specific recommendations that will bring clear improvements. Development of the service should not be limited to the specific points identified here by members of the scrutiny panel. Nevertheless the Panel expects that these headings and the recommendations will provide strong guidance for the further development of the service beyond this review.

Councillor Dawson outlined the following 12 Recommendations for the Committee’s approval:

(i)                 That the contract specifications for the new Waste Management Contract be identified. 

(ii)               Additional future investment for:

·                  A dedicated detritus removal team.

·                  Borough-wide timed waste collections on main roads.

·                  A Saturday night refuse collection and street sweeping service.

·                  A review of the framework for the frequency of street sweeping based upon need across the borough.

·                  A requirement to sweep the area after large items of dumped rubbish have been collected. 

(iii)             That a Training Programme be agreed with the contractor for street cleaning operatives to ensure that the contractor is able to provide the appropriate quality standard of service.

(iv)              That the Waste Management Service seeks to negotiate with the contractor (Haringey Accord Ltd) to develop performance indicators and targets based on CPA requirements, customer satisfaction and the Best Value Performance Indicator 199. 

(v)                That Haringey Council Executive set a target to achieve top quartile performance of local authorities by 2009.

(vi)                       That Haringey Council, in partnership with the Arms Length Management Organisation (ALMO) responsible for the management of housing estates in Haringey, review the level of monitoring required to improve street cleanliness on housing estates. 

(vii)            That Haringey Council sustain and increase the level of litter enforcement. 

(viii)          That the Council maintain and develop systems to identify and target littering “hotspots”, in order to deal with the worst hit areas of the borough.

(ix)              That a Street Cleanliness Action Plan be developed to steer the delivery of strategies to deal with different kinds of identified litter problems. 

(x)                The Civic Pride campaign should highlight the measures being taken to improve the cleanliness of Haringey’s streets. In particular residents must be informed on how to access services and to report problems.

(xi)              That a targeted Street Cleanliness publicity campaign be developed, in line with Better Haringey publicity and using appropriate ‘Litter Prevention’ advice and resources from ENCAMS. 

(xii)            That the presentation and image of street cleaning staff and equipment be easily identifiable with Haringey Council’s Better Haringey Campaign. 

RESOLVED:

·                    That the report of the Scrutiny Review Panel: Street Sweeping and Cleanliness Review (February 2006) and the conclusions and recommendations of the review be endorsed; and

·                    that the report be referred to the Executive for its consideration.

(Report of the Scrutiny Review Panel) – To agree the conclusions and recommendations of the Review

Councillor Winskill, the Chair of this Scrutiny Review stated that it was commissioned by the Overview & Scrutiny Committee as part of its work programme for 2005/06. The 33 London Boroughsare the highway and planning authorities for the majority of roads in London. It is each borough's responsibility to ensure that their roads are properly maintained and that development control decisions do not compromise the safety and efficiency of the transport network.  Over the past twenty-five years the pressures on our roads have increased with the sheer volume of traffic and the increased axle loads of our heaviest vehicles. The privatised Utilities seem continually to be excavating and filling in holes to leave an unsightly patchwork of fixes and make goods.

The Review Panel has put forward key conclusions and recommendations aimed at improving the performance of the service and the condition of the road network in the Borough These are outlined in the attached Scrutiny Review report. 

Councillor Winskill outlined the following Recommendations for the Committee’s approval:

Asset Management and Long Term Funding:

(i)                 The Highways Department should ensure that the Asset Management Plan is a maintainable document and used to secure appropriate investment in the highway infrastructure.

(ii)               The Council should explore alternative funding sources including prudential borrowing as a means of providing a source of funding for maintaining the road network in the Borough. 

Maintenance and Repairs:

(iii)       The Executive should ensure that priority is given in the Council’s future budget so that long term savings and better value for money will accrue in the Department’s move toward a robust system of preventative measures in the repair of the road network.

(iv)       The Highways Department should review the practice of continually patching surfaces that might be just below the normal criteria for complete resurfacing.

(v)        The Highways Department should consider how the life span of highways and pavements might be increased and the financial implications of any changes in practice and use of materials.

(i)                 Where housing projects undertaken by developers cause actual damage to pavements and roads the developers should pay for the repairs.  This should be vigorously enforced.

(ii)               Recreation Services should ensure it adopts best practice for tree management in Haringey.

Utilities and other Statutory Undertakers:

(viii)     The Council should lobby Transport for London to secure increased funding for Haringey to finance damage caused by buses using minor and residential roads.

(ix)       The Highways Department should explore strategies to involve Utility Companies with the aim of reaching agreement on how a co-ordinated and planned approach to repairs could be developed in order to keep disruption and cost to a minimum.

(x)                The Highways Department together with Thames Water and appropriate professional organisations should undertake an assessment of the main drains network in Haringey to establish its condition and the long term implications of the condition of the drains in the Borough.

(xi)              Any Utility Company undertaking works in the Borough should leaflet households and businesses affected with details of the work, how long they  ...  view the full minutes text for item 164.

(Report of the Scrutiny Review Panel) – To agree the conclusions and recommendations of the Review

Councillor Bull, the Chair of this Scrutiny Review outlined the objectives of the Review which were as follows:

·        To assess the effectiveness of the current preventative strategies for teenage conceptions

·        To assess the effectiveness of the current arrangements for support for teenage parents 

·        To consider the different needs and strategies for prevention and support for different age groups

·        To consider the different needs and strategies for different sections of the community, including special needs and different ethnic groups. 

·        To consider the effectiveness of arrangements for multi-agency working, joined up services and mainstreaming approaches to dealing with teenage pregnancy. 

Councillor Bull outlined the following Recommendations for the Committee’s approval:

(i)                 It is recommended that school governors, working with secondary head teachers and Haringey Council officers ensure that the importance of SRE is understood as a key lever to prevent the incidence of teenage pregnancy.  This includes:

work with head teachers and governors to ensure that there is increased take-up of training for PSHE coordinators, leading to improved quality and impact of teaching and that take up by schools is monitored.

4YP  and Education for Choice services offered to all schools

A revised policy on teenage pregnancy and sexual health to be adopted by all schools, with links to relevant Child Protection Policies.

(ii)               It is recommended that Haringey Council and HTPCT provide guidance to educators on best practice and quality standards.

(iii)             It is recommended that accessible services are delivered when young people need them, where young people need them and delivered in a way that is convenient and appealing to young people:

(iv)              Improving the accessibility of sexual health and advice services to young people is improved

(v)                Making sexual health, family planning and young people’s service provision be made more accessible and appropriate in light of the data analysis findings.

(vi)              Expansion of dedicated young people’s sexual health services particularly to vulnerable groups and in geographical hotspot areas, promoting close collaboration with schools.

(vii)            Providing venues accessible to young people including through the development of Children’s Centres.

(viii)          A telephone advice line for all young people who need advice or help on sexual health and pregnancy.

(ix)              Improving web site information and links to web sites for young people on range of sex and relationship advice.

(x)                It is recommended that Haringey Council and Haringey Teaching Primary Care Trust improve information identifying and targeting teenagers most at risk of pregnancy and strengthen delivery of targeted services for “hard to reach” groups.

(xi)              It is recommended that the Stepping Up programme be made accessible through the Children’s Network, to be given greater coverage across the borough and that funding should be assured for the future, building on its strengths and addressing identified weaknesses.

(xii)            It is recommended that access to childcare for teenage parents is improved, including through the development of Children’s Centres, which should ensure that there is appropriate affordable provision for teenage parents and through increased childcare facilitates in colleges of higher education and the use of childminders.  ...  view the full minutes text for item 165.

(Report of the Scrutiny Review Panel) – To agree the conclusions and recommendations of the Review

          Councillor Bevan introduced the Report to the Committee and after a very brief discussion about about the use of specific customer service centres, and the use of the web, he proposed the following recommendations which were based around 3 key themes: Customer Services Performance; Customer Care and Communication with Client Services:

          Customer Services Performance

(i)                 That Customer Services Department review the value and process of the user satisfaction survey undertaken by Customer Services Officers after each interaction. The Panel requested that, in 12 months time, a report outlining the conclusions reached including supporting evidence, details of actions, if any, implemented be submitted to Overview & Scrutiny Committee. If the value cannot be justified the Panel believes that this practise should be ceased.

(ii)               That Customer Services develop a mystery shopping exercise as part of their performance assessment process. The mystery shoppers to include local residents, disabled people, businesses and Council officers. The mystery shopping should include testing access for disabled users including parking facilities.

(iii)             That the monthly award scheme for staff in Customer Services be re-introduced to recognise and reward excellent customer service.

(iv)             That training for Customer Services and Client Services staff be co-ordinated and where possible shared in particular where there is change of legislations or a new Council service is introduced.

(v)               That Team Managers keep log of reasons for calls to Client Services and that this be reported to liaison meetings. All calls to Client Services by Customer Services staff which are outside the process agreed with Client Services must be authorised by Team Managers.

(vi)             Staff feedback needs to be enhanced, bottom up. In addition the staff suggestion scheme should be reintroduced.

(vii)           That a review be undertaken of all aspects of Information Technology and Communications support to Customer Services. Led by independent experts and supported by Council’s IT Services.IT Services undertake a review of the underlying causes of system downtime with particular emphasis on reducing such downtime.

(viii)         That logs of system downtime be reported to each Customer Services Member Working Group meeting.

(ix)             That the planned saving targets for the next three years are considered to be achievable whilst maintaining existing targets.

Customer Care

(x)               The Review Panel endorsed the projects being developed by the Corporate Customer Focus Manager. This includes the following:

·                          Further developing Customer Focus throughout the Council through a Customer Focus Strategy;

·                          Membership of the Institute of Customer Services, including opportunities for staff development/qualifications in the field;

·                          That the Communication Unit manages and controls the printing and distribution of posters and leaflets. All leaflets and posters should include versions/ date of issue indicators, to assist in removal of obsolete items. In addition, electronic copies of posters and leaflets be made available on the Council Website.

(xi)             That in line with the findings of Reception Project report, it is recommended that firstly the need for security staff at all Customer Service Centres be investigated. Secondly if there is a need, that they be employed permanently by the Council with a varied  ...  view the full minutes text for item 166.

(Report of the Scrutiny Review Panel) – To agree the conclusions and recommendations of the Review

Councillor Jean Brown introduced the Report to the Committee highlighting exactly what Intermediate Care is. Cllr J Brown identified the key findings of the Report before making the following recommendations to the Committee:

(i)                 That a 5 year Strategic Plan be developed for Intermediate Care

(ii)               That a single point of access to Intermediate Care be developed.

(iii)             That provision be made for an Intermediate Care Co-ordinator, jointly funded and accountable across health and social care for the delivery of an integrated service, ideally with a pooled budget for the whole service

(iv)              That a whole systems approach to joint workforce planning be adopted.  Teams should work towards being multi-disciplinary to include therapy, nursing and social services staff working within a rehabilitation focus. The management structures should be reviewed to ensure that the service is able to work in more integrated ways.

(v)                That partners work together to ensure the complete implementation of the single assessment process.

(vi)              That the eligibility criteria be reviewed to enable Intermediate Care to become more person centred rather than service driven. In particular consideration should be given to the requirement of people with the more complex needs profiles and also those under 50 years of age who currently are not included within service criteria at all.

(vii)            That consideration be given as to how the Intermediate Care Service can be supported in a more formal way by specialist mental health expertise. This would enable appropriate care packages to be developed for older people with physical needs who additionally have mental health needs. Further consideration should be given to the plans for developing Broadwater Lodge for people with dementia.

(viii)          That the possibility of Greentrees being used for the provision of step down facilities be revisited.

(ix)              That the current charging policy be reviewed to ensure fairness of provision across the service.

(x)                That the strategic partner services undertake a process mapping exercise to identify how Service Users currently access Intermediate Care and then redesign the process to ensure a clear pathway approach.

(xi)              That the service be rebadged as a generic Intermediate Care Service.

(xii)            That Intermediate Care Services work towards the provision of a 24 hour, 7 day a week access to Intermediate Care and identify a timescale for achieving this goal.

RESOLVED:

·                    That the report of the Scrutiny Review Panel: Intermediate Care Services (February 2006) and the conclusions and recommendations of the review be endorsed; and

·                    that the report be referred to the Executive for its consideration.

(Report of the Chair of Overview and Scrutiny Committee)  - Overview and Scrutiny comments on annual health declarations

The Overview & Scrutiny Manager, Trevor Cripps, presented the arrangements for the Committee to submit its comments on the final declarations from local NHS trusts as part of the Annual Health Check process.

He made the following recommendation to the Committee:

(i)                 That authority to submit the comments of the Committee on the final declarations for Haringey TPCT, the North Middlesex Hospital, the Whittington Hospital and Barnet, Enfield and Haringey Mental Health Trust be delegated to the Overview and Scrutiny Manager in consultation with the Chair.

RESOLVED:

·                        That the recommendations of the O&S Manager’s Report be  endorsed subject to an amendment as follows:

2.2  Final comments to be given to the O&S Members before final submission.

None received

Councillor Winskill  raised his concerns at recent developments in the future of the Hornsey Hospital site development and requested a special meeting of the Committee be held to decide on how to monitor further developments.

RESOLVED:

·                          To mandate the Chair of the Overview & Scrutiny Committee to write to the Chair of the Haringey Teaching Primary Care Trust to answer a series of questions relating to the Hornsey Hospital site development with a  view to explore all avenues in terms of engaging with the process of deciding the future of the site.