Agenda and minutes

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at the meeting.

The meeting was webcast on the Council’s website.

Apologies for absence were received from Councillor 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 12 below).

The Chair agreed to the admission of the report ‘Submission to the consultation on the franchise of Tottenham Crown Post Office (824 High Road, N17)’ under item 12 as a late item because the deadline for consultation was only recently amended and confirmed by Post Office Ltd.

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 judgment of the public interest and if this interest affects their financial position or the financial position of a person or body as described in paragraph 8 of the Code of Conduct and/or if it relates to the determining of any approval, consent, licence, permission or registration in relation to them or any person or body described in paragraph 8 of the Code of Conduct.

There were no such declarations.

To consider any requests received in accordance with Part 4, Section B, paragraph 29 of the Council’s constitution.

There were no such items.

Briefing from Councillor Lorna Reith, Cabinet Member for Community Cohesion and Involvement.  QUESTIONS & ANSWERS TO FOLLOW

The committee received a briefing from the Cabinet Member for Community Cohesion and Involvement.

Members requested information as to whether the bringing Customer Service and I.T. together under the same leadership was an overburdening workload.  The Cabinet Member responded that bringing together of these two key services was important, and that the relationship between the two would help to focus investment and resources.

The Cabinet Member described the motivation behind the reduction in operating hours of the call centre as a reflection of the low level of calls being received in the evening; Members were assured that the opening hours were being kept under review however.  Residents were also being encouraged to use the Council’s website for as many services as possible.

Officers admitted that the Call Centre had suffered from peak demand in March, which pushed up waiting times and heeded Members suggestions to plan for this period in advance during the next financial year.

Members were assured that consultation was carried out according to key principles, and it was agreed that a copy of the consultation strategy would be circulated to the committee.

RESOLVED:

1. That the Consultation Strategy be provided to all Members of the Overview & Scrutiny committee.

2. That the briefing be noted.

Briefing from Councillor Kaushika Amin, Cabinet Member for Enterprise & Regeneration.  QUESTIONS & ANSWERS TO FOLLOW

The committee received a briefing and answers to questions from Councillor Kaushika Amin, Cabinet Member for Enterprise and Regeneration.

The Cabinet Member reflected on a successful year and was pleased to inform the Committee of the appointment of a new interim Head of Planning Service.

The committee learned that 200 people had successfully found work through the Haringey Guarantee scheme.  Members were informed that those businesses which employed less than five people were generally not targeted for the scheme due to the issue of needing to have a position to be filled following the end of the work placement.

Members debated the effects of gambling establishments on an area, with no clear consensus as if their presence contributed to a negative perception or reality of a particular area.

In terms of the Olympics, Members impressed upon Officers the need to make the borough’s venues available for usage as training camps and the like.  The Cabinet Member confirmed that the White Hart Lane Sports Centre had been submitted as a venue, and informed the committee that the borough’s commitment to the games was demonstrated by the ongoing work developing a volunteering accreditation system.  The Council continued to lobby on behalf of the borough to be a recipient of benefits from the successful Olympic bid, including funding for the Upper Lea Valley.

RESOLVED:

1.      That Members receive information on Council efforts with regards Olympic funding and activities.

2.      That the briefing and answers to questions be noted.

(Report of the Chair of the Review Panel) To approve the final report of the Review Panel.

The committee received the final report of the Scrutiny Review Panel on Access to Services for Older People.

Members declared themselves satisfied with the review, with some issues raised in it to be picked up in a forthcoming Scrutiny Review of Services for Carers.  The hope was that evidence for this review would be gathered from as many carers as possible.

Members raised concerns over the possibility of some individuals being caught in a ‘gap’ between different types of services which were being provided; Officers would work to prevent such a gap from occurring through Fairer Access to Care Services.

RESOLVED:

1.      That information be provided on the timeline of the Access Pathways project.

2.      That Adult Social Services ensure that no people are caught in the ‘gap’ between different types of provision.

3.      That the report and recommendations of the review be approved.

To note the findings of the review of Planning Enforcement and the measures being taken to improve the service - Report of the Director of Urban Environment

The committee received this report to note the findings of the review of Planning Enforcement as commissioned by the Cabinet Member for Safer Communities, and the measures being taken to improve the service.

Members requested an explanation of the name change to ‘Frontline Services’.  The committee learned that the new service was the result of Streetscene services being brought together, excluding Waste Management, as ‘Environmental Resources’.  Officers informed Members that Enforcement was currently managed on a client-contractor relationship, with the Planning Service in the rôle of the client, and the Enforcement Service the contractor.

Members requested information as to whether additional Performance Indicators existed to reflect the new arrangements.  Officers responded that new indicators had been added which were being reported quarterly to the Planning Committee.  Officers stated that they would be happy to supply Members of Overview & Scrutiny with this data.

Officers encouraged Councillors to provide them with their views on Enforcement Documentation, welcoming their input into providing as effective a service as possible.

RESOLVED:

1.      That Members receive a note on the name change to ‘Frontline Services’, together with a information on areas of responsibility.

2.      That Performance Indicators be provided after three months to demonstrate the performance of the new service

3.      That the report be noted.

The committee received this report to consider the feasibility of commissioning a full Scrutiny review on the performance of stroke services in Haringey.

Officers informed Members that Haringey was a ‘spearhead authority’, which meant it sat in the lowest 20% of authorities in terms of life expectancy.  Members noted that the rate of strokes was three times higher in the East of the borough than it was in the West.  They were informed that the North Central London Cardiac Network, who were carrying out work on Stroke on behalf of the Primary Care Trust, would welcome Scrutiny input into their ongoing work.

Members thanked Officers for the provision of the information contained within the report.  The committee was of the opinion that the review should be approved in principle, but with a final decision on whether it should be carried out deferred until formulating the work programme, and until further information had been sought on the topic.

RESOLVED:

1.      That additional information be sought on the topic, particularly from Camden and the Stroke Network.

2.      That the review be approved in principle subject to a range of competing options.

(Report of the Chair of the Review Panel) To approve the final report of the Review Panel.

The committee received a report on the outcome of the Scrutiny Review into Waste, Recycling Collection and Disposal.  The report sought Overview & Scrutiny’s endorsement of the recommendations of the Review which were to be reported to Cabinet.

The committee congratulated those involved in the Review, and gave approval to investigate whether source separated or co-mingling recycling was the more efficient method, in light of the upcoming contract decision process for recycling.  Members noted that the new contract would commence in the current co-mingled fashion, but Members would be keen to have the option to stipulate source-separation at a later date.

Members stated that issues raised by the review, such as that of fortnightly collections and size of bins were useful debates to have with regards to increasing the awareness of recycling within the borough.  In response to issues raised regarding cost implications, Members stated that not meeting recycling targets would result in fines for the Council, and that cost implications were forming part of the ongoing debate over recycling in the borough.  The committee agreed to support the review, with the below recommended regarding method of recycling being appended to it.

RESOLVED:

1.  That an additional Recommendation 23 be added to the review, reading as follows:

That the Overview & Scrutiny Committee carry out a focussed short Scrutiny on the collection of recyclables by source-separated method or co-mingled effort, and that time for this be allowed in the contract decision process.

2.      That the Council write to its partners asking for feedback on their recycling services.

3.      That the recommendations of the review be agreed.

The Chair agreed to accept the report ‘Submission to the consultation on the franchise of Tottenham Crown Post Office (824 High Road, N17)’ as a late item because the deadline for consultation was only recently amended and confirmed by Post Office Ltd.  The report was presented to the committee to allow Overview & Scrutiny to produce a submission to the consultation on the post office’s franchise.

RESOLVED:

    That the recommendation of the report to produce a submission be agreed.