Appendix 1 1 Contents Page Introduction 3 The Borough of Redcar and Cleveland 4 Leadership & Governance 6 Governance/Committee Structures 8 Overview and Scrutiny Arrangements 15 Outside Bodies and Joint Arrangements 17 The Work of Councillors 20 The Future 29 Conclusions & Recommendations 33 Appendices Appendix 1 – Leader & Cabinet Job Descriptions 36 Appendix 2 – Member Survey Summary 49 Appendix 3 - Neighbourhood Action Partnership Arrangements 66 Appendix 4 - Shaping Our Future 3 – Member Report 76 Appendix 5 – Councillor hour calculations 77 2 Introduction This submission confirms the Council’s formal position on the first stage of the electoral review of the Borough of Redcar and Cleveland. The last electoral review within Redcar and Cleveland was in 2002. The way the Council operates has changed significantly since that review took place, presenting a raft of both challenges and opportunities which have transformed the responsibilities of Elected Members and the ambassadorial role they play in both civic and community life. It is the view of Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council, therefore, that the current Council size is the right level at which to embrace the changing face of local government, tackle emerging issues and bridge the gap between communities and public service. The Council recognises that any proposal relating to Council size should be supported by evidence. To that end, this submission contains details of the Council’s current governance arrangements and decision-making structures. It also contains details of the work of its Elected Members and sets out information about the changes that have taken place over recent years, together with the Council’s future plans for the medium term. The submission has been produced via the work of the Council’s Governance Review Working Group. This is a cross-party working group of Elected Members (including the leaders of the political groups within the authority) set up to consider issues of governance generally and tasked with developing the Council’s submission in terms of Council size. In developing the proposals set out within this submission, the Working Group considered whether the size of the Council should be reduced, increased, or maintained at its current level. The Working Group met on a number of occasions, with the support of relevant officers. In line with its normal approach to inclusivity and all member-engagement on decision making, the submission has been further considered by the Council’s Cabinet, Executive Scrutiny Board and Governance Committee. Elected Members in Redcar and Cleveland provide a significant contribution, not just in setting the Council’s strategy and overseeing its decision making, but in engaging and supporting its local communities as activists and volunteers. They are a valuable resource. For the Council to retain its strength in both leading and supporting its residents, it needs appropriately strong cohort of Elected Members. The submission was ultimately approved by the Borough Council at its meeting on 3 August 2017 and, therefore, represents the formal view of the authority with regard to the size of the Council. 3 The Borough of Redcar & Cleveland Redcar and Cleveland is situated in the north-east of England and is the largest of the five boroughs which make up the Tees Valley. The borough is approximately 93 square miles in size, encompassing more than 20 diverse towns and villages, all with individual strengths, challenges, people, identities and history. The borough is a unique place; its location south of the River Tees brings with it the vast industrial complexes of Wilton International, the steel industry and Teesport, which handles over 5,000 vessels each year and around 40 million tonnes of cargo. In total contrast to the world class industry, the borough has outstanding natural assets including, ancient market towns, heritage coastline and stunning countryside including swathes of the North York Moors National Park. The latest figures from the Office of National Statistics indicate that Redcar and Cleveland is home to 135,300 people who occupy 64,300 homes. Of its residents 24,200 are under 15 years of age, (18% of the population). 81,900 are between 16 and 64 years of age (61%), and 29,200 people are over the age of 65 (22%). The proportion of older residents within the Borough is increasing and, like many other places in the country, this trend is expected to continue. Politically, the borough has 22 electoral wards, which are represented by 59 borough Councillors. Currently, the Council is led by a Labour minority administration which, with 28 borough Councillors, is the biggest political group. There are two Members of Parliament whose responsibility covers Redcar and Cleveland; these are the Middlesbrough South & East Cleveland and Redcar constituencies. Redcar and Cleveland’s young people are served by 44 primary schools, 10 secondary schools, 3 colleges and 5 specialist/alternative schools. The underperformance of many of our secondary schools limits the life chances of our young people. Improving educational attainment is a key priority for all Councillors. The borough’s economy is vulnerable to economic shocks and is reliant on a small number of large employers, predominantly in heavy industry or public services. At present, 4.1% of the borough’s working age population is in receipt of Job Seekers Allowance, compared to 2.0% nationally. Similarly, average weekly income in the borough is lower than the national average at £464.70 compared to £541. Since the closure of the SSI steel works in 2015, the Borough has been working to recover from an economic disaster, which saw the loss of 3,000 jobs. Although progress in supporting those affected into new employment has been good, this has tended to be in occupations with significantly lower incomes, meaning that the Borough has moved from highest gross weekly pay in the North East in 2015, to the lowest in 2016. Efforts to create a larger employment base is challenging given that newer industries are increasingly automated and, hence, large-scale industrial projects may result in only a small number of jobs. To date, the Council has supported more than 260 former SSI workers in 4 establishing new business. There is a clear role for the Council in nurturing and encouraging such businesses, to support efforts to diversify the economy over what will undoubtedly be a long period of recovery. However, the Council faces significant challenges in terms of its own position, as well as the circumstances of many of its residents. In that regard, whilst improving, health and wellbeing levels in Redcar and Cleveland do not compare favourably with national averages. Life expectancy and healthy life expectancy figures of 81.9 years and 61.6 years in women, and 78.4 years and 60.6 years in men, are below the national figures of 83 years and 64.8 years for women and 79.3 year and 63.5 years for men. There are significant health inequalities in Redcar and Cleveland with a man in the most disadvantaged ward in the borough likely to live 10 years fewer than one in the most affluent ward. In summary, although an area of geographic diversity with abundant potential, the borough faces many challenges. These include, but are not limited to: the ageing population; economic vulnerability and the need to diversify; government spending cuts; poor public health; inequality and the need to grow self-sufficiency and resilience in our communities. 5 Leadership & Governance Executive Arrangements The Council operates a strong leader and cabinet/executive model of governance as defined in the Local Government Act 2000 (as amended). This model has been in place since it was introduced in 2002, which was prior to the last review of the Borough undertaken by the Boundary Commission. Whilst this executive model of governance has remained in place, this does not mean that things have not changed. In fact, there have been significant changes in terms of the Council’s overall governance arrangements on at least two occasions over recent years, particularly in relation to scrutiny arrangements which are set out in detail later within this submission. These arrangements are kept under constant review in order to ensure that they are best aligned with the needs of the Council at all times. A cross-party working group established specifically for this purpose is in the process of undertaking a review of current governance issues and has recently put forward proposals for some updating and changes to the constitution which have now been approved. This work will continue for some time with a number of issues identified for consideration, and has recently included a further review of scrutiny arrangements to ensure that these are best suited to recent changes to the senior management restructure. Leader and Cabinet The Leader of the Council is currently supported by a Cabinet comprising of 8 Members/portfolio holders, including Leader, as follows: Leader Resources Adults Children Economic Growth Health, Housing and Welfare Neighbourhoods Tourism, Culture and Communications Formal job descriptions were agreed for the Leader and Cabinet Portfolios after the local elections in 2015 and these have now been revised; again, in order best match the recently approved senior management structure. These job descriptions are attached at Appendix 1. The Work of Cabinet Members Cabinet Members are expected to take a very active role in terms of their portfolio, keeping in close contact with the Executive Management Team and Assistant Directors, and working with them on a regular basis to progress key issues within their remit. 6 There are programmed private Cabinet Member Briefings and joint meetings with the Executive Management Team, during which policies issues, key decisions and reports to be considered by the Cabinet are discussed in detail. In addition, the Leader and Cabinet Members play a significant role in communicating with other Elected Members across the authority and engaging with members of the public, both generally and in terms of dealing with matters that fall within their portfolio.