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.
Cabinet Members have broad general authority to make decisions within the remit of their own portfolio, and the constitution also sets out a scheme of delegation to Officers to be exercised, in most cases, in consultation with the relevant Elected Member.
Members take their responsibility for exercising their powers under the scheme of delegation very seriously and decisions taken in this way are recorded and published in the Cabinet workbook for information on a six weekly basis, as well as being published on the Council’s website. Cabinet workbooks are circulated to all 59 Elected Members of the Council and, in this way, all decisions are subject to scrutiny and decision makers are visibly accountable for the decisions they make.
More significant decisions are taken either by the Cabinet, or Council, as a whole, based on reports which are considered within formal meetings.
The Council’s constitution can be found here: Redcar and Cleveland Constitution
7 Committee Structure
The business of the Council is transacted through a variety of decision-making Committees as well as Borough Council meetings, and executive decisions taken via the Cabinet. This is complemented by strong partnership arrangements, with the Health & Well Being Board being central to the growing culture of collaborative working between the Council and its partners.
The Council operates with a regular cycle of meetings, designed to conduct its business effectively and efficiently. There are 8 cycles of meetings across the year, with most Committees meeting at least once every cycle, although there are some variations to this. Agendas are determined through pre-agenda meetings between Chairs and Vice Chairs with lead officers. The estimated Councillor hours for operating the Council at capacity is included below. The detailed breakdown behind this assessment of hours is included at appendix 5:
Total Councillor No of Meetings hours Category Meeting members per year required1 All Members Borough Council (inc AGM) 59 8 4248 All Member Briefings 59 7 413 Member Conferences 59 2 472 Cabinet Cabinet 8 8 448 Cabinet Members Briefing (informal) 8 8 448 Cabinet EMT (informal) 8 8 448 Portfolio briefings with Directors/ADs 8 52 1248 Cabinet Members in scrutiny 8 16 640 Scrutiny Children & Families 13 8 656 (inc pre-agendas) Adult & Communities 13 8 656 Economic Growth 13 8 656 Resources 15 8 752 Scrutiny Chairs in Cabinet 4 8 128 Committees Regulatory committee 13 17 1846 (inc pre-agendas) Governance Committee 15 6 562 Health & Wellbeing Board 5 6 180 Corporate Parenting Board 12 4 208 Personnel and General Purposes Committee 13 8 448 Family Placement Fostering Panel 1 12 60 Family Placement Permanency Panel 1 12 60 Freedom of the Borough Advisory Cttee 4 1 16 Health & Safety Advisory Committee 7 4 56 Total 143 14459
1 Breakdown of Councillor hour calculations is included in Appendix 5
8 Details of the remit/arrangements for Borough Council meetings and each individual committee are as follows:
Borough Council All 59 Councillors meet together as the Council and these meetings are advertised and are open to the public. It is here that key policies and major issues are considered and the budget is set every year.
Cabinet Members present regular updates on their portfolios at each Council on a rotational basis, ensuring they are accountable to all Members for the work they undertake.
The Borough Council also considers motions put forward by Elected Members, with each meeting generally attracting at least one or two of these for debate. Council meetings are also used to consider public petitions (where they qualify), questions from Elected Members of Cabinet Members and committee chairs, as well as questions from members of the public, and making appointments to committees and various other bodies as and when required.
Agendas and minutes from Council meetings can be found here: Cabinet and Committee Papers
Cabinet The Cabinet is responsible for executive functions/decisions and, save for matters addressed under delegated authority, makes most of the in-year decisions. Meetings of the Cabinet are open to the public except when personal or confidential matters are being discussed.
Half an hour before the start of each meeting is dedicated as a public question time, enabling members of the public, and other Councillors to ask questions of the Leader and Cabinet Members.
Meetings of Scrutiny and Improvement Committees (see below) are scheduled to take place in advance of Cabinet meetings so that all reports can be considered by those committees in advance of any decision being reached.
Pre-agenda meetings take place with the Scrutiny Chairs so that particular items can be allocated appropriate time on the agenda. However, Cabinet reports in general appear on the agenda of all scrutiny committees and, so, are open to debate before any Cabinet decision is made.
It should be noted that the Chairs of Scrutiny and Improvement Committees are filled by members of the minority political groups and play a key part in ensuring that the decision- making process is as inclusive as possible.
The Chairs of Scrutiny and Improvement Committees attend Cabinet meetings and relay the views of their committee on reports at the point where they are being considered, as well as contributing more generally to the debate and providing a clear link between Cabinet and the other political groups. Cabinet takes those views in to consideration before reaching a decision. The inclusive nature of this process is essential to ensure that all Members have the opportunity to influence policy decision of Cabinet, bringing their wealth of experience
9 to the fore.
In addition to attending Cabinet meetings, Cabinet Members meet together, informally, with the Corporate Directors and Chief Executive every cycle to discuss current and forthcoming Cabinet business.
There are further regular meetings between Cabinet and the Council’s Executive Management Team focusing on longer term strategic issues facing the Council. On an individual basis, Cabinet Members meet regularly with Corporate Directors, Assistant Directors and other relevant officers to remain fully briefed on the day to day activities within the areas relevant to their portfolio responsibilities.
Cabinet agendas and minutes can be found here : Cabinet and Committee Papers
Governance Committee This comprises 15 Members and meets 5 times during the year, working to and agreed work programme that ensures it discharges its remit. This committee is also responsible for undertaking standards functions and promoting and maintaining the high standards of conduct by Councillors.
The committee undertakes specific functions in relation to audit as follows:
Ensures that external regulatory and inspection reports are distributed, reviewed, monitored and actioned; Is responsible for ensuring good stewardship of the authority’s resources; Manages any legislative requirements arising from the Government’s proposals to establish an ethical framework for local government, which will include monitoring and implementation of principles of conduct for local Councillors, rules for dealing with members’ interest, rules for dealing with registration and acceptance of gifts and hospitality; Enhances the profile, status and authority of the internal audit function and demonstrates its independence; Contributes towards making the authority, its committees and departments more responsive to the audit function; Is charged with the responsibility for promoting internal control by the systematic appraisal of the authority’s internal control mechanisms, by the development of an anti-fraud culture and by the review of financial procedures; Is charged with the responsibility for focussing audit resources, by agreeing with the audit plans and monitoring delivery of the audit service; Monitors both internal and external audit performance by ensuring auditor/officer collaboration within the agreed timescales, by securing the timely preparation and response to audit reports, by ensuring the implementation of audit recommendations and by monitoring the finalisation of the annual accounts. Reviews compliance with the relevant standards, codes of practice and corporate governance policies; Reviews and monitors the arrangements for the identification, monitoring and control of strategic and operational risk within the authority; Receives updates, as part of an integrated audit and assurance service, from Health & Safety auditors, who provide evidence of compliance with health & safety policies
10 and legislative requirement; The Chair and Vice-Chair provide the opportunity for a private dialogue with internal and external auditors at regular points throughout the audit year; and, The Committee also has two independent members, whose professional backgrounds allow them to offer an independent insight into the issues being raised with the Committee by auditors, and a further means of holding officers to account for the explanations they provide.
In addition to these audit functions, the committee is responsible for signing off the Council’s accounts and considering the Annual Governance Statement. It also considers proposed amendments to the Council’s constitution.
Regulatory Committee This committee comprises 13 Members and generally meets twice every cycle (16 times per year). There are two main aspects to the Council’s regulatory responsibilities – planning and licensing.
In general, planning applications are delegated to Officers except as follows:
a) those applications which appear to the Director for Economic Growth or his/her senior officers to be controversial when viewed against the Council’s major policy documents; b) development promoted by the Council itself; c) those cases where the Officer recommendation conflicts with Development Plan policies; d) those cases where 5 or more unresolved objections (emanating from separate addresses) remain and the Officer recommendation was to grant permission; e) those cases where there were 5 or more representations in support (emanating from separate addresses) and the Officer recommendation was to refuse the application; and, f) where a Member requests Committee consideration of an application.
Given the specialist nature of the work considered by this committee, its Members are given appropriate and mandatory training so that they are equipped to undertake this role. The time commitment with regard to this committee is onerous as Members are expected to carefully consider the reports that are prepared in relation to applications, as well as familiarising themselves with the details of those applications by viewing all of the relevant documents online.
Where decisions are taken by the committee which conflict with officer advice and such decision are appealed, Members of the committee take part in the ensuing planning inquiry which, given the length of such proceedings, is a significant commitment in terms of time, both in terms of attendance and, also, preparation of witness statements and other documents as necessary.
In terms of licensing, the scheme of delegation to Officers is set out fully within the constitution but, in general terms, officers approve, grant and issue licences, consents, permits, registrations and other authorisations where there is no reasonable cause not to; and suspend, refuse and revoke licences, consents, permits, registrations and other
11 authorisations in accordance with specific legislation. This enables Officers to deal with general licensing matters on a day-to-day basis but, in cases where there are concerns or issues more complex, Licensing/Taxi Panels will be convened to determine applications - for example, taxi drivers with criminal records.
It should be noted that although a significant number of decisions will be taken under delegated authority, the committee reviews all of these decisions and can investigate further if required. The committee also monitors planning performance to ensure compliance with the government’s performance indicators/targets.
In terms of the formal committee structure governing licensing, the Council, as stated above, has a Regulatory Committee of 13 members which deals with both planning and licensing and all other regulatory responsibilities. In addition to the 13 members on this Committee, the agenda for its meetings is also circulated to all other Members of the Council to ensure that they have an awareness of what is happening in their individual wards. In that regard, Elected Members who are not part of the committee often appear and play a role in representing the views/objections of residents in respect of applications and, for that reasons, keep abreast of potential planning issues within their own wards.
Committee membership for Regulatory Committee is standing, however, decisions in respect of taxi and some other licensing matters are considering by smaller panels which are established from the membership of the committee but rotated. There were 4 licensing panels and 11 taxi panels convened for the last civic year, with these panels consisting of 3 and 5 Members respectively.
Regulatory Committee meetings are held every 3 weeks. Meetings of Taxis Panel, Licensing Hearings and Planning Site visits are ad hoc and held as and when required. The meetings are not area-based and deal with regulatory functions that cover the whole of the Borough. Meetings of the Regulatory Committee are always well attended by Members, and achieving a quorum has never been issue.
The majority of applications referred to Regulatory Committee, are generally as the result of a request from a Member or responses to the consultation process. There are no anticipated changes to legislation which would have a major impact on the applications taken to Regulatory committee at this stage, although any extension to the “permitted development” rules in terms of planning legislation could potentially have an impact on the number of applications the Council received and upon which it consults.
Personnel and General Purposes Committee This committee comprises of 13 Members with meetings scheduled every cycle. It has responsibility for all the powers of the Council (but not the executive) to deal with all employment and human resources matters.
It deals with any matters reserved for full Council in the Constitution but which by reason of urgency, commercial sensitivity or other relevant reason, it is in the opinion of the Proper Officer not desirable to call a meeting of the full Council. In addition, it also deals with the functions relating to the registration of common land or town or village greens.
A significant aspect of the committee’s work is undertaking reviews of, and approving,
12 human resources policies. It also considers matters relating to terms and conditions and has been involved in key developments such as the introduction of the Redcar and Cleveland Minimum Wage Supplement, which ensures that staff receive payments which bring their salary up to the level of the Living Wage Foundation’s National Living Wage, whilst retaining the integrity of the Council’s job evaluation scheme and nationally negotiated pay structures. Again, the level of commitment in terms of paperwork and advance reading can often, therefore, be onerous given the nature of this work.
Similarly, sub-committees of this committee consider staff appeals against dismissal. Significant amounts of documentation are often produced in respect of these matters, which frequently involve difficult issues. In view of this position, members of this committee are provided with training on employment law issues, before they are permitted to consider any appeals, so as to ensure fairness of approach when such disciplinary issues arise.
Health & Safety Advisory Committee This committee comprises of 12 Councillors and generally meets quarterly. It deals with corporate health, safety and welfare Issues that impact on the Council’s service areas and keeps under review measures taken to ensure the health, safety and welfare of employees.
Corporate Parenting All Members have a corporate parenting responsibility for children and young people who are looked after by the local authority. Indeed, corporate parenting is a core statutory responsibility of the Council with clear expectations placed on it by Central Government. A child in the care of the Council looks to the whole Council to be the best parent it can be to that child.
Every parent wants the best for their child, to see their child flourish with good health, to be safe and happy, to do well at school, to enjoy good relationships with their peers. Make the most of leisure opportunities, hobbies and interests, and to grow towards adulthood equipped to lead independent lives and to make their way as adults in higher education, in good careers and jobs, and financially secure.
For these reasons, in Redcar and Cleveland Council, all members take the responsibility very seriously and a report is presented and debated at each meeting of the Council around the key issues for our Looked After Children.
Corporate Parenting Board The Corporate Parenting Board comprises of 12 Councillors and meets quarterly with the specific remit set out below:
To advocate the interests of Looked After Children; To raise the awareness of Members of the Council on the role of Corporate Parenting; To develop effective corporate responses to fulfil the Authority’s responsibilities as a Corporate Parent; To review the Council’s Corporate Parenting Policy; To implement changes to policy and practice and to inform service development in the context of Corporate Parenting; To ensure the education, health and social needs of children looked after
13 including those leaving care are met; To promote and safeguard the welfare of all children looked after including those placed outside the Borough; To review the Council’s arrangements for rota visits to children looked after and arrangements for conducting Section 33 visits to Children’s Homes; To advise the Cabinet Member on the issues identified above; To consult with and listen to Looked After Children and respect their views and to take into account issues they raise when acting on their behalf; To establish links with other Local Authorities and benchmark good practice; To ensure the Council meets the diverse needs of Looked After Children; To undertake member visits to children’s homes and foster homes; Consideration of the reports of Councillors visits to Children Looked After; and, To advise Cabinet Members of any issues in respect of Looked After Children.
Additional Activity 2016/17 In addition to the above, in 2016/17 the Corporate Parenting Board also undertook the following actions: Attendance at the Regional Children In Care Council Conference; Development of 5 Council Promises to Looked After Children in partnership with children and young people; Preparing a motion to Full Council on apprenticeships for care leavers; Contributing to the recruitment strategy for foster carers both strategically and practically; and, Establishing a time limited task group to develop the Looked After Children’s Strategic Plan.
14 Overview and Scrutiny Arrangements
For some considerable time, the Council’s political make-up has been finely balanced, with Labour currently being the largest political group, but without an overall majority.
In view of this fine political balance, the authority has, over recent years, taken great efforts to promote a more inclusive way of working, allowing members to inform Cabinet decisions via involvement in scrutiny committees and other methods of ensuring that issues are discussed at an early stage and before decisions are taken.
To that end, the chairs and vice chairs are filled by members of the minority groups and attendance at scrutiny meetings forms a core part of the roles of Cabinet Members and the Leader. This approach has involved a shift to the Council’s scrutiny arrangements over recent years, which now include an emphasis on improvement, with a committee being aligned to each of the Council’s directorates, allowing a specific focus on defined areas of work.
The Council operates four Scrutiny and Improvement Committees. Up to June 2017, three have been aligned with the Council’s Directorate functions (Directorate Scrutiny & Improvement Committees) and the fourth was an overarching Committee (Executive Scrutiny Board) which dealt with broader, more cross cutting corporate matters and exercised the power of ‘call-in’ when required. From June 2017, these have been amended to reflect recent changes in senior management structures and now comprise four directorate Scrutiny & Improvement Committees with the Resources Directorate Scrutiny & Improvement Committee taking responsibility for broader, cross cutting corporate matters and exercising ‘call-in’.
The Council’s governance arrangements are kept under review and have been changed as required, making sure they remain a ‘best fit’ for the needs of the Council at any particular time and are consistent with the underlying principles that committees:
are aligned to the Council’s priorities ; are assimilated into the on-going work of the Council; provide Elected Members with purposeful roles which contribute to improving the work of the Council for the benefit of residents; create opportunities to share and develop the opinions and activities of Elected Members, to improve the quality of decision making; provide opportunities for Elected Members and officers to develop new skills that will enable them to operate effectively in a political/democratic environment; and, enable the scrutiny arrangements to effectively hold the Executive to account.
Joint Scrutiny Committee arrangements are in place with neighbouring authorities to provide oversight and accountability reflecting more collaborative approaches to service design and delivery, particularly in relation to health matters, and the Tees Valley Combined Authority.
15 The membership of each Scrutiny & Improvement Committee is as follows: Adult and Communities – 13 Members Children and Families – 13 Members Economic Growth – 13 Members Resources – 15 Members (reflecting the broader cross cutting nature of some of this Committees work and its additional responsibility for call-in)
Each committee meets once every cycle. Meeting cycles run over six weeks resulting in 8 scheduled meetings of each committee per year, with each meeting lasting between 2 & 3 hours on average. Members are expected to read agenda papers and Cabinet workbooks to prepare for meetings. As is generally the case with all Committees, Committee chairs and vice chairs have meetings with the relevant Directors to agree agendas and workplans.
Each Committee has the ability to establish time-limited task and finish groups, where it wishes to undertake a more in depth review of a particular topic and make recommendations. These are generally small in number, with circa 2-3 taking place each year. The greatest proportion of the Committees’ work is done through the programmed meetings.
The meeting cycle is designed so that directorate Scrutiny and Improvement Committees fall in the week preceding Cabinet meetings to allow scrutiny members the opportunity to review and comment on the cabinet reports that are relevant to their remit. Cabinet members are expected to attend their relevant Scrutiny and Improvement Committees to respond to any questions and concerns raised in order that they may take this into account as they make decisions in Cabinet.
The Chairs of each of the Scrutiny and Improvement Committees are similarly expected to attend Cabinet to represent the views of their respective Committees on the relevant items and are invited to speak on each agenda item so that the views of scrutiny can be used to inform and shape decision where this is considered appropriate.
16 Outside Bodies and Joint Arrangements
In addition to their commitments to work within the Council’s own governance arrangements, Members are currently appointed to serve on a wide range of outside bodies and joint arrangements committees on an annual basis. The position in terms of external organisations has gained greater significance recently with the creation of the Tees Valley Combined Authority and the additional commitment that this represents.
The ever-changing and complex nature of the health sector is placing a growing responsibility on Members to scrutinise the delivery of, and access to, health and wellbeing services both on a local level and across local authority boundaries. Elected Members participate in a number of Joint Health Scrutiny Committees, with the most recent addition of a Better Health Programme Joint Health Scrutiny Committee scrutinising the emerging proposals of the NHS Sustainability and Transformation Plan.
Currently there are 30 Outside Bodies to which Members are appointed, with the number of required appointments varying from one to four seats, depending on the particular body in question.
In total 24 of the Council’s 59 Members (41%) sit on Outside Bodies with a further number being involved in the various joint arrangements. Workload clearly varies dependent on the particular body, but details of the outside bodies and the frequency of meetings are set out below, along with details of all other bodies/committees to which the Council formally appoints members. The figures are based on experience during 2016/17, but are typical of a municipal year. This clearly shows the level of commitment in terms of formal meetings, there being close to 500 meetings per year that involve the attendance of Members, aside from any other meetings which are convened on a less formal or irregular basis.
No of No of 2016/17 Category Meeting members meetings All Members Borough Council (inc AGM) 59 8 All Member Briefings 59 7 Member Conferences 59 2 Cabinet Cabinet 8 8 Cabinet Members Briefing (informal) 8 8 Cabinet EMT (informal) 8 8 Scrutiny People Services S&I Cttee 13 8 Corporate Services S&I Cttee 13 8 Regeneration Services S&I Cttee 13 8 Executive Scrutiny Board 15 8 Committees Regulatory committee 13 17 Governance Committee 15 6 Health & Wellbeing Board 5 6 Corporate Parenting Boad 12 4 Personnel and General Purposes Committee 13 8 Family Placement Fostering Panel 1 12 Family Placement Permanency Panel 1 12 Freedom of the Borough Advisory Cttee 4 1 Health & Safety Advisory Committee 7 4 Total 143
17 Joint Cleveland Fire Authority (inc sub-cttees) 3 16 Arrangements Police and Crime Panel 3 4 Tees Valley Joint Health Scrutiny Committee 3 4 South Tees Joint Health Scruitny Committee 5 3 Tees Valley CA Scrutiny Committee 3 8 Better Health Programme Joint Scrutiny Committee 3 7 Emergency Planning Committee 1 4 Joint Archives Committee 1 2 Coast and Country Board 2 4 North York Moors National Park Authority 2 28 River Tees Port Health Authority 5 4 TVCA Board 1 12 RVCA Audit and Governance 1 3 TVCA Transport Committee 1 2 Total 101
Outside Bodies Association of North East Councils 1 2 Cleveland Buildings Preservation Trust Ltd 1 6 Cleveland Ironstone Mining Museum 1 6 Durham Tees Valley Airport Board 1 4 Hartlepool Power Station - Local Community Liaison Council 1 2 Hutton Lowcross Foundation 3 1 Industrial Communities Alliance 2 6 Industry Nature Conservation Association 1 5 Local Government Association – General Assembly 1 2 North East Regional Employers Organisation 3 2 North Eastern Inshore Fisheries & Conservation Authority 1 4 North York Moors Coast & Hills LEADER Partnership 1 6 North York Moors Local Access Forum 1 4 North Yorkshire & Cleveland Coastal Forum Executive 3 2 Northern Housing Consortium 1 1 Northumbria Regional Flood & Coastal Defence Committee 1 4 R&C Citizens Advice Bureau - Management Committee 1 4 R&C Domestic and Sexual Violence Reduction Strategic Partnership 1 12 R&C School Admission Forum 4 3 R&C Schools Forum 1 4 R&C Twinning Association - Management Committee 1 12 Sir William Turner's Hospital 1 12 South Tees Youth Justice Board – Executive 1 4
18 Standing Advisory Council for Religious Education (SACRE) 4 4 Tees Valley Leaders and Mayors 1 12 Teesside Environmental Trust 1 4 Teesside Pension Fund Panel 1 4 Total 132
NAPS Brotton 4 Coatham 4 Dormanstown 12 Eston 6 Guisborough Hutton and Westworth 6 Grangetown 6 Kirkleatham 6 Lockwood 6 Loftus 6 Longbeck 4 Newcomen 8 Normanby 8 Ormesby 2 St Germains 4 Saltburn 4 Skelton 4 South Bank Moving Forward 8 Teesvillle 6 West Dyke and Zetland 12 Total 116
RCBC meetings 143 Joint arrangements 101 Outside Bodies 132 NAPS 116 TOTAL 492
In addition to the bodies mentioned within this section, Elected Members frequently take part in other external bodies or associations, this work being reflected in the following sections of this report.
19 The Work of Councillors
General The formal meetings of the Council’s various committees are only one small part of the work undertaken by Councillors, with work in local communities and in supporting residents with casework enquiries forming a considerable part of the role. The way in which Elected Members carry out these functions has changed significantly since the last boundary review, the growth of social media and more widespread use of mobile phones and email, means that most Councillors are available to residents around the clock. Equally, the Council’s rationalisation of resources has precipitated changes to the way in which the Council interfaces with the community – removing 22 neighbourhood officers, one from each ward, has meant that Councillors have become the frontline ambassadors for the authority. This, of course, is in addition to the routine ward-based community groups and non-Council meetings most members attend.
In particular there is now an expectation of co-production – Councillors working alongside their residents supporting and facilitating their efforts to; secure funding (often for major regeneration projects), organise and deliver events and to provide alternatives where Council services have been cut. This contribution is factored into budget decisions, and is considered essential if the Council to deliver agreed service outcomes.
As detailed earlier in this submission, for many years, there has been a very fine political balance in the Council and currently there is a minority administration. This sort of political balance requires a greater degree of inclusive working that might not otherwise be the case in a Council where a single political group dominates. The current working arrangements have developed and been refined over time to ensure that all Members have the opportunity to influence decisions. Most notable are the changes in Scrutiny and Improvement Committees that were made in 2014 which were received positively by all Members and have been viewed generally as a valued improvement to the way the Council works. These same principles have been adhered to in the most recent refinement of scrutiny arrangements.
Time & Commitment The Independent Remuneration Panel calculates the basic allowance for Elected Members based on an assessment of 116 days’ work per annum. This is discounted by one third (to 77 days) for remuneration purposes to reflect the voluntary nature of the role, but this reduction does not reflect the level of assessed commitment, other than for the purposes of remuneration.
The special responsibility allowances for the Leader, Deputy and portfolio members are in addition to this and based on an assessment of working days being Leader – 104 days, Deputy Leader – 91 days and Cabinet Members 78 days. On this basis, the leadership and portfolio roles are considered to be the equivalent of full time roles in terms of hours and commitment, particularly given the general duties of a Councillor that still need to be undertaken whilst holding a cabinet position.
In recent years there has been a view that these assessed figures should be increased in order to more accurately reflect a higher workload than is currently recognised. However, financial constraints have led to a reluctance to implement such increases in times of austerity and, accordingly, those recommendations have been rejected in meetings of the Full-Council. The
20 rejection of those recommendations, however, does not undermine the general view that the current allowances are based on an under-assessment of the time currently spent by Elected Members on Council commitments.
The table below outlines the number of days the IRP have assessed is required to fulfil the various roles that have special responsibilities attributed to them. This is in addition to the days assessed to be required to undertake Members’ general role.
Days Leader 104 Deputy Leader 91 Cabinet Members 78 Chair of Regulatory Committee 39 Vice Chair of Regulatory Committee 16 Chair of Personnel & General Purpose Committee 23 Vice Chair of Personnel & General Purpose Committee 8 Chair of Governance Committee 17 Vice Chair of Governance Committee 5 Chair of Scrutiny & Improvement Committee (x4) 23 Vice Chair of Scrutiny & Improvement Committee (x4) 8 Co-optee to Governance Committee 5 Principal Opposition Leader 65 Secondary Opposition Leader 39 Group Leader 39 Mayor (includes Consort Allowance) 104 Deputy Mayor 26
Working with Communities Members are well placed within their communities and know them well. They interact with their residents in the ways that they feel are most appropriate. These are many and varied and can range from very local activities such as litter picking, digging flower beds, reading with children in schools, to more strategic work such as representing their views through regional bodies like the Combined Authority.
Through the Mayor’s office, the Council supports schools in their school Council elections and welcomes young people/school groups attending Council meetings. The electoral registration team regularly attends fresher’s weeks to encourage interest and participation in local democracy and to register as an elector at the appropriate age. The Council supports the elections of a Member of Youth Parliament.
The borough has also welcomed asylum seekers and refugees in recent years and local Councillors have played a pivotal role in supporting their integration into communities.
More modern IT support and communication methods bring significant benefits, but have increased expectations from residents that Elected Members are available all the time and are able to respond immediately. There has been a shift away from the tradition of residents attending surgeries to seek support and advice. Members carry out their representational role through a mixture of casework from constituents and a more active role in the community.
21 Almost all Councillors hold advice surgeries at least monthly, but also deal with constituents through other communication channels.
A Members’ Case Management System is in place to support members in logging and tracking their casework. Most members still choose to manage their casework in their own way, but uptake of the Case Management System is increasing. During the 2015/16 civic year, 428 cases were logged by Members.
Every ward has a Neighbourhood Action Partnership (‘NAP’) and Members have worked with residents and partners to tailor the working arrangements to suit local needs, with most meeting at least quarterly. The structure of NAPs differs across the various wards and a summary of these arrangements is attached as Appendix 4
Members are allocated ward budgets for their areas of £2,000 per annum, per Councillor. These are allocated at the start of the Members four year term to enable greater flexibility over the local projects and initiatives that can be supported. The purpose of the funding is to enable organisations and residents to develop projects and ideas which support and deliver local initiatives aimed at improving the local area.
Members work in partnership with external organisations so that their ward resources can be matched with others to create bigger initiatives. Members also work across neighbouring wards to pool resources.
The Council’s approach to localism and its commitment to deliver social value means that Members have a pivotal role in facilitating resident involvement in community activities and the delivery of locally based services. Individually, and collectively within wards, Members often work closely with local people to help establish voluntary and community groups or to support them in delivering local initiatives, very recent examples including the hugely successful Klondike bike race in East Cleveland and the revival of Eston market.
Many members are involved in attending community groups or associations as part of their community leadership role. Where officer support may previously have also been available, this is often no longer the case, increasing the reliance on Elected Members further. The Council makes appointments of Elected Members to some School Governing Bodies, but the increasing number of academies has seen a reduction in this over time.
Induction and Training There is a structured induction and Member Development Programme that has been in place for a number of years. This was thoroughly refreshed in time for the all-borough elections in May 2015, and will be again ahead of elections in 2019. Elected Members are regularly provided with All-Member Briefings immediately prior to meetings of the Borough Council, which keep Members appraised of pertinent issues at any time.
Members are supported to attend LGA development sessions and opportunities to access on- line training are provided. In addition there are regular briefings at directorate level and regular IT clinics offered. Specific training is also provided for those Members serving on Committees with certain responsibilities, such as, for example, quasi-judicial responsibilities, regulatory and personnel functions.
22 More recently, All-Member conferences have taken place. These have focused on:
ward based priorities; governance arrangements; tackling poverty; and, closure of the Redcar steel works.
Members have access to various on-line training and courses/seminars offered via organisations such as the Local Government Association.
Electoral Review Councillors’ Survey In order to ascertain up-to-date view from Members on their work, and the time required to fulfil their roles, Councillors were asked to participate in a survey, the results of which are set out below.
The survey was completed by 31 out of 59 Members representing 17 out of the 22 wards. Elected Members were asked to provide information on their activity based on the 2016-2017 municipal year. The following sections provide some analysis of the survey responses, with a fuller summary of responses appearing at Appendix 2.
Profile of Respondents The survey was completed by 5 Cabinet Members, 17 Members of a Scrutiny committee and 9 members who stated they were a member of an outside committee.
Time attending meetings Elected Members were asked to indicate how many hours per week on average they spent sitting on Council Committee meetings/ partner organisations or outside bodies. 82% of respondents who completed the survey stated they spent at least 4-6 hours per week attending meetings, with 18% spending more than 15 hours per week.
The graphs on the following pages give a breakdown of the results.
23 During the 2016/2017 municipal year how many hours per week on average did you spend sitting on Council committee meetings, partner organisations/ outside bodies to which you were appointed by the Council?
36%
18% 18% 18%
11%
0% 0%
None 1 to 3 4 to 6 7 to 9 10 to 12 13 to 14 15 hours hours hours hours hours hours or more
Time preparing for meetings Elected Members were asked to indicate how many hours per week on average they spent preparing for Council committee meetings / partner organisations/ or outside bodies to which they were appointed to by the Council. More than three quarters of respondents spent more than three hours a week on meeting preparation, while almost a fifth spent more than 15 hours a week on preparation.
The following graph gives a breakdown of results:
During the 2016/2017 municipal year how many hours per week on average did you spend preparing for Council committee meetings, or partner organisations/ outside bodies to which you were appointed by the Council?
0% 17% 24% 3% None 1 to 3 hours 7% 4 to 6 hours 7 to 9 hours 10% 10 to 12 hours 13 to 14 hours 38% 15 hours or more
Further analysis of the data shows that 17% of Elected Members reported spending 15+ hours per week preparing for meetings and of these most were Cabinet Members. Those with Chair and Vice Chair responsibilities were most likely to spend spending 4-6 hours per week on this role.
24 Cabinet role All Cabinet Members responding to the survey reported spending more than 11 hours every week on Cabinet portfolio related work.
Scrutiny role Those Members who had identified themselves as a member of a Scrutiny Committee were asked to indicate how many hours per month on average they spent on their scrutiny role. Three quarters of scrutiny Members (75%) who responded to the survey, reported spending between 5 and 8 hours per month on their scrutiny role. While 13% of scrutiny Members reported spending over 9 hours per month.
If you were a member of scrutiny during the 2016-17 municipal year, how many hours per month on average did you spend on this? 7% 11% 21% Not applicable 4% 1 to 2 hours 25% 7% 3 to 4 hours 5 to 6 hours 7 to 8 hours 25% 9 to 10 hours
Neighbourhood Action Partnerships (NAPS) Elected Members were asked to indicate how many hours per month on average they spent on Neighbourhood Action Partnerships (NAPS). The majority (44%) of Elected Members who completed the survey stated they spent 3-4 hours per month on NAP meetings; this was closely followed by 29% of Elected Members who reported spending more than 5 hours every month.
Group Responsibilities Elected Members were asked that if they were a member of a political party whether they undertook any specific roles within their group. Almost half (44%) of those responding said yes, with members identifying undertaking roles such as treasurer, whip, leader, deputy leader, branch chair etc.
Other Representational Roles Members were asked whether they attended any other meetings within their role as a Councillor. Almost all respondents stated yes (89%) they attended other meetings, and members provided a wide variety of examples including: Governor meetings, residents groups, ward walkabouts, community/parish meetings, partnership groups and tribunal work.
Members were then asked to indicate the amount of time they spent on these activities, responses varied with a quarter (25%) stating they spent 11 hours or more. This was followed by 21% of respondents who spent 5 to 6 hours per week. The table below gives a breakdown of responses
25 If yes, during 2016-2017 municipal year how many hours per month on average did you spend on attending other meetings within your Councillor role?
11 hours or… 25%
9 to 10 hours 11%
7 to 8 hours 11%
21% 5 to 6 hours
3 to 4 hours 14%
1 to 2 hours 14%
Not applicable 4%
0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25%
Casework Elected Members were asked how many hours per week on average they spent on ward issues (not including NAPs). The majority (41%) response spent 6-10 hours per week; however, 13% of respondents reported spending more than 20 hours per week on casework. The table below gives a breakdown of all the results:
Time % 1 to 5 hours 0% 6 to 10 hours 17% 11 to 15 hours 41% 16 to 20 hours 17% Over 20 hours 10% Not applicable 13%
Members were asked to specify issues made up the majority of ward caseload. Highway issues (including pot holes, drainage, grass verges etc) topped this list of casework issues, followed by littering and dog fouling. Planning issues, social care issues, welfare issues and anti-social behaviour also featured prominently.
Contact In this section of the survey members were asked to think about their contact with the public. Almost a third of Members reported receiving between 6 and 10 enquiries per week from residents. A further 27% reported receiving more than 15 enquiries per week. For most respondents, this took up between 3 and 6 hours per week, although 17% reported spending more than 8 hours each week on this. The graph below gives a breakdown of the number of enquiries:
26 On average how many enquiries do you receive each week? (This includes those received via face to face, letter, telephone, email, social media etc.)
35% 31% 28% 30%
25% 21% 20% 14% 15% 7% 10%
5% 0% 0% Not 1 to 2 3 to 5 6 to 10 11 to 15 Over 15 applicable enquiries enquiries enquiries enquiries enquiries
The survey then asked Members about the number of house visits they made. Three quarters of Members undertook home visits with residents, most visiting homes 3-4 times per week with this taking up 1-2 hours each week. The majority of respondents (80%) held monthly ward surgeries, in most cases this was once per month, taking 1-2 hours a time.
Community Engagement In addition to NAPs, Member engaged with their residents in a wide variety of ways, including, newsletters, leaflets, and walkabouts. Email and social media featured strongly in the responses and appear to be the most popular means of maintaining general contact in the community. Of those who responded 40% said this took up 6-10 hours of their time each month.
Trainings and Briefings Two thirds (69%) of Members reported spending 1-5 hours a month on these activities.
Expectations of the role More than half of Members felt that the time they spent on Council related activities was not what they expected it to be with most stating it was greater. General comments indicated that the issues Members were expected to deal with were becoming more complex in nature and demanding more time outside of formal meetings. The level of research required to become fully versed in the broad spectrum of Council business was highlighted.
65% of Members felt that the role had changed during their time on the Council, with increased levels of contact from residents and the immediacy of contact via social media creating expectations of immediate responses.
27 The reduction in staff support and cuts in services were cited as reasons for the increased contact from residents. Residents also approached Councillors as their community representatives to support them when dealing with other agencies such as the NHS and DWP. Members also commented that there was an increased opportunity to encourage and become involved in positive change in the area and this was an aspect of work that was unexpected but appreciated.
Members report experiencing an increase in time required to fulfil their roles fully. As a consequence of austerity measures reducing the levels of service to many residents, coupled with a reduction in staff resources, the demand on Councillors and their levels of casework have increased. Members also report an increase in the complexity of the cases they deal with, local Councillors being seen as democratically accountable for a whole range of other public sector and partner services, where there are no directly elected representatives. One area highlighted in particular was a growing demand on Councillors’ time to support residents at tribunals when appealing against DWP decisions.
In terms of the future, Members identified growing demands on their time linked to the continued austerity measures, not only through the impact of reductions in Council services on residents, but also the impact of changes in the welfare system and increased pressures on social care. The introduction of the Mayoral Combined Authority was also identified as an issue requiring a greater level of input and scrutiny from Elected Members in the authority to ensure that the local area maximises the opportunities the devolution agenda presents. Future impacts are further detailed below.
28 The Future
Localism and Policy Development The Council takes a proactive approach to localism and increased community activity is seen as essential. Examples include:
Encouraging residents to do more for themselves, to find local solutions to issues in their neighbourhoods. This is a key part of the Shaping our Future strategy for the sustainability of the Council; Councillors, as active community leaders, may therefore take on more responsibilities where they are part of groups (e.g. on the Management Committee) that receive additional assets; Where responsibilities are devolved, the accountability often remains with the local Councillor; and, Supporting local voluntary and community groups to generate their own income and become more sustainable for example by taking ownership of Council assets. Ward Councillors often play a leading role in developing and delivering such initiatives.
An example of an asset transfer, is the Council’s support of Earthbeat (a charity supporting people with a learning disability to develop and deliver theatre performances) to take over ownership of a former junior school, which now both is a venue for Earthbeat’s activities (the Earthbeat Centre) but which also generates income to support the group’s sustainability through the conversion of some space into commercial units. Details can be found at the group’s website by clicking here .
Additionally the Council now has a “Working Together” programme that is aimed at developing much closer relationships between the Council and our local VCS at all levels.
Our recently adopted Social Value Charter provides a clear and common understanding of what social value means in Redcar and Cleveland and identifies core activities to deliver greater benefits to our local communities.
To be successful all these initiatives require strongly engaged local communities and it is local Councillors that take much of the responsibility for creating the networks and partnerships that enables that activity to happen at local level.
Service Delivery In general terms, the Council has seen a number of events that have impacted on the organisation, its resources and delivery of services.
Devolution of Powers from Government Responsibilities and functions have been devolved down from Government to the Tees Valley Combined Authority, which impact on Councillors in the Borough. As well as the Leader’s representation on the Board of the Combined Authority (which meets roughly once a month, with similar briefing sessions) there are three Committees operating within the Combined Authority’s constitution: Transport, Audit, and Overview & Scrutiny Committees. The appropriate Cabinet Members represent this Council on Transport and Audit
29 Committees, and three Councillors sit on the Overview & Scrutiny Committee. The Committees meet roughly quarterly, except Overview & Scrutiny which meets most months.
Outsourcing / Insourcing Prior to the last electoral review, the Council’s housing (save for the statutory elements) and leisure functions had already been outsourced. After the electoral review, a large number of back-office services were outsourced but later transferred back to the Council, with the exception of a relatively small number of staff within the housing benefit and revenues services.
Since that time, school catering staff have transferred to external organisations and there may have been some transfers of other very small numbers of staff. However, perhaps in contrast to the trend in authorities elsewhere, there has been a larger focus on transferring functions in-house, with the Council’s highways teams being brought back into the authority’s employment recently and other significant new responsibilities, being taken on by the Council, notably:
The Public Health function (which transferred from the NHS in April 2013); School Nursing (which transferred from the NHS in September 2015); and, Health Visiting (which transferred from the NHS in September 2015).
These transfers, in particular, have involved the Council taking on the employment of staff working to NHS terms and conditions, presenting technical issues in terms of payroll systems and access to pension schemes etc, but also providing challenges in terms of recruitment and retention due to the disparity of contractual entitlements between health and local authority staff.
Sharing of Services The authority joined with Middlesbrough Council to create a joint Tees Valley Audit & Assurance Service, for which we are the lead authority. We are currently developing proposals for a shared public health service, also with Middlesbrough Council and currently share a Director of Public Health while these discussions take place. However, in terms of staff numbers, both of these initiatives are of a small scale at this stage and, therefore, of limited impact in terms of resources.
Changes to the External Environment The Council, from 2010/11 through to the end of the 2016/17 financial year, will have delivered in excess of £67.3 million of cuts in order to set a balanced budget, with the prospect of delivering a further £25.6 million by the end of this decade. A total reduction of £92.9 million. Over 1,100 (31%) members of staff will have left the Council’s employment over the same ten year period, though thus far we have managed to minimise the number of compulsory redundancies in these numbers.
Despite the size of these required reductions, we remain committed to delivering services in a way that is focussed on a range of agreed outcomes, which have been established to be open, fair and accountable.
The 2015/16 financial year was a difficult one for the Council and for the people of the Borough. The closure of the SSI Steelworks in Redcar in October 2015 had a direct
30 consequence for over 2,000 employees and even more within the supply chain of SSI. The Council as a consequence, suffered a direct loss in Business Rate income of £10.8 million per annum, capped at £2.5 million due to the safety net mechanism.
These issues have been further compounded by other external factors such as, for example, the impact of welfare reform, which has been particularly difficult in areas of high deprivation with large-scale reliance on benefits.
Members have played a vital role in the response to the loss of the SSI steel works in September 2015 which saw 3,000 jobs go overnight (equivalent to 5 years’ worth of jobs growth lost in 1 night). Members have taken on a significant role in their communities to help soften the blow arising from the closure, as well as other factors, providing support and signposting to local people affected, and to help shape the Council’s response, including through the Government sponsored SSI Task Force and its own welfare reform support initiatives.
Finance and Strategic Planning for the Future The level of Council business which existed when an Electoral Review was last undertaken has not, in reality, diminished. In fact, with the onset of austerity and its inherent challenges, together with various functions being either in-sourced, or transferred on a statutory basis, and the Council’s own serious local issues (e.g. the closure of the SSI steelworks and resultant economic shock), the work of the Council has increased over time.
To meet the challenges of austerity, the Council has an agreed Shaping Our Programme future which has existed since 2010. The programme is now in its third stage, with an agreed 3 year programme designed to deal with ongoing budgetary cuts and a change to the way in which we work.
A copy of the report setting out the programme and the associated challenges is included at Appendix 5. In summary, however, Shaping Our Future is our Council’s and borough-wide transformation plan, aimed at ensuring the Council, and its partners, continue to play a key role in improving the life chances of people within the Borough, whilst also living within the available financial constraints imposed by austerity.
Rather than follow a traditional programme of annually cutting existing services, the Council upon an ambitious programme of strategic, multi-year, reviews. It is now implementing the next three year period of reshaping the Council through the ‘Shaping our Future’ programme, reducing expenditure and maximising income, whilst endeavouring to ensure that the core objectives are capable of being delivered.
Seven key strands have been identified in order to achieve outcomes:
• Continuing to focus on economic growth; • Redesigning our services through outcome based service reviews; • Expanding our mixed economy, where it is advantageous to do so; • Protecting frontline services; • Minimising job losses; • A focus on the delivery of social value; and, • To deepen our approach to partnership, joint working and collaboration.
31
In this third phase of the Shaping our Future programme, the Council will continue the outcome-based review approach to take the Council through to 2020 in a financially sustainable manner whilst endeavouring to deliver on the majority of the promises set out in the Corporate Plan (Our Plan).
The Shaping Our Future 3 programme is comprised of three work-streams by which the overall target reduction of £25.6m will be achieved. In summary, the programme comprises:
• A schedule of ongoing reviews following the principles established in phase 2 of Shaping Our Future, focussing on the way in which services are currently run, the way in which the Council manages its finances and secures external funding, as well as seeking to reduce the need to borrow and the reduction of costs associated with historic PFI agreements. It is anticipated that this work will deliver reductions of £4.7 million over a life of this Efficiency Plan.
• A series of assumptions in the medium term financial plan which have budget and policy implications. These would see the receipts from Council Tax and the Adult Social Care Precept each increasing by 2% every year. It would also mean above inflation increases to fees and charges for Council services. These are estimated to collectively deliver income growth of £7.5 million over a three year period.
• Outcome Based Reviews spanning a broad range of service outcomes and aiming to collectively deliver a Council which is modern, efficient and financially stable. These will set out proposals for a new approach to the delivery of key services and over the three years to 2020 deliver efficiencies of £13.4 million to the Council. Summary detail of each review can be found in Appendix A.
In undertaking the governance of the ‘Shaping our Future’ reviews, the Council has been clear and specific about what has been achieved and what still needs to be done going forward, ensuring that resources remain focused on what matters most.
The achievement of balanced budget position through a year on year continuous review of our services, that have been established on agreed outcomes, gives the Council the assurance that the ‘Shaping our Future’ programme remains the most appropriate vehicle to sustain the Council, through to the end of the decade.
32 Conclusions & Recommendations
In considering the position outlined within the body of this report and the associated evidence, there are a number of key factors which are relevant in determining the relevant size of the Council’s membership in coming years:
The diverse nature of the Borough and its communities
The geography of Redcar and Cleveland is genuinely very diverse, with relatively dense urban populations in some areas, contrasted with small rural communities in other parts of the Borough, isolated in part by issues with the availability of public transport.
These varied communities tend to have their own specific history, culture and identity and, accordingly, the demand for political leadership and demand for Council services varies greatly across the Borough. It is important that this position is reflected in any proposals relating to the size of the Council and any changes to ward boundaries that might occur.
The Council’s decision making processes and governance arrangements generally
The last electoral review in Redcar and Cleveland took place in 2002. At that time, the executive model of governance was already established and this model remains in place today. However, given the fine political balance within the Council there has been a significant change of approach to the decision making process, particularly with regard to the involvement of non-executive members via Scrutiny and Improvement Committees.
These changes mean that decision making takes account of the Council’s history of fine political balance and shifting control through minority administrations and coalitions. Inclusivity of approach is vital in ensuring that key, and often difficult, decisions can be made through engagement with all members of the authority. To that extent, although the authority operates an executive model, there has been an increase in member participation within decision-making generally.
Changes to Council Functions
At the time of the last electoral review, the Council had already transferred out larger services such as leisure and housing and, again, this position has not changed since that time. A large-scale outsourcing of back-office staff was undertaken but was later brought back in house, with the exception of the housing benefits and revenues staff. Overall, therefore, there has been no reduction in the Council’s functions since the last electoral review took place.
To the contrary, the Council has tended to bring services, including its highways team, back in-house, and taken on additional functions such as public health, school nursing and health visiting services. Despite austerity and associated massive staffing reductions that have been implemented as a result, there has been a focus on protecting frontline services. By way of example, albeit with some changes to opening hours, the Council has continued to operate 13 libraries, ensuring that services to local communities are maintained.
33 The on-going and significant nature of challenges facing the Council at a local and national level:
The impact of austerity generally, compounded by the very significant consequences of local issues such as the closure of the steel works and other external factors such as welfare reform, have been highlighted in detail within the earlier sections of this submission.
The Council faces an uphill struggle to diversify its economy and increase growth and tourism, and ensure that its residents are equipped with the relevant qualifications and skills to take advantage of new opportunities as they arise. These are long term objectives which need strong leadership and Members will be a key resource in supporting and empowering communities during challenging times.
Changes to the demands on Councillors generally in light of current circumstances:
As stated above, the Council’s approach to decision making generally has been changed, over recent years with more of a focus on inclusivity and involving Members at an early stage via Scrutiny and Improvement Committees, with the Council’s internal meetings alone demanding more than 14000 Councillor hours to operate annually. Consequently, the call on Elected Member’s time has increased in terms of formal Council business, and this has proved effective in ensuring that decisions can be progressed through the governance structures timeously and without unnecessary challenge.
As evidenced by the outcome of the survey of Elected Members, there is also a clear view that demands on Councillors generally have increased. This is partly due to the advance of technology and social media since the last Electoral Review, with Elected Members now being contacted at almost any time of the day via emails, mobile telephones other electronic means, rather than through written correspondence or consultations during ward surgeries. The convenience of technology means that contact levels have increased generally, as has the frequency of contact from those being assisted by Elected Members in dealing with specific issues.
Additionally, Elected Members’ workloads have increased due to the impact of austerity and the reduced availability of Council Officers in some cases, as well as the rise in general ward/residents’ issues because of the financial position - including, for some Elected Members, involvement in social security tribunal cases for residents to address concerns over welfare benefits as a result of welfare reform.
Conclusions
In light of the above considerations and the evidence within this submission, the Council has arrived at the following conclusions:
The work of the Council as a whole has not diminished. Although various functions have been transferred in and out of the authority over time, the overall workload has, in effect, increased and the ongoing aim is to ensure that services to the public are protected so far as possible. On that basis, it is difficult to envisage that the Council’s input to the Borough will reduce in the foreseeable future;
Although the Council’s work has not diminished, the number of staff it employs has been markedly reduced with the loss of over 1000 jobs over recent years. Whilst frontline services have been protected, a significant number of management jobs
34 and support roles have disappeared, with a consequence of there being more of a need for Councillors to become directly involved with residents in terms of operational issues and providing an interface between the authority and its staff;
As well as issues arising from the national position generally for local authorities, Redcar and Cleveland is facing some difficult challenges which are specific to the area, with health and other inequalities being further compounded by the loss of employment and/or reduction income caused by the closure of the SSI works. The Borough is at a point where it needs ever stronger political leadership from Elected Members; not only in terms of in establishing its key aims set out in Shaping Our Future 3 and associated strategies, but also in acting as a key resource within their local communities, to help to empower residents and provide them with support as the impact of austerity deepens and the strain on Council services is increased; and,
Given the current financial situation and the impact on Council services, there is more need than ever before for Elected Members to be actively engaged within their communities. In that regard, and particularly in light of the need to shift away from reliance on Council services generally, there is a clear expectation that all Members have a key role to play in facilitating the involvement of residents in the delivery of community activity and locally based services. Elected Members seem to represent good value for money for the authority.
In light of the conclusions listed above, combined with the unique demographic/geographic characteristics of the Borough, it would seem impracticable for the Council size to be reduced at this particular time, particularly given the scale of challenges that the authority currently faces. To the contrary, there would appear to be some evidence which would support an increase in size because of more demands being placed on Elected Members. However, there is an acceptance that such an increase may be difficult to fully justify as the Council has continued to respond to challenges effectively during this time, despite the serious position faced by local authorities generally and particularly difficult local concerns.
In the circumstances and in the context of the challenges outlined above, the current Council size would appear to remain appropriate at present.
Recommendation
Given these conclusions, the Council’s recommendation to the Local Government Boundary Commission is that the authority’s membership of 59 Elected Members should be retained.
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Appendix 1 – Leader & Cabinet Job Descriptions
CABINET ROLE – LEADER OF THE COUNCIL
Councillor Sue Jeffrey
Collective Leadership Role as a Member of the Cabinet
To contribute to the overall political leadership of the Council, to collectively own decisions and ensure implementation; To work as one team across the Cabinet and Executive Management Team in an atmosphere of mutual respect and support; To contribute to the delivery of the Council’s vision, “to have an excellent environment for everyone living, learning, working and visiting here”; To own and demonstrate the values of the Council, “openness, fairness and accountability; involving and listening to citizens; valuing our people; continuous improvement”; To act as a spokesperson and champion, including on cross-cutting themes of equality and diversity and safeguarding; To act as an ambassador for the Borough and the Council promoting it locally, regionally and nationally; and, To monitor and challenge performance to drive up standards and meet financial targets.
Portfolio Role
This role provides overall political leadership of the Council and is the authority’s principal link with regional and sub-regional partnerships. The Leader will promote the interests of the Borough and the Council generally with potential investors and partners, and in the wider local government context through the Local Government Association and other routes.
The Leader secures strategic and political co-ordination, chairs the Cabinet and represents its collective position to Council and the community. The Leader will manage relationships between the Council’s various political groups and ensure that the Cabinet is properly accountable to the wider Council.
As Leader, the portfolio holder is responsible for all Shaping Our Future Outcomes.
Portfolio Responsibility
To determine the size of the Cabinet and relevant portfolios, and to make appointments accordingly. To provide the political leadership to the Council, including proposing the political
36 framework within which the Council will operate and to take such executive action as may be delegated by the Authority To ensure effective Corporate Governance including working with the opposition groups to seek to achieve where possible cross party cooperation To exercise community leadership through representation by the Council on local, regional and national organisations ensuring that the views of a wide variety of partners from the public, private, voluntary and community sectors are heard by the Council and others; and our own response/position on issues is considered by others To ensure the work of the Council is business-like across all portfolios To lead the Cabinet and ensure that its work is conducted in accordance with the Council’s Constitution and with due regard to any statutory provisions set out in legislation To ensure that Cabinet achieves its terms of reference both collectively and as individual portfolio holders To ensure the effective integration of roles, responsibilities and functions within the Cabinet membership To provide political leadership to steer organisational change that may be required to ensure the long-term sustainability of the Council To communicate the Administration’s policies and priorities to the Executive Management Team and receive their advice To ensure, through working with the Chief Executive, the long term financial, business and economic stability of the Council To hold the Chief Executive to account by participation in the agreed appraisal process To be the ambassador voice of the Council - for example in its dealings with Central Government, other Local Authorities and their Associations - positively promote the Council as a whole in the media and ensure that it is properly represented in key meetings as appropriate. To act as the political spokesperson for the Council To encourage the highest standards of probity and corporate governance for the well- being of the Borough To work with the Chief Executive to promote a positive and courteous working environment where staff and Members are valued for their contribution and operate within an environment of mutual respect. To take a lead role in the Communications strategy for the Council.
Lead Officer Chief Executive
37 CABINET ROLE - RESOURCES PORTFOLIO AND DEPUTY LEADER
Collective Leadership Role as a Member of the Cabinet
To contribute to the overall political leadership of the Council, to collectively own decisions and ensure implementation; To work as one team across the Cabinet and Executive Management Team in an atmosphere of mutual respect and support; To contribute to the delivery of the Council’s vision, “to have an excellent environment for everyone living, learning, working and visiting here”; To own and demonstrate the values of the Council, “openness, fairness and accountability; involving and listening to citizens; valuing our people; continuous improvement”; To act as a spokesperson and champion, including on cross-cutting themes of equality and diversity and safeguarding; To act as an ambassador for the Borough and the Council promoting it locally, regionally and nationally; and, To monitor and challenge performance to drive up standards and meet financial targets.
Deputy Leader Role To deputise for the Leader of the Council in their absence.
Portfolio Role
To provide political leadership to shape strategy and policy in order that we deliver the following Shaping Our Future Outcomes:
Maximise our income Make our assets work for us Get the best deal from our contracts Live within our means Good decisions, well executed in line with our values Right people, right place, right skills Compliance with policy, procedure and values Keeping the Council legally safe
Portfolio Responsibility
Making our Money go Further: Financial Information Information Technology Asset Management Facilities Management Procurement & Commissioning Internal Audit
38 Risk Management Health & Safety
Good Governance: Human Resources Legal Services Member Services Policy and Performance Shaping our Future
Lead Officer Corporate Director for Corporate Resources
39 CABINET ROLE – ADULTS PORTFOLIO
Collective Leadership Role as a Member of the Cabinet
To contribute to the overall political leadership of the Council, to collectively own decisions and ensure implementation; To work as one team across the Cabinet and Executive Management Team in an atmosphere of mutual respect and support; To contribute to the delivery of the Council’s vision, “to have an excellent environment for everyone living, learning, working and visiting here”; To own and demonstrate the values of the Council, “openness, fairness and accountability; involving and listening to citizens; valuing our people; continuous improvement”; To act as a spokesperson and champion, including on cross-cutting themes of equality and diversity and safeguarding; To act as an ambassador for the Borough and the Council promoting it locally, regionally and nationally; and, To monitor and challenge performance to drive up standards and meet financial targets.
Portfolio Role This role provides political leadership for the Council’s adult social care services in order to deliver the following Shaping Our Future outcomes:
People with a life limiting condition remain at home for as long as economically practical Maximise personal income to promote wellbeing Effective safeguarding for adults Greater personal control over the choice and management of care Make care a quality and dignified experience People with mental ill-health or disabilities are supported to live well
This is a role specifically required under statutory guidance, with specific obligations for ensuring a strategic approach to services for adults provided by the local authority and, in particular, promoting wellbeing, preventing social exclusion and protection of vulnerable adults
Portfolio Responsibility Adult Social Work and Safeguarding Quality of Care Better Care Fund Safeguarding and Deprivation of Liberty (DoLs) Joint working with our Health Partners Hospital Social Work Emergency Duty Teams Integrated Occupational Therapy Service Mental Health Social Work Recovery and Independence Services
40 Residential Learning Disabilities Services Older Peoples and Learning Disability Day Services Commissioning Property and Financial Affairs Service for Clients
Lead Officer Corporate Director for Adult and Communities
41 CABINET ROLE – CHILDREN’S PORTFOLIO
Collective Leadership Role as a Member of the Cabinet
To contribute to the overall political leadership of the Council, to collectively own decisions and ensure implementation; To work as one team across the Cabinet and Executive Management Team in an atmosphere of mutual respect and support; To contribute to the delivery of the Council’s vision, “to have an excellent environment for everyone living, learning, working and visiting here”; To own and demonstrate the values of the Council, “openness, fairness and accountability; involving and listening to citizens; valuing our people; continuous improvement”; To act as a spokesperson and champion, including on cross-cutting themes of equality and diversity and safeguarding; To act as an ambassador for the Borough and the Council promoting it locally, regionally and nationally; and, To monitor and challenge performance to drive up standards and meet financial targets.
Portfolio Role
To provide political leadership to shape strategy and policy to deliver the following Shaping Our Future Outcomes:
Parenting standards are improved ; Children are ready to start school; Early intervention prevents young people being brought into care; Children and young people are safe and protected from harm; Maximise school attendance; Drive up educational attainment; Ensure young people leave school with the skills and confidence for work, regardless of their background; Children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities lead fulfilling, independent lives; Young people in care have a good experience. Child poverty is reduced Reduce the number of young people who are not in education, employment or training Increase the number of apprenticeships Align education and training outcomes to meet local business needs
This is a role specifically required by Section 19 of the Children Act 2004 and accordingly, the portfolio holder has specific statutory obligations to ensure that the needs of all children and young people, including the most disadvantaged and vulnerable, and their families and carers, are addressed.
42 Portfolio Responsibility
Social Work Services including: Social Care Assessment and Field Social Work Looked After Children and Young People leaving care
Early Help including: Integrated Youth Support Early Years
All Age Disability Services including: Complex Needs Special Educational Needs Transitions 14-19 Partnership Youth Offending Service
Education Services including: Educational Psychology Attendance and Welfare Specialist Teaching Teaching and Learning Consultants Teacher Training Tuned In School Crossing Patrols School Improvement
Skills and Apprenticeships Careers Information, Guidance and Advice in Secondary Schools Careers-related early intervention work in Primary Schools Internal Apprenticeship co-ordination and support Support for NEETs to progress into employment, education or training NEET prevention work with colleges and learning providers Routes to Employment
Lead Officer Corporate Director for Children and Families
43
CABINET ROLE – ECONOMIC GROWTH PORTFOLIO
Collective Leadership Role as a Member of the Cabinet
To contribute to the overall political leadership of the Council, to collectively own decisions and ensure implementation; To work as one team across the Cabinet and Executive Management Team in an atmosphere of mutual respect and support; To contribute to the delivery of the Council’s vision, “to have an excellent environment for everyone living, learning, working and visiting here”; To own and demonstrate the values of the Council, “openness, fairness and accountability; involving and listening to citizens; valuing our people; continuous improvement”; To act as a spokesperson and champion, including on cross-cutting themes of equality and diversity and safeguarding; To act as an ambassador for the Borough and the Council promoting it locally, regionally and nationally; and, To monitor and challenge performance to drive up standards and meet financial targets.
Portfolio Role
To provide political leadership to shape the economic development and regeneration strategy and policy for the Borough with the aim of delivering the following Shaping Our Future outcomes:
Grow the number and types of businesses in the Borough through our Economic Regeneration Masterplan Build more homes Create more jobs Create the infrastructure for a flourishing Borough People are “work-ready” by having the right personal skills Local people have higher level skills and aptitudes to do the jobs that are being created
Portfolio Responsibility
Strategic Planning Economic Masterplan Delivery Business Support and Development Public Transport Development Management Building Control Land Searches Licensing Housing Development as an economic driver
44 Highways – Strategic External Apprenticeships Adult Learning Community Skills Apprenticeship Training Components East Coast Training
Lead Officer Director for Economic Growth
45 CABINET ROLE – HEALTH, HOUSING AND WELFARE PORTFOLIO
Collective Leadership Role as a Member of the Cabinet
To contribute to the overall political leadership of the Council, to collectively own decisions and ensure implementation; To work as one team across the Cabinet and Executive Management Team in an atmosphere of mutual respect and support; To contribute to the delivery of the Council’s vision, “to have an excellent environment for everyone living, learning, working and visiting here”; To own and demonstrate the values of the Council, “openness, fairness and accountability; involving and listening to citizens; valuing our people; continuous improvement”; To act as a spokesperson and champion, including on cross-cutting themes of equality and diversity and safeguarding; To act as an ambassador for the Borough and the Council promoting it locally, regionally and nationally; and, To monitor and challenge performance to drive up standards and meet financial targets.
Portfolio Role To provide political leadership to shape strategy and policy to deliver the following Shaping Our Future outcomes:
Reduce health inequalities in the Borough People make healthy lifestyle choices Reduce harm caused by smoking, obesity and alcohol Promote a safe and healthy living environment Reduce the impact of life limiting conditions Mitigate the impact of welfare reform To be a point of contact between the NHS and Council Services
Portfolio Responsibility Environmental Protection Food/Port/Animal Health (Commercial Team) Housing Improvement and Homelessness Gypsies and Travellers Health Improvement and Healthcare Quality Commissioning Trading Standards (including the Regional Enforcement Team (Scambusters)) Community Health Development Tees Valley Public Health Shared Service Meeting housing needs Domestic Violence Welfare reform Revenue and benefits
Lead Officer Corporate Director for Adults and Communities and Director of Public Health
46 CABINET ROLE – NEIGHBOURHOODS PORTFOLIO
Collective Leadership Role as a Member of the Cabinet
To contribute to the overall political leadership of the Council, to collectively own decisions and ensure implementation; To work as one team across the Cabinet and Executive Management Team in an atmosphere of mutual respect and support; To contribute to the delivery of the Council’s vision, “to have an excellent environment for everyone living, learning, working and visiting here”; To own and demonstrate the values of the Council, “openness, fairness and accountability; involving and listening to citizens; valuing our people; continuous improvement”; To act as a spokesperson and champion, including on cross-cutting themes of equality and diversity and safeguarding; To act as an ambassador for the Borough and the Council promoting it locally, regionally and nationally; and, To monitor and challenge performance to drive up standards and meet financial targets.
Portfolio Role To provide political leadership to shape strategy and policy in order that we deliver the following Shaping Our Future Outcomes:
With the help of local people our Borough is maintained to a high standard Communities become more self sufficient Self-service and modern channels of communication become the norm Provide a good experience at the point of delivery
Portfolio Responsibility Neighbourhood & Customer Services Libraries and Customer Services Parks and Gardens Community Development Environmental Assets Refuse and Recycling Services Neighbourhood Maintenance Plans Community Safety and Enforcement Flood alleviation & Winter Maintenance Engineering Highways – Operational Parking
Lead Officer Assistant Director for Neighbourhoods and Customer Services
47 CABINET ROLE – TOURISM, CULTURE AND COMMUNICATIONS PORTFOLIO
Collective Leadership Role as a Member of the Cabinet
To contribute to the overall political leadership of the Council, to collectively own decisions and ensure implementation; To work as one team across the Cabinet and Executive Management Team in an atmosphere of mutual respect and support; To contribute to the delivery of the Council’s vision, “to have an excellent environment for everyone living, learning, working and visiting here”; To own and demonstrate the values of the Council, “openness, fairness and accountability; involving and listening to citizens; valuing our people; continuous improvement”; To act as a spokesperson and champion, including on cross-cutting themes of equality and diversity and safeguarding; To act as an ambassador for the Borough and the Council promoting it locally, regionally and nationally; and, To monitor and challenge performance to drive up standards and meet financial targets.
Portfolio Role To provide political leadership to shape the tourism, leisure and cultural strategies in the Borough, with the aim of delivering the following Shaping Our Future outcomes:
Improve health and wellbeing by increasing participation in leisure and cultural activities Enhance and protect our heritage for future generations Improve access to our heritage and recreational amenities Make the most of our natural assets to grow the visitor economy Oversee the communications of the Council Oversee the social media presence of the Council
Portfolio Responsibility Culture Museums Arts, Tourism and Heritage Events Visitor Ambassadors Volunteer and Support Coordination Countryside and open spaces, including Countryside Centres Communications
Lead Officer Director for Economic Growth and Corporate Director of Resources
48
Appendix 2 – Member Survey Summary
Electoral Review Councillors Survey 2017
Member Names are not included in this summary.
Q. Are you a:
% Actual Number
Cabinet Member 16% 5
Member of a Scrutiny Committee 56% 17
Member on a outside body 10% 3
Other (please state) 16% 5
Q. During the 2016/2017 municipal year how many hours per week on average did you spend sitting on Council committee meetings, partner organisations/ outside
Actual % Number
None 0% 0
1 to 3 hours 18% 5
4 to 6 hours 36% 10
7 to 9 hours 11% 3
10 to 12 hours 17% 5
13 to 14 hours 0% 0
15 hours or more 17% 5
3. During the 2016/2017 municipal year how many hours per week on average did you spend preparing for Council committee meetings, or partner organisations/
% Actual Number
None 0% 0
49 1 to 3 hours 24% 7
4 to 6 hours 37% 11
7 to 9 hours 10% 3
10 to 12 hours 6% 2
13 to 14 hours 3% 1
15 hours or more 17% 5
Q. If you held a position of Chair or Vice Chair, during the 2016-17 municipal year how many hours per month on average did you spend on this?
% Actual Number
Not applicable 60% 15
1 to 2 hours 4% 1
3 to 4 hours 8% 2
5 to 6 hours 16% 4
7 to 8 hours 8% 2
9 to 10 hours 4% 1
Q. If you held a position of Cabinet Member during the 2016-17 municipal year how many hours per week on average did you spend on this?
% Actual Number
Not applicable 82% 19
1 to 2 hours 0% 0
3 to 4 hours 0% 0
5 to 6 hours 0% 0
7 to 8 hours 0% 0
9 to 10 hours 0% 0
11 hours or more 17% 4
50 Q. If you were a member of scrutiny during the 2016-17 municipal year, how many hours per month on average did you spend on this?
% Actual Number
Not applicable 21% 6
1 to 2 hours 3% 1
3 to 4 hours 7% 2
5 to 6 hours 25% 7
7 to 8 hours 25% 7
9 to 10 hours 10% 3
11 hours or more 7% 2
Q. During the 2016-17 municipal year how many hours per month on average did you spend on NAPS (Neighbourhood Action Partnerships)?
% Actual Number
None 3% 1
1 to 2 hours 20% 6
3 to 4 hours 44% 13
5 to 15 hours 20% 6
16 to 20 hours 6% 2
Over 20 hours 3% 1
Q. If you are a member of a political group, do you undertake any specific role within your group e.g. treasurer, whip?
% Actual Number
Yes 45% 13
No 55% 16
51 If yes, please provide a brief description
Treasurer Labour Women’s Forum
deputy leader
whip
Group secretary
Chairman
Leader of Labour Group
leader of group
Branch Chair
Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland Representative on the Executive Committee
N/A
Group Treasurer
Whip
deputy leader
Q. Do you attend any other meetings within your Councillor role?
% Actual Number
Yes 89% 27
No 7% 2
If yes, please state:
Governor Meetings
N.E Region Health Scrutiny committee, group meetings, ward surgeries, ward meetings, NAP meetings residents, parish Council meetings walkabouts
Cleveland ironstone museum rep
residents opp
52 scrutiny, outside bodies
C.E.O., Ward meetings, Saltburn masterplan, Observing meetings, Briefings, Corporate parenting visits
One-to-ones with residents, community groups, issue specific meetings e.g. ASB
Appointed to numerous formal and informal outside bodies, attend meetings with residents on an ad hoc basis
Tribunal work
Community meetings. parish meetings. partnership meetings
voluntary visits children/adult care homes
briefing sessions, training
Eston Moving Forward, Eston Market Events, Community Development Catch Ups
Group meetings Action North Skelton, Pre-Council Briefings, Member workshops, specific training sessions.
voluntary groups, ward meetings
Surgery once a month, Meetings re flooding, sewage, planning, fly tipping
Meetings with local organisations, residents etc.
Normanby Forum
personnel general purposes committee, Corporate Parenting Board
Royal British Legion for advice. Guisborough in Bloom, impromptu ward surgeries
ward offices meetings, patch walks with the police and local housing association, events organising for the ward,
LGA training and special meetings
Networking with other services
TEESPORT HEALTH
Role inc: Internally - Committees member Foundation For Jobs, Regen Masterplan Meetings, Currently Saltburn and Redcar: Outside Bodies: Director on TET and INCA, committee member to NECP, NEIFCA, Joint Archives,
Friends of Redcar Cemetery, ERRA.
53
Q. If yes, during 2016-2017 municipal year how many hours per month on average did you spend on attending other meetings within your Councillor role?
% Actual Number
Not applicable 3% 1
1 to 2 hours 14% 4
3 to 4 hours 14% 4
5 to 6 hours 21% 6
7 to 8 hours 10% 3
9 to 10 hours 10% 3
11 hours or more 25% 7
Q. During the 2016-17 municipal year how many hours per week on average did you spend on ward issues? (Please note this does not include Neighbourhood
% Actual Number
Not applicable 0% 0
1 to 5 hours 17% 5
6 to 10 hours 41% 12
11 to 15 hours 17% 5
16 to 20 hours 10% 3
Over 20 hours 13% 4
Q. What are the main issues which make up your ward caseload?
Actual Number
Highways issues including pot holes, drainage, gully emptying, 12 cutting of grass verges, street lighting
Rubbish/litter and dog fouling 9
54 Education issues including school appeals and school transport 6
Libraries and Museums 4
Trading Standards and Enforcement 2
Countryside Access 3
Economic Development and Regeneration 7
Youth Services 5
Planning issues 8
Family and Social care issues 8
Other (please specify) 16
Other issues identified:
anti-social behaviour
arson
welfare issues
Q. On average how many enquiries do you receive each week? (This includes those received via face to face, letter, telephone, email, social media etc.)
% Actual Number
Not applicable 0% 0
1 to 2 enquiries 13% 4
3 to 5 enquiries 20% 6
6 to 10 enquiries 31% 9
11 to 15 enquiries 6% 2
Over 15 enquiries 27% 8
Q. How many hours per week on average do you spend on dealing with enquiries?
% Actual Number
55 Not applicable 0% 0
1 to 2 hours 10% 3
3 to 4 hours 27% 8
5 to 6 hours 41% 12
7 to 8 hours 3% 1
Over 8 hours 17% 5
Q. On average how many home visits do you attend per week?
% Actual Number
None 24% 7
1 to 2 home visits 55% 16
3 to 4 home visits 6% 2
5 to 6 home visits 13% 4
Q. How many hours per week on average do you spend on home visits?
% Actual Number
None 24% 7
1 to 2 hours 44% 13
3 to 4 hours 20% 6
5 to 6 hours 6% 2
7 to 8 hours 3% 1
56 Q. How many hours per month on average do you spend on ward surgeries?
% Actual Number
None 20% 6
1 to 2 hours 51% 15
3 to 4 hours 20% 6
5 to 6 hours 3% 1
7 to 8 hours 0% 0
8 to 10 hours 3% 1
Q. How do you generally deal with case work and what support do you get?
speak/forward emails to cabinet members/officers then follow up
email or telephone officers, often have to send reminders, site meetings
passes to Council officers, advice given, passed to partner agencies
by email officers support visits
via email
officer contact verbal and email, variable
I generally deal with casework via email or telephone. I feel I am supported by my neighbourhood officer/community development officer with most of these enquiries, or I know the officer contact specifically to whom I can forward the concerns to.
Officer support
Usually go through democratic support. Or direct to officer responsible.
The majority of cases work is undertaken by myself with very little support from Council Officers. This has been the case since the Neighbourhood Ward Officers were removed from the Council structure. For each case work I complete a work sheet record with the residents personal and contact details. A record of actions is kept until the case work is complete. A record of this is kept for future reference if required.
meet at my home - discuss the problem- contact officers to sort out / remedy the
57 problem
I deal with casework by keeping all work documented and filed away. I also check the process of each case when sent to the relevant person marking down Completed, Ongoing and Uncompleted. I get support from my other ward Councillors.
Email or telephone. Generally good support from fellow Councillors
Straightforward issues on the Case Management System and or other issues telephone or e-mail officers.
by myself enlisting support where necessary
Speak to neighbourhood devt officer or relevant Council officer, emails, phone calls, home visits. Visit site then report back after research, discussion
Admin, visit and t/cs plus notes. No support
Liaise with colleagues, Council workers and other residents.
Help from my neighbourhood worker
E-mail and Telephone contact, via support from Community Development Officer
Contact the resident either via phone or email and offer to meet with them in person. If necessary pass on the complaint to the relevant Council officer/department and liaise between them and the resident to try facilitate an acceptable solution. I will then contact the resident to check that once any agreed work is carried out they are happy with the outcome
I deal with all enquiries personally and get great support from officers of the Council at all levels which is essential to complete enquiries to the complainants satisfaction
I email offices of the Council or where I think the request needs to go to. I arrange site visits with the people I need to contact to resolve the case work etc. I would get support from other Councillors etc.
I maintain a hard copy and cloud based filing system for all case work. I have always experienced 100% support from officers and colleague Councillors.
Make representations on behalf of the resident to the LA or other bodies, feeding back to the resident. Support comes from Council officers, and my fellow ward Councillors.
I visit the resident then email regarding enquiries and if I need any additional support I see a community development officer and/or my political group
58 Telephone Home visits
EMAIL AND TELEPHONE, Hotline
Q. What other Community Organisations do you regularly engage with/attend meetings in your role as Councillor?
% Actual Number
Parish Councils 10% 3
Coast and Country Housing 10% 3
Other Social Housing organisations 0% 0
DWP 0% 0
Residents Associations 14% 4
Citizens Advice Bureau 0% 0
School Governor meetings 3% 1
Age UK 0% 0
Other (please specify) 60% 17
Q. During the 2016-17 municipal year how many hours on average per week did you spend on engaging with community groups?
% Actual Number
Not applicable 6% 2
1 to 2 hours 24% 7
3 to 4 hours 31% 9
5 to 6 hours 17% 5
7 to 8 hours 6% 2
9 to 10 hours 0% 0
11 hours or more 13% 4
59
Q. As well as Neighbourhood Action Partnerships, how do you engage with the communities within your ward?
% Actual Number
Newsletter 10% 3
Home Visits 0% 0
Surgery 3% 1
Blog 0% 0
Website 3% 1
Social Media e.g. Facebook or Twitter 6% 2
Walkabouts 13% 4
Other (please specify) 62% 18
Other
surgery, social media, walkabouts
newsletter, home visits, surgery, social media, walkabouts, telephone, letter and press
surgery, social media, walkabouts
home visits, social media, walkabouts
social media
Again only one option is allowed; Surgery, home visits, walkabouts, articles, Facebook
You can only select one option on this survey for a number of questions which require more than one answer. (For this: newsletter, surgery, twitter, walkabouts)
all of above
I write a none political newsletter informing my residents of any news worthy events within the Saltburn Ward and Borough Council. The newsletter is emailed out to 400 residents and I hand deliver 380 newsletters to residents home addresses each month. The number has slowly increased over the years when residents subscribe to receive it. I also post Council and Saltburn community news on Facebook. I undertake a street ward surgery each month where I letter drop approximately 150 properties
60 stating that I will be available on a certain time and date to visit them if they have any ward issues they wish to discuss with me
email, personal contact, meetings
most of the above
Leaflets/newsletter, home visits, surgery, walkabouts/door knocks. Phone calls
social media, email, leaflet/newsletter, walkabout, home visit, site visit
also walkabouts, home visits, surgeries
I spend time in those areas where people are known to require support and or help.
Social Media and Walkabouts
all the above aside newsletter
Q. During the 2016-17 municipal year how many hours on average per month did you spend on engaging with communities using the following methods: Newsletter, Home visits, Walkabouts, Surgery, Website, Social media e.g. Facebook, or Twitter, or blog?
% Actual Number
Not applicable 0% 0
1 to 5 hours 20% 6
6 to 10 hours 40% 12
11 to 15 hours 13% 4
16 to 20 hours 10% 3
Over 20 hours 16% 5
61 Q. Do you feel that you have received the appropriate training/briefings to fulfil your role as a Councillor?
% Actual Number
Yes 89% 26
No 11% 3
Q. During the 2016-17 municipal year how many hours on average per month did you spend on training/briefings?
% Actual Number
Not applicable 6% 2
1 to 5 hours 69% 20
5 to 10 hours 20% 6
11 to 15 hours 0% 0
16 to 20 hours 0% 0
Over 20 hours 3% 1
Q. Do you generally find that the time you spend on being a Councillor is what you expected?
% Actual Number
Yes 44% 13
No 7% 2
If no please give details 48% 14
spend a lot more time
The role if done properly is all consuming
due to bureaucracy time spent is wasted
A great deal more work than anticipated work load has become more involved and complicated with much more complicated
62 too much red tape and political in fighting
The job is more time consuming than I expected and as Council staff levels reduce more is asked of Councillors.
Like the universe activity expands!
it's more
Out of Council demands are greater
I have to do a lot more research/homework than i expected to become versed in the broad spectrum/remit of the Council
sometimes it’s a lot more than I expected
I attend many meetings as a deputy for my colleagues who have to work or have other such commitments. As a result my workload is perhaps higher than the average back bench Councillor.
Much more time than I expected.
I expected it to be more but as I am new I'm sure it will increase eventually
Q. Since you have been elected, do you think your role as a Councillor has changed?
% Actual Number
Yes 65% 19
No 34% 10
If yes, please state how:
First elected 1979, change from committee system to cabinet/scrutiny system. Because of IT engagement with public has increased exponentially, more skills need, fewer staff to assist
more technology
far more regular contact from public
More relevance of national aspects being devolved
Caseload has increased
Number of contacts from residents has increased as the number of Council staff has
63 diminished. With the lack of a named neighbourhood officer for each ward, more of the burden falls onto the Councillor to deal with and forward enquiries.
more issues to deal with
it’s become more challenging
The support we had in relation to dealing with complaints and issue's has diminished. The reduction in Council services has increased our workload in dealing with complaints and the lack of action taken
more involvement locally and borough wide
more direct involvement, more complex needs, greater demands
Much more time now spent directly with residents
More understanding of how the Council works / better understanding how who to deal with in relation to different tasks.
More case work
Cut backs in central funding have made it more difficult
I didn’t realise how much more work a Councillor got involved with, like The NHS, benefit enquiries, Council tax etc., court cases involving rent and Council tax arrears
I tend to get immersed in my case file and committee work, which generally involves more work through research.
There's so much more opportunities to encourage and participate in positive change for the area than I was initially aware of. The opportunities to set up groups/services/forums and even apply for further funding etc are huge. Happy for the greater responsibility
more use of technology
Q. How do you think the role of a Councillor will change over the next five years?
Become more difficult due to budget cuts leading to cuts in services
With cutbacks for Councillors will increase further expansion of IT will increase need for training more work and constant adaptation by Councillors.
Councillors will begin to take on some officer roles due to job cuts
use of technology will increase
64 grown into more social care
More devolved powers and greater working across authorities and partnerships will require greater understanding of place of Council within the legislative and service delivery framework.
I think that demands on Councillors will continue to increase as the level of Council staff (and Council resources) diminishes due to cuts.
Lack of officers work load much increased More issues relating to DWP tribunal work increasing More residents seeking assistance on a whole range of issues from housing to benefits to social services issues
More blame, more work, more violent.
Increased workload becoming more involved in community groups and projects to fill in those roles and responsibilities the Council once undertook within our communities but no longer do due to budget cuts
problems will increase due to spending cuts
More government cuts meaning more challenging times for any Councillor especially representing a ward in R&CB with has one of the highest rates of poverty, crime and health issues.
Increase in workload due to budget measures, possible factors due to brexit or changes in government policies
With the introduction of the Mayoral Combined Authority scrutiny of its operation will be important to ensure equality across all authorities and that correct procedures and development projects are managed properly.
Exponentially!
Don't feel I have enough experience to say, only 6 months in the job. Probably more use of electronic devices
More in-depth involvement on issues whose budgets have been cut
Likely workload to increase as benefit changes come into effect / SSI closure full and long lasting impact is felt.
As we have less staff Councillor will have to pick more of the case work
Not sure
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Appendix 3 – Neighbourhood Action Partnerships
Name of NAP / Ward Short description of how NAP operates Membership (Chair / Vice Attendance Any other relevant comments Chair) statistics (last 12 months) Brotton The NAP meetings take place on a quarterly Chair is currently Cllr March 2016 – The meetings are generally poorly basis and rotate between the 3 villages within Malcolm Griffiths December 2017 36 attended, particularly when taking the ward; Brotton, Carlin How and attendees over 4 place in the village locations. Carlin Skinningrove, with every other meeting being Vice Chair is currently meetings How and Skinningrove are both within in Brotton. Margaret Whitehead, Vice the Loftus Parish and whereas they There is a standard agenda and any items of Chair of Skelton & Brotton Mar 2016 5 recognise that they are in the Brotton interest or guest speakers are added as Parish Council. June 2016 10 Ward there are clear links with the suggested by, or agreed with the Chair. Sept 2016 14 Loftus Parish area. CDO carries out the secretariat work for the Attendees are usually Dec 2016 7 meeting from booking arrangements, minute community group taking, auctioning decisions or sourcing members, residents, responses for matters arising. CDO prepares police and other RCBC posters for circulation electronically and also departments with distributes to premises throughout the ward. occasional attendance from other partners. Coatham During 2016/17 meetings changed to a Chair is Cllr Neil Baldwin Generally meetings A range of issues are covered including quarterly basis to enable more progress to and Vice Chair is resident attract between 15- ASB, Retail sector, Voluntary & take place between meetings. Mrs J Crawford 20 attendees, Community Sector, with regular depending on the reports provided from the Police, Fire issues being and Local Councillors. A large discussed proportion of the meeting time is given to ‘any other business’ allowing residents the opportunity for discussion and recognising the diversity of the ward.
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Dormanstown This is held on the 4th Wednesday of each One Cllr will chair meeting Started again month all year. May/June 2016 Action meeting – ideas/suggestions put Vote at AGM. On avg: forward by residents Resident is Vice Chair 2 Police, 1 rep from Ward Cllrs used their entitlement to pay for Coast & Country and some ward schemes / community groups other agencies events. This is voted on at NAP meeting and depending on their spend is shared at NAP meetings. agenda Set agenda week before NAP, Advertised via 8 residents email, posters and social media CDO takes minutes and passes on actions to relevant departments / agencies or partners.
Eston The NAP meets every two months, and Chair – Councillor Ann The total attendance Occasionally there is a speaker such as meetings alternate between California Youth Higgins from January 2016 to the Police and Crime Commissioner or and Community Centre, and Wilton Primary Vice-Chair – Dave Fisher, January 2017 was the Illegal Money Lending Team. School, Lazenby. resident of Eston Ward 109. The meetings follow an agenda but are and local business owner informal, and people feel able to contribute to the discussions. Notes are taken at each meeting and actions are recorded and allocated to the relevant officers shortly after the meeting.
Grangetown The meeting has recently changed from every Chair Cllr. Lynn Pallister Approximately 15 There has been an increase in the six week to every eight weeks. The meeting Vice Chair Cllr. Jade people attended number of residents attending and the has approximately 8-10 residents that attend Stainthorpe each meeting over meeting in early 2016 had a top table regularly, the agencies that attend are Fire the last year, 122 style with agencies and a theatre style Brigade, Cleveland Police PCSO, Coast & attendances in total seating. In mid-2016 the style of the Country Housing, South Bank Credit Union, 2 meeting was changed to meet around Ward Councillors, Early Help Zone Lead a large table which has improved the The agenda is standard and reports are meeting as everyone can hear better available from CDO, Early Help, Community and it encourages the residents to
67 Health Development Coordinator, Fire & participate, the change in style had Police. positive comments from lots of participants. The residents raise issues and they are followed up by the agencies and feedback given at next meeting Guisborough, Hutton The hosting of joint NAP arrangements for the Chair 2017-18 – Cllr Attendance at the Meetings are always held on an and Westworth three wards which was trialled last year has Graham Jeffery meetings is fairly evening. Cllrs have suggested starting combined continued following a consensus of both Ward Vice Chair 2017-18– Hazel consistent however meetings during winter months to Councillors and NAP attendees. Meynell – Town Councillor attendance from assist with travel on darker evenings Meetings are still held every 8 weeks and the and key member of residents and with higher risk of adverse weather venue rotates between Belmont House and several community groups community conditions. every third meeting a venue in the Westworth ie Friends of KGV, members from the The only other agency who regularly Ward. This is due to no suitable venue Guisborough Town Pride Westworth Ward is attend is the Police. available for meetings in the Hutton ward and still low and this is an the central location and parking availability at area that the NAP is Belmont House. trying to address. Meetings are attended by Ward Councillors, Attendance figures community group members, residents and May 2016 – 25 Police with all secretariat (including room July 2016 – 19 bookings, minutes, actions point circulation Sept 2016 – 25 and responses etc) provided by myself. Nov 2016 – 17 Occasional speakers attend after approval Jan 2017 – 24 from the Chair such as Police & Crime Mar 2017 – 24 Commissioner, Rural Police Liaison Officer etc. May 2017 – 27 A standard agenda includes updates from the July 2017 – 21 community and any projects they wish to 182 attendees across inform the meeting of, update on elected ward 8 meetings = ave Member allocation spend and a public forum attendance 22.75 for any questions from attendees. per meeting
68 Kirkleatham This is held every other month 1 Cllr will chair meeting all On avg: Action meeting – ideas/suggestions put year and vote at AGM 2 Police, 1 rep from forward by residents NO Vice Chair Coast & Country and Ward Cllrs used their entitlement to pay for other agencies some ward schemes / community groups depending on events. agenda Set agenda week before NAP, Advertised via 8 residents (mainly email, posters and social media from the church) 1 CDO takes minutes and passes on actions to Ayton Drive resident relevant departments / agencies or partners. Lockwood Meetings are every 8 weeks and venue rotates Chair – Cllr Steve Kay – As Attendance figures Meetings are always held on an between Lingdale Youth Centre and the single ward Councillor June 2016 – 16 evening commencing at 6.00pm and Moorsholm Memorial Hall with every third the Chair of the meeting Aug 2016 – 16 the only other agency who regularly meeting in Moorsholm. will not change. Sept 2016 – 15 attend is the Police. Meetings are attended by the Ward Councillor, Vice Chair – Parish Nov 2016 – 10 Parish Councillors, community group Councillor Mike Jefferson Jan 2017 – 14 members, residents and Police with all Mar 2017 – 24 secretariat (including room bookings, minutes, May 2017 – 8 actions point circulation and responses etc) July 2017 – 13 provided by myself. 106 attendees across Occasional speakers attend after approval 8 meetings = ave from the Chair such as Police & Crime attendance 13.25 Commissioner, Rural Police Liaison Officer etc. per meeting A standard agenda includes updates from the community and any projects they wish to inform the meeting of and a public forum for any questions from attendees. Loftus The NAP meetings take place approximately Chair is currently Cllr Eric March 2016 – There is a strong community every 8 weeks and rotate between Loftus, Jackson. January 2017 107 involvement that supports the NAP Easington and Liverton villages. The Chair rotates in attendees over 6 and Loftus ACCORD, so meetings are There is a standard agenda and any items of alphabetical order so each meetings usually well attended and productive. interest or guest speakers are added as Councillor has a year in Mar 2016 17 There is also good attendance at the suggested by, or agreed with the Chair. post. May 2016 17 surrounding villages. Prior to 2015,
69 CDO carries all the secretariat for the meeting The newly appointed Vice July 2016 14 meetings only took place in Loftus from booking arrangements, minute taking, Chair is Kath Cornes, Sept 2016 28 itself. auctioning decisions and sourcing responses member of several Loftus Nov 2016 16 for matters arising. Also prepares posters for community groups. Jan 2017 17 circulation electronically and distributes to premises throughout the ward. Attendees are usually community group members, residents, police and other RCBC departments with occasional attendance from other partners. Longbeck The Longbeck NAP changed to quarterly last Cllr Turner is Chair and Cllr Meetings held There is generally an older profile of year but due to commitments of the Chair, Cooney vice chair as no mainly at Gleneagles attendees at this meeting. A high there have been a couple of meetings resident volunteered and centre New Marske proportion of attendees are Coast and cancelled. Cllr Findley is normally in 6pm. Country residents, however Coast and This NAP does not tend to have many speakers attendance. Low numbers, we Country Housing do not attend. or visitors and so used more as a complaints have tried to hold in session. Attendees have realised that they can Marske library too contact me at any time so don’t need to wait but don’t get many until NAP. There is a meeting booked mid- attendees when we March with Councillors to discuss the NAPS hold at Marske and how they will feature in the Ward in 2017. library. Jan 16 12 attendees including CDO and 2 Cllrs March-16, 17 attendees including CDO, Police and 3 Cllrs. May 16 7 attendees including CDO and 2 Cllrs.
70 Newcomen Meetings are held every six weeks Alternates between each On avg: This is a really successful NAP. More Action meeting – ideas/suggestions put ward Councillor 2 Police, 1 rep from residents attend and ward members forward by residents Coast & Country and work together to resolve local issues. Ward Cllrs used their entitlement to pay for other agencies ward schemes depending on Set agenda week before NAP, Advertised via agenda email, posters and social media 10 residents CDO takes minutes and passes on actions to relevant departments / agencies or partners.
Normanby The Normanby Ward NAP is held every 6 Chair is Councillor Chris On average there are The Normanby NAP has discussed weeks, and alternates between two venues. Foley McCormack 14 members of the many local issues which have then The first venue is the Methodist Church on Vice Chair is Mr Ron Day public each meeting. been taken further either and mainly Cleveland Street Normanby and meets on a local resident through the different Council Thursday evening. The second venue is the departments, but also taken to other Normanby Cricket Club and meets on a Friday. Both positions are elected agencies such as the Police, Fire Both venues attract a good audience, the core at the AGM, although the Service or Housing providers. of which attends both venues. The meeting Chair has to be an Elected Attendees can then see the results and follows a formal setting with a top table and Member so is the position resolutions to these issues. The NAP public seating. The top table is made up of the is discussed and agreed by works within the Normanby Ward, and Chair, Vice Chair, Police Officer or PCSO, the Ward Members prior although it may be the same faces Community Development Officer & any invited to the AGM where the each meeting and some of the issues speaker. new Chair is announced raised and discussed could have been passed through the call centre, it is a The meeting follows a pre agreed agenda very useful forum for both the Council (Agreed between Community Development to get information out into the Officer & Chair or Vice Chair). Minutes are community and visa a versa. When taken during the meeting by the Community there is an issue that hits the wider Development Officer and presented at the community we have had standing following meeting. room only at the meetings.
71 Ormesby The Ormesby Ward NAP has dwindled to Chair is Councillor Irene On average there are The Ormesby Ward NAP has struggled holding the meeting biannually as it doesn’t Nightingale 2-3 members of the to be successful as some other NAPs, tend to attract many residents. Vice Chair is Mr Ian Hart public at each but not for the want of trying. local resident meeting. Members of the public contact the Ward members have supported the CDO direct or arrange to see them Community Development Officer’s persistence Both positions are elected during local surgeries and discuss their in trying to increase attendance by: at the AGM, although the or community issues. Selecting different days of the week Chair has to be an Elected Selecting different Times of the day & evening Member so is the position Selecting different venues is discussed and agreed by 100% Ward leaflet drop the Ward Members prior Street Banners to the AGM where the Posters new Chair is announced Saltburn The Saltburn NAP (SNAP) changed to quarterly Cllr Thomson is Chair and NAP held in Saltburn The age profile of attendees is last year. This SNAP is very proactive and tries resident Jim Wingham is library 6pm generally older, but is representative to have a variety of speakers and topics vice chair and Cllr Smith Jan 16 22 attendees of a lot of active residents. relevant to the Ward. and Cllr Hannaway are including CDO and 3 normally in attendance. Cllr and 1 PCSO. April 16, 21 attendees including CDO, Police and 2 Cllrs. July 16 22 attendees including CDO and 2 Cllrs 2 PCSO 2 Council officers. Sept 16 18 attendees including CDO and 2 Cllr and 1 PC 1 PCSO & PCC. Jan 17 15 attendees including CDO and 1 Cllr and 1 PC and PCC
72 Skelton The NAP meetings take place on a quarterly Chair is currently Cllr Cliff March 2016- Good community support basis and rotate between the 4 villages that Foggo who is very December 2017 44 Members work well together despite make up Skelton; Old Skelton, North Skelton, interested and proactive. attendees over 4 different political backgrounds Skelton Green and New Skelton. meetings There is a standard agenda and any items of Vice Chair is currently interest or guest speakers are added as Eileen Goodenough, a Mar 2016 12 suggested by, or agreed with the Chair. Skelton resident with June 2016 7 CDO carries out all the secretariat for the considerable experience Sept 2016 13 meeting from booking arrangements, minute with community groups. Dec 2016 12 taking, auctioning decisions and sourcing Attendees are usually responses for matters arising. CDO prepares community group posters for circulation electronically and also members, residents, distributes to premises throughout the ward. police and other RCBC departments with occasional attendance from other partners.
South Bank The meeting is planned every six weeks. The Chair Cllr. Ian Jeffrey Approximately 15 At this meeting the residents raise meeting has approximately 6-8 residents that Vice Chair Cllr. Neil people attended issues to follow up and there are some attend regularly, the agencies that attend are Bendelow each meeting over sub groups that have formed as a Fire Brigade, Cleveland Police PCSO, Gentoo, the last year, 135 result of some items e.g. Community Coast & Country Housing, Guinness Trust, attendances in total Led Housing project. South Bank Credit Union, St John’s Church representative, Baptist Church representative, 3 Ward Councillors, Regeneration Team, Selective Licensing RCBC, lifeline representative, Early Help Zone Lead and agencies that come on an ad-hoc basis as Guest Speakers. The agenda is standard and reports are available from CDO, Regeneration, Early Help, Fire & Police.
73 St Germain’s The St Germain’s NAP changed to quarterly Cllr King is Chair and Meetings held at There is generally an older profile of last year. Marilyn Marshall resident Marske Library attendees at these NAPs This NAP does not tend to have many speakers is vice chair as no resident Marske 6pm. or visitors. Residents that have issues have volunteered and Cllr Jan 16 16 attendees realised that they can contact the CDO at any Moses and Cllr Wilson are including CDO and 2 time so don’t need to wait until NAP. normally in attendance. Cllrs and Will Chair and vice chair set agenda at pre agenda Active groups as Gander. meeting and agree minutes which CDO attendees. April-16, 12 provides. They try to deal with matters arising attendees including from previous meeting and update on things CDO, Police and 2 that are relevant at the time in the Ward. Cllrs. June 16 11 attendees including CDO and 2 Cllrs. Sept 16 12 attendees including CDO and 2 Cllrs and 1 PCSO Jan 17 12 attendees including CDO and 1 Cllr and 1 PCSO
Teesville The NAP meets every two months, and Chair – Councillor Bob The total attendance There are occasionally presentations meetings alternate between Christ Church Norton from January 2016 to by Council staff such as the recycling Eston, and Eston Grange Methodist Church. Vice-Chair – Jim Higgins, January 2017 was scheme that was being piloted in resident of Teesville Ward 68. Teesville Ward. The meetings follow an agenda but are informal, and people feel able to contribute to the discussions. Notes are taken at each meeting and actions are recorded and allocated to the relevant officers shortly after the meeting.
74 West Dyke & Zetland The functions of the NAP have been subsumed combined into a pre-existing residents’ group which meets monthly. Councillors usually attend.
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Appendix 4 – Shaping Our Future 3 Member Report
This report was presented to Cabinet on Tuesday 6 December 2016 and can be found on pages 3-235 of the Cabinet workbook via the link below:
Redcar and Cleveland Cabinet Business Papers – Tuesday 6 December 2016
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Appendix 5 – Councillor Hour Calculations
average overall no of meetings meeting preparation time cllr hours meeting members per year duration time allocation required Borough Council (inc AGM) 59 8 3 6 9 4248 All Member Briefings 59 7 1 0 1 413 Member Conferences 59 2 3 1 4 472 5133 Cabinet Cabinet 8 8 3 4 7 448 Cabinet Members Briefing 8 8 3 4 7 448 Cabinet EMT 8 8 2 2 4 256 breifings with Directors / AD etc 8 52 2 1 3 1248 Cabinet members in scrutiny 8 16 3 2 5 640 3040 Scrutiny Children and Families S&I Cttee 13 8 3 3 6 624 Chair and Vice Chair pre-agenda 2 8 1 1 2 32 Adult and Communities S&I Cttee 13 8 3 3 6 624 Chair and Vice Chair pre-agenda 2 8 1 1 2 32 Economic Growth S&I Cttee 13 8 3 3 6 624 Chair and Vice Chair pre-agenda 2 8 1 1 2 32 Resources S&I Cttee 15 8 3 3 6 720 Chair and Vice Chair pre-agenda 2 8 1 1 2 32 Scrutiny chairs in Cabinet 4 8 3 1 4 128 2848 Committees Regulatory committee 17 13 3 5 8 1768 Chair and Vice Chair pre-agenda 2 13 2 1 3 78 Governance Committee 15 6 3 3 6 540 Chair and Vice Chair pre-agenda 2 6 1 1 2 24 Health & Wellbeing Board 6 5 3 3 6 180 Corporate Parenting Board 12 4 2 2 4 192 Chair and Vice Chair pre-agenda 2 4 1 1 2 16 Personnel and General Purposes Committee 13 8 2 2 4 416 Chair and Vice Chair pre-agenda 2 8 1 1 2 32 Family Placement Fostering Panel 1 12 2 3 5 60 Family Placement Permanency Panel 1 12 2 3 5 60 Freedom of the Borough Advisory Cttee 4 1 2 2 4 16 Health & Safety Advisory Committee 7 4 2 1 2 56 3438
14459 cllr hours to conduct council business annually 1204 cllr hours to conduct council business monthly
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