SSCCRRUUTTIINNYY AANNNNUUAALL RREEPPOORRTT 22000077//22000088 SCRUTINY ANNUAL REPORT 2007/08 The aim of scrutiny is to improve decision-making and service delivery. It does this in a variety of ways but key to effective scrutiny is gathering evidence and involving local people. Evidence is obtained from reports, visits and expert witnesses enabling the panels to reach a conclusion on the issues and make recommendations to cabinet. Visits this year have included: • Ealing Hospital • Ealing Jazz Festival • Traffic and Emergency control • Kier and Mears (two building centres contractors for Ealing Homes • Schools • Tenants - in their own homes • Bus Depot • Ealing Homes (workshops) • Street site visits • Max Glatt Detox Unit Each visit allows members to speak to service users and providers and to see conditions ‘on the ground’. This enables members to take a balanced view and to reach considered judgements. Users and interested local people have also attended meetings to hear or be involved in specific issues, for example: • Nuffield speech and language unit • Wheelchair Services • Bus lanes • Safety at stations in borough • Accessible transport • Grants to voluntary organisations • Allotments • Mobile meals • Establishment of Local • Public conveniences Improvement Network (LINK) • Parking Services • Estate Agents Boards • Street Trading Policy • Pest Control Most of the panels also co-opted representatives from local organisations and businesses including: • Chambers of Commerce • Ealing Connexions • PPI Forums (health) • Southall Community Alliance • Ealing Passengers and Transport • CoE and RC nominations Users Group (education matters) • Transport for London • Ealing Cycling Campaign • Ealing Civic Society • Association of British Drivers • Ealing Community Network • Residents Associations • Youth Representatives • Parent Governors Overall, over 300 individuals have contributed to scrutiny’s work in 2007/08, from actively participating as a co-opted member of a panel, to attending specific panel meetings and/or suggesting topics for scrutiny. This level of involvement is crucial to 2 scrutiny’s ongoing commitment to involve local people in decision making and to contribute to democratic renewal. The scrutiny conference 2008 was held on 13th May and prioritised topics for the forthcoming year as well as carrying out an initial exercise on scoping the specialist panels. This annual report presents a summary and key outcomes for scrutiny during the year. The detail of the work of all of the panels can be found at www.ealing/services/council/committees SCRUTINY PANELS Overview and Scrutiny Committee has an overall management role for the scrutiny function and commissions the specialist panels (see below). There are four other standing panels - Council, Business and Community Partnerships, Education Leisure and Children’s Social Services, Health, Housing and Adult Social Services and Transport and Environment. These five panels examine the performance of the council and health providers, hold the executive and others to account for their performance and make recommendations for improvement. During 2007/08 the standing panels made over 20 recommendations covering a wide range of issues, for example: • ensuring “green energy” considerations were integral in gas and electricity procurement • improvements to waste services • allocation of resources for highway maintenance • constructive working between partners to improve safety and security for rail passengers at local stations • improvements in consultation, liaison and provision of health services • putting forward a proposal for an Ealing Disabled Parking Permits scheme • developing a new street trading policy The annual statements of the standing panels can be found on the following pages with full details of the reports and discussions being available on the website. Specialist Panels examine and develop policy proposals and make recommendations to cabinet on completion of their work. This year there were four specialist panels: The Bus Lanes Panel was set up to examine the operation of Bus Lanes in the borough. It made a number of recommendations to Cabinet proposing: • Abolishing all 24 hour bus lanes • Creating a Framework for review and installation of current and new bus lanes • Rationalising the bus lane operating hours in the borough • Creating a consistent system of signs and traffic markings 3 The Ealing Homes Repair Works Panel was created to look at the repairs service, how effectively it was working and how it could be improved. It made a large number of recommendations, some to Cabinet and some directly to the Board of Ealing Homes including: • Improving the ways in which ward members can engage with Ealing Homes • Developing better ways of working between the council and Ealing Homes • Enhancing ways in which Ealing Homes engages with their tenants including improved telephone systems and better communications materials • Developing mechanisms for effective scrutiny of the service The Parking Services Panel was set up to examine how the council could provide a better standard of customer service to its residents and other motorists. Recommendations included: • Increasing customer services’ capacity for parking issues including more staff and opening later one evening a week • Improvements to the way that permits are processed including greater online capability • Clarifying and improving the process relating to PCNs • Producing a communications strategy to ensure clear understanding amongst the public of how the system works The Pest Control Panel considered the key pests in the borough and examined the role of Ealing’s Pest Control Service in dealing with these issues. It made several recommendations including: • Reviewing fee charging policy • Investigating the feasibility of extending the service to schools, hospitals and the local business community • Developing protocols and working relationships with all relevant partners in the borough • Working up a business case to operate an in-house commercial pest control service JOINT OVERVIEW AND SCRUTINY COMMITTEE FOR LONDON Ealing participated fully in the pan London OSC to respond to the London PCTs’ consultation on “Healthcare for London: consulting the capital” and successfully hosted one of the meetings. SCRUTINY IMPACT The specialist panels from 2006/2007 have had a great impact on the executive in 2007/2008. • The Borough Apprenticeship Scheme is now going into its second year with 23 apprentices working for the council and at least 17 apprenticeships brokered with local employers 4 • Care in the home for our vulnerable residents has improved with nearly all the panel’s recommendations implemented other than for accessible transport which scrutiny will examine further in 2008/ 2009 • Neighbourhood governance arrangements are radically changing in 2008 /2009 as a result of the panel’s work and should lead to enhanced members’ work in their wards • In Southall Traffic congestion and parking, while a constant issue has been alleviated and improved by the implementation of some of the recommendations of the panel with more promised in the coming year. SCRUTINY IN 2008/09 During 2008/09 scrutiny is looking forward to the publication in the summer of the statutory guidance fleshing out the provisions of the Local Government and Public Involvement in Health Act 2007. OSC is geared up to deal with the “Councillor Call for Action” and is looking forward to ensuring that this is embedded in the new neighbourhood governance structures being put in place. The new powers to scrutinise local partners is an opportunity for increased engagement with the LSP and developing a more effective working relationship. There is also a new relationship to build with the LINk with the end of the PPI Forums in March 2008. Scrutiny Panels for 2008/09 Standing Panels Specialist Panels Overview and Scrutiny Committee Council, Business and Community Worklessness and skills Partnerships Education, Leisure and Children’s Youth Provision Social Services Health, Housing and Adult Social Services for older Black and ethnic Services minority people Transport and Environment Traffic Calming and 20 Mph zones OSC have also established the LDF Specialist Scrutiny Panel to have a time limited examinations of key aspects of the LDF. 5 OVERVIEW AND SCRUTINY COMMITTEE 2007/08 The year has seen the committee covering a wide range of topics as well as handling a large number of Call-ins. We have also been engaged in creating a model for dealing with Councillor Calls for Action once they become a statutory requirement and are looking forward to the other opportunities which will be Cllr Anthony Young Chairman Overview and available under this legislation. Scrutiny Committee OSC has overall management responsibility for the scrutiny function, ensuring that each panel has relevance to the corporate priorities. OSC itself concentrated on the corporate priority of organisational improvement: to be a consistently top performing organisation focused on the needs of its communities and the community strategy theme of success through partnerships – to develop an effective and high performing Local Strategic Partnership (LSP). To these ends, OSC: • reviewed performance management information • scrutinised decisions made by cabinet • scrutinised the budget • considered high level strategies and proposals • reviewed the LSP improvement plan • interrogated the chairman of the LSP on accountability, communication and performance • took the lead in considering