PLEASE NOTE VENUE AND TIME `9+ SCRUTINY CO-ORDINAT ING COMMITTEE AGENDA Fr i da y 9th February 2007 at 1.30 pm Owton Manor Community Centre Wynyard Road, Hartlepool MEMBERS: SCRUTINY CO-ORDINATING COMMITTEE: Councillors S A llis on, Bar ker, Clouth, R W Cook, Fleet, Gibbon, Hall, James, Laffey, A Mars hall, J Mars hall, Preec e, Shaw , Wallac e, Wis tow and Wr ight. Resident Representatives : Ian Campbell, Iris Ryder and Linda Shields 1. APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE 2. TO RE CEIVE ANY DECLARATIONS O F INTE RES T BY MEMBERS 3. MINUTES 3.1 To confirm the minutes of the meeting held on 5th January 2007 (attached). 4. RESP ONSES FROM THE COUNCI L, THE EXECUTIVE OR COMM ITTEE S OF THE COUNCIL TO REPO RTS OF THE SCRUTI NY COORDINATI NG COMM ITTE E No ite m s. 5. CONSI DERATIO N O F REQ UEST FO R SCRUTI NY REVIEWS FROM COUNCI L, EXECUTIVE MEMBERS AND NON EXECUTIVE MEMBERS No ite m s. 07.02.09 - SCR UTCO O RD AG ENDA Hartlepool Bor ough Co uncil 1 PLEASE NOTE VENUE AND TIME 6 . FO RW AR D PLA N 6.1 The Executive’s Forward Plan – Scrutiny Manager 7. CONSIDERATION OF PROGRESS REPORTS / BUDGET AND POLICY FRAM EWORK DOCUME NTS No ite m s. 8. CONSI DERATIO N O F FI NANCI AL MO NITORI NG/CO RPORATE REPO RTS No ite m s. 9. ITEMS FOR DISCUSSION 9.1 Building Schools for the Future – Stage Two Consultation –Dire ctor Children’s Services 9.2 Withdrawal of European Structural Funding to the Voluntary Sector within Hartlepool Scrutiny Referral – Evidence from Community and Voluntary Sectors Organisations:- (a) Covering Repo rt – Scrutiny Manager / Scrutiny Support Officer; (b) Verbal Evidence from Community and Voluntary Sector Organisations in Hartlepool:- (i) Representative(s) from Hartlepool Voluntary Development Agency (HVDA); (ii) Representative(s) from Owton Fens Community Association (OFCA) (Attendance subject to confir mation); (iii) Representative(s) from Headland Development Trust; and (iv) Representative(s) from Belle Vue Community Sports and Youth Cent re. (c) Feedback from the Focus Group held on 1 February 2007 – Scrutiny Support Officer (to be circulated during the meeting) 9.3 Withdrawal of European Structural Funding to the Voluntary Sector within Hartlepool Scrutiny Referral – Evidence Local Authority Representatives:- (a) Covering Repo rt - Scrutiny Manager / Scrutiny Support Officer; (b) Verbal Evidence from the Local Authority’s Representatives:- (i) Assistant Director (Community Services), Adult and Community Services Department; and 07.02.09 - SCR UTCO O RD AG ENDA Hartlepool Bor ough Co uncil 2 PLEASE NOTE VENUE AND TIME (ii) Principal Economic Development Officer (Europe), Regeneration and Planning Services Department 9.4 Railway Approaches – Final Report – Chair of Regeneration and Planning Services Scrutiny Forum 9.5 New Scrutiny Powers on Crime and Di sorder – Scrutiny Manager 9.6 Requests for Items for Discussion – Joint Cabinet / Scrutiny Event – 28 February 2007 – Scrutiny Manager 10. CALL-I N REQ UESTS 11. ANY O THER ITEMS WHI CH THE CHAI RM AN CONSI DERS ARE URGE NT ITEMS FOR INFORMATION i) Date of Next Meeting Friday 16th March 2007 at 1.30pm in Committee Room B, Civic Ce ntre, Ha rtl epool. 07.02.09 - SCR UTCO O RD AG ENDA Hartlepool Bor ough Co uncil 3 Scrutiny Co-ordinating Co mmittee - Minutes – 5th January 2007 3.1 SCRUTINY CO-ORDINATING COMMITTEE MINUTES 5th January 2007 The meeting commenc ed at 1.30pm in Ow ton Manor Co mmunity Centre, Wyny ard Road, Har tlepool Present: Councillor: Jane Shaw (In the Chair) Councillors : Mary Fleet, Steve Gibbon, Ger ard Hall, Pauline Laffey and A nn Marshall Also Present: In accordance with Council Proc edure Rule 4.2, Councillor Geoff Lilley as substitute for Counc illor Stephen Allison and Councillor Dennis Waller as substitute for Councillor Marjorie James. Officers : Graham Fr ankland, Head of Procur ement and Pr operty Servic es Joan Wilkins, Scr utiny Support Officer Angela Hunter, Principal Democratic Serv ices Officer 159. Apo logies for Absence Apologies for absenc e w ere received from Councillors Stephen Allis on, Caroline Barker, Marjorie James, Rob Cook and resident repr esentativ e Linda Shields. 160. Declarations of in terest b y Me mbe rs None. 161. Minutes of the Scrutin y Co-ordinating Committee held on 24th November 2006 and the Single Status Working Group held on 21st November 2006. The minutes of the Scr utiny Co-ordinating Co mmittee held on 24th No v embe r 2006 w ere confir med, but due to the unavailability of the minutes of the Single Status Wor king Group held on 21st November 2006, they were deferr ed. 07.01. 05 - Scrutin y Co-ordin ating Co mmitt ee Minut es 1 Hartlepool Bor ough Council Scrutiny Co-ordinating Co mmittee - Minutes – 5th January 2007 3.1 162. Responses fro m the Council, the Exe cutiv e or Committees of the Council to Reports of the Scrutiny Co-ordinating Committee None. 163. Consideration of request for scrutiny reviews from Council, Executive Members and Non Executive Members None. 164. Forward Plan The Executive’s Forw ard Plan for January 2007 – A pril 2007 w as submitted for the Committee’s consideration. Members w ere asked to identify any issues in the Forw ard Plan that they felt should be c onsidered by the Scrutiny Coordinating Committee or one of the four for ums. A lthough Members felt that there had been a slight improv ement in the content of the Forw ard Plan, they still had concerns at the level of infor mation it c ontained. The Chair of Neighbourhood Servic es Scr utiny Forum referr ed to item NS104/06 – Selective Lic ensing of Privately Rented Hous es and the need for a co- ordinated approach w ith the For um dur ing their curr ent inquiry in relation to Pr ivate Sector Landlor ds. The Head of Procurement and Property Services indicated that he would progress this iss ue. 165. Conside ration of progress re ports/budge t and policy frame work documents None. 166. Consideration of financial monitoring/corporate reports None. 167. Final Report: Raising Bo ys’ Achievement – Bridging the Gender Gap (Chair of Children’s Services Scrutiny Forum) The draft final report of the Scrutiny Coor dinating Committee’s investigation into the Raising Boys’ Ac hiev ement – Br idging the Gender Gap w as submitted for the Committee’s consideration, amendment and subs equent approval for submission to Council. The report s et out the terms of reference, the methods utilised and the findings of the investigation. 07.01. 05 - Scrutin y Co-ordin ating Co mmitt ee Minut es 2 Hartlepool Bor ough Council Scrutiny Co-ordinating Co mmittee - Minutes – 5th January 2007 3.1 The draft conclusions of the report, w ere as follow s: - (a) That Hartlepool continued to do w ell in addressing the boys ’ underac hievement iss ue in its sc hools w ith the gender gap being very close to national figur es. How ever, the gap in Hartlepool related to boys writing rather than reading and as such future strategies should be focused upon boys literacy and in particular w riting; (b) That the A uthority s hould be commended on the appointment of a dedicated Rais ing Boys’ Ac hievement Co- ordinator and that the findings of this scr utiny inv estigation w ould clearly feed into the development of future practices. (c) That it w as evident that there w as no ‘one fits all’ strategy that w ould addr ess the boys ’ under achievement iss ue and w here strategies w ere successful in Hartlepool, it w as as a result of indiv idual schools implementing innovative initiatives and practic es tailored to their ow n cultural environments; (d) That in recognition of the differing ways in which individuals learn the curriculum should be tailor ed w here possible, and vocational c ourses utilis ed, to meet the needs of individual boys ; (e) That there w as a need to encourage schools in Har tlepool to share best practice and w hilst infor mal arrangement w ere in place consideration needed to be giv en to the creation of a formal netw ork and perhaps Hartlepool’s inv olv ement in a regional netw ork; (f) That transition arr angements for pupils moving betw een primary and secondary schools appeared on a w hole to be w orking effectively in Hartlepool although it was evident that further improv ements could be made; (g) That in view of the effectiveness of the National Education Breakthrough Programme for Raising Boys’ Achievements in helping other local authorities to rais e boys’ achievement levels, there w as a need to explore the extension of schools involvement in the programme w ithin Hartlepool; (h) That it w as evident that a ‘cluster’ funding approach to reduce the costs of involvement in the National Education Breakthrough Programme w ould be beneficial; (i) That to ensur e the effectiveness of the ‘rolling out’ of the Blended Lear ning Project it w as crucial for adequate staffing arr angements to be in place; (j) That whils t the Primary School Enquiry Groups had recently been established there may be a benefit for Elected Me mber involvement in 07.01. 05 - Scrutin y Co-ordin ating Co mmitt ee Minut es 3 Hartlepool Bor ough Council Scrutiny Co-ordinating Co mmittee - Minutes – 5th January 2007 3.1 them together w ith the cr eation of similar groups for Secondary Schools; (k) That a large factor in boys reaching their true potential w as the provision of good all r ound support and this w as partic ular ly applicable to parents; and (l) That w hilst Departmental Action Plans were in place to address the underac hievement of boys’ there w as clearly a need for the establishment of a separate departmental policy/str ategy.