Agenda for Scrutiny Board (Central and Corporate) on Monday, 7th June, 2010, 10.00 am

Scrutiny Board (Central and Corporate) - Monday, 7th June, 2010 10.00 am

Venue: Civic Hall, Leeds, LS1 1UR. View directions

Contact: Andy Booth (0113) 247 4325 Email: michael.earle@leeds.gov.uk

Items
No.	Item
1.	Chair's Opening Remarks Minutes: The Chair welcomed Members and officers to the first meeting of the Board in the 2010/11 municipal year, and Members and officers introduced themselves.
2.	Declarations of Interest To declare any personal / prejudicial interests for the purpose of Section 81 (3) of the Local Government Act 2000 and paragraphs 8 to 12 of the Members Code of Conduct. Minutes: No declarations of interest were made.
3.	Apologies for Absence To receive any apologies for absence. Minutes: Apologies for absence were received on behalf of Councillors J L Carter, B Chastney, and J Lewis.
4.	Co-opted Members PDF 86 KB To receive and consider the attached report of the Head of Scrutiny and Member Development. Minutes: The Head of Scrutiny and Member Development submitted a report in respect of the appointment of co-optees onto Scrutiny Boards., Arising from specific discussions in relation to Procurement matters, it was the consensus of the Board to co-opt someone with a procurement or contract background when discussing this issue. The Head of Scrutiny and Member Development responded and agreed to investigate who the most appropriate person may be and report back to the Board. RESOLVED – (a) That the contents of the report be noted. (b) That the Board consider on an ad hoc basis the need to appoint co-optees as and when the need may arise in relation to a particular Inquiry or specifically when discussing procurement matters.
5.	Input to the Work Programme 2010/11 - Sources of Work and Establishing the Board's Priorities PDF 77 KB To receive and consider the attached report of the Head of Scrutiny and Member Development. Additional documents: Council Business Plan Executive Summary , item 5. PDF 34 KB Details of Scrutiny Reports June 2010 , item 5. PDF 38 KB The Board's work 209-10 , item 5. PDF 41 KB Central & Corporate June-Sept. 2010 , item 5. PDF 338 KB Minutes: The Head of Scrutiny and Member Development submitted a report to assist the Board to develop its work programme for the 2010/11 municipal year. This included an executive summary of, and the improvement priorities identified in, the Council’s Business Plan 2008-2011, a list of work undertaken by this Board and a copy of the relevant extract from the Council’s Forward Plan of Key Decisions for the period 1^st June to 30^th September 2010. In attendance at the meeting and responding to Members’ queries and comments were:- Nicole Jackson, Assistant Chief Executive (Corporate Governance) James Rogers, Assistant Chief Executive (Planning Policy and Improvement) Doug Meeson, Chief Officer (Financial Management), Resources At the request of the Chair, the above officers outlined their individual responsibilities and key roles for their particular service area for the information/comment of the meeting. Arising from these discussions, the Chair and Board Members identified the following issues for potential scrutiny for the new municipal year:- Business Transformation Project Draft Enforcement Policy Costs of communications Employment issues around diversity within the workforce The Social Responsibility Programme Procurement around specific issues e.g. how, during a tender exercise, any material change to the original specification may or may not result in a fresh tender being advertised, efficiency savings and renewables and the need to look at the evaluation criteria Budget scenario planning Partnerships Equality and Diversity Scheme Joint Services New Vision for Leeds 2011-2030 Leeds Strategic Plan The above officers responded to the individual comments made by the Board. In conclusion the Chair thanked officers for their attendance and the manner in which they had responded to Members’ queries and comments. RESOLVED – That the contents of the report, and the contributions made during the discussion, be taken into account when the Board was finalising its work programme and deciding its priorities.
6.	Determining the Work Programme 2010/11 PDF 82 KB To receive and consider the attached report of the Head of Scrutiny and Member Development Additional documents: work programme June 10 , item 6. PDF 50 KB Minutes: Further to Minute 5, the Head of Scrutiny and Member Development submitted a report regarding the criteria for determining its proposed work programme for the next year, and including a skeleton work schedule, which highlighted the dates for budget scrutiny, quarterly performance monitoring reports and recommendation tracking updates. In addition to the issues discussed under Minute 5, the following issues were also referred to as matters which Members felt warrant further investigation, if possibly not in some cases a formal inquiry:- Leeds City Region and the Governance Arrangements Equality Issues/Policy Issues with an input from ALMOs Data Information shared throughout the Council The Head of Scrutiny and Member Development advised the Board that the Executive Member for Resources and Corporate Functions may also want to raise a number of issues for the Board to consider when he attends the next meeting in July 2010. The Board also noted that they would still receive regular quarterly financial monitoring reports. In conclusion, the Head of Scrutiny and Member Development agreed to update the Board’s July work programme to incorporate the following specific issues:- · Procurement, with the Chief Procurement Officer in attendance to discuss issues relating to material change/risk assessment and to comment on a list to be provided of all Scrutiny Board recommendations made at previous meetings in relation to procurement · Generic costs around communications · Outturn quarterly report, with the Chief Officer (Financial Management) in attendance RESOLVED – That the Head of Scrutiny and Member Development, in conjunction with the Chair, draw up a draft work programme for discussion with the Board.
7.	Executive Board Response to Final Scrutiny Board Reports PDF 56 KB To receive and consider the attached report of the Head of Scrutiny and Member Development. Additional documents: Consultant Engagement Inquiry Scrutiny Cover Report 100510 , item 7. PDF 89 KB Minutes: The Head of Scrutiny and Member Development submitted a report regarding the response of the Executive Board following receipt of this Scrutiny Board’s Inquiry report into the use of consultants published in April 2010. All the Board’s recommendations had been agreed by the Executive Board and the recommendations would now be monitored under the Recommendation Tracking System, and the Board would receive its first progress report at its September meeting.. RESOLVED – (a) That the contents of the report be noted. (b) That this Board notes the response of the Executive Board to this Board’s recommendations arising from the Inquiry into consultant engagement. (c) That this Board notes the arrangements for monitoring progress on the implementation of the recommendations.
8.	Date and Time of Meetings for the 2010/11 Municipal Year Monday, 5 July 2010 Monday, 6 September 2010 Monday, 4 October 2010 Monday, 1 November 2010 Monday, 6 December 2010 Monday, 10 January 2011 Monday, 7 February 2011 Monday, 7 March 2011 Monday, 4 April 2011 Minutes: Monday, 5 July 2010 Monday, 6 September 2010 Monday, 4 October 2010 Monday, 1 November 2010 Monday, 6 December 2010 Monday, 10 January 2011 Monday, 7 February 2011 Monday, 7 March 2011 Monday, 4 April 2011 All to commence at 10.00am (Pre-meetings for Board Members at 9.30am) (The meeting concluded at 10.55am)