Agenda item

To consider the Scrutiny Board’s Terms of Reference for 2024/25 as presented in the report of the Head of Democratic Services.

The Board received a report from the Head of Democratic Services, which presented the terms of reference for the Scrutiny Board (Strategy & Resources).

In attendance for this item were:

·  Mariana Pexton - Director of Strategy and Resources

·  John Mulcahy - Chief Officer Elections and Regulatory

·  Rob Clayton - Principal Scrutiny Advisor

The Director of Strategy and Resources provided a presentation which introduced the services that are in the Directorate and fall under the Board’s remit.

Challenges and opportunities for the council as a whole and the Directorate were identified as: demographic changes that will be described in the upcoming Joint Strategic Needs , continuing impacts of Covid-19 especially on inequality and demand for services, increases in cost of living pressures, increased demand for services as well as increased complexity of issues within communities, financial challenges and efficiencies and an increase in Section 114 notices issued by other local authorities, embedding digital approaches, improving customer experience, recruitment and retention, workloads and burnout, collaboration between services and organisations including the anchor network through the Team Leeds approach, managing major risks such as safeguarding, cyber threats and major incidents.

The Director noted the positive comments made through the recent Peer Challenge, as well as the recommendations made by the Peer Review and also provided the strategic context for the work delivered by the council and within the Directorate. The Best City Ambition (BCA) underpins the three pillars; inclusive growth, health & wellbeing and zero carbon. With the Organisational Plan (which will feature at the July Board meeting) being the main planning document for the council and a key strategy document for the authority including setting out manager expectations.

It was also noted that the BCA is a city-wide approach not just unique to the Council. The BCA underwent a refresh in 2023/24 with updates made to the Health and Well Being Strategy and Inclusive Growth Strategy along with updates messaging linked to Net Zero. Other changes included embedding the Marmot work as a key way of tackling inequality in the city as well as sharpening Team Leeds descriptions.

The Director of Strategy and Resources provided an oversight into how the Directorate works. The following services are delivered from within the Strategy & Resources Directorate’s with staffing levels at around 5,000 working in the services listed;

•  Front line services often provided to the most vulnerable, alongside organisational leadership for key support services such as business administration.

•  Civic Enterprise Leeds – including facilities management, passenger transport, catering, fleet, building and cleaning.

•  Integrated Digital Service – digital & technology strategy, digital change & inclusion and data analytics.

•  Legal, Democratic & Information Governance - legal advice across council democratic and governance services including member support, information governance, committee support and the Lord Mayor’s office.

•  Financial - budget, financial monitoring, treasury management, internal audit, council tax, business rates, core business transformation.

•  Freedom to Speak Up Guardian.

•  Human Resources including equality, diversity and inclusion, and health and safety.

•  Business Administration and Business Support Centre (including Payroll).

The Chief Officer Elections and Regulatory provided an overview of services that fall under the Board’s remit;

•  Entertainment licensing – licensing committee sets policy, licensing subcommittees make majority of decisions where representations received, personal licence holders, premises licenses, TENS, gambling and other licensable activities such as scrap metal

•  Registrars – births, marriages and civil partnerships, deaths, citizenships

•  Elections – conducting all polls, maintaining the register of electors. This service reported to scrutiny in 2023/24 on the introduction of voter ID.

•  Taxi and private hire licensing – licencing committee agrees policy, most decisions made by officers, Private Hire (PH) operators, PH vehicle proprietors, PD drivers, HC proprietors, HC drivers

•  Land and property search services – Local land charges, searches, street registration – dealing with property inquiries linked to transactions and purchases and on street registration.

Resolved – The Board noted the Terms of Reference as they relate to the Scrutiny Board (Strategy and Resources) and further noted the remit of the board as set out through presentation.

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