Agenda and minutes

Members are asked to declare any interest and the nature of that interest which they may have in any of the items under consideration at this meeting. 

There were no declarations of interest.

The Chairman to advise whether they have agreed to any item of urgent business being admitted to the agenda.

There was no urgent business.

To confirm as a correct record the minutes of the meeting held on 19 July 2011.

The Minutes of the meeting of the Committee held on 19 July 2011 were agreed as a correct record and signed by the Chairman.

Report of Chief Executive and Corporate Strategy and Performance Manager

Summary

To review the completion of the annual Self Assessment undertaken by the Council against the Achieving Standard under the Equality Framework for Local Government.

Recommendations

The Overview and Scrutiny Committee is recommended to:

(1)               Consider the evidence and information submitted in the Council’s Self Assessment against the Achieving Standard under the Equality Framework for Local Government.

(2)               Refer the Self Assessment to the Executive for approval.

The Chairman welcomed the Corporate Strategy and Performance Manager and the Equalities and Diversity Officer to the meeting.

The Corporate Strategy and Performance Manager introduced the report and gave a short presentation which set the context for the Self Assessment.  She explained that the Council’s approach to equalities had evolved over the last few years from an original focus on legal compliance and “box-ticking” to the current ethos of ensuring that our business processes, performance management and service delivery are appropriate for the needs of all residents and flexible in response to people’s requirements.  The Committee learnt that in 2008 the Council identified  90 equalities impact assessments of its service departments but that as the approach to equalities has developed a more focused and targeted approach has been developed which aims to assess about 10 – 15 equalities issues per year prompted by changes to service delivery and customer requirements  rather than following departmental structures. 

The Corporate Strategy and Performance Manager highlighted four main points which underpin the Council’s work on equalities:

Approach: the focus was now about making the Council’s services equitable, accessible and high quality for all regardless of their needs and not about targeting particular strands of ethnicity or religion for the sake of box ticking.

Resources: the work is embedded in teams across the Council supported to a limited extent by the Corporate Strategy and Performance Manager and the Equalities and Diversity Officer and the Corporate Planning Assistant.

Legislation: still complex but now consolidated in the single 2010 act which is better suited to the Cherwell approach (i.e. focusing on a holistic and locally appropriate approach to equalities rather than a limited set of characteristics)

Results: the focus is on using customer feedback and service testing to produce practical results. For example on a local volunteer translation service and running the successful Knowing Our Communities events, these types of events aim to make a difference to service users by enhancing access and focusing resources on the frontline.

The Committee noted that although each section of the draft Self Assessment included details of “Areas For Improvement” there was no indication of how or when these would be reviewed or measured. It was therefore appropriate to suggest that the Overview and Scrutiny Committee should monitor the progress on the implementation of these improvements at a future meeting.  In response officers agreed to bring an initial response and action plan for the “Areas For Improvement” to a future meeting of the Committee.

The Committee were concerned to note that the Cherwell district has the highest reported hate crime figures next to Oxford City within the Oxfordshire area.  The Committee invited officers to provide further information and detail on this matter.

The Committee requested further information on the work being undertaken by Housing Services to review the grants given to community groups in order to improve the distribution of funding to groups and also on the take up and effectiveness of the training offered to Asian landlords.

In response to  ...  view the full minutes text for item 22.

Report of Interim Head of Legal and Democratic Services

Summary

To update the Committee on the Overview and Scrutiny Work Programme 2011/12.

Recommendations

The Overview and Scrutiny Committee is recommended to:

(1)               Note the current Overview and Scrutiny element of the work programme for 2011/12 as set out at Appendix 1.

(2)               Note any items of interest in the current version of the Forward Plan     (September 2011 - December 2011) and consider whether to include them on the work programme for 2011/12.

(3)               Determine the agenda items for the 18 October 2011 meeting of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee.

The Committee considered the report of the Interim Head of Legal and Democratic Services which updated Members on the Overview and Scrutiny Work Programme 2010/11.

Forward Plan

The Committee agreed that there were no items on the Forward Plan for September to December 2011 that they wished to include on their work programme in 2010/11.

Agenda for 18 October 2011

The Committee agreed that the agenda should include a further discussion with the Corporate Strategy and Performance Manager and the Equalities ? Diversity Officer on the equalities issued raised at this meeting and a briefing from the working party looking at the Registered Social Landlord’s Policy.

Resolved

(1)               That there were no items in the current version of the Forward Plan     (September - December 2011) to include on the work programme for 2011/12.

(2)               That the current Overview and Scrutiny element of the work programme for 2011/12 be noted.

(3)               That it be noted that the 18 October 2011 meeting of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee would consider an updated report on the Council’s Equality Framework for Local Government ‘Achieving’ Self Assessment and additional briefing information on the level of equalities related crimes in Cherwell and on the training offered by the Council to Asian landlords.  In addition the working group looking at the Registered Social Landlord’s Policy would brief the Committee meeting on their initial discussions with officers.