Agenda and minutes

Members are asked to declare any interests in the items under consideration and in doing so state:

(1) the type of interest concerned; and

(2) the nature of the interest concerned

If any member requires advice on declarations of interests, they are advised to contact the Head of Democratic Governance in advance of the meeting.

There were no declarations of interest on this occasion.

To agree the minutes of the last meeting held on 08 December 2016 as a true and correct record.

The Committee agreed that the minutes of the last meeting held on 8 December 2016 be signed by the Chairman as a true and correct record.

To consider any applications from members of the public to speak at the meeting.

The Committee noted that there were no applications from members of the public to speak at the meeting.

The Committee to consider the Executive and Cabinet Member decisions within the remit of the Resilient Communities Scrutiny Committee.

The Committee considered the Executive and Cabinet Member decisions within its remit, taken since the last meeting of the Committee.

Councillor Cain, Cabinet Secretary (Resilient Communities) responded to questions from the Committee about decision no. EX/56/2016 ‘Pan-Lancashire Health and Wellbeing Governance Arrangements’. He confirmed that future reports on the Health and Wellbeing Board would be directed to the Health Scrutiny Committee. He added that Blackpool would form part of the pan-Lancashire Health and Wellbeing Board, underneath which would be five health and wellbeing partnerships. Blackpool would be a member of the Fylde Coast Partnership arrangement.

The Committee expressed concerns that the local impact of health economy arrangements would be reduced as a result of the new Health and Wellbeing Board plans. Councillor Cain explained that meetings had taken place with the current Health and Wellbeing Board Chairmen and there had been consistent dialogue between the various boards. He agreed to supply further detailed information to the Committee Members via email.

In connection with decision no. EX/58/2016 ‘Domestic Abuse and Interpersonal Violence Partnership Strategy 2016/2020’, Councillor Cain confirmed that regular updates would be provided to the Resilient Communities Scrutiny Committee going forward.

The Committee agreed to note the Executive and Cabinet Member decisions.

The Committee to consider the content of the Council’s Forward Plan, January 2017 - April 2017, relating to the portfolio of the Cabinet Secretary.

The Committee considered the item contained within the Forward Plan, January 2017 – April 2017, that related to the portfolio of the Cabinet Secretary.

The Committee questioned whether decision ref. 7/2016 ‘Headstart Round Three Funding Bid Result and Future Action’ should still be on the Forward Plan. Councillor Cain explained that the funding arrangements and future actions were now in place and he believed the item should no longer appear on the Forward Plan. He did however recommend that it be placed on the future workplan for the Resilient Communities Scrutiny Committee.

The Committee agreed to note the Forward Plan item and to query with Democratic Governance why it was still appearing on the Forward Plan.

To inform Scrutiny Committee of the work undertaken by Children’s Services on a day to day basis and to update on the progress and implementation of developments within the areas.

The Committee considered a report which provided an overview of the recent work undertaken by the Children’s Services department, together with an update on the progress and implementation of developments within the area.

The report was introduced by Mrs Curtis, Director of People and Councillor Cain, Cabinet Secretary (Resilient Communities), who responded to questions from the Committee on the content of the report.

The Committee expressed its praise for the statistics reported in relation to the work carried out by Connexions and the Virtual School, which taken collectively amounted to approximately 60% of the 16-24 year old looked after children finding either employment, further training or volunteering opportunities during the 2016/17 academic year. Members questioned what became of the 40% that were outside of those statistics, to which Mrs Curtis confirmed they were still tracked and agreed to provide a more detailed report to the Committee on the outcomes at a future meeting.

With regards to High Needs Block Funding, the report suggested that the proposed funding figures for each local authority would mean that Blackpool’s funding would not be increased, despite a rising need within the town. Responding to questions from the Committee, Mrs Curtis confirmed that situation, explaining that the initial feedback received indicated that Blackpool did not meet the criteria for funding increase. She further explained that this did not necessarily mean that Blackpool would lose out, due to a funding cap that was in place.

The Committee raised questions about the work of the School Improvement Board, specifically about work being undertaken to improve the statistics that indicated a big dropout rate between school years 6 and 7. Mrs Curtis acknowledged that the figures were challenging and spoke of the pilot pieces of work underway with a view to improving the situation. These included various initiatives underway to work closely with the children involved and also the carry over of some teachers that would transition from years 6 to 7 at the same time as the pupils to maintain a degree of continuity. Councillor Benson, Cabinet Member for Schools and Learning added that she had recently attended a meeting of the School Improvement Board, where a great deal of discussion had taken place around transition, the results of which were encouraging.

The Committee asked for more information on the bid for the special free school which had been submitted to the Department for Education (DfE), to provide 48 places for pupils aged 10-16 years with social, emotional and mental health needs. Mrs Curtis explained that following submission of the bid, the Department for Education had responded by requesting more information, together with a feasibility report on possible site locations. This information was currently being prepared, with options on sites also being discussed.

In connection with the section of the report on Inspections, Members asked for more details on the Spire Academy, which was reported as requiring improvement. Mrs Curtis pointed out that whilst the academy was outside of the direct influence of the Council,  ...  view the full minutes text for item 6.

To consider the Workplan, together with any suggestions that Members may wish to make for scrutiny review.

The Committee considered its Workplan for the remainder of the current Municipal Year and the Chairman invited suggestions from Committee Members as to possible Workplan items.

Councillor Owen referred to a report in the Health Journal, dated 23 January 2017, claiming that elderly people being looked after in their own homes were being forced into care by Clinical Commissioning Groups (of which Blackpool was one of those cited) because of a 40% rise in fees for home care.

The Committee agreed that the matter should be investigated further and that it would be a suitable topic for scrutiny, possibly to be undertaken jointly with the Health Scrutiny Committee.

The Committee agreed:

1.         To note the Workplan and scrutiny recommendations report.

2.         To request that the Scrutiny Manager obtains more information on the report referred to by Councillor Owen, with a view to determining the suitability for the allocation of work to a scrutiny committee.

Background papers: None.

To note the date and time of the next meeting of the Committee as Thursday, 9 March 2017, commencing at 6pm.

The Committee agreed to note the date of the next meeting as Thursday 9 March 2017, at 6.00pm.