Issue - meetings

Cabinet Member: Leader of the Council, Councillor Hamida Ali

Officer: Interim Chief Executive, Katherine Kerswell

Key decision: no

The Leader of the Council informed Members that the report gave Cabinet a broad update on a number of areas relating to the council’s improvement journey, including the Improvement Plan and the government’s Rapid Review of the council which had been undertaken in November 2020 and published in February 2021. The Leader noted that it was encouraging that the Rapid Review report had recognised the efforts of both Members and officers to address the real challenges faced by the council. Additionally, the report to Cabinet covered the appointment of the Improvement and Assurance Panel which was welcomed by the council as their support and advice over the following three years would be an important aspect to the improvement journey.

Members were informed that the report provided details on the consultation which had been undertaken on the proposed Terms of Reference for an external Improvement Board which had shown there was support for transparency but concerns were raised in terms of ensuring the diverse community could be involved in the work. In response to the consultation outcomes the report outlined the proposal to pause the development of an Improvement Board until July 2021 and develop a Community Panel which would provide greater transparency on the work being undertaken and would enable the council to bring together a diverse range of community partners.

The Interim Chief Executive, Katherine Kerswell, advised Members that Cabinet would receive update reports each month to ensure Cabinet were being fully informed of progress. It was suggested that at some meetings those updates would be longer than others. Members were advised that the Improvement and Assurance Panel were at the ‘getting to know’ phase with colleagues across the council and that work had been very positive to-date.

The Cabinet Member for Culture & Regeneration welcomed the creation of a Community Panel as part of the renewal process for the borough as it was recognised that it was important to hear the voices of Croydon residents during the challenging period, but questions were asked as to how the council would ensure that the Panel was representative of the broad diversity of the borough. In response, the Leader noted that concerns had been raised in the consultation that there would only be a single representative from each part of the community but it was recognised that the borough was diverse and the council wanted to hear from all groups. As such, it was noted that work was required to engage and facilitate that communication which would be reported to the Cabinet meeting on 22 March 2021.

It was queried by the Cabinet Member for Economic Recovery & Skills how the Community Panel would differ from the Improvement & Assurance Panel as it was recognised that it was important that the business, community and voluntary sectors were involved in the improvement journey. It was stated by the Leader that when the Improvement Panel was being considered there would be expertise in relation to social care and commercial matters and other issues which had been  ...  view the full minutes text for item 17