Agenda and minutes

To approve the minutes of the meetings held on 27 April 2022 and 25 May 2022 as an accurate record.

The minutes of the previous meetings held on 27 April and 25 May 2022 were agreed as a correct record, subject to the correction that Councillor Rowenna Davis, was in attendance on 25 May 2022, but had momentarily left the room when the meeting took place following the Annual Council meeting.

Members and co-opted Members of the Council are reminded that, in accordance with the Council’s Code of Conduct and the statutory provisions of the Localism Act, they are required to consider in advance of each meeting whether they have a disclosable pecuniary interest (DPI), an other registrable interest (ORI) or a non-registrable interest (NRI) in relation to any matter on the agenda.  If advice is needed, Members should contact the Monitoring Officer in good time before the meeting.  

If any Member or co-opted Member of the Council identifies a DPI or ORI which they have not already registered on the Council’s register of interests or which requires updating, they should complete the disclosure form which can be obtained from Democratic Services at any time, copies of which will be available at the meeting for return to the Monitoring Officer.

Members and co-opted Members are required to disclose any DPIs and ORIs at the meeting: -

·     Where the matter relates to a DPI they may not participate in any discussion or vote on the matter and must not stay in the meeting unless granted a dispensation.  

·     Where the matter relates to an ORI they may not vote on the matter unless granted a dispensation.   

·     Where a Member or co-opted Member has an NRI which directly relates to their financial interest or wellbeing, or that of a relative or close associate, they must disclose the interest at the meeting, may not take part in any discussion or vote on the matter and must not stay in the meeting unless granted a dispensation.  Where a matter affects the NRI of a Member or co-opted Member, section 9 of Appendix B of the Code of Conduct sets out the test which must be applied by the Member to decide whether disclosure is required.

The Chair will invite Members to make their disclosure orally at the commencement of Agenda item 3, to be recorded in the minutes.

Councillor Jade Appleton declared an interest for the Responsive Repairs Contract item, a int her employment at London Councils, she worked with some of the members of the Housing Improvement Board on a daily basis

Councillor Adele Benson declared an interest for the Responsive Repairs Contract item as a Council tenant in a non-standard property.

To receive notice of any business not on the agenda which in the opinion of the Chair, by reason of special circumstances, be considered as a matter of urgency.

There were no urgent items of business for consideration by the Scrutiny & Overview Committee at this meeting.

The Scrutiny & Overview Committee is asked: -

1.     To evaluate the work undertaken to date to prepare for the procurement process to responsive repairs service.

2.     To reach a conclusion on whether there is assurance that a robust process has been used,

3.     To reach a conclusion on whether there is assurance that the process has been open, transparent and informed by residents

The Committee considered a report set out on pages 13 to 14 of the agenda, a summary of feedback from their meeting residents set out in the agenda supplement and the Cabinet report on the Responsive Repairs Contract. The Committee was asked to evaluate the work undertaken to date in preparation for the re-procurement of the responsive repairs contract. In doing so, the Committee was asked to consider whether there was assurance that a robust process was being used and that the process was open, transparent and informed by residents.

During the introduction to this item, the Chair highlighted that in preparation for the meeting the Committee had received a briefing from officers on the preparation of the reprocurement process. Site visits had been conducted to three Council blocks located across the borough to speak to residents and get an understanding of their views on the Responsive Repairs service. Finally, an online meeting was arranged on 13 June 2022 to give residents the opportunity to discuss the service. The feedback from which had been used to inform the questions of the Committee.

The preparation for the meeting had also been informed through discussions with the LGA and the Leader of Swindon Council, Councillor David Renard, who was an LGA Lead for Housing. These discussions had highlighted the benefits of using an insourcing model, as it would offer the Council greater control over the service provided for residents.

The Chair explained that questioning on this item would be broken down into four areas, namely contract options, tenant services, risks and social value. Before opening the meeting to questions, the Chair of the Housing Improvement Board, Martin Wheatley, was invited to provide feedback on the reprocurement process based on informal discussions with other board members. From the feedback provided by Mr Wheatley, the following points were noted: -

·         The Board were broadly supportive of the decision to split the current contract into three but had concluded that ongoing work was needed to ensure that the best outcomes for residents were achieved.

·         It was recommended that there should be flexibility built into the boundaries of the two responsive repairs contracts to ensure that the service delivered to tenants could adjusted as needed.

·         It was recommended that a forum should be set up by the Council with the three contractors to ensure there was opportunity for discussing potential risks and resolving issues promptly.

·         There was a preference for engaging with bidders about the geographical areas they would be bidding for, rather than this being set by the Council.

·         There was a need for appropriate contract management and audit to ensure there was compliance with the terms of the contract and to stop any potential ‘gaming of the system’,

·         It was recommended that staff from the successful contractors were embedded within the Council to ensure a joined-up service was delivered.

·         It was recommended that both tenants and council staff are involved throughout the procurement process and during the delivery of the contracts 

·         The timetable  ...  view the full minutes text for item 28/22

The Scrutiny and Overview Committee is asked: -

1.     To note the update provided by Executive Mayor Perry on his priorities for the year ahead.

2.     To scrutinise the Executive Mayor’s priorities, providing challenge as appropriate

3.     To consider how the Mayoral priorities should be reflected in the Scrutiny Work Programme for 2022-23

The Chair advised the meeting that as Mayor Perry was unwell, this item would be deferred and a new date for this item would be forthcoming.

The Scrutiny and Overview Committee is asked: -

1.     To note the updated procedure rules for Scrutiny as outlined in the new version of the Council’s Constitution.

2.     To note that a further report on the Work Programme will be brought to the next Committee meeting on 12 July 2022.

3.     To agree that community engagement and a focus on outcomes will be priorities in the year ahead.

4.     To consider whether the three workstreams identified in the Scrutiny Improvement Plan should continue to act as a guide for the work programme.

The Committee considered a report set out on pages 17 to 32 of the agenda, which set out the process for setting the Annual Work Programme for both the Committee and the three Sub-Committees.  It was confirmed by the Chair that the to be rearranged session with the Executive Mayor, along with the meetings of the Sub-Committees would inform the preparation of the work programme, which would be brought to the next meeting of the Committee on 12 July 2022.

Resolved: The Committee agreed:

1.     To note the updated procedure rules for Scrutiny as outlined in the new version of the Council’s Constitution.

2.     To note that a further report on the Work Programme will be brought to the next Committee meeting on 12 July 2022.

3.    That community engagement and a focus on outcomes will be priorities in the year ahead.

The following motion is to be moved and seconded where it is proposed to exclude the press and public from the remainder of a meeting:

“That, under Section 100A(4) of the Local Government Act, 1972, the press and public be excluded from the meeting for the following items of business on the grounds that it involves the likely disclosure of exempt information falling within those paragraphs indicated in Part 1 of Schedule 12A of the Local Government Act 1972, as amended.”

This motion was not required.