Issue - meetings

To receive any communications from the Chair.

The Chair advised that the timetable for corporate work on sports and leisure needs assessment and on Housing Allocation Policy had changed and these topics had therefore needed to be rescheduled from the current Committee meeting. The shorter agenda for the meeting had helped to accommodate the workshop on the development of Overview and Scrutiny that had taken place immediately beforehand. The Chair thanked members for their contribution to the workshop.

To receive any communications from the Chair.

The Chair noted that the scheduled meeting of the Committee in September 2022 had been cancelled due to the mourning period for the late Queen and this additional meeting had been convened to consider the specific topic of SEND provision.

To receive any communications from the Chair.

The Chair made the following points:

·         The recommendations identified by the Committee at its last meeting on children’s services performance and on the renal services dialysis unit at Riverside House, Northampton were presented to the Cabinet meeting on 13 September 2022 and were agreed.

·         The conclusions resulting from the workshop session on the Draft Housing Strategy held by the Committee on 9 August 2022 were presented to the Cabinet meeting on 23 September 2022 and were partly agreed.

·         It was proposed to hold an additional Committee meeting on 21 November 2022 to scrutinise Special Educational Needs and Disability provision.  This would take into account that the Committee had lost a meeting in September 2022.

·         Committee members had been contacted about contributing to corporate work on the Council’s future approach to commissioning voluntary sector organisations.  Four members ideally representing a spread of geographic areas were invited to join a group that would help to formulate policy proposals.  Councillors Sharps, Duffy and Herring were willing to participate.  Councillor Chowdhury also expressed an interest in doing so. 

·         The tour of Northamptonshire Partnership Homes (NPH) properties requested by the Committee took place on 16 September 2022 but was not well attended, which was disappointing as the tour had been very informative.  Discussion during the tour had identified a potential area for scrutiny relating to customer contact arrangements for housing repairs.

To receive any communications from the Chair.

To receive any communications from the Chair.

RESOLVED: that the People Overview and Scrutiny Committee agreed that the Chair should again contact the Chair of the Place Overview and Scrutiny Committee to encourage that committee to scrutinise the issue of land ownership and responsibility for maintenance affecting Northampton Partnership Homes properties.

The Chair announced that there had been changes to the membership of the Committee for 2022/23.  Councillors Ashraf, Duffy and Flavell had joined the Committee and Councillors Randall, Purser and Hinch had left.  The Chair welcomed the new members and thanked those who had left for their contribution over the last year.

The Chair and Councillor Roberts advised that an action plan had been produced by the Anti-Poverty Oversight Group, which was well done and targeted.  Feedback had been taken into account.

In response to points arising from the item on Northampton Partnership Homes (NPH) at the previous Committee meeting, the Chair advised that she had spoken to the Cabinet Member for Strategic Planning, Built Environment and Rural Affairs who had said that there would be a strategic effort to address the backlog of planning applications.  The Chair of Place Overview and Scrutiny Committee did not propose that the Committee should investigate issues around land ownership and maintenance responsibility affecting NPH, due to other work programme priorities. 

The Chair advised that she had put forward the comments of People Overview and Scrutiny Committee members in relation to Household Support Fund Scheme 2 funding.  She had attended the Cabinet meeting on 14 June 2022 and the comments were duly noted, with some to be taken up. 

Committee members commented that the issues around land ownership and maintenance responsibility arising from the previous item on NPH were important and that the Place Overview and Scrutiny Committee should be encouraged to follow up this matter if possible.

RESOLVED: that the People Overview and Scrutiny Committee agreed that the Chair should again contact the Chair of the Place Overview and Scrutiny Committee to encourage that committee to scrutinise the issue of land ownership and responsibility for maintenance affecting Northampton Partnership Homes properties.