Agenda and minutes

Apologies were received from Councillor B Bansal.

There were no declarations of interest.

The minutes of the meeting held on 1 February 2022 were approved as a true record of the meeting and signed by the Chairman.

Report of the Director – Neighbourhoods

The Service Manager Corporate Services delivered a presentation to support the report of the Director – Neighbourhoods concerning the specific work undertaken by the Council to support communities and businesses during the Covid-19 pandemic. It was explained that the report focused on the external impact of Covid-19 on the Council’s delivery of services and it complimented the previous report presented to the Group which focused on the internal impacts.

The presentation to the Group covered:

·       Impact of Covid-19 on communities and businesses, sports clubs, voluntary and community groups, contracted services

·       Community Support Hub

·       Business support

·       Covid Compliance

·       Contracts Management

·       Communication

·       Critical Success Factors

The Service Manager Corporate Services explained that the Community Support Hub, hosted by Nottinghamshire County Council, had received 133 requests from individuals for support with medication collection, emergency food parcels, access to food supply, telephone befriending, physical wellbeing checks and dog walking. The Borough Council responded to these requests, by redeploying staff where required, to support Rushcliffe residents.

In Rushcliffe, the level of requests for such support was lower than in other districts in the Local Resilience Forum (LRF) area due to the strong response received from volunteers in local communities, which was supported by local Councillors who, in many cases, took a leading role in facilitating and bringing together networks.

Examples of the support provided to and by communities were highlighted to the Group and included:

·       Radcliffe to the Rescue, which generated 150 volunteers to support the whole community

·       Over 100 activity packs (including physical activity packs, recipe packs, Active Minds packs and bespoke Family Packs) developed and issued under the Reach Rushcliffe Initiative to homes/families and those who were socially isolated and lonely

·       Radcooks Community Kitchen which provided meals and social interaction to vulnerable Rushcliffe residents

·       Cotgrave Community Kitchen, which offered food delivery to residents

·       Holiday Activities and Food Programme, funded by Nottinghamshire County Council via the Department for Education, to provide children in receipt of free school meals with physical activity, nutritional education and a healthy meal during school holidays

·       Summer and Christmas programmes delivered in 2021 provided a total of 786 HAF funded places for 298 children, which will be funded for the further three years with additional provision of 1,524 places in Cotgrave, Bingham, West Bridgford, Edwalton, Radcliffe-on-Trent, Kinoulton and East Leake.

The Group was informed that the Council had also supported those who could not work as they were self-isolating or were on low incomes with payments of £500 provided from Government funding. 1,158 applications had been received and 531 payments made, amounting to £265,500. Currently, there were three applications awaiting further information. The Group was assured that the funding would be processed by the deadline (June) as monies unspent had to be repaid to the Government

The Council’s Communities Team had supported community groups, voluntary organisations, and charities across the Borough to apply for Social Recovery Funding and Community Food funding again allocated by central government through Nottinghamshire County Council. A total of £220,732 was awarded to support social recovery  ...  view the full minutes text for item 23.

Report of the Chief Executive

The Service Manager Corporate Services delivered a presentation to support the report of the Chief Executive which provided an update on delivery of the action plan for the Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Scheme and included the annual diversity report update.

The Group was informed that the data included in the report was from the Census 2011 as the data from the Census 2021 would not be available until October 2022. The data detailed in the report for Rushcliffe was not significantly different to that included in the previous report to the Group.

The Group was informed that 94% of the Council’s workforce was in the white British or white other ethnic group which reflected data for the Borough.  The figure for the Borough was higher than that for the East Midlands (89%) and nationally (85%).

The Service Manager Corporate Services added that the age profile of Rushcliffe indicated that the Borough had a larger proportion of residents who were over 60 years of age (25%) than the East Midlands (23.5%) and national average (22%). There was also a larger proportion of residents aged 45-59 within Rushcliffe (21%) than nationally (19%). Conversely, there were fewer younger residents aged 18-24 (7.8%) than the East Midlands (9.53%) and nationally (9.37%). In addition, there was a disparity in the 25-29 age groups between Rushcliffe (4.7%), East Midlands (6.1%) and nationally (6.8%).  The age profile of the Council showed that there was a peak at 45-54, this was the same as was reported in 2019/20. 20% of the workforce was aged between 18-34, and 59% were aged between 35-54. The authority continued to support employees who wished to continue working, keeping knowledge within the organisation as well as working towards ensuring effective succession planning by improving the age diversity of the workforce.

Regarding health, data from the 2011 Census showed that 7,540 people (6.7% of the population) in Rushcliffe had a long-term health problem or disability which limited their daily activities to a greater extent. A further 9,939 (8.9%) were limited to a lesser extent – all lower than the percentages for the East Midlands which were 8.6% (greater extent), and 11.9% (a lesser extent).

The Group was informed that the number of employees who declared they had a disability was the same as the previous year at 5%.  The Council continued to support employees who were either disabled when they joined the authority or became disabled during their employment. The Group was informed that the Council was a Disability Confident Employer and had reached the required criteria to be reaccredited this year.

The gender profile showed that there were slightly more females (51%) than males (49%) currently residing in the Borough.  The gender split at the Council showed fewer female employees than males (42% compared to 58%) which was, in some part, due to the Council’s manual workforce containing roles that were traditionally male dominated. The Council had worked to encourage female employees into this environment and would continue to promote fair recruitment practices  ...  view the full minutes text for item 24.

Report of the Director – Finance and Corporate Services

The Senior Finance Business Partner presented the report of the Director of Finance and Corporate Services which detailed the quarter three position in terms of financial and performance monitoring for 2021/22. The report also highlighted the Covid-19 variances.

The Senior Finance Business Partner explained that the budgets for quarter one were set prudently in anticipation of an adverse impact of Covid but the largest of which had recovered more quickly than anticipated namely - car parks, leisure, planning and community facilities.

The Senior Finance Business Partner referred to Table 1 at paragraph 4.2 of the report which summarised the position at Quarter 3, including lost income and costs due to Covid-19 which showed a net Covid pressure of £0.118m, offset by other in-year efficiency savings of £1.187m, leaving a net revenue efficiency of £1.069m. The Group was informed that Table 1 also showed additional non-ringfenced grant funding of £0.167m (new burdens funding). It was noted that there was a Business Rates surplus of £2.958m, £2.4m of which would be transferred to reserves to cover the anticipated deficit that would arise next year and in 2023/24.

Regarding further commitments from in-year efficiencies, detailed in Appendix A, this included £0.3m to Streetwise and £50k for feasibility in Central Avenue, West Bridgford and £5k for the Bingham Improvement Board.

The Group was informed that the Special Expenses budget had also been impacted by Covid restrictions.  However, some activity was covered by Government Sales Fees and Charges funding for Quarter 1 leaving a total Special Expense budget forecast deficit of £15.7k.

It was explained that the Capital Programme forecast an underspend of £5.1m, which mainly related to Bingham Hub, Rushcliffe Oaks Crematorium and LAD funding for green energy grants.  Due to current projections, it was unlikely that there would be a need to borrow funding.

The Senior Finance Business Partner referred to Table 2 at paragraph 4.11 and explained that it detailed the grants received and no further grants were anticipated. The projected position was positive with a net £54k efficiency. However, uncertainties over funding, increased cost of goods and services along with government policy reviews, meant that a healthy reserves position was vital to ensure the Council remained financially resilient. It was noted that there was no room for complacency as there remained a great deal of uncertainty such as Business Rates, Comprehensive Spending review, Fair Funding and Brexit not to mention opportunities in the Freeport and Development Corporation. The Council’s financial position would need to be closely monitored.

The Service Manager Corporate Services informed the Group that two strategic tasks still showed as 0% - these related to new legislation expected for Planning and Waste services - due to delays with the introduction of the new legislation.

The Group was informed that of the 13 Performance Indicators (PI), 12 had previously been reported to the Group, which had been made clear in the appendices to the report. There was one new exception - Choice Based Lettings – which was linked to previously  ...  view the full minutes text for item 25.

The Chairman reported that the Scrutiny Training for Councillors had been well received. She added that she had attended the East Midlands Councils Networking Group, the last of which concerned the invitation of witnesses to scrutiny meetings. She suggested that Councillors who had submitted a Scrutiny Matrix to the Corporate Overview Group, should be invited to attend the meeting – at the discretion of the Chairman – to present their case. The Chairman of the Communities Scrutiny Group added that such attendance should be to the Corporate Overview Group only as it was this Group that made decisions about the work programmes for all Scrutiny Groups

The Chairman of the Communities Scrutiny Group explained that there had been one substantive item at the last meeting – the Carbon Management Plan which had generated a healthy discussion.  Progress had been made against targets (despite the level of officer turnover due to personal circumstances and was not a reflection on the Council), but achievements against target was currently on track although an Action Plan still needed to be developed. He informed the Group that the installation of electric vehicle charging points throughout the Borough was going well, although there had been issues in accessing LAD funding for an EV point at West Bridgford car park due to issues with the electricity supply. Officers were liaising with Western Power to resolve this. The use of EVs for waste collection was not possible in Rushcliffe due to the rurality and size of the Borough. However, the use of bio-oil to power current vehicles had been piloted and there was a desire for this to be rolled-out further in the future. The updating of Leisure Centres, for example Keyworth, would be costly. The potential to purchase land for tree planting to offset emissions had been discussed but there were concerns about the cost of land. He added that the report on the Waste Strategy had been delayed as the White Paper was awaited.

The Chairman of the Growth and Development Scrutiny Group explained that the last meeting had considered only one item – which was planning communications. The Scrutiny Matrix received was very detailed, and the report answered many of the questions raised within it.  It was noted that the Planning Team had been under pressure due to staff shortages, reflecting the national position, and long-term illness with the Planning Team. He added that it had been valuable to the scrutiny process for the Councillor who had submitted the Scrutiny Matrix to be involved in the discussion with the Group, and he had also invited the Cabinet Portfolio Holder, although he had been unable to attend, and the Chairman of the Planning Committee as he expected them to have valuable insight into the process.  Regarding planning communications, he highlighted that the Council went above and beyond what was expected within the requirements.  Although included in the report, conservation areas had not been discussed at length as it would be the subject of a future  ...  view the full minutes text for item 26.

The Service Manager Corporate Services updated the Group on East Midlands Scrutiny Network Meeting, held on 11 March, which focused on public involvement in scrutiny and the different approaches in place.  The discussion included the development of a 'witness guide' to enable visitors attending meetings to know what was expected and consideration of public involvement when the topic was discussed at Corporate Overview Group.  It was noted that the next meeting was on 24 June at Erewash District Council in person and the topic of discussion was budget setting scrutiny.

The Group was informed that very positive feedback had been received on the Scrutiny Training Session held at the end of February.  The Service Manager – Corporate Services asked for feedback from Chairmen on whether they had noticed a difference in their last scrutiny group meetings.

It was noted that a 45-minute drop-in virtual session about the process for submitting the scrutiny matrix was scheduled for Thursday 5 May at 5.15pm. The matrix would be updated to include consideration of public engagement / portfolio holder and the new template would be launched after the training. The Group was asked to encourage other Councillors to attend.

The Service Manager Corporate Services explained that a Scrutiny Witness Charter / Protocol was being developed – as discussed at the last East Midlands Scrutiny Network Meeting – which would outline what witnesses could expect at the scrutiny meeting but also make clear the provisions contained within the Council's Constitution with regard to how witnesses could address the meeting and the limitations placed on their ongoing involvement for the rest of the meeting. Witnesses included the councillor submitting the topic for scrutiny, the portfolio holder, any officers in attendance to present to the Group, external expert witnesses or members of community interest groups brought in to provide particular insight into the topic under consideration.

Report of the Director – Finance and Corporate Services

The Group considered requests for scrutiny items submitted by either Councillors or officers using the scrutiny matrix.  In respect of the Biodiversity Net Gain, the Group was informed that a detailed response to the questions raised had been provided to the Councillor by officers. It was noted that further training and awareness was needed as some questions could be addressed directly with officers rather than through the scrutiny process.  The Group acknowledged that it would be beneficial to have contact details for officers and their responsibilities. The Service Manager – Corporate Services advised that the initial contact should be at Director or Service Manager level and agreed to provide details to Councillors.

The Group then discussed the scrutiny matrix concerning the online and print communication put out by the Borough and felt that the questions raised were political so were not suitable for scrutiny. It was noted that the Communities Scrutiny Group would consider the wider issue of communications at its meeting in October following customer survey feedback received and the issues raised linked in with this. The Service Manager – Corporate Services agreed to feedback to Councillor Walker who had submitted the matrix.

Regarding Electric Vehicle Charging points and it was noted that this had already been discussed by the Communities Scrutiny Group at its meeting last week.

It was RESOLVED that the work programmes outlined below be agreed.

 Work Programme 2021-22 / 2022-23 – Corporate Overview Group

Work Programme 2021-22 / 2022-23 – Governance Scrutiny Group