Agenda and minutes

To confirm and sign the minutes of the meeting of 30 July 2018.

The minutes of the meeting of 30 July 2018 were confirmed and signed.

To consider progress made in the Council's work across Health & Well Being (HWB) including strategy development and action plan delivery, partnership working and next steps.

Members considered the Health and Wellbeing Strategy and Partnership progress report.

Councillor Cornwell introduced members to Cath Mitchell from Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) and the Chairman of the Living Well Partnership.

Members asked questions, made comments and received responses as follows;

1.    Councillor Humphrey said the report was positive and asked for further information in relation to point 2.2 on page 21 of the agenda pack. Councillor Cornwell explained that this relates to a referral scheme in place between the Council and the Health Service and therefore its performance is reliant on GPs referring individuals to the scheme. He explained that the programme is positive in encouraging individuals to seek help for problems they face and is a good example of third-party services benefitting the Health Service. Cath Mitchell confirmed that both the Living Well Partnership and CCG can assist with promoting this referral system and suggested the scheme is opened up to a wider aspect of the Health Service. Councillor Cornwell agreed that this would be useful.

2.    Councillor Humphrey asked why there had been lack of growth in the number of GP referrals over the year. Richard Cassidy explained that currently, a few hundred people a year are referred to the scheme via their GP; however going forward the Council is keen to improve on this and incorporate the scheme into the Active Fenland programme. He explained that Active Fenland offers a wider range of sports and activities which may appeal to more individuals and therefore improve the number of users.

3.    Councillor Humphrey asked for confirmation that this will continue in light of the recent changes to the Leisure Services provider. Richard Cassidy confirmed that the new provider is contractually obliged to continue this.

4.    Councillor Owen asked how many people currently use the scheme. Richard Cassidy promised to provide Councillor Owen with the exact figure after the meeting.

5.    Councillor Owen asked for clarification on the process of referring individuals to this scheme and the costs involved for the public. Richard Cassidy explained that the service is provided for individuals who have a clinical need, as assessed by their GP. He highlighted that the service not only offers one-on-one help with weight-loss but also to individuals suffering from musculoskeletal injuries who require rehabilitation.

6.    Councillor Owen asked if users are issued with a prescription to present when using the scheme. Richard Cassidy confirmed that a form is submitted via the GP that grants entry to the scheme.

7.    Councillor Humphrey asked for further information in relation to point 3.2 on page 24 of the agenda pack. Richard Cassidy explained that this point refers to the Council’s Culture Strategy and highlighted that initial deadlines needed to be revised. He explained that it was intended to form a community stakeholder group to help develop the strategy and that one key outcome of the strategy would be to work with the community to develop capacity to help them bid for external funding to deliver their own  ...  view the full minutes text for item OSC16/18

This report sets out the Council's progress in delivering the corporate objectives from April 2018 to July 2018. This is to ensure that members have the most up to date information possible.

Members considered the Progress in Delivering the Communities Corporate Objectives report.

Members asked questions, made comments and received responses as follows;

1.    Councillor Owen asked for further information in relation to the Syrian Refugees relocating to Fenland, as discussed on page 37 of the agenda pack. Richard Cassidy confirmed that an action group had been set-up and work was underway with Peterborough City Council in relation to this, however currently no Syrian refugee families are in the area.

2.    Councillor Owen asked if the families have been selected to take part in the project. Richard Cassidy clarified that in order to accept Syrian Refugees into the community, a support network and suitable accommodation must be in place. Once the accommodation is delivered, the Council will liaise with the Home Office in relation to selecting the families relocating to the District and the dates in which this will happen.

3.    Councillor Humphrey informed officers that Councillor Mrs Mayor had asked if members of the public would be updated with information on this, as there have recently been negative discussions on Social Media surrounding this topic.

4.    Councillor Owen asked whether the families had been chosen yet as the accommodation has already been identified in Whittlesey. Richard Cassidy explained that the provision of the accommodation is imperative to the timing of a family arriving in the area, as they cannot be relocated without this being in place.

5.    Councillor Cornwell reiterated that the initiative is operated by the Home Office and once accommodation is ready, the families will be introduced to the area. Until this is in place, they will not be entering the Country. He explained that the delivery group is working closely with Whittlesey Town Council and Peterborough City Council to deliver this. He added that Peterborough City Council have a lot of experience in the relocation of Syrian refugees and have access to both voluntary and public sector organisations that will support the families when they arrive in the UK. He said it was imperative that this support network was in place prior to their arrival. Councillor Owen thanked Councillor Cornwell for his explanation of the process.

6.    Councillor Mrs Laws informed members that due to delays and the requirement for further work, the accommodation in Whittlesey is not ready at the moment. 

7.    Cath Mitchell explained that she had been involved in the re-settling of refugees in Peterborough and said it was a complex process. She highlighted that once accommodation is ready, the Home Office will release further information in relation to the prospective families health in order to ensure the District’s Health Services have resources in place to manage their needs. Other organisations are involved to ensure the families receive support in relation to their English language and integration skills. She added that there have been many success stories in Peterborough of Syrian families being rehoused. She said in relation to updating members of the public, further information of the families is not available until a later  ...  view the full minutes text for item OSC17/18

To update Members on the annual statistics in relation to the Local Government and Health and Social Care Ombudsman (LGO) and the Council's corporate '3Cs' procedure. This explains how we deal with the comments, compliments, correspondence and complaints we receive.

Members considered the Annual Ombudsman Letter and 3Cs process report.

Members asked questions, made comments and received responses as follows;

1.    Councillor Hodgson said he was disappointed that the number of complaints shown in Appendix B of the report had increased from previous years.

2.    Councillor Humphrey asked for the Planning service’s view on the complaints in Appendix D on page 57 of the agenda pack. Nick Harding explained the background of each complaint and said lessons had been learnt from each of these. He informed members that there are now permanent Enforcement Officers within the team and they have implemented new systems to prioritise the incoming workload.

3.    Councillor Mrs Laws said the Planning team now have stability in relation to staffing, for the first time in many years.

4.    Councillor Humphrey asked for further information in relation to the statistics in Appendix B on page 56 of the agenda pack. David Wright said these statistics fluctuate greatly dependent on any controversial topics in the District at that time.

5.    Councillor Humphrey informed members that this item will be discussed annually at Overview & Scrutiny Committee.

Members were provided with an update on the status of actions they had raised at previous meetings of the Committee.

Anna Goodall said the item will be discussed at all future meetings to enable actions to be tracked and the responses fed back to members. Following members comments, a ‘timescale’ column has been added to inform members when they will receive a response.

To consider the Draft Work Programme for Overview & Scrutiny Panel 2018/19.

Members agreed the Future Work Programme 2018/19 for the Overview and Scrutiny Panel.