Agenda and minutes

To approve as a correct record and sign the Minutes of the meeting held on 27 February 2019.

The Minutes (copies of which had been circulated) of the meeting held on 27 February 2019 were approved as a correct record and signed by the Chair.

Councillors and officers were invited to declare any interests they had in any of the items on the agenda for the meeting.

No declarations of interest were made.

There were no call-in items to consider.

Students representing the College will attend the meeting and make a presentation to the Scrutiny Committee.

Members of the Student Equality Council from Stockport College attended the meeting and made a presentation to the Scrutiny Committee in relation to the issue of knife crime, in particular its prevalence amongst young people.

The following comments were made/ issues raised:-

·         The use of stop and search powers by the police as a means of tackling knife crime was discussed, and there was a mixed response from members of the Student Equality Council as to whether potential benefit of reducing the number of knives on the street were worth the impact on personal privacy for the majority of young people who do not carry knives.

·         Concern was expressed in relation to the ready availability of knives and the ease with which they could be acquired.

·         There was a general agreement that significant improvements in the education of young people in relation to knife crime coupled with investment in the police service would serve to reduce the rate of such crime.

RESOLVED – That the members of the Student Equality Council be thanked for their attendance and presentation.

To consider a report of the Corporate Director for Place Management and Regeneration.

The report provides an update on the performance and activity of Stockport

Continuing Education Service over the academic year August 2017 to July

2018, including an update on the outcome of the OfSTED inspection of the

Service.

The Scrutiny Committee is invited to consider and comment on the

report.

Officer Contact: Richard Mortimer on Tel: 0161 474 3864 or email: richard.mortimer@stockport.gov.uk

The Interim Director for Education submitted a report of the Corporate Director for Place Management & Regeneration (copies of which had been circulated) providing an update on the performance and activity of Stockport Continuing Education Service over the academic year August 2017 to July 2018, including an update on the outcome of the Ofsted inspection of the Service.

The Cabinet Member for Education (Councillor Dean Fitzpatrick) attended the meeting and answered questions in relation to the report.

The following comments were made/ issues raised:-

·         Concerns had been raised in the Ofsted inspection in relation to the quality of the accommodation.  In response it was stated that feedback from learners had been that that the learning environment provided was one which they themselves wanted as it provided a quiet, unobtrusive space to learn which did not serve to intimidate potential learners who may not have had a positive experience of education in the past.

·         A discussion took place in relation to the funding arrangements for the Continuing Education Service, and in particular that this was targeted at those who were in receipt of an out of work benefit and seeking employment.  A pilot project was currently underway where those in work but earning less than £15,000 per annum could access courses in recognition of the fact those in low paid employment needed further skills to access better paid employment.

·         The devolution of further education funding to the Greater Manchester Combined Authority had the potential to offer risks as well as benefits, and it was important that Stockport was able to attract appropriate levels of resources.

·         It was positive to note that the retention rate of learners was high.  It was stated that work had taken place to improve the initial assessment of learners to be able to more appropriately match the content of the courses to the ability of the students to ensure that they did not become disillusioned and to provide some early successes. 

·         Staff recruitment remained an issue as it was difficult to attract candidates and there was a relatively flat staffing structure which meant that there was limited scope for job progression.

RESOLVED – That the report be noted.

To consider a report of the Lead Councillor, Councillor Paul Porgess.

The report outlines the findings and recommendations of the Scrutiny Review Panel.

The Committee is invited to comment and the report is further requested to approved the report for submission to the Cabinet.

Officer Contact: Stephen Fox on Tel: 0161 474 3206 or email: stephen.fox@stockport.gov.uk

A representative of the Deputy Chief Executive submitted a report (copies of which had been circulated) outlining the findings and recommendations of the Scrutiny Review Panel: The Council’s Relationship with Academies.

The Lead Councillor for the Review (Councillor Porgess) presented the report and thanked members of the Panel and all those officers and external partners who had contributed to the review.

RESOLVED – That the report be approved and it be submitted to the Cabinet for consideration.

To consider a report of the Chair of the Scrutiny Co-ordination Committee, Councillor Lisa Smart.

The Scrutiny Co-ordination Committee agreed to undertake a short review to assess how Scrutiny was carried out in Stockport. Given that the composition of the Committee was made up of the Scrutiny Committee Chairs and therefor was not inclusive of all the political groups on the Council, Councillors Anna Charles-Jones, Amanda Peers and John Taylor all kindly agreed to participate in the review. This report details the findings and final recommendations of the Committee and has been circulated to all Scrutiny Committees for information.

The Scrutiny Committee is requested to note the report.

Officer Contact: Stephen Fox on Tel: 0161 474 3206 or email: stephen.fox@stockport.gov.uk

The Chair submitted a report (copies of which had been circulated) inviting the Scrutiny Committee to consider the final report of the Scrutiny Co-ordination Committee’s review into the discharging of scrutiny functions at the Council. The report identified a number of strengths in how the Council and its members undertook these duties and also identified a number of opportunities to enhance and maximise its effectiveness.

The following comments were made/ issues raised:-

·         The quality of discussion and the engagement of officers and Cabinet Members with the Scrutiny Committee was a positive feature of scrutiny in Stockport.

·         The suggestion of undertaking scrutiny in different ways outside of the stricture of a formal meeting was welcomed.

·         It was important that chairs received appropriate training on their role and responsibilities as soon as practicable after taking office.

·         The scrutiny process reinforced an adversarial approach to decision-making, and consideration needed to be given to the potential to break down those barriers to produce a more collegiate approach.

·         It was important that meetings were held at times which ensured that the majority of members were able to attend them.  It was noted that a number of authorities held meetings during the day, and it was suggested that Stockport’s longstanding approach to holding public meetings in the evening was one which should continue.

·         In the absence of any benchmarking data or national guidelines, it was difficult to establish an evidence-based approach to recasting the role of scrutiny. 

·         It was stated that as it currently operated, the scrutiny arrangements served Stockport well in the light of the council being in a state of no overall control.

·         There was a case to consider the balance of workload between the various scrutiny committees.

RESOLVED – That the report be noted.

To consider a report of the Deputy Chief Executive.

The reports sets out planned agenda items for the Scrutiny Committee’s next meeting and Forward Plan items that fall within the remit of the Scrutiny Committee.

The Scrutiny Committee is invited to consider and comment on the report.

Officer Contact: Stephen Fox on Tel: 0161 474 3206 or email: stephen.fox@stockport.gov.uk

A representative of the Deputy Chief Executive submitted a report (copies of which had been circulated) setting out planned agenda items for the Scrutiny Committee next meeting and relevant Forward Plan items.

RESOLVED – That the report be noted.