Agenda and minutes

The Former Sustainable Communities Scrutiny Panel - Thursday 11 September 2008 9.30 a.m.

Venue: Town Hall, Moorgate Street, Rotherham.

Contact: Dawn Mitchell (Ext. 2062) Email: dawn.mitchell@rotherham.gov.uk

Items
No.	Item
29.	Communications View the background to item 29. Minutes: (1) The Chair asked the Cabinet Member for Neighbourhoods what the Council was doing to respond to the present problems being experienced with the credit crunch with regard to housing and increased energy prices. The Cabinet Member reported that the continuous effects of the credit crunch would add more pressure onto social housing. Officers were actively investigating all the criteria of various Government initiatives and how best to respond. Officers would also be looking at the recently announced energy initiatives. (2) The Chair reported that a Christmas lunch for the Panel would be held on 18^th December. Anyone interested should bring their deposit and menu choice to the next meeting.
30.	Declarations of Interest View the background to item 30. Minutes: There were no Declarations of Interest made at the meeting.
31.	Questions from members of the public and the press View the background to item 31. Minutes: There were no questions from the public and press.
32.	Councillor Wyatt, Cabinet Member for Sustainability and Innovation Minutes: Councillor Wyatt, Cabinet Member for Sustainability and Innovation gave the following powerpoint presentation on his portfolio:- Key Work Streams - Sustainable Development and Strategy - Innovation and Service Re-engineering - Customer Services Strategy and Access Policy (including one-stop shops) - Procurement Strategy - RBT Client Function - Communications and Marketing Strategy - E-Government, Data Protection and Freedom of Information - IT Strategy and Management - Rural Policy - RBT Performance o Revenues and Benefits o Operational HR&P o ICT o Customer Services - Energy issues and Carbon Reduction - Reputation o A-Z of Services o Newspaper - Biodiversity Duty - Internal Environmental Performance - Rothercard - Registrars and Celebratory Services (RBT) - Welfare Rights and Money Advice (RBT) - Ethical Town o Plastic Bag Reduction o Mayors for Peace o Trade Justice Policy Procurement Panel - Corporate Procurement Strategy - Follows Corporate Policies - Working with third sector and businesses - Ethics - Sustainability - Performance Management E-Government Board - ICT and E-Government delivery - ICT Capital Strategy - Advisory Body to Council and its partners - Sharing knowledge - ICT and E-Government Scrutiny - Approval of ICT projects RBT Governance Group - Action Plan for contact refresh - BT investment funding - Opportunities for additional work streams - Third party trading - VFM testing - Partnership sustainability and exit Corporate Communications and Marketing Group - C & M activity aligned to Council priorities - One Council approach to communications - Promote the important of C & M - Profile and reputation - Best use of resources Rotherham Show - Council and partners contribution - Services marquee - Graphics and infrastructure - Publicity and promotion - Debriefing evaluation Rotherham News - Editorial Board - Contractor evaluation - Distribution - Partner liaison and development - Readers’ Panels - Revenue and expenditure monitoring Additional Activities - Customer Access Group - Corporate Complaints Group - Website Development Group - Members’ ICT Access - Rotherham Information Governance Group Committee Membership - LDF - Regeneration and Asset Management Board - Corporate Improvement Board - Corporate Governance Group - Recycling Group - Groundworks Trust Panel - Rotherham Cultural Consortium - LGA Rural Commission - Rotherham Environment Forum - Yorkshire and Humber Sustainable Development Group - NFLA Some Achievements - First ever National Fairtrade Towns Conference hosted by Rotherham with National Fairtrade Foundation in September, 2007 - Fairtrade Fashion Show during Fairtrade Fortnight in March, 2008 - Fashion Show was a huge success with over £800 raised for SY Flood Relief and Oxfam and awareness raised of the meaning of Fairtrade and the variety of Fairtrade products Y&H Environment Index 2007 and 2008 - Led by Business in the Community - A leading benchmark of corporate environmental engagement - 2007 – Gold category and 1 of 7 climate change champions - 2008 – Silver category, missing out on gold by only 0.6% World Environment Day - 2007 – joint event with Chamber and Environment Agency - 2008 – Fair in town centre - 2008 – community/school focus ... view the full minutes text for item 32.
33.	Health and Safety Minutes: Andrew Barr, Principal Environmental Health Officer, gave a powerpoint presentation on the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 as follows:- Who Goes Where:- - Local Authority EHOs o Retail – food shops, garden centres, car sales, electrical goods o Wholesale – warehouses, builders merchants, steel stockholders o Offices – banks, estate agents, call centres, employment agencies o Catering – restaurants, cafes take-aways, pubs, clubs o Accommodation – hotels, youth hostels, camping, caravan sites o Residential Care – children’s homes, homes for the elderly o Leisure and Cultural – riding schools, golf courses, zoos, bungee jumping, theatres, museums, circuses o Consumer Services – laundries, hairdressers, beauty parlours, places of worship, undertakers o Others – hire shops, mail sorting offices, animal boarding - HSE Inspectors o Anywhere not on the above list or for certain matters specifically allocated in the Regulations no matter where they occur o Agriculture, mines and quarries, construction and demolition, factories, manufacturing engineering workshops, hospitals, Local Authorities, TV and broadcasting, offshore, COMAH sites, fairgrounds Key Statistics 2006/07 - 2.2M people were suffering from an illness they believed was caused or made worse by their current or past work - 646,000 of these were new cases in the last 12 months - 2,037 people died of mesothelioma (2005) and thousands more from other occupational cancers and lung diseases - 241 workers were killed at work, a rate of 0.8 per 100,000 workers - 141,350 other injuries to employees were reported under RIDDOR, a rate of 535.1 per 100,000 employees - 274,000 reportable injuries occurred according to the Labour Force Survey, a rate of 1,000 per 100,000 workers The Picture in Rotherham - Nearly 6,000 work premises of which 3,300 or so (55%) fall to the Local Authority - 210 incidents reported through RIDDOR - 129 inspections made - 244 Service requests logged - 15 Improvement Notices serviced (4 in 2007/08) - 1 Prohibition Notice service (1 in 2007/08) - 1 prosecution from 2007/08 – due in Court October - Estimated economic cost in Rotherham £58M A question and answer session ensued with the following points raised/clarified:- o It was based within the Business Regulation Unit and dealt with external premises. There were 2 teams each with 1 dedicated officer dealing specifically with health and safety issues. A flexible hours system was operated with no weekend or rota system in place, the same as the Health and Safety Executive o The Council had its own internal Health and Safety Team in the Economic and Development Services Directorate. o A new Act passed recently looking at issuing Fixed Penalty Notices for minor offences thereby having a monetary impact. o There was a legal requirement to carry out a Risk Assessment and if an employer employed more than 5 people they had to have a written Risk Assessment o A Prohibition Notice would concentrate on a specific aspect of a business o Close working with a number of partners particularly the Health and Safety Executive Andy was thanked for his ... view the full minutes text for item 33.
34.	Forward Plan 1st June-31st October, 2008 PDF 38 KB Minutes: The Panel noted the Forward Plan of Key Decisions for 1^st June-31^st October, 2008.
	(The Chair authorised consideration of the following item to enable Members to be fully informed.)
35.	Neighbourhoods and Adult Services Service Plan 2008/11 Minutes: John Mansergh, Service Performance Manager, presented the Service Plan which set out the strategic direction of the Directorate for the next 3 years. The Plan contained the strategic objectives which had been identified through consultation with customers and shaped by national and local priorities. The Directorate had prioritised 7 strategic objectives to improve the performance, standards and quality of service:- - To improve access and standards of service where performance compared less well with the best to contribute to an excellent rating by the year 2009 - To further reduce the problem of crime and anti-social behaviour in a way which contributes to the reduction in the fear of crime by the year 2011 - To increase affordable housing and make better use of available assets in all sectors in a way which improves the range and quality of housing to create lifetime homes and sustainable neighbourhoods by the year 2011 - To modernise services so that they are designed in a way which maximises people’s independent by the year 2011 - To develop innovative services in a way which contributes to helping more people live at home by the year 2011 - To improve services for carers in a way which increases the level of support, resources and employment opportunities given by the year 2011 - To strengthen our approach to safeguarding adults in a way which contributes to reducing cases of abuse and increases the perception of our services delivering personal dignity and respect by 2011. A question and answer session ensued with the following points raised:- - Thermal efficiency and insulation was part of the Decent Homes Programme but not every home on the Decent Homes Programme had/would receive it - Last year’s Decent Homes target had been met and was currently on target Resolved:- (1) That the Service Plan be noted. (2) That half yearly reports on progress against the action plan be submitted. (3) That the new Neighbourhoods structure and key responsibilities of officers be submitted to a future meeting.
36.	Choice Based Lettings Allocations Policy - scope of review - customer experience Minutes: This item was deferred as a further report was to be submitted to the Cabinet Member for Neighbourhoods
37.	Conference - Housing and Health - report by the Chair Minutes: This item was deferred as information was awaited from Hallam University.
38.	Cabinet Member for Neighbourhoods PDF 126 KB View the background to item 38. - minutes of the meetings held on 30^th June and 28^th July, 2008 Additional documents: Minutes , 28/07/2008 Cabinet Member for Neighbourhoods , item 38. PDF 310 KB Minutes: The Panel noted the decisions made under delegated powers by the Cabinet Member for Neighbourhoods held on 30^th June and 28^th July, 2008. Resolved:- That the Tenancy Agreement Revision be submitted to the next meeting of this Panel.
39.	Chesterhill Avenue Intensive Neighbourhood Management Pilot - Progress and Impact PDF 74 KB Minutes: Catherine Dale, Neighbourhood Initiatives Manager, reported on the 12 months intensive Neighbourhood management pilot that had taken place on the streets and community surrounding Chesterhill Avenue, Thrybergh. In Rotherham’s first Joint Strategic Intelligence Assessment in March, 2007, the Safer Rotherham Partnership had employed the Vulnerable Localities Index as a method of prioritising neighbourhoods. At 5 times the average for the Borough, Chesterhill Avenue had been identified as the most vulnerable community in Rotherham and in need of immediate action. A high level partnership strategic group had been established in the summer of 2007 to steer the development of the intensive neighbourhood management pilot and identified a pre-defined pilot boundary (650 households). By September, 2007, a Neighbourhood Initiatives Manager had been appointed and the 12 month intensive pilot began. The pilot had worked with the community in collaboration with local service providers and local Ward Members to make their neighbourhood a better place to live. The pilot had focussed on:- - stabilising crime and ensuring community safety - increasing community involvement, trust and communication The key points were:- - A total of 143 unsustainable properties were to be demolished. - 75% of all tenants had been rehoused and dispersed across the Borough - Intensive neighbourhood management had show a 50% reduction in crime and 70% reduction in anti-social behaviour The report also set out what had worked, the key challenges faced and what the exit strategy needed to contain. Resolved:- That the progress and impact of the pilot be noted.
40.	Sustainable Communities Scrutiny Panel PDF 62 KB View the background to item 40. - Minutes of the meeting held on 20^th July, 2008 Minutes: The minutes of the meeting held on 20th July, 2008, were noted.
41.	Performance and Scrutiny Overview Committee PDF 148 KB View the background to item 41. - minutes of the meetings held on 27^th June, 11^th and 25^th July, 2008 Additional documents: Minutes , 11/07/2008 Performance and Scrutiny Overview Committee , item 41. PDF 132 KB Minutes , 25/07/2008 Performance and Scrutiny Overview Committee , item 41. PDF 136 KB Minutes: The minutes of the Performance and Scrutiny Overview Committee held on 27^th June, 11^th and 25^th July, 2008, were noted.