Agenda and minutes

To approve as a correct record the Minutes of the Overview and Scrutiny Panel (Customers and Partnerships) meeting held on 6th February 2020.

The Minutes of the meeting held on 6th February 2020 was approved as a correct record and signed by the Chairman.

To receive from Members declarations as to disclosable pecuniary and other interests in relation to any Agenda item.

Councillor T D Alban declared a non-statutory disclosable interest in relation to Minute Number 61 as his employers engage in business with the NHS.

Councillor S Bywater declared a non-statutory disclosable interest in relation to Minute Number 61 as a Member of Cambridgeshire County Council, a public body which oversee the Public Health function.

Councillor D A Giles declared a non-statutory disclosable interest in relation to Minute Number 61 as a Member of Cambridgeshire County Council, a public body which oversee the Public Health function.

Councillor S R Wilson declared a non-statutory disclosable interest in relation to Minute Number 61 as she is employed by the Cambridgeshire Community Service Immunisation Team.

A copy of the current Notice of Key Executive Decisions is attached. Members are invited to note the Plan and to comment as appropriate on any items contained therein.

The Panel received and noted the current Notice of Key Executive Decisions (a copy of which has been appended in the Minute Book) which has been prepared by the Executive Leader for the period 1st March 2020 to 30th June 2020.

The Director of Public Health for Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, Dr Liz Robin, will be in attendance to give Members a presentation on the Health and Well-Being Strategy and consultation.

The Executive Councillor for Leisure and Health introduced the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Director for Public Health, Dr Liz Robin and thanked her for bringing the consultation draft of the Joint Health and Wellbeing strategy for Cambridgeshire and Peterborough to the meeting.

The Executive Councillor added that there is a shared aspiration across Cambridgeshire and Peterborough to provide the best health outcomes for the community and people. He reminded all present that the District Council has a significant role to play in improving health and preventing ill health through the services its provide, such as: housing and homelessness prevention; welfare, benefit provision and income maximisation directly and through funding of voluntary sector agencies; community development and safety; leisure provision; economic development and prosperity and the running of direct employment support services; licensing; parks and open spaces and planning policy and development.

Members were informed that the Council fully embraces the ‘Think Communities’ approach and that a Huntingdonshire place-based board is about to be launched. The purpose of the board is to collaborate with all public bodies as well as the voluntary sector and encourage a different conversation with the community that will reflect their own and unique needs. In addition, the Executive Councillor stated that the Council clearly understands that the residents are not users of a single service and to draw lines at organisational boundaries is to fundamentally misunderstand how lives are lived.

If a consistent and easily understandable set of messages across all agencies is not provided, then solutions will be delivered that fail to achieve their full potential. It is for these reasons that increasingly the Council is using its customer front doors to remove organisational barriers, rather than to hand off. 

Dr Robin explained to the Panel that the Health and Wellbeing Board is responsible for managing the consultation, however sub-committees have been established which will oversee the day to day running of the consultation. Dr Robin then outlined the structure and content of the draft Health and Wellbeing Strategy and explained that the Strategy was about all partners taking action to achieve the objectives.

Councillor Alban asked whether there is a consideration on how Cambridgeshire and Peterborough interacts with neighbouring Health and Wellbeing Services, as residents tend to gravitate towards the nearest services, even if they are over the border. In response the Panel was informed that it is recognised that residents will approach their nearest services even if the service is located in a different authority to where they live, e.g. residents in Wisbech, Cambridgeshire tend to use services at Queen Elizabeth Hospital in King’s Lynn, Norfolk. However, work is ongoing and the Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) does interact with neighbouring CCG’s on this matter.

A comment was made, by Councillor Alban, that the is a focus on homelessness is solely in Cambridge and Peterborough and not in the rural areas. He commented that Stilton are contributing towards the Peterborough Light Project and asked if the Strategy could recognise the vital contribution rural areas can  ...  view the full minutes text for item 61.

To resolve:

that the press and public be excluded from the meeting because the business to be transacted contains information relating to the financial or business affairs of any particular person (including the authority holding that information).

RESOLVED

That the press and public be excluded from the meeting because the business to be transacted contains information relating to the financial or business affairs of any particular person (including the authority holding that information).

(At 8.28pm, during the consideration of this item, Councillor J P Morris left the meeting and did not return.)

A report on the awarding of contracts for public advice and voluntary sector support will be presented to the Panel.

With the aid of a report by the Operational Manager (People) (a copy of which has been appended in the Minute Book) the awarding of contracts for public advice and voluntary sector support was presented to the Panel.

Members commented on several aspects of the submitted bids and noted that the sums bid were the same for the bidders in both contracts, however they were assured that although bidders were notified of a notional budget sum, they had the opportunity to submit different sums but had elected not to do so. 

The Panel also noted that the current provider recently had funding withdrawn by another Council and asked about the impact of this on the local contract. Officers assured the Panel that the tender process provided explicit links between funding for and delivery under the Huntingdonshire contract.

RESOLVED

The Panel agreed that the Cabinet should endorse the recommendations contained within the report.

(At 8.30pm, during the consideration of this item, Councillor J Tavener entered the meeting.)

To resolve:

that the press and public be re-admitted to the meeting.

RESOLVED

That the press and public be re-admitted to the meeting.

The Overview and Scrutiny Work Programme is to be presented to the Panel.

With the aid of a report by the Democratic Services Officer (Scrutiny) (a copy of which is appended in the Minute Book) the Overview and Scrutiny Work Programme was presented to the Panel.

In explaining why the Environmental Enforcement Task and Finish Group has not yet met, it was explained that there is currently an Environmental Enforcement Audit ongoing and once that has been concluded then the work of the Task and Finish Group will begin.