Written evidence submitted by Torbay Council
Overview and Scrutiny Board
(LOCO 42)
1. EXECUTIVE
SUMMARY
1.1 The main points of our submission are:
¾ The
mayoral model of local governance promotes localism.
¾ Overview
and scrutiny has a strong role to play under localism, especially
in the mayoral model.
¾ Overview
and scrutiny is vital to the success of ensuring value for money
for local people.
2. INTRODUCTION
2.1 The Members of Torbay Council's Overview
and Scrutiny Board welcome the opportunity to provide its views
to the Select Committee on localism. As a unitary authority with
an elected mayor, the Board feels it is well placed to share how
it holds local decision makers to account on behalf of local people
and would hope to continue this role as the concepts of localism
and the Big Society develop.
3. BACKGROUND
3.1 The first Mayor of Torbay was elected in
October 2005 with a term of office of five and a half years. In
2008, Torbay Council became a Commissioning Authority with the
traditional chief officers of the Council being replaced by Commissioners
whose role is to look outward, focussing on outcomes not processes.
3.2 Commissioning Partnerships (sitting within
the framework of the Local Strategic Partnership and the Community
Plan) deal with the total place rather than just health and social
care or the delivery of local area agreements.
3.3 Overview and scrutiny is critical to the
success of the mayoral form of governance and the Commissioning
Framework—holding decision makers to account and ensuring
that the Bay Family is at the heart of everything we do.
3.4 This submission shows how overview and scrutiny
at Torbay:
¾ has
an impact on the delivery of public services;
¾ provides
critical friend challenge;
¾ reflects
the voice and concerns of the community;
¾ is owned
by independent minded scrutineers; and
¾ and
is therefore crucial to the success of localism.
3.5 The work of overview and scrutiny not only
focuses on the economic factors of decision making but brings
the efficiency and effectiveness of existing policies and services
into the spotlight to ensure that the community as a whole receives
value for money.
4. THE ECONOMIC
FOCUS
4.1 In November 2008, the Overview and Scrutiny
Board discussed the funding of the Concessionary Bus Fares Scheme.
The principle of the Scheme was welcomed but it placed a huge
financial burden on Torbay Council. The Board heard that the Government
Office for the South West had recognised that Torbay was a special
case. The Mayor and local MPs were requested to lobby the Government
Minister for Transport to request additional funding for Torbay
Council for Concessionary Fares.
4.2 The Chairman of the Board, together with
the Leaders of each political group, wrote to Torbay's MPs setting
out the Council's position. Adrian Sanders MP arranged a meeting
with the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Transport.
The Mayor, Overview and Scrutiny Co-ordinator, Leader of the Opposition
Group and the Environment Commissioner met with the MP and the
Minister in May 2009.
4.3 The meeting was constructive with the Minister
acknowledging that concessionary fares were an issue for Torbay.
He noted that 2011 was the earliest a national response could
be made but recognised that action was required before that date.
A consultation paper was issued with revised allocations to fund
the cost of the scheme. Torbay Council received an additional
£580,000 in grant for 2010-2011.
5. THE EFFECTIVENESS
FOCUS
5.1 Issues around young people and alcohol misuse
were raised through both the TellUs2 and General User Satisfaction
Surveys and were a major issue of concern identified by the Director
of Public Health. The Overview and Scrutiny Board established
a Review Panel to review measures addressing alcohol misuse in
young people and children within Torbay.
5.2 One of the aims of the review was understand
the messages on alcohol that young people were receiving, including
their attitudes towards alcohol use. Scrutineers met with young
people being supported by the Youth Offending Team, using police
diversionary schemes and the Youth Enquiry Service and those in
touch with detached youth workers. The panel utilised the Connect
Caravan and the "Your Bay, Your Say" Local Democracy
Week event.
5.3 The panel learnt that:
¾ Young
people admit they tend not to listen if they feel they are being
lectured.
¾ Hard
hitting videos or talks which provide credible information …
are remembered and have an effect.
¾ Getting
hold of alcohol is relatively easy.
¾ There
are not enough social and leisure activities and what there is
can be hard to access.
5.4 Reducing the use of alcohol is now one of
the seven priorities in the Torbay Children and Young People's
Plan and scrutiny members will be continuing to monitor the implementation
of their recommendations to ensure that services for young people
remain effective from the point of view of the people at whom
they are aimed.
6. THE EFFICIENCY
FOCUS
6.1 The need for wider transparency and accountability
is a given. Torbay's Commissioning Partnerships bring together
a range of agencies working for the benefit of the community as
a whole. The majority of those partner organisations have non-executive
members with responsibility for holding decision makers to account
and for bringing forward the views of the community.
6.2 The Children's Trust is currently one of
Torbay's Commissioning Partnerships. In order to make the accountability
thread as efficient as possible, a pilot Children's Trust Commissioning
Board was created. The Forum is made up of non-executives from
the partner agencies of the Trust including scrutiny councillors,
non-executive directors of health trusts, the police authority,
school governors, the Third Sector and young people. The Forum
reviews matters being considered by the Trust and provides challenge
on key issues and performance levels.
6.3 By working together, the non-executives on
the Forum can bring a range of skills and perspectives on how
the outcomes which the Trust set out to achieve are being be implemented
and the difference that this is making to the Bay Family. Issues
of concern can be escalated to the relevant partner agency and/or
to the Overview and Scrutiny Board which can use established techniques
such as in-depth reviews or select committee style hearings to
require partner agencies to provide information about ongoing
or recurring issues.
October 2010
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