Agenda and draft minutes

To enable members of the public to ask questions, express views or present petitions, IF NOTICE HAS BEEN GIVEN, (by telephone, in writing or by email) BY NO LATER THAN 12 NOON OF THE WORKING DAY PRECEDING THE MEETING. As per Procedural Rule 14.4 at any one meeting no person may submit more than 3 questions and no more than 1 such question may be asked on behalf of one organisation.

There was no public participation.

17 September 2024

It was moved by Councillor Roger Shelley, seconded by Councillor Gareth Gee and

RESOLVED (unanimously)

That the minutes of the meeting of the Scrutiny Committee held on 17 September 2024 be approved as a correct record.

The Chair declared the motion CARRIED.

Members are required to declare the existence and nature of any interests they may have in subsequent agenda items in accordance with the District Council’s Code of Conduct. Those interests are matters that relate to money or that which can be valued in money, affecting the Member, their partner, extended family and close friends. Interests that become apparent at a later stage in the proceedings may be declared at the time.

There were no declarations of interest.

It was moved by Councillor David Hughes, seconded by Councillor Edwards-Walker and

RESOLVED (unanimously)

That the order of business be altered to bring item 6 – Scrutiny Committee Work Programme forward to be considered immediately after Item 4 – Interests.

The Chair declared the motion CARRIED.

To discuss, and propose any amendments to, the current Scrutiny Committee work programme for 2024/25.

The Chair presented the current Scrutiny Committee Work Programme for 2024/25.

Members raised their concerns regarding the recently published English Devolution White Paper. It was noted that Members would like to discuss this topic at the next meeting of the Committee once more information had been released.

It was moved by Councillor David Hughes, seconded by Councillor Peter Slack

REOLVED (unanimously)

That the Chief Executive and Leader of the Council determine a method of enabling Members and staff to be consulted on the recommendations made to Derbyshire County Council and DHCLG about the proposed unitary authority.

The Chair declared the motion CARRIED.

The Chair noted that the exercise on Experiences of Flooding in Derbyshire Dales had not made any further progress. Since Members had been nominated to sit on the task and finish group for this exercise, the Committee’s membership had altered. Nominations for a Conservative representative to sit on the group alongside Councillor David Hughes, Councillor Laura Mellstrom and Councillor Peter Slack were welcomed and the need for a new officer lead for this exercise was noted. Members requested that the first meeting of this group be held before the end of January 2025.

It was moved by Councillor David Hughes, seconded by Councillor Gareth Gee and

RESOLVED (unanimously)

That Councillor Gareth Gee be the Conservative representative and join Councillors Hughes, Mellstrom and Slack on the task and finish group for the exercise on experiences of flooding in the Derbyshire Dales and that a new officer lead for this exercise be confirmed, with the first meeting of the group being held in January 2025.

The Chair declared the motion CARRIED.

It was noted that the exercise on the Consultation and Engagement Process and Overview of Information Systems needed to remain on the work programme but was not a priority at this current time. Councillor Shelley agreed to recirculate the draft terms of reference for this exercise. Members requested that this be an item for discussion at the next meeting to review the terms of reference and assign Members to a task and finish group.

The Chair invited Members views on the exercise into the scrutiny of DDDC policies to identify any possible issues relating to indirect discrimination. The Corporate Policy Officer informed Members that no complaints had been received by the Council relating to discrimination or indirect discrimination in the past 3 years and noted that each time policies were due to be reviewed or revised, indirect discrimination was considered as part of the process. Members agreed they were not best placed to scrutinise this area and requested further training on equalities and policies.

It was moved by Councillor Sue Bull, seconded by Councillor Roger Shelley and

RESOLVED (unanimously)

That the exercise on the scrutiny of DDDC policies to identify any possible issues relating to indirect discrimination be removed from the Scrutiny Committee Work Programme 2024/25 and a training session for Members on the detailed equality assessments be arranged.

The Chair declared the motion CARRIED.

This report summarises the outturn performance against the District Council’s Derbyshire Dales Plan targets and Key Performance Indicators for Quarter 1 (April 2024 to June 2024) and Quarter 2 (July 2024 to September 2024). The report highlights where services have performed strongly and where improvements can be made.

The Corporate Policy Officer introduced a report which summarised the outturn performance against the Council’s Derbyshire Dales Plan targets and Key Performance Indicators for Quarter 1 (April 2024 to June 2024) and Quarter 2 (July 2024 to September 2024). The report highlighted where services had performed strongly and where improvements could be made.

The Council’s Performance Management process was the means of measuring, monitoring and improving the Council’s progress in achieving its targets. Targets included Corporate Plan project progress and KPIs, as well as service-specific objectives which were detailed in Service Plans. Good performance and areas for improvement were identified through a quarterly reporting process.

Table 1 showed performance against the Derbyshire Dales Plan projects. In summary, of the 98 Derbyshire Dales Plan projects, 90% were proceeding on track and (10%) were off track and requiring attention, during Quarter 1 and Quarter 2 of 2024/25.

Table 2 showed performance against the 22 KPIs reported internally, with targets being achieved for 10 indicators in Quarter 1 and 8 indicators in Quarter 2. In Q1, 4 targets were not achieved and required attention. In Q2, this had increased to 7 areas where the target was not achieved. As many of the indicators were new and use new data sources, targets were still being specified in 7 areas.

Appendix 3 detailed the Q1 and Q2 KPI outturn 2024/25.

Members noted the need to ensure the report was easily available for all Members and members of the public and suggested that the report be uploaded to the performance management section of the website.

It was moved by Councillor David Hughes, seconded by Councillor Peter Slack and

RESOLVED (unanimously)

1.     The outturn performance against Q1 and Q2 Derbyshire Dales Plan targets for 2024/25 be noted.

2.     The outturn performance against Q1 and Q2 Key Performance Indicators for 2024/25 be noted.

3.     That reports continue to be presented to Members of the Scrutiny Committee to highlight progress, demonstrate good performance, and address areas for improvement.

4.     That the report be uploaded to the performance management section on Derbyshire Dales District Council’s website.

The Chair declared the motion CARRIED.