Agenda item

Councillor Gary Hewson, Chair of the Performance Scrutiny Committee, provided an update report on the work of the Committee. The following key items of business considered by the Committee over the last year were noted:

·         Portfolio under scrutiny sessions – each Portfolio Holder was required to attend the Committee throughout the year, provide an update on their portfolio and answer questions regarding their portfolio’s performance;

·         changes to the Strategic Plan Implementation Team reporting arrangements;

·         Vision 2020 reporting arrangements;

·         Christmas Market outturn report 2016;

·         Human Resources corporate performance statistics;

·         Lincoln Transport Hub;

·         Housing Benefits overpayments;

·         Christmas Market 2017;

·         Homelessness;

·         Central Market review.

Councillor Hewson reported that the Committee would continue to challenge issues and acknowledge successes as it always had done. The current system of monitoring performance measures was having to be replaced and officers were already working on developing a new system which should be in place by quarter one in 2019/20.

The work of the Housing Scrutiny Sub-Committee was also noted, with the introduction of Universal Credit posing a number of challenges particularly in relation to rent arrears and an expected rise in loss of monies to the Housing Revenue Account. The Sub-Committee intended to look at Tenancy Agreements and the level of day to day repairs at forthcoming meetings.

Councillor Hewson highlighted a number of regional and national awards that the Council had achieved, together with being shortlisted for three Local Government Chronicle Awards. He said that members and officers should be proud of what the Council had achieved.

In closing Councillor Hewson thanked Rob Baxter, Financial Services Manager, and James Wilkinson, Strategic Development Project Manager, who would both shortly be leaving the authority, for their valuable contributions to the Performance Scrutiny Committee over the last year.

Councillor Eddie Strengiel was disappointed that the introduction of the Homelessness Reduction Act 2017 appeared to come across as negative in the report, whereas it was a positive piece of legislation involving new duties to help people which should be applauded. He questioned whether the new requirements caused a bigger problem or actually helped those who were potentially homeless. Councillor Strengiel also reflected on problems in the high street associated with rough sleeping, drug taking and antisocial behaviour in view of the fact that Lincoln was a tourist city and relied upon attracting people to visit. He originally applauded the introduction of the new Intervention Team which he thought would address some of these problems although in his personal experience nothing seemed to have really changed.

Councillor Hewson reported that, due to the changes in the requirements, more people were presenting themselves as homeless to the Council and the Council had a care of duty to those individuals. The majority of the issues Councillor Strengiel had referred to were policing matters and the Council was limited as to its powers that could be enforced. Councillor Hewson thought that the introduction of the Intervention Team would improve things on the high street and be very effective.

Councillor Thomas Dyer thanked Councillor Hewson for his chairmanship of the Performance Scrutiny Committee, adding that he had not been afraid to hold Executive members to account and that this was an important part of the democratic process.

Councillor Ronald Hills reiterated Councillor Dyer’s sentiments and said that the Performance Scrutiny Committee was an important Committee which had always worked very well. He congratulated Councillor Hewson for chairing the Committee in an even handed and magnanimous manner.

Councillor Hewson thanked members for their kind words and added his own thanks to all members of the Committee for their valuable contributions.