Agenda and minutes

To note the attendance at this meeting of any duly appointed Reserve Members.

Reserve Members may attend meetings:-

(i)                 to take the place of an ordinary Member for whom they are a reserve;

(ii)               where the ordinary Member will be absent for the whole of the meeting; and

(iii)             the meeting notes at the start of the meeting at the item ‘Reserves’ that the Reserve Member is or will be attending as a reserve;

(iv)              if a Reserve Member whose intention to attend has been noted arrives after the commencement of the meeting, then that Reserve Member can only act as a Member from the start of the next item of business on the agenda after his/her arrival.

RESOLVED:  To note the attendance at this meeting of the following duly appointed Reserve Member:-

To receive declarations of personal or prejudicial interests, arising from business to be transacted at this meeting, from:

(a)               all Members of the Committee, Sub Committee, Panel or Forum;

(b)               all other Members present in any part of the room or chamber.

RESOLVED:  To note that the following personal interests were declared and that all Members remained in the room during the discussion and voting:

Item 7  -  Third Sector Strategy Consultation                  

Councillor Nana Asante -  Afghan Association of London (Harrow), Age Concern, Community Link Up, Kids Can Achieve, Harrow African-Caribbean Association (HACAS), Harrow Bereavement Care, Harrow Citizens Advice Bureau, Harrow In Europe, Harrow Association of Voluntary Service (HAVS), Harrow Gingerbread, Home Start, Horn Response, London Kalibari, Pakistan Women’s Association of Harrow.

Councillor JeanLammiman -  Harrow Young Musicians, Harrow Association of Disabled People, Harrow Association of Voluntary Service (HAVS), Harrow In Europe, Relate North West London.

Councillor Myra Michael - Age Concern, Harrow In Europe and Home Start.

Councillor Joyce Nickolay  -  Bentley Priory Nature Reserve, Harrow In Europe, an appointee of Harrow Association of Voluntary Service (HAVS) and Harrow Weald Conservators. Councillor Joyce Nickolay declared a prejudicial interest in Wheldon Activity Group, in that her husband sat on the Management Board.

CouncillorRekha Shah - Harrow Refugee Forum and Harrow Association of Voluntary Service (HAVS).

That the minutes of the meeting held on 19 November 2009 be taken as read and signed as a correct record.

RESOLVED:  That the minutes of the meeting held on 19 November 2009 be taken and read as correct record, subject to the following amendments:

Minute 195 - Declarations of Interest - Personal

Councillor Nana Asante - add Horn Response and Home Start;

            Councillor Myra Michael - add Age Concern and Home Start;

Councillor Joyce Nickolay - add Harrow Weald Common Conservators and Wheels In Activity to be replaced with Welldon Activity Group;

Councillor Rekha Shah - add Harrow Refugee Forum and Harrow Association of Voluntary Service (HAVS);

Mike Coker - add Healthy Living Centre as he was a voluntary member of the Management Committee.

Councillor Manji Kara - amend to Harrow Public Transport Users Association;

Minute 195 - Declarations of Interest - Prejudicial

Councillor Joyce Nickolay - add Welldon Activity Group, in that her husband sat on the Management Board;

Mike Coker, advisor to the Panel - add Harrow Carers for which he was previously employee.

To receive questions (if any) from local residents or organisations under the provisions of Advisory Panel and Consultative Forum Procedure Rule 16 (Part 4E of the Constitution).

RESOLVED:  To note that no public questions were put, or petitions or deputations received.

A report of the Interim Divisional Director Community and Culture.

An officer introduced the report of the Interim Divisional Director Community and Culture, setting out the background to the development of the Council’s draft Third Sector Strategy.  The officer stated that the Third Sector Strategy would help promote two of the Councils priorities: “Improve Support to Vulnerable People” and “Build Strong Communities”.  She advised that following receipt of all comments the draft would be revised and submitted to Cabinet in March 2010.

Officers responded to various questions and Members registered the following comments:

·                    noted on page 17 of the report, Monitoring Arrangements through HSP, N17 Working Group should read NI7 Working Group Section 2: Building Capacity;

·                    the external post referred to was the Funding Officer.  The Adviser to the Panel clarified that there was another post in the Council, the External Corporate Funding Manager.  He advised that these posts were co-funded by the Harrow Association of Voluntary Service (HAVS) and Harrow Council;

·                    the timeframe of a separate report being compiled in conjunction with the Third Sector Strategy, with the aid of an external consultant, and examining whether it should deliver grants through an independent body was ambitious;

·                    clarified the background of the independent consultant and her knowledge of Harrow;

·                    agreed the original report, detailing the specifics of the grants area, be circulated to Members;

·                    the Mapping and Impact Study had not commenced.  The strategies for this study had not been approved, officers were in consultation with HAVS to approve the Study;

·                    procurement information would be offered through an email network, alerting those to new tenders found on the Council website – although it was important to consider those organisations without email facilities;

·                    it was essential to seek to build and strengthen existing networks;

·                    it was essential that services provided continued to be delivered at required and identified standards;

·                    the Chief Executives department would relay comments on what the Council is doing in relation to Harrow Compact.  Training for officers involved with Harrow Compact would be provided by the Service Manager Policy and Partnership;

·                    in relation to the Total Place Initiative, co-ordinating strands where public money is being spent, areas of duplication could be identified to produce a more effective way of cutting costs and putting residents first in joined up services;

·                    a briefing on the pooling of budgets as envisaged by Total Place and timeline in respect of Harrow would be circulated;

·                    additional monitoring information was required before a decision on the vision of the strategy was made.  Officers confirmed that it was intended to review the Strategy after an appropriate period of monitoring had been undertaken and that this could be brought to a future meeting.

·                    it was intended that the first annual monitoring report would be published in April 2011;

RESOLVED:  That the Panel’s comments be submitted to Cabinet as part of the consideration of the Strategy.

Which cannot otherwise be dealt with.

The Panel expressed its view that it had held an informal discussion at its last meeting concerning the Overview & Scrutiny Review report, December 2008,

which related to the proposals concerning the future of grants.  The Panel expressed its concern that it had not received an invitation to attend and contribute to the discussion, beyond certain Members being requested to provide evidence to the Committee.  The Panel was of the view that it should have been invited or represented in its own capacity at that Committee.

RESOLVED:  That the items be noted.