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)             after notifying the Chair at the start of the meeting.

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 all Members present.

RESOLVED:  To note that there were no declarations of interests made by Members in relation to the business transacted at this meeting.

To consider whether any of the items listed on the agenda should be considered with the press and public excluded on the grounds that it is thought likely, in view of the nature of the business to be transacted, that there would be disclosure of confidential information in breach of an obligation of confidence or of exempt information as defined in the Local Government (Access to Information) Act 1985.

RESOLVED:  That all items be considered with the press and public present.

That the minutes of the meeting held on 2 September 2004, having been circulated, be taken as read and signed as a correct record.

RESOLVED:  That the minutes of the meeting held on 2 September 2004, having been circulated, be taken as read and signed as a correct record.

To receive questions (if any) from local residents or organisations under the provisions of Advisory Panel and Consultative Forum Procedure Rule 15 (Part 4E of the Constitution).

RESOLVED:  To note that no public questions were received at this meeting under the provisions of Advisory Panel and Consultative Forum Procedure Rule 15 (Part 4E of the Constitution).

To receive petitions (if any) submitted by members of the public/Councillors under the provisions of Advisory Panel and Consultative Forum Procedure Rule 13 (Part 4E of the Constitution).

RESOLVED:  To note that no petitions were received at this meeting under the provisions of the Advisory Panel and Consultative Forum Procedure Rule 13 (Part 4E of the Constitution).

To receive deputations (if any) under the provisions of Advisory Panel and Consultative Forum Procedure Rule 14 (Part 4E of the Constitution).

RESOLVED:  To note that no deputations were received at this meeting under the provisions of Advisory Panel and Consultative Forum Procedure Rule 14 (Part 4E of the Constitution).

[Note: A copy of the ‘Statutory Assessment Process in Harrow: A Guide for Parents/Carers’, has been circulated separately to Members of the Panel only].

The Panel received a reference from the meeting of the Lifelong Learning Scrutiny Sub-Committee held on 28 June 2004, requesting that consideration be given to ways of widening the availability of the review group’s report on SEN processes and to a draft parental guidance document on SEN.

Members discussed the document and made the following suggestions:-

• An appendix with information on supporting organisations
• Translation into other languages
• Variety of contact points such as email and minicom
• Inclusion of a section on Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
• Emphasis on parent partnership

It was suggested that parents be asked to give feedback on the document.

The Chair undertook to present the Panel’s suggestions to the relevant officers for inclusion in the document.

RESOLVED: That the above be noted.

The Panel considered a reference from the meeting of the Wealdstone Regeneration Advisory Panel, held on 20 September 2004, regarding speeding buses.

The Wealdstone Regeneration Advisory Panel had asked that advice on how to report speeding buses to the bus companies be included in Area Newsletters.

The Panel noted the request and the residents’ concern regarding speeding buses.

RESOLVED: That the reference be noted.

The Panel received a reference from the meeting of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee held on 19 October 2004, which requested that consideration be given to the use of route maps and stories to assist in communicating the New Harrow Project message.

The Panel discussed the possibility of featuring stories from residents regarding the results of the implementation of the New Harrow Project in Harrow People and on the web site.

The Panel stressed the need for scrutiny work to be more widely publicised and for information to be accessible to all readers.

RESOLVED: That the Panel’s comments be noted.

The Panel received a verbal report on the future strategies for the publication of Harrow People and Area Newsletters. A more comprehensive report explaining the financial implications of the future strategies would be submitted to a future meeting.

Officers advised that many Boroughs were looking to increase the frequency of their magazines as the circulation of local newspapers had dropped and Councils were no longer able to ensure that their information reached all residents via these newspapers.

It was reported that officers were considering altering the frequency of the magazine to fortnightly distributions and altering the editing of the magazine to include Area Newsletters in Harrow People. The Communications Unit was also considering changing the arrangements for the distribution and printing of Harrow People by bringing the production in-house and using advertising income to finance the magazine.

A Member commented that an increased focus on the development of the web site should be parallel to the development of the magazine, as the use of new technologies were increasing.

Officers asked the Panel to consider a trial for the winter edition of Harrow People with Area Newsletters stitched in the magazine. A consultation on the trial would be included in the magazine.

A Member suggested that the consultation include a question on the preferred technology for accessing the information provided in the magazine.

RESOLVED: That (1) the Panel endorse the trial to include Area Newsletters in the winter edition of Harrow People and;

(2) the verbal report be noted.

The Chair reported that the Cabinet had considered the Panel’s recommendation regarding the web site at its meeting on 14 October 2004. The Cabinet had amended the recommendation as it was felt that there was no need for a separate working group to monitor the development of the web site. The Cabinet had agreed that the Publications Advisory Panel would act as an overview body for the development of the web site and that the Portfolio Holder with the remit for Communications would take the lead on the issue.

Officers provided the Panel with a verbal update on the progress of the web site.

It was reported that APLAWS had been installed and was currently being updated. There were plans to create more sub-sites, such as the business portal run by consultants, and to have seasonal features on the key web site pages. The online consultation software was expected to be used more frequently and there would be a common policy on replying to emails from the public. There was a need to develop the site taking into account that the revised Freedom of Information Act would be introduced in January 2005.

In response to Members’ comments on having moving images on the web site, officers replied that the Council had followed guidelines on accessibility which placed certain restrictions on the web site’s layout.

It was suggested that the web site focus on encouraging residents to engage in the Council’s activities, contain links to other web pages and that the links on the front page be more informative to appeal more to the public.

The Panel discussed possibilities for recruiting staff via the web site. It was noted that Urban Living was using different methods to recruit than other departments and it was stressed that the Council should follow a corporate policy for recruitment.

A Member stated that the agency ‘Workline’ was used by the Council to recruit temporary staff and suggested that the details be placed online.

RESOLVED: That the verbal report and the comments outlined above be noted.

Which the Chair has decided is urgent and cannot otherwise be dealt with.

Harrow Early Years

Members noted with concern that the Harrow Early Years’ publication contained no Council logo and that it was produced by a private company although the Council policy stated that all publications be produced in-house.

The Chair undertook to write a letter to all Directorates to bring their attention to the Council’s communications policy and to the role of the Panel.

Competition

A Member suggested that Harrow People enter a local government magazine competition.

Winter Edition of Harrow People

It was agreed that a discussion on the draft winter edition of Harrow People was to be held on 17 November at 5.30 pm, in consultation with officers from the Communications Unit. All Panel Members were welcome to attend.

RESOLVED: That the above be noted.

To note that the next meeting of the Panel is due to be held on Thursday 10 February 2005.

RESOLVED: To note that the Panel’s next meeting would be held on 10 February 2005.