Agenda and minutes

The Chairman welcomed representatives from Harrow Primary Care Trust, the Portfolio Holder for Environment and Community Safety, the Divisional Director of Environmental Services, the Director of Schools and Children’s Development and the Divisional Director of Audit and Risk.

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 Members:-

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 interests were declared:

That the minutes of the meeting held on 28 July 2009 be taken as read and signed as a correct record.

RESOLVED:  That the minutes of the meeting held on 28 July 2009 be taken as read and signed as a correct record.

To receive questions (if any) from local residents/organisations under the provisions of Overview and Scrutiny Procedure Rule 8.

RESOLVED:  To note that no public questions were put.

To receive petitions (if any) submitted by members of the public/Councillors under the provisions of Overview and Scrutiny Procedure Rule 9.

RESOLVED:  To note that no petitions were received.

To receive deputations (if any) under the provisions of Overview and Scrutiny Procedure Rule 10.

RESOLVED:  To note that no deputations were received.

(if any).

RESOLVED:  To note that there were no references from Council or Cabinet.

At the request of the Leader of the Labour Group, agree that CouncillorAsad Omar replace Councillor Keeki Thammaiah as a reserve Member of the Call-in Sub Committee.

RESOLVED: That Councillor Asad Omar replace Councillor Keeki Thammaiah as a Reserve Member of the Call-in Sub Committee.

Report of the Divisional Director of Environmental Services

The Portfolio Holder for Environment and Community Services introduced the report. She informed Members that the draft Waste Management Strategy had been considered by Cabinet at its meeting on 15 January 2009 and had been subject to public consultation from 2 February 2009 to 15 May 2009.  The final proposed strategy was due to be recommended for adoption by Cabinet at its meeting on 17 September 2009.

The Portfolio Holder for Environment and Community Services stated that in June 2009 the Council had hit its 2010/11 recycling target of 50% ahead of schedule.  However, she stated that recycling rates typically increased in the summer months and that the Council would need to ensure that performance was sustained.  The Committee was also informed that the three bin system was working well and that the Council was continuing with its policy of education and gentle persuasion in order to encourage residents to sort waste materials.  The Portfolio Holder added that a new fleet of waste disposal vehicles had recently been introduced and, in addition to clear Council branding, the vehicles were more environmentally friendly than their older counterparts.

A Member asked how the Council intended to expand recycling services to include residents that lived in flats.  The Portfolio Holder stated that it would cost approximately £450,000 to cater for all flats in the borough as additional bins and vehicles would be required.  She informed the Committee that Harrow had put in a bid for a share of an £80 million Central Government grant in order to cover this cost but, unfortunately, had been unsuccessful.  It was thought that the grant money was in fact intended to help local authorities invest in new recycling technology, as opposed to expanding existing services.

A Member congratulated Environmental Services on achieving a recycling rate of 50% in June.  However, he queried whether it was realistic for Harrow to aim for significantly higher rates.  The Member also stated that he was not aware of any upcoming recycling publicity campaigns and asked how the current recycling performance could be sustained or increased without such support.  The Portfolio Holder informed the Committee that Harrow had the second highest recycling rate in London.  She informed Members that the Council was realistic when deciding upon recycling targets and fully acknowledged that the public realm budget had to be split between a wide range of services.  As such, the Council aimed to strike a balance between increasing recycling rates whilst developing other services such as street cleansing.  However, in order to maximise use of available resources, the Council was predominantly targeting difficult properties where occupiers were consistently failing to recycle.  She added that, whilst maintaining and increasing recycling rates was costly, the use of landfill sites was unsustainable on both an environmental and financial level.  In regards to publicity, the Portfolio Holder informed Members that she regularly conducted interviews with local media.

A Member stated that some areas of Harrow had a large number of transient residents and this often resulted  ...  view the full minutes text for item 599.

Report of the Director of Public Health for Harrow

A representative for Harrow PCT introduced the Harrow PCT Influenza Pandemic Plan.  She informed the Committee that the plan detailed arrangements for NHS Harrow’s response to an influenza pandemic, including actions that would be taken by the PCT and primary care services.  She stated that since the World Health Organisation had declared the pandemic,  Harrow PCT had been implementing national guidance and monitoring the situation carefully.  She explained that, as more information had become available, the Influenza Pandemic Plan had been modified accordingly and would shortly receive ratification by the PCT Board.  She informed Members that the PCT’s current priorities were to ensure the vaccination process commenced as soon as possible and that immunisation was made available to frontline staff.  In addition, the PCT would continue to support the Acute Trust in managing seasonal flu preparations.

The Divisional Director of Audit & Risk, informed the Committee that Harrow Council had a business continuity plan in place to ensure that services would continue to operate efficiently, despite the pandemic.  He stated that, with the introduction of the Civil Contingencies Act 2004, all local authorities had a duty to maintain plans to ensure that they could continue to exercise all of their functions in the event of an emergency, so far as was reasonably practicable.  Jonathan Price, Policy and Development Manager for Adults and Housing, added that the Council maintained a joint database with Harrow PCT in order to monitor and share information regarding the impact of swine flu on the provision of services.  Such a system allowed both sides to respond to developments promptly.

A Member asked how the PCT could ensure that the vaccination was safe.  The PCT representative stated that, although the vaccine had been developed as a matter of urgency, it remained subject to standard safeguards and was, at present, still under licensing review.  The PCT would only commence with its immunisation plans once full clearance had been obtained.  Whilst the vaccine presented a small risk to certain individuals, such as pregnant women, these ‘danger groups’ were well known and clear guidance was in place to ensure that clinicians thoroughly assessed individuals and explained potential risks before administering the vaccine.  For those that were currently taking medication that could not be taken in conjunction with the swine flu vaccine, alternative options were available.

Following a number of questions regarding the potential impact of swine flu on Harrow PCT, including A&E’s ability to deal with an influx of patients, the PCT reprsentative informed the Committee that a large scale anti-viral distribution centre was in place, but had yet to be brought into operation as pharmacists were continuing to cope with demand.  With primary care services handling the provision of anti-viral medicine, it was not expected that A&E would see a significant rise in patient numbers.  Furthermore, she added that the PCT had a business continuity plan in place and could upscale and downscale services as required, without compromising patient safety.  However, whilst safeguards were in place, it  ...  view the full minutes text for item 600.

Report of the Corporate Director of Adults and Housing

An officer introduced the report and informed Members that overall it had been a good year for complaints, especially as the Council’s complaints system was well publicised.  In regard to stage one complaints, the Council was surpassing national timescale standards with 77.5% of complaints completed within time. Stage 2 complaint data indicated no significant issues, with a minor concern being that the special needs escalation rate had increased to 20%.  When the complaints relating to the West Lodge amalgamation consultation process were not taken into consideration, only 6% of complaints had escalated to stage 2.  Of the 5 complaints that had reached stage 3, only one of these was not West Lodge related and the complainant was later deemed to be vexatious.  The officer explained that, due to the sensitivity of the West Lodge complaints, the final decision was made by the Local Government Ombudsman (LGO) who eventually recommended a local settlement with compensation of £250 per complainant for the time and trouble to pursue the points of the complaint that were legitimate.  In concluding, the officer stated that some complaints would always escalate and this often indicated an accessible complaints system rather than a cause for concern.  However, the officer informed the Committee that from 1 April 2009, the LGO’s official policy had changed and the organisation would now issue findings on all complaints investigated. He informed Members that there were likely to be publicity implications as a result.

A Member queried whether any comparative data was available so that comparisons could be made between Harrow and other local authorities.  The officer informed the Committee that the London Complaints Manager Group was in the process of collating data so this was not yet available.  However, as complaint systems varied, he would expect huge variations in results which could be misleading.  He explained that whilst Harrow vetted every Stage 1 response letter to ensure complainants were advised of their right to proceed to the next stage of the complaints procedure, most other local authorities had not adopted the same practices and, as such, Harrow might experience a higher number of complaints.

A Member asked how vexatious complaints were defined and how those that had been added to the list of vexatious complainants were dealt with.  The officer explained that the Council followed national statutory guidance when dealing with vexatious complaints.  However, complaints were never prejudged and, if necessary, would be put through the entire complaints procedure.  Individuals added to the list of vexatious complainants retained the right to approach the LGO and could still complain to the Council, although such complaints would be dealt with differently.

RESOLVED: That the report be noted.

Report of the Corporate Director of Adults and Housing

An officer informed Members that new regulations had come into effect from 1 April 2009 and that these would significantly alter the way in which the Council dealt with adult services complaints.  The officer referred to key changes contained in the report.

A Member noted that there had been significant service user dissatisfaction with Care UK and queried whether the issue had now been resolved.  The officer informed the Committee that prior to the BBC Panorama documentary being broadcast, Adult Services were aware of the issues and acting to address the problems.  Whilst considerable improvements had since been made, work was ongoing.  The Member stated that training needed to be improved as the documentary demonstrated that, at the time of filming, some Care UK staff lacked experience and knowledge.  The officer stated that this issue had been addressed and that the Council was now receiving regular reports and was able to better monitor the situation.  At the request of the Chairman, the officer agreed to provide Members with details of the training offered by Care UK to new staff, outside the meeting.

A Member stated that it was important that contractors shared the same commitment to complaint handling as the Council.  The officer informed the Committee that the Council was increasingly monitoring the complaint procedures of all care providers and ensuring that service users were given the opportunity to complaint directly to the Council if necessary.  The Member added that it would be useful if a representative of Care UK was invited to attend a future meeting of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee so that Members could better understand the training available to staff. Members were also concerned that complaints were still being received and felt that this needed to be addressed by a representative.

RESOLVED:  That (1) the report be noted;

(2)  a representative of Care UK be invited to a future meeting of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee to address the concerns surrounding training of staff.

The Committee considered a written report of the issues considered by the Scrutiny Lead Members for Children and Young People, Corporate Effectiveness and Safer and Stronger Communities.

RESOLVED:  That (1) a scoping workshop involving key officers from Children’s Services, Adult Services and the PCT be organised to set the scope for further work regarding Transitions in the 2010/2011 municipal year;

(2)  further information regarding the Transformation Programme be provided to the Corporate Effectiveness Lead Members at their next meeting;

(3)  a diagram / matrix of the people and organisations relevant to the Community Engagement work within the borough be developed in time for the Safer and Stronger Communities Lead Members’ next quarterly meeting;

(4)  the Safer and Stronger Communitties Lead Members be provided with a copy of the Community Involvement Strategy;

(5)  an update regarding recent developments in community safety be provided to the Safer and Stronger Communities Lead Members at their next quarterly meeting;

(6)  an update regarding the progress of the Gypsy and Traveller Strategy be provided to the Safer and Stronger Communities Lead Members at their next quarterly meeting.

Report of the Divisional Director for Partnership Development and Performance.

An officer introduced the report, which outlined the position of the scrutiny reviews currently underway.  The officer stated that the Transitions workshop was due to be held in either late September or early October 2009. In addition, a challenge panel to consider the performance of the Kier Contract was due to take place in October.

RESOLVED: That (1) the progress of the current review programme be noted;

(2)  the scheduling of projects for 2009/10 be confirmed;

(3)  a workshop to prepare a scope for the Transitions review be held in either late September or early October 2009.