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 that there were no Reserve Members in attendance.

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 there were no declarations of interests made.

That the minutes of the meeting held on 7 December 2011 be taken as read and signed as a correct record.

RESOLVED:  That the minutes of the meeting held on 7 December 2012 be taken as read and signed as a correct record.

To receive questions (if any) from local residents or organisations under the provisions of Executive Procedure Rule 51 (Part 4D of the Constitution).

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

Report of the Divisional Director of Human Resources and Development and Shared Services.

The Panel received a report of the Divisional Director Human Resources and Development and Shared Services, which provided an update on the Member Development Programme of events that had taken place since the last meeting of the Panel.

The Divisional Director stated that:

·                    the November Members’ Quarterly Briefing and ‘The Role of a Member During A Major Incident’ training sessions had received positive feedback;

·                    the TfL briefing, ‘Travel and Spend at London’s Town Centres’ had received some negative feedback.

Members made the following comments with regard to the TfL Briefing:

·                    although the research and compilation of the data had been carried out by TfL, an officer from the Council’s Transport Section had been requested to deliver the training.  As a result, the officer had not been able to answer some of the questions from Members;

·                    TfL had carried out similar research at the sub-regional level, which would be of interest and relevance to Members in Harrow.

Members were also of the view that:

·                    it was important to manage Members’ expectations with regard to training sessions, and in the future, officers and trainers should be requested to clarify the aims and objectives of the training at the beginning of each session and that learning and development criteria, such as aims and objectives should be integrated into all training;

·                    with regard to ‘The Role of a Member during a Major Incident’ training, a Member suggested the production of a wallet-sized, laminated aide?memoire setting out what to do in emergencies for all Members;

·                    the Office for Public Management’s (OPM) training session on 30 January had been excellent, but had not been well attended as it had clashed with a number of other meetings;

·                    the further two OPM sessions planned for February and March 2012 should be actively promoted to Members and further information about their content be requested from the trainer and be circulated to all Members prior to the training.

Members made the following comments and requests with regard to the planned training for the remainder of the Municipal Year:

·                    clarification whether the ‘Housing Needs’ training session would include information about the recent housing priorities consultations;

·                    that Members be reminded that the Member Development training sessions are set out in the corporate calendar and that they should avoid double-booking themselves on these dates;

·                    that officers be requested not to schedule briefing or other meetings that clashed with Member Development training events.

The Divisional Director made the following additional points:

·                    officers were awaiting quotes from two current contracted training organisations with regard to the IT training.  Once the contract was agreed, additional IT training dates would be publicised to Members;

·                    the Head of Legal Practicehad advised that the responsibility for the impositions of sanctions, if any, on Members who failed to attend mandatory training, rested with the Standards Committee, and should be referred to it;

·                    the appendix to the report, which provided guidance on the types of information that Members could include on their social network sites would be circulated  ...  view the full minutes text for item 37.

7.30 pm on 3 April 2012.

Tuesday 3 April 2012.