Agenda item

SELECT COMMITTEES' REPORT TO COUNCIL

For Members to note the headline activity of the Council’s overview and scrutiny function in the period July 2024 to September 2024 asking questions of Scrutiny Chairs as necessary.

 

Minutes:

The Chair of the Select Committee Chair and Vice-Chairs’ Group introduced the report. She noted that the group met twice between July and September, at one meeting the Leader and interim Chief Executive provided an overview of the Council’s priorities for the year and areas for collaborative working between the Cabinet and the select committees. The group reviewed approaches and prioritising activity to ensure scrutiny’s effectiveness. The select committees scrutinised a range of important subjects and the group sought to raise the profile of the scrutiny work.

 

The Additional Needs and Disabilities: parent/carer experience Task Group Lead, noted that the Task Group heard examples of bad experiences faced but also the difference good administration and high-quality education makes. The Local Government Association (LGA) was advocating for the national change needed to develop a sustainable SEND system. The Task Group focused on the changes and improvements needed in Surrey as set out in the report. Welcomed the extra investment by the Council and work of the End-to-End team but progress was slow, therefore welcomed the Leader’s suggestion for a session for all Members. Noted the need to empathise, increase knowledge of neurodiversity and the changing impacts on children, increase co-production, and the need to build in mediation, and commended the work of the Learners' Single Point of Access (L-SPA).Thanked Task Group members and the Committee’s Scrutiny Officer.

 

The Digital Business and Insights (DB&I): Lessons Learned Task Group Lead,noted his thanks to Democratic Services officers, the independent expert, officers and witnesses, the Cabinet Member and Task Group members. Commended the post-implementation review report on SAP to Unit 4 transition. The goal of the Task Group was to review the DB&I programme and to identify tangible deliverables to be used to make improvements to future programme and project delivery, producing realistic recommendations. The review did not seek to find someone to blame, nor did it find anyone, several factors contributed to the delays and overspend. All involved worked hard to deliver the complex programme, which was operational, yet issues remained which were being addressed by the MySurrey Stabilisation Board. The Internal Audit reports would assist in the process and the select committee would review progress.

 

Members made the following comments:

 

·         Stressed that the work of the select committees was essential to the Council’s good governance. Noted the constructive use of the select committee pre-meetings, yet the reports were received with short notice.

·         The Chair of the Resources and Performance Select Committee commended the work of the Task Group on DB&I and Task Group Lead. Noted that the implementation did not go completely wrong, it was a complex system. The report sought to produce a template to follow for future purchases of IT and data systems; the progress of MySurrey would continue to be reviewed.

·         The Chair of the Children, Families, Lifelong Learning and Culture (CFLLC) Select Committee endorsed the findings of the Task Group on parent/carer experience and thanked the Task Group Lead. She noted that progress was slow and the needs were not being addressed comprehensively enough, and asked the directorate to review the quality of communications which had not improved two years later. Noted the need to be considerate of the case workers overwhelmed by their caseload.

·         Noted that officers strived to get papers to the Chairman and Vice-Chairman of the Planning and Regulatory Committee in a timely manner. 

 

The Chair of the Select Committee Chair and Vice-Chairs’ Groupthanked Members for their comments and thanked the select committees’ support officers. She would follow up the comments made around ensuring that reports be delivered in sufficient time for Members to read the reports which were often lengthy.

 

RESOLVED:

 

That Council reviewed the work summarised in this report and provided feedback to Scrutiny Chairs.

 

Supporting documents: