Agenda item

To hear the Call-In of any decisions made at the Cabinet meeting prior to this meeting or made by Cabinet Members, other Council Committees or a delegated officer and published within five working days of this meeting.

Members should bring their Cabinet agenda to the meeting.

Members should consider any other decisions published in the five working days before this meeting.

The purpose of this meeting is to decide whether to refer back any decision to the decision maker.

Members gave consideration to the Cabinet reports of 18 November 2010 and after careful consideration Members decided not to call-in any decision made by the Cabinet at their meeting.

However further clarification was requested on the following Cabinet items:

Cabinet Agenda Item 6 - Major Scrutiny Review - The Effect of Overcrowding on Educational Attainment and Children's Development 

In relation to Recommendation 6 of the report could officers explain why there was no record in the final report of the two Members of the Health Inequalities Working Group who objected to this recommendation?

[Subsequent to the meeting, officers provided the following response:

“At the Health Inequalities Working Group meeting held on 19 October 2010, Councillor John Major’s opposition to recommendation 6 of the final report was recorded in the minutes. Also when the final report was considered by the External Services Committee at its meeting on 28 October 2010, Councillor Phoday Jarjussey who had been a Member of the Working Group,  had his opposition to recommendation 6 recorded in the minutes.

The majority of Members of both the Working Group and the Scrutiny Committee agreed the content of the final report which included all recommendations of the review. It is normal practice not to record individual Members’ opposition to details of final reports.

The final report of the Major Scrutiny Review – The Effect of Overcrowding on Educational Attainment and Children’s Development was agreed at the External Services Scrutiny Committee on 28 October, for submission to Cabinet.” ]  

Cabinet Agenda Item 8 - Older People's Plan 2008 - 2011 - Q2 Update 2010-11

Under paragraph 8, page 117 of the agenda, reference was made to 541 priority post codes in Hillingdon. Could officers provide further information on how these priority post codes were worked out?

[Subsequent to the meeting, officers provided the following response:

“P1 postcodes were derived from an extensive social survey of all types of lifestyle factors and are part of a demographic database used by the fire brigade to focus on areas of housing which may be high risk of fire, particularly where there are significant numbers of older people living on their own.”]

Cabinet Agenda Item 9 - Disabled People's Plan 2009-2012 Update

On page 143 of the agenda, under the objective "improve waiting times for key therapy services for disabled children", the progress comment stated that "Due to changes within health following the election and a requirement to reprioritise, this task is no longer going forward". Members asked for further details on why this was no longer going forward.

[Subsequent to the meeting, officers provided the following response:

“With reference to the clarification on the Disabled People's Plan the PCT have provided further clarification on the objective "to improve waiting times for key therapy services for disabled children".  The response from the PCT is:

"This was a decision made by the PCT Executive Team due to a necessary reprioritisation following the change in government, however waiting times for NHS children's therapy services are monitored on a monthly basis and at present they are achieving their contract requirements. As the GP commissioning consortium is under development, it has been decided to wait until they develop their priorities"].

Cabinet Agenda Item 20 - Voluntary Sector Leases

Members noted that the decision on the rent for Barnhill Community Association had been deferred, but Members asked when this would be coming back to Cabinet. 

Also at Cabinet in July, a decision was deferred on the rent for Hayes & Harlington Community Association. Members wanted to know when this would be coming back to Cabinet. 

[Subsequent to the meeting, officers provided the following response:

“ With regard to Barnhill Community Association, the next VSLP report will not be submitted now until March of next year, and officers remain hopeful that all outstanding issues with this tenant can be resolved by then so that a new application can be considered in that report. It is also hoped that the application for Hayes and Harlington Community Association will also be considered in March next year.”]

The Executive Scrutiny Committee also made the following comments based on Cabinet reports.

The Committee reiterated their concerns regarding Policy Overview Committees not having the opportunity to comment on Cabinet reports and asked that where possible consideration be given to key Cabinet reports being submitted to Policy Overview Committee to enable their comments to be taken into consideration prior to Cabinet.

The Committee also asked that officers ensured that Cabinet reports contained correct information regarding ward details.

Resolved -    

1.      That the decisions made by Cabinet at their meeting on 18 November 2010 be endorsed and noted and no call-in be made of any decision. 

2.    That officers be asked to provide responses to the issues outlined above.