Agenda item

The report advises Members of the committee of the current work programme and allows them to adjust it in the light of latest priorities, issues and circumstances.  It gives Members the opportunity to shape and direct the committee’s activities over the year.

Discussion:

The committee was advised that there were no new items on the recently published Cabinet Forward Plan within the remit of this committee.

The Chairman of Health and Adult Social Care Overview and Scrutiny Committee advised that the committee’s work programme had changed since the despatch of the agenda and the following changes had been made:

·        Chronic Pain services – report deferred

·        Kent and Medway Suicide Prevention Strategy – added to agenda for 30 September 2010

·        Appraisal of NHS White Paper – added to agenda for 30 September 2010

The spokesperson for the Labour Group asked that the committee considers investigating how Medway Council would operate after the government spending cuts had been implemented and what the quantity, scale and implications of these were likely to be. He advised that it was the role of the committee, with its overarching remit, and that the implications should be considered alongside the Medium Term Financial Plan. This would not be an easy task but should be work that the committee endeavoured to carry out.

The Chief Finance Officer advised that the Medium Term Financial Plan was due to be considered at the Cabinet meeting on 28 September 2010 and that it could then be reported to this committee at its next meeting. He advised that on 20 October 2010 the government would announce the national position (called the Comprehensive Spending Review) but this would not include specific budgets for each council. That information would probably not be available until at least December 2010 and would post-date the Cabinet production of the draft budget for 2011/2012.

Members responded that they would like to start looking ahead over the next three to four years to get an idea of the challenge facing the various services and what services/provision might have to be suspended should higher cuts become necessary. Members had not considered, or had any idea of the scale and result the cuts would have on service delivery. The committee should consider where there was possible scope for changes and what that service would then look like.

The Chairman suggested that he and the opposition group spokespersons meet with the Chief Finance Officer to see if this could be taken forward.

Decision:

The committee agreed:

(a)       to note that the latest revenue and capital budget monitoring information will be sent via a briefing note and that Members will be given the opportunity to raise questions at the following meeting;

(b)       to note the work undertaken by all overview and scrutiny committees in the last cycle and to be considered at the next cycle of meetings with the changes to the Health and Adult Social Care Overview and Scrutiny Committee as shown above;

(c)        that the Chairman and Spokespersons of the committee meet with the Chief Finance Officer to discuss the possibility of the committee investigating how the council would operate after the government spending cuts had been implemented and what the quantity, scale and implications of these were likely to be and the implications of this alongside the Medium Term Financial Plan.