Public reports pack Wednesday 22-Jul-2015 19.00 Council

Page 53London Borough of LambethOverview and Scrutiny Committee Annual Report 2014/15Chair’s IntroductionThis is the first annual Overview and Scrutiny Committee (OSC) report since the overhaul ofLambeth’s scrutiny system in June 2014.Central government funding cuts of more than 50% meant that scrutiny, like the rest of thecouncil, had to find very substantial savings and new ways of working. As a result we havereduced the number of committees from six to one, formal meetings from 36 to six andsupporting council officers from more than five to less than two. Making these changes whilsteffectively holding the council, the local NHS and police to account has been a greatchallenge. Not everything has worked as intended but this is a challenge that councillors,officers, partners and residents have risen to.The committee has got out of the town hall and held meetings in all five of the borough’sneighbourhoods with a jobs theme in North Lambeth, environment in Streatham, communitysafety in Clapham, health and social care in Norwood and council strategy and budget inBrixton. Getting into neighbourhoods and adding an informal surgery hour before the mainmeeting has engaged lots more residents and connected them to councillors, officers andpartners. Despite the huge reduction in the number of meetings two of Lambeth’s three MPs,most councillors and 250 residents have taken part in scrutiny events, an increase on2013/14.Obviously it is impossible to look at every service properly in six formal meetings a year sowe have sought to expand the work we do around those events. As well as the ‘surgery’hour with residents we have pre-meetings with committee members and relevant officers toensure we fully understand the issues and can ask for more information. We have alsoarranged scrutiny visits touring the waste recycling centre before the environment meeting;meeting the borough commander at Brixton police station before the community safetymeeting and discussing issues with the mental health trust’s chair and chief executive beforethe health and social care event.In addition we have completed and begun a number of policy commissions trying to improveservices including education, street cleaning, parking, mental health and residentinvolvement in social housing.Our Lambeth Black Health and Wellbeing Commission work was recognised by a LocalGovernment Innovation Unit Award and contributed to Care Quality Commission inspectorspraising Lambeth’s crisis care. We are currently working on full implementation with theHealth and Wellbeing Board and supporting Social Finance to devise an innovative new wayof funding change. About 400 residents have signed up to help us with this work and overallthis commission provides a great model of scrutiny working co-operatively with residents,service users and partners.1