About Scrutiny Panel Meetings
Scrutiny Panel meetings are usually held in public.
They give elected members, not on the Cabinet, an opportunity to
examine, discuss and make recommendations about significant issues
and decisions.
1.
Purpose/Objectives of the
Review
·
To evaluate the effect of the Welfare Reform Act on
the public and Council employees.
2.
Outcomes Required
- To make informed recommendations to all relevant
parties on the most appropriate approaches to take to mitigate the
impact of Welfare Reform in Northampton.
3.
Information Required
-
Background data
-
Background reports and presentation
-
Best practice data
-
Desktop research
-
Evidence from expert external witnesses
-
Evidence from expert internal witnesses
-
Evidence from residents
4.
Format of Information
·
Background data:
Ø
Presentation
settingthe Scene: - Thepolicycontext and timetableforchange.
Ø
Presentation -
Anoverview of thenational WelfareReforms:
Setting a baseline position and measuring
impacts
·
Centre for Public Scrutiny’s Policy
Briefing 19– Welfare Reform (September 2012)
·
Centre for Public
Scrutiny’s briefing Paper - The
local impacts of the introduction of Universal Credit and the wider
welfare reforms (August 2013)
·
Kensington and Chelsea
Social Council’s report – Change for
Children - A study of local families in
Kensington and Chelsea (2013)
·
Various relevant
published papers from organisations
such as, Rowntree Trust, Child Poverty Action Group,
SHELTER
·
Witness Evidence:
Ø
Cabinet Member for Housing, Northampton
Borough Council (NBC)
Ø
Housing Advice Service, NBC
Ø
Head of Benefits and Revenues,
NBC
Ø
Cabinet Member for Finance,
NBC
Ø
Head of Customer and Cultural Services,
NBC
Ø
Community Law
Ø
Citizen’s Advice Bureau,
Northampton
Ø
Northamptonshire Credit Union
Ltd
Ø
Home-Start, Northampton
Ø
Thorplands Sure Start Centre, Northampton
Ø
Blackthorn Good Neighbours,
Northampton
Ø
SIL Officers, Northamptonshire County
Council/Charity Link
Ø
Northampton Food Banks via Community
Foundation
Ø
Oasis House, Northampton, including organisations: Midland Heart,
NAASH
Ø
Northampton Salvation Army
Ø
St Vincent de Paul Society
Ø
Case studies from a variety of
residents
Ø
Case studies from a variety of
constituents via ward Councillors
·
Best practice examples from a range of local
services and other Local Authorities, in particular, a Local
Authority that is piloting Universal Credit
5.
Methods Used to Gather
Information
- Minutes of
meetings
- Desktop
research
- Officer
reports
- Presentations
- Questionnaires (completion by residents)
- Core
questions (expert advisers)
- Examples
of best practice
- Witness
Evidence:-
Ø
Key witnesses
as detailed in section 4 of this scope
6.
Co-Options to the Review
None identified for this
review.
7 Community
Impact Assessment
- A Community Impact Assessment to
be undertaken on the scope of the Review
8 Evidence gathering
Timetable
January 2014 - July
2014
·
9 January
2014 - Scoping
meeting
|
·
3
February
- Evidence gathering
|
·
20 March
- Evidence gathering
|
·
3
April
- Evidence gathering
|
·
8 May
- Evidence gathering
·
30 June
- Evidence gathering
·
21 July
- Approval of the final report
|
|
|
Various site visits will be programmed during this period if
required.
Meetings to commence at 6.00 pm
9.
Responsible Officers
Lead Officers
Julie Seddon, Director of Customers and Communities
Co-ordinator
Tracy Tiff, Scrutiny Officer
10.
Resources and Budgets
Julie Seddon, Director of Customers and
Communities, to provide internal advice.
11. Final report presented by:
Completed by 21 July
2014.
Presented by the Chair of the Scrutiny Panel to the Overview and
Scrutiny Committee and then to Cabinet.
12. Monitoring
procedure:
Review the impact of the report after six months (March
2015)
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