Agenda and minutes

Apologies were received from County Councillor Erica Lewis.

County Councillor Matthew Salter replaced County Councillor Terry Hurn for this meeting only.

Members are asked to consider any pecuniary and non-pecuniary interests they may have to disclose to the meeting in relation to matters under consideration on the agenda.

None.

To be confirmed and signed by the Chair.

Resolved: That the minutes of the meeting held on 9 December 2024 be confirmed as an accurate record.

The Chair welcomed County Councillor Peter Buckley, Cabinet Member for Community and Cultural Services, Paul Sutcliffe, Head of Digital Business Engagement and Vishal Mistry, Principal Data Manager to the meeting.

The report and presentation provided information on how data governance can inform and enable better decision making, council wide. It was noted that four key capabilities to become more data-driven were Azure Synapse Analytics, the Master Data Management Platform, Power BI and Geographical Information Systems (GIS).

The Chair invited questions from the committee and a summary is outlined below:

·  The committee queried the anticipated timeline for completing the data transfer of all existing records, and further queried if the county council had the resources to complete the transfer within a reasonable timeframe. It was explained that the strategy was deployed in November 2024, with a 2-year programme prior to this to assess the toolset and roll them out. Further to this, it was noted that individual Service Plans and Digital Service plans would dictate where and when the toolset was implemented.

·  The committee were assured that all data retention schedules were strict and complied with information governance policies and GDPR. It was further explained that there was a full audit trail including information on which officers had accessed what data and why.

·  Regarding resource allocation, members raised concern on how spending by schools was monitored to ensure it was spent appropriately, particularly on SEND provision. It was highlighted that the education service utilised a third-party system (WAND) which enabled data automation. It was noted that this provided real time data from schools.

·  In regard to the master data management toolset, the committee queried if there was a risk of combining outdated and recent information. Members were informed that the data quality in the county council's core systems had rules to ensure the data accuracy. It was further highlighted that a focus of the 2-year programme prior to implementation was to test systems to ensure results were accurate and appropriate.

·  It was noted by the committee that extending the training capacity was essential, the committee further commented that refreshing the Data Strategy was equally essential, along with using Artificial Intelligence to improve and inform the way data is used. It was confirmed to the committee that a further report could be brought back at a later date focusing on training, the Data Strategy and AI.

·  In regard to data pollution, the committee raised concern and requested further information on whether the county council had sufficient processes and capacity to cleanse data to ensure data was of the highest accuracy. The committee further noted that further information could be brought on the data need of the county council.

·  In regarding to the induction for county councillors on their election, the committee requested that further induction be supplied on the county council's use of data. It was noted to the committee that an extensive ICT induction programme was in place for elected members, as well as information being available to them on the  ...  view the full minutes text for item 4.

The Chair welcomed County Councillor Peter Buckley, Cabinet Member for Community and Cultural Services, Lee Sculpher, Senior Partnership Intelligence Analyst, Debbie Thompson, Public Health Specialist (Stronger and Safer Communities) and Alison Wilkins, Senior Public Health Practitioner (Stronger and Safer Communities)

The report and presentation provided information on the Community Safety Agreement – Strategic Assessment 2025-2028. It was noted that the Strategic Assessment was undertaken for renewal on a 3-year basis and informed the approach to community safety.

The Chair invited questions from the committee and a summary is outlined below:

·  Regarding the crime comparison between 2021 and 2024, the committee queried the difference between criminal exploitation and child exploitation. It was highlighted that terminology changed and survey respondents in 2021 had specifically named child exploitation in the survey, whereas criminal exploitation was more frequently named in 2024.

·  The committee were informed that the number of residents who inputted into Lancashire Talks prior to 2022 was over 100,000. It was noted that due to a supplier change, residents were required to re-sign up to the survey and now approximately 40,000 residents were registered.

·  The committee raised concern that racism and homophobia were not named concerns by respondents and queried if this meant they were not relevant issues in Lancashire. Members were informed that not every element of criminality could be covered within the strategic assessment however it was highlighted that the document did include information on hate crime. Further to this, members were informed that both Lancashire Constabulary and PAN Lancashire Hate Crime Cohesion Group both regularly discussed the issue.

·  In regard to 'exploitation and abuse of young people', the committee noted that the document did not include risk factors to certain groups and demographics and therefore individuals may not be aware or understand risk factors. It was clarified that the strategic assessment provided an overview however the Exploitation Team in Lancashire County Council had data and information on risk factors, as did Lancashire Constabulary.

·  The committee queried why no data was available on tobacco use by young people. Further to this, members queried why vaping was not included. It was highlighted to the committee that the survey took place in 2022, and any future survey would likely show the move to vaping within young people. It was also noted that the document was extensive and key points and headlines were focused on.

·  The committee queried if data was available on the effectiveness of a public health approach to tackling crime and further queried if information was available on whether this was an effective response to crime. It was explained to the committee that the VANS approach was evidence to deter people from crime, it was also noted that the Champions Programme helped deter young people from crime.

·  It was explained to the committee that the county council had an officer responsible for Public Mental Health, including issues around self-harm and suicide. It was further noted that the county council worked closely with the County Strategy Group, other Forums and police.  ...  view the full minutes text for item 5.

The Chair welcomed County Councillor Peter Buckley, Cabinet Member for Community and Cultural and Kieran Curran, Head of Corporate Strategy and Policy.

The report circulated with the agenda pack provided information on partnership working within the county council. It was noted the county council's legal services had identified key partnerships including the Lancashire SEND Partnership. It was further noted that partnership working had played a key role in the development of the Lancashire Combined County Authority.

The Chair invited questions from the committee and a summary is outlined below:

·  The committee commented on their support of the report and the recommendations.

·  It was clarified to members that training would be focused after the county council elections in May 2025, including a briefing on the county council's plan and partnerships.

Resolved:

(i)  Support be given to the following:

·  A registry of our current partnership landscape with a survey undertaken in the next 3 months, looking at impact of partnerships, evaluation of the picture.

·  An evaluation toolkit to assess partnership activity in 3-9 months.

·  The production of a wider partnership protocol.

·  Production of a summary Annual Report on Key Partnerships.

(ii)  Consideration be given to the evaluation of overlap with procurement activities involving larger organisations and bodies, such as the Environment Agency, to further support partnership working.

The Chair welcomed County Councillor Peter Buckley, Cabinet Member for Community and Cultural (attending on behalf of CC Alan Vincent, Cabinet Member for Resources, HR and Property) and Sarah Robinson, Head of Property.

The report and presentation provided information on property services. It was noted that the value of the estate was currently £2.2b and this valuation was undertaken every 3 years. It was further noted that the running costs for the estates was £25m, excluding school premises who had devolved budgets.

The Chair invited questions from the committee and a summary is outlined below:

·  In regard to capacity of school and education buildings, it was highlighted that the School Place Planning team worked closely with digital colleagues to assess need.

·  The committee queried the distribution of estates across Lancashire. It was confirmed that information on the number of buildings in each district could be circulated to the committee.

·  Members queried the capabilities of the Property Asset Register (PAMS). It was confirmed to the committee that further information could be provided on PAMS in a briefing note.

·  In regard to schools, members queried if the county council offered support to schools when faults like asbestos were discovered. It was confirmed that the PROP Scheme supported schools e.g. maintenance, playground inspections and assisting with surveys. Further to this, it was noted that the county council offered advice on building related issues.

·  The committee queried if data was available on the number of schools with oil-fired boilers. It was confirmed that figures could be provided to the committee at a later date.

·  Members were informed that a room booking system was in use across every building of the county council via the Condeco system which was fit for purpose. It was further explained that the data from room bookings gave information on the usage of each building.

·  Members queried if Lancashire County Council's estates portfolio was proportional for the size of the authority, it was further queried what percentage of the portfolio the council could dispose of if it were too large. The committee were informed that a strategy was being developed on the portfolio however benchmarking exercises did take place against other authorities.

·  The committee requested information on the register of heritage assets, including their location and their upkeep costs.

Resolved:

(i)  Further information be provided to the committee on the following areas:

·  Analysis of property by district and the property footprint across Lancashire.

·  Potential impacts of the Local Government Review.

·  List of heritage assets to include location, running costs etc.

·  Capability of PAMS

·  Brief summary of the key stakeholder service areas outlined on page 93 of the agenda pack.

(i)  Further support be provided from the Comms Team around messages across the council on the room booking system usage. Consideration be given to the leasing buildings usage and how this could be developed as  a commercial opportunity.

The committee considered the work programme for the 2024/25 municipal year, and an update on actions and assurances.

Resolved: That the work programme for 2024/25 at Appendix 'A' of the report be noted.

An item of urgent business may only be considered under this heading where, by reason of special circumstances to be recorded in the minutes, the chair of the meeting is of the opinion that the item should be considered at the meeting as a matter of urgency. Wherever possible, the chief executive should be given advance warning of any member's intention to raise a matter under this heading.

There were no items of Urgent Business.

The next meeting of the Community, Cultural and Corporate Services Scrutiny Committee will be held on 25 September 2025 at 10.30 am in Committee Room B – The Diamond Jubilee Room, County Hall, Preston.

The next meeting of the Environment, Economic Growth, and Transport Scrutiny Committee will be held on Monday 17 March 2025 at 10:30am in Committee Room B – The Diamond Jubilee Room, County Hall, Preston.