Agenda and draft minutes
PDF 88 KBVenue: Southwark Town Hall
Contact: Julie Timbrell E-mail: Julie.Timbrell @southwark.gov.uk Tel: 020 7525 0514
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Introduction and welcome by the Chair
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Apologies
Minutes: Cllr Glover and Cllr Blango gave appologies. |
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Minutes of the meeting of 5 August 2010
The minutes of the meeting are attached along with papers tabled at the meeting Supporting documents: Minutes:
There was one correction to minutes; Ari Henry asked for his view, stated at the last meeting, that council officers are ‘prevaricating and obfuscating’ be recorded. This was agreed.
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Disclosure of interests and dispensations
Minutes: None |
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Hearing evidence
Volunteer Centre Southwark – Clive Pankhurst, Chief Executive Minutes: SE1 Forum – James Hatts
James submitted written evidence, which was circulated. He then made a few follow up comments. Firstly he noted that the system the Council uses to generate minutes and agendas for Committee meetings can be set up to give members of the public alerts when something new is published. However the system does not work, although it has the ability to. James requested this was fixed. James also requested that people be let into the gallery ten minutes earlier and that sufficient papers be provided. He also asked that the papers circulated in the gallery be available on the website, as presently there can be a delay of several days before these are published.
Southwark TV – Chris Hayden
Since 2004 Southwark TV has been supported by the Community TV Trust.
Southwark TV specialises in media production and training.
In the early days, pensioners made an outstanding contribution. 2 years later for the local elections the SE5 Forum put in 11 short videos (one for each candidate, apart from 1 who was unavailable).
Chris Hayden urged the Commission to consider the use of media / multimedia. There is an opportunity to reach many people, and inspire them to be active, through medium scale technology, and also through the use of Twitter and audio podcasts.
Max Holloway commented that a very important point was made at the conference, that technology can alienate some people. Physical contact is needed as well.
Cllr Al-Samerai pointed out that Council Assembly meetings in Islington and Camden are webcast. Chris Hayden responded that it is possible to film Council Assembly and show it on the Southwark TV website, but it would need funding. It could also be broadcast on the radio station.
Michael Cleere pointed out the radio is a useful medium because there are many people who have no internet access but most people have a radio.
Cllr Al-Samerai said it was important to get information out to groups – then they can decide how to broadcast it. The council needs the audio and video infrastructure. Also there needs to be the right culture to encourage it, and also provision within the council constitution to be able to make use of recorded material – as the London Assembly does at City Hall, where there are cameras permanently fixed in the chamber, and material is made available to radio and TV stations.
Chris Hayden pointed out that filming an open meeting is hard, because whoever is filming doesn’t know who is going to speak next. Audio would be better; or having a each political group give a ‘digested’ version of the meeting on camera afterwards.
Ari Henry pointed out that councillors already have microphones in front of them in Assembly meetings. He added that anyone can publish on the Peoples’ Republic of Southwark website, and that two officers from the Burgess Park Revitalisation Project regularly put information on there. Twitter is useful – as long as it doesn’t spot the person who ... view the full minutes text for item 5. |
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Reviewing evidence gathered so far
The commission will consider the following evidence:
Panel discussion, workshops and cafe conversations from the conference
Deborah Collins, monitoring officer, will be available to assist members with any legal and constitutional questions arising out of items 5 and 6.
Ian Mark , Senior Lawyer , will also attend .
Supporting documents: Minutes:
Evidence collected
Cllr Mohamed and Julie Timbrell summarised the amount of information collected since the Democracy Commission began its work on 12th July: around 200 questionnaires completed, 5 focus groups, 3 Committee meetings , oral testimonies, and the conference on 4th September.
The task was now to come up with a set of recommendations before the Council Assembly meeting on 20th October.
Focus Groups
Julie Timbrell said that some of the transcripts of the focus groups had been circulated to members of the Committee. Once participants had approved the text for the members focus groups they would go on the website within a week, with the rest to follow.
Vox pops
Michael Cleere introduced his sound sample. He said that 88 vox pops with local residents had been recorded, out of a target of 100. They had been recorded in shopping centres and libraries around the borough. Some clear themes have emerged:
One resident who particularly stood out was a young man called Jason. There was a lot of passion in what he had to say.
Ari Henry said that many people experience alienation from the council. Officers don’t answer emails or the phone, or if they do, nothing is done in response. People contact the council to try and find information but give up. He had still not had a response to a complaint he had made regarding a hustings meeting the People’s Republic of Southwark had held in April.
Cllr Mohamed responded that the Democracy Commission is looking at how to improve the system, so that people are listened to. He was advised to detail his complaints one by one so they can be addressed.
Ari Henry said he had contact all the councillors on the Commission with a query about SurveyMonkey. None had replied. Cllr Mohamed responded that Julie Timbrell was sorting it out.
Questionaires
Julie Timbrell said that approximately 200 questionnaires had been completed. The last time she checked, 111 had been completed on-line. Cllr Al-Samerai clarified that all the people invited to the conference had been sent a questionnaire, but it was not included with the second letter about the change of time. One members said he said he had counted 70 attendees atone point . Another member commented that some people came and left and it was probably over a 100 throughout the day. Cllr Soanes said she thought the attendance was healthy, with people from the length and breadth of the borough.
Max Holloway commented that the questionnaire had not appeared on the council’s Facebook and Twitter pages. Julie Timbrell responded that Communications were putting it on. Max replied that he had seen some activity on Social network platforms, but not since early August.
Cllr Al-Samerai requested a breakdown ... view the full minutes text for item 6. |
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Scoping out the report
Minutes: Cllr Al-Samerai asked about the process of agreeing recommendations from the Commission. Julie Timbrell suggested using the Scrutiny process which involves officers putting back information together. Recommendations can then be devised in a number of different ways, , such as having an informal meeting with councillors , or putting together a number of very draft recommendations or leaving it for Councillors to agree the recommendations once they have reviewed the background information.
Stephen Douglass pointed out that the summary of emerging issues has some broad headings which can be added to.
The councillors thanked Julie Timbrell for putting in a huge amount of work in a short space of time.
It was agreed that information and feedback on other structures e.g. Community Councils needs to be retained, for future use.
Cllr Mitchell proposed that the ‘Emerging Issues’ document should be used as a basis for the draft recommendations. Broad headings should include:
Cllr Al-Samerai added that issues should be covered including
Cllr Morrissey proposed that an Equality Impact Assessment of current arrangements should be carried out. Deborah Collins said that the council was required to make reasonable adjustments to the Council Chamber for people with disabilities, but that we have to take the building as we find it and also take resources into consideration. She said it would not be possible to commit resources to an Equalities Impact Assessment in the next few weeks. Stephen Douglass pointed out a lot of the information that would be collected in an Equalities Impact Assessment was already there in the evidence that had been gathered – for example, in the Cafe Conversations on the involvement of BME groups and people with disabilities. Cllr Morrissey said she would send Julie Timbrell her thoughts on the subject.
A local resident present asked a question about the type of decisions that residents can influence. Julie Timbrell explained that very local decisions, for example on the use of a building, would go to Community Council, whereas a decision affecting a wider area, such as about a regeneration scheme, would go to Council Assembly.
Stephen Douglass said that officers would circulate an early draft set of recommendations in advance of the next meeting ... view the full minutes text for item 7. |