Interim Evaluation Report of Kinross-shire Local Committee
Perth and Kinross Council · 16 February 2023
Back to Kinross-shire Committee — 16 February 2023 and its agenda
Text extracted from the council's PDF. Layout and reading order may differ from the original.
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PERTH AND KINROSS COUNCIL Kinross-shire Local Committee 16 February 2023 INTERIM EVALUATION REPORT OF KINROSS-SHIRE LOCAL COMMITTEE Report by the Head of Culture and Communities Services (Report No 23/58) 1. PURPOSE 1.1 This report summarises the interim findings of an independent evaluation report on the Kinross-shire Local Committee pilot and sets out next steps. 2. RECOMMENDATION 2.1 It is recommended that Committee: • notes the recommendations of the interim report • notes that a report on the full findings will be brought to Committee on 25 May 2023 and thereafter will form part of the considerations for the ongoing Transformation Review of community engagement 3. STRUCTURE OF THE REPORT 3.1 The report is structured over the following sections: • Section 4: Background • Section 5: Interim Report • Section 6: Conclusion 4. BACKGROUND 4.1 The Scheme of Administration for Kinross-shire Local Committee was approved by Council on 21 October 2021, with the first meeting taking place on 20 January 2022. An external consultant was appointed on 16 February 2022, with a remit to evaluate: • How the Local Committee has discharged its powers during the pilot period • The impact on strengthened local decision making • The impact on local democracy through enhanced community empowerment • The wider resources and structural implications for the Council
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5. INTERIM REPORT 5.1 An interim report was submitted in December 2022 and local elected members were briefed on the findings in early January 2023. 5.2 The interim report drew on a review of key documents, papers and reports; observation of Committee meetings and pre-agenda meetings; interviews with elected members and Community Councillors; discussions with key Council officers; and some benchmarking with local decision-making structures in other local authorities. 5.3 The interim findings and recommendations are as follows: Meeting Arrangements • Providing guidance for community representatives on how to contribute effectively to meetings • Adopting a less formal meeting style • Offering a hybrid of video-conferencing meeting option • Timeous production of minutes to allow for community council circulation and discussion Democracy and Representation • Forward planning of meeting agendas • Allowing community councils to propose items for discussion in advance • Considering extension of membership from other community groups • Including an open Q&A item on each agenda 5.4 A final assessment and report from the consultant is expected in May 2023 and a further briefing will be provided for Committee at the meeting on 25 May 2023. 6. CONCLUSION 6.1 The Kinross-shire Local Committee is piloting a new local decision-making approach in Perth and Kinross. The final conclusions and recommendations of the independent evaluation will inform an ongoing Transformation review of community engagement across Perth and Kinross. The final report will be brought to this Committee on 25 May 2023.
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Author Name Designation Contact Details Lee Haxton Community Planning Team Leader comcommitteereports@pkc.gov.uk 01738 475000 Approved Name Designation Date Barbara Renton Executive Director (Communities) 8 February 2023