Decision details
Overview and Scrutiny Review of Blue Badges
PDF 129 KBDecision Maker: Executive Member for Adult Services, Health and Housing
Decision status: Recommendations Approved
Is Key decision?: Yes
Is subject to call in?: Yes
Purpose:
To consider the recommendations of the review
into the blue badge application process. The review seeks to
understand and address any disparities in approval rates between
applications for visible and non-visible disabilities.
Decision:
RECOMMENDED to the Executive Member for Adult Services, Health & Housing:
To consider whether to agree the Wellbeing and Finance Overview & Scrutiny Panel’s recommendations as set out in the Panel report (attached as Appendix A) and paragraph 5.5, taking into account the comments of the Statutory Scrutiny Officer.
Reasons for the decision:
i. It is the role of the SSO to advise the Council on any issues or concerns that may arise about the operation of the scrutiny function and the SSO may on occasion be required to make a determination about what the law says and how this should be applied to any particular situation. In carrying out this statutory role, there is a need to have a nuanced and meaningful understanding of the scrutiny function in order to accurately make judgments about its operation when disagreements or other issues arise.
ii. The SSO is responsible for ensuring that the scrutiny function is adequately resourced and that service departments are contributing sufficiently to reviews to ensure that they are effective.
iii. The SSO is also responsible for providing advice to the Commission and Executive on whether the recommendations within review reports are robust, taking account of resource, legal, climate change, equalities and strategic risk implications.
Alternative options considered:
The Executive could decide:
· to agree both recommendations as set out in the Panel’s report
· to agree the recommendations in part
· to ask for further work to be undertaken recognising that this would delay the Panel’s next piece of work
· to note the Panel report
Interests and Nature of Interests Declared:
None
Reason Key: Affects more than 1 ward;
Wards Affected: (All Wards);
Financial Impact: Resources required to undertake recommendations will either be a) confirmed as remaining within existing approved budgets, b) fully costed or c) identified as requiring a feasibility study to be completed.
Declarations: None
Subject to Urgent Proceedings: No
Making Representations: In writing to the Executive Director, Delivery
Other reasons / organisations consulted
Meetings and interviews
Consultees
Assistant Director Adult Social Care,
Assistant Community Services Manager - Occupational Therapy, recent
blue badge applicants, other local authorities, The Ark, Overview
and Scrutiny Commission
Contact: Kevin Gibbs, Executive Director: Communities Email: kevin.gibbs@bracknell-forest.gov.uk.
Report author: Kevin Gibbs
Publication date: 23/09/2021
Date of decision: 21/09/2021
Decided at meeting: 21/09/2021 - Executive
Effective from: 01/10/2021
Accompanying Documents: