To consider progress to date on current scrutiny reviews against the terms set by the Overview & Scrutiny Committee.
The current reviews in progress are:
1. Communications Task and Finish Group (Stage One), Chair – Councillor J. Brunner.
2. District Centres Task and Finish Group, Chair – Councillor A. Fry.
3. Fees and Charges Task and Finish Group, Chair – Councillor C. MacMillan.
Future Reviews (in current priority order):
4. Housing Priority Task and Finish Group, Chair – Councillor B. Passingham
5. Gypsy and Travellers Task and Finish Group, Chair – Councillor P. Hill
(Oral reports and / or reports attached)
Minutes:
The Chair explained that this item had been added to the agenda to enable the Overview and Scrutiny Committee to monitor and influence the progress of ongoing Scrutiny Reviews. The Chair stressed that it was important to stick to a time limit of two minutes for each report. The following oral reports were given:
a. Communications Task and Finish Group (Stage One)– Chair Councillor J. Brunner.
The Chair of this Group reported that the Members
had made good progress.
The Group had identified which individuals and organisations they
wanted to interview as part of the exercise and had sent them
questionnaires. The Chair also reported
that a questionnaire was due to be sent out to Officers the
following week.
The Chair informed Members that a brainstorming
session was due to take place with Corporate Management Team on
Thursday the 13th of September and that the Group had organised for
external Expert Witnesses to be interviewed the week beginning the
17th of September.
The Committee agreed that, in view of delays occasioned by
forthcoming Officer annual leave, the initial findings from Stage
One of the Communications exercise should now be presented to the
Overview and Scrutiny Committee on Wednesday the 7th of
November.
b.
District Centres Task and Finish Group
– Chair Councillor A. Fry
The Chair of the District Centres Task and Finish Group explained that, due to Member changes to this Group, a bus trip had been arranged to take Members around Church Hill, Matchborough, Winyates and Woodrow District Shopping Centres. The Chair reported that the bus trip had been very successful and that Members had identified a range of Officer Expert Witnesses to interview, including planning and landscaping officers.
c.
Fees and Charges Task and Finish Group
– Chair Councillor C. MacMillan
The Chair reported that only one meeting had taken place for this Task and Finish Group. Members were informed that at the first meeting the Group had requested a large number of detailed pieces of information. The Chair reported that to enable Officers to complete the required work the second meeting of the Group had been scheduled to take place on Tuesday the 25th of September. Members requested that the Borough Director ask the relevant Officers to provide the required information as soon as possible.
d.
Housing Priority Task and Finish Group
– Chair Councillor B. Passingham
Officers reported that membership for this Task and
Finish Group had been finalised and would comprise Councillors
Passingham (Chair), Boyd-Carpenter, Cookson, Chalk and W.
King.
Officers informed Members that they were in the process of
finalising a date for the first meeting of this Group.
e.
Gypsies and Travellers Task and Finish Group
– Chair Councillor P. Hill
Officers reported that relevant Officers and Councillor Hill had been consulted over the appropriate timing for this Task and
Finish Group. Officers reported that as a result of this consultation process it had been suggested that the Task and Finish Review should begin in November. Members approved this suggestion and asked Officers to write to Group Leaders to request nominations for membership of the Group. Members also requested that Officers should provide future updates about the progress of this Task and Finish Group because Councillor Hill was not a Member of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee.
RESOLVED that
subject to Members’ comments as detailed in the preamble above,
1) the Communications Task and Finish Group delay the presentation of their recommendations for Stage One of the exercise until the Overview and Scrutiny meeting to be held on Wednesday the7th of November;
2)
the Borough Director ask relevant
Officers for the information requested by the Members of the Fees
and Charges Task and Finish Group; and
3)
the Gypsies and
Travellers Task and Finish Group begin its work in November
2007.