Agenda item

(No Direct Ward relevance)

The Committee noted a number of areas of potential future work (including matters discussed under Minute 4 above):

a)         District Centres Task and Finish Group

Members noted that this was a piece of work outstanding from the Environmental Overview and Scrutiny Committee. Councillor Fry informed Members that at the Council’s Annual Meeting he had been appointed Chair of the Task and Finish Group. Councillor Fry suggested that this Group could review any outstanding work and report its conclusions to the Overview and Scrutiny Committee for final consideration.

b)         Communications Task & Finish Group

Members discussed an Officer proposal to initiate a Council Communications Task and Finish Group.  Members were uncertain about the content of the proposal.  Officers advised that the issue related to the effectiveness of the Council’s current approach to corporate branding.  The Chair proposed a scoping meeting with the appropriate Officer to clarify the objectives of the item and agreed to attend that meeting.

c)        Third Sector Task & Finish Group

Members also addressed an officer proposal to initiated a Third Sector Task and Finish Group and again agreed that further scoping was necessary to define the objectives of this exercise.  Councillor Thomas noted that she would be interested in chairing this Task and Finish Group but at a later date.  The Chair suggested that consideration of this scoping exercise should be deferred until after the Redditch PartnershipState of the Borough Conference had been held on Monday the 18th of June 2007.

d)         Fees & Charges Task & Finish Group

The Chair informed Members of the proposed review of fees and charges requested by the Council.  Members discussed the issue but were unclear about the content of the proposal.  The Chair proposed a scoping meeting with the appropriate Officer(s) to clarify the objectives of the item and agreed to attend that meeting.

e)         Joint Expansion Study

The Chair advised that Officers had recently informed him of a need to for Members to consider the draft form of the Joint Expansion Study which was required as part of the Council’s work on the Regional Spatial Strategy.  The Chair advised that the issue was urgent because Member input on the study was required by the beginning of July 2007.  Officers informed Members that this study would influence the future housing requirements of the Borough which were due to be determined by the Regional Planning Body at the end of July 2007.

Members debated whether this item was appropriate for the consideration of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee.  The Chair proposed that an urgent meeting of Group Leaders and the Local Environment, Planning and Transport Portfolio Holder should be convened to consider how to respond to this issue.

f)          Local Plan

The Chair advised that Officers had requested O&S consideration of the Local Plan.  Members discussed whether this issue was an appropriate item for the Overview and Scrutiny Committee.  To clarify this point the Chair suggested that this issue should also be addressed at the proposed meeting with the Group Leaders and Environment, Planning and Transport Portfolio Holder.

RESOLVED that

subject to Members’ comments, as detailed above, the Committee’s Work Programme be approved.