Agenda item

To consider the proposed new Overview and Scrutiny arrangements recorded in the attached procedures document.

(Report to follow)

Officers informed Members that the subject report was an updated version of the old Procedures Document which had been adapted to reflect changes to the Overview and Scrutiny Committee process.  The Chair proposed to look through the document on a page by page basis to acquaint Members with the details.

The Chair directed Members’ attention to page four of the Procedures Document.  The Chair then proposed establishing a briefing session for all Members to look at the new Overview and Scrutiny arrangements in more detail. Officers suggested that a number of Member development days had been booked in the Calendar of Meetings, one of which would be suitable for this session.

Members also discussed the suggestion, on page six, that the Overview and Scrutiny Committee should receive quarterly budget and performance reports from Officers and Service Plans from the four Directorates.  The Chair suggested that Members should concentrate on identifying items for scrutiny from these reports.  Councillors Fry and Taylor requested training in these areas for Members and Officers.

Members also discussed the requirement of Executive Committee Portfolio Holders to present annual reports to the Overview and Scrutiny Committee.  Officers suggested that members of the Executive Committee should be provided with some guidelines about what the Overview and Scrutiny Committee would expect from these annual reports.  Officers also noted that the minutes from the Executive Committee meeting where Members approved the submission of annual Portfolio Holder reports to the Overview and Scrutiny Committee should inform arrangements for these annual reports (Appendix B).  The Committee agreed that the annual reports should be presented to the Overview and Scrutiny Committee throughout the year rather than scheduled for consideration simultaneously.

Members proceeded to discuss the selection of members for participation in Task and Finish Groups and noted that members of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee would normally be expected to Chair these groups.  The Chair suggested that Group Leaders should also be involved in the selection of Task and Finish Group members.

Members also addressed arrangements for scoping Task and Finish Group exercises.  The Chair suggested that a draft scoping document should be produced for consideration at the next meeting and should be framed in accordance with a scoping sheet that he had presented for consideration.  The Chair requested that this sheet should be attached to the minutes (Appendix C).

Members agreed that the final scoping document could be used as a template by the Chair of a Task and Finish Group to scope an issue in detail.  The T&F Chair would then produce a copy of this scoping document for consideration at the following Overview and Scrutiny Committee meeting.

Members discussed arrangements on page 16 for the attendance of members of the Executive Committee at meetings of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee.  The Chair suggested that a relaxed approach to applying the rules outlined in the procedures document should be adopted. Members approved this suggestion.

Members moved on to consider Appendix 4 of the Procedures Document. Officers noted that Community Calls for Action would not be a statutory requirement until spring 2008.  Members agreed that consideration of this issue could, therefore, be deferred until September or October 2007. 

Members also addressed the extracts from the Council’s Constitution that were attached to the Procedures Document. Members noted that the role of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee in the development of the Budget and Policy Framework was unclear. The Chair, therefore, requested Officer clarification of the Budget and Policy Framework Procedure Rules.

RESOLVED that

subject to Members’ comments as recorded in the preamble above, the Procedures Document be approved.