Agenda item

The Committee considered update reports in relation to current and pending

reviews.

The following oral reports were given:

a)         Communications Task and Finish Group (Stage Two)
– Chair Councillor J. Brunner.

The Chair of the Communications Task and Finish Group explained that the Group had completed much of the second stage of the exercise.  She informed Members that the Group would be ready to report the majority of their second stage recommendations at a meeting of the Committee on Wednesday the 19th March 2008.  She added that the presentation would consist of a simple power point presentation and oral report.

b)                 District Centres Task and Finish Group
– Chair Councillor A. Fry

In the absence of the Chair, Officers provided an oral update on the progress of the Task and Finish Group.  Officers informed Members that the Group had considered issues such as the ground surface at Winyates District Centre and would be considering the presentation of commercial shutters for the shop units at the district centres and signage.  Officers confirmed that the Task and Finish Group was due to report final recommendations to the Committee on Wednesday the 19th March 2008.

The Chair noted that there was as yet no scoping document for the District Centres Task and Finish Group exercise and that this made it hard for the parent Committee to assess progress against the aims of the review.

Members therefore asked the Group to agree clear targets and to complete a scoping document for the exercise.  Members further requested that these proposals should be reported at the following meeting of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee.

c)         Fees and Charges Task and Finish Group
– Chair Councillor C. MacMillan

The Chair of the Fees and Charges Task and Finish Group explained that the Group was reviewing the presentation of fees and charges data to Councillors.  The Chair showed Members a copy of a draft template that he had developed for the presentation of this information and explained that the Group intended to identify ways to ensure that this information was presented in a transparent manner.

The Chair informed Members that the Group had been considering the contents of a report entitled ‘Positively Charged’ that had been published by the Audit Commission in January 2008.  He explained that the Audit Commission had noted that relatively few local authorities had established charging policies.  The Chair informed Members that the Group had, therefore, agreed to postpone consideration of the fees and charges levied by each service and instead would be concentrating on developing recommendations for a Redditch Borough Council charging policy. 

            The Chair explained to Members that the Group would hold a series of            meetings to consider the appropriate contents for a charging policy and     would be consulting relevant senior Officers.  He informed Members        that the Group would report recommendations about a charging policy            to the Overview and Scrutiny Committee on Wednesday the 9th April      2008.

RESOLVED that

                     the Committee note the reports and agree the proposed action, all as detailed in the preamble above.