Issue - meetings

Report of the Director – Finance and Corporate Services

The Group considered the requests for scrutiny items submitted by either Councillors or officers using the scrutiny matrix. The Service Manager Corporate Services explained how the scrutiny matrices were formed and that Directors considered issues for scrutiny at the start of each year.

In respect of the scrutiny matrix submitted by Councillor J Walker concerning the inclusion of Active Travel in future Local Plans, it was agreed that this would not be submitted to scrutiny as it was already being addressed by officers following submission to scrutiny earlier in the year. In response to questions, the Service Manager Corporate Services explained that the issue could be submitted for consideration again later in the year but that the scrutiny matrix would need to clarify how the issue had changed from the current position.

Regarding the scrutiny matrix concerning the Customer Access Strategy, the Group agreed that this should be submitted to the Communities Scrutiny Group rather than the Corporate Overview Group as suggested in the scrutiny matrix due to the link to customers and the wider community. The Group asked that the issue be discussed at the meeting in October when the External Communications Strategy would be discussed due to the linkages between the two items. The Group was, however, concerned about the length of the agenda for this meeting and that sufficient time be allowed for full scrutiny of both items. Councillors proposed that the item ‘Establishment of a Youth Council’ which was also planned for the October meeting be delayed to allow more time at that meeting for full scrutiny of the items.  The Service Manager Corporate Services agreed to discuss the Group’s comments and the work programme with the Service Manager Neighbourhoods and to report back to the next meeting of the Corporate Overview Group.

The Group discussed the item ‘Policies relating to Alternative Energy Sources’ provisionally scheduled for the Growth and Development Scrutiny Group in July and agreed that this item fell outside the scrutiny process as the discussion was to inform policy development rather than to scrutinise policies. The Service Manager Corporate Services agreed to arrange a separate workshop for Councillors to discuss the item and to feed into the policy development process.

It was RESOLVED that the work programmes outlined below be agreed.

Work Programme 2022-23 – Corporate Overview Group