Agenda and minutes

Apologies were received from the following Members:

Councillor Martin;

Councillor Dixon;

Councillor Bambridge, substituted by Councillor M. Saunders.

To approve the Minutes of the Overview and Scrutiny Panel meeting held on 09 February 2016, copy attached.

Councillor Campbell proposed, Councillor Glenn Coleman-Cooke seconded and Members agreed the minutes to be a correct record of the meeting that was held on 09 February 2016.

Speaking under Council Procedure Rule 20.1, one Member asked whether Members of the Panel had taken up the offer from the Chairman to raise questions that could be used as the basis for inviting Councillor Stummer-Schmertzing, Cabinet Member for Regeneration and Enterprise Services to make a presentation at the Panel meeting. She asked if there were any invitations to Cabinet Members that were lined up for the near future.

The Chairman said that Members could still submit such questions and these would be used to invite Portfolio Holders to Panel debates in the next municipal year.

Another Member suggested that the Panel could consider the Peer Review report that was produced as a result of the Peer Challenge that was carried out on 25-26 February 2016. The report observed the need to develop the scrutiny function further. In response Madeline Homer, CEx said that the Panel could scrutinise that report if it wanted.

Madeline Homer also said that the Panel should note the fact that the Corporate Performance Review Working Party had the mandate to monitor the Council’s corporate performance and progress towards implementing the improvement plan that was drawn up by the Improvement Board. She advised the meeting that the work of the Board had come to an end, but that role would be assumed internally by a Member/Officer Strategy Board.

Madeline Homer advised that that the Panel could, bearing in mind the terms of reference of the sub group, ask it to monitor the implementation of the improvement plan that would now be overseen by Member/Officer Strategy Board. She also advised Members that training for Members and Officers had been arranged for 8 June 2016 and was to be conducted by the Centre for Public Scrutiny (CfPS). This would help set the foundation for improved scrutiny function. The Chairman then suggested that this issue be picked in the next municipal year.

Members noted the report.

Some Members expressed some concern that the report did not include much detail on the activities of the some of the sub groups. They also felt that the report did not include responses to the questions that were raised in the questionnaire that had been used to collate Member contributions to the report.

At that point, it was suggested that the Panel Chairman met with the three sub group chairman after the meeting to agree amendments to the report before it is forwarded to Annual Council.

Councillor Campbell proposed, Councillor Curran seconded and Members agreed that subject to proposed amendments being made to the report, the Chairman presents the Annual Report to the next scheduled Full Council meeting.

In response to a Member query, Madeline Homer said that the item on ‘Manston Airport Soft Market Testing’ would be considered by Cabinet at the meeting on 16 June 2016. Members requested that the notes used as a foreword that was sent to all Members explaining how items are included onto the Forward Plan be re-sent to Members so they can remind themselves of the criteria used for Forward Plan items.

Members noted the report.