Agenda item

This report presents the Committee with its annual Work Programme.

The Committee received a report presenting its annual Work Programme.

The following matters were considered:

a)            Agenda items. A Member of the Committee queried how to get items added to the agenda and workplan. The Chair informed the Committee that if a written request is received within the correct timeframe and it can be resourced, it can be added to the agenda. The Member raised that in December they requested an item to be added to the agenda which details and clarifies the process for getting a scrutiny action added to the agenda, and asked if this is something that can be added to the Committee’s workplan. The Interim Director of Corporate Services informed the Committee that scrutiny work requires resourcing and input from Officers and Members over a period of time and this must all be taken into account before a scrutiny item can be actioned and added to the workplan. The Vice Chair confirmed that producing a scrutiny report can be time intensive but it is important for all Members of the Committee to raise concerns they have to the Chair so they can be dealt with in the most appropriate way possible. The Vice Chair expressed a view, that the relevant part of the Constitution, regarding scrutiny items, is contradictory and badly drafted.

b)            Scrutiny Items. A Member of the Committee raised their discontent with the answer that was given regarding getting items added to the agenda. The Member stated that the Council’s operating framework sets out how a Councillor can get an item added to an agenda of this Committee and that does not include the Chair, Vice Chair or officers being able to veto items that are raised. The Vice Chair asked the Member to let them know the items which have been raised but not ended up on an agenda of the Committee. The Member wished to emphasise the importance of the Committee operating as set out in the Council’s operating framework.

c)            Process of Scrutiny Operation. A Member of the Committee informed the Committee that they had requested an item detailing how to get a scrutiny item on the agenda and the process of carrying out a scrutiny operation was brought to the Committee.

d)            Section 106 Agreement. A Member of the Committee raised a concern regarding S106 payments not being tracked and requested an item regarding the tracking of key S106 performance indicators is added to the workplan. The Chair asked the Member to put the request into an email so it can be considered and discussed further.

e)            Scheme of Delegation. A Member of the Committee expressed their disappointment that the Scheme of Delegation Report has been pushed back on the workplan from the February Committee Meeting to the March Committee Meeting. The Chair noted the Member’s comments.

f)             Roof Repair Audit Item. A Member of the Committee asked for an update on the audit plan item regarding the roof repair costs approved by Strategy and Resources Committee. The Interim Director of Corporate Services confirmed that the Internal Auditors, SIAP, were currently carrying out a review and the fieldwork is underway, with a report likely to come back to Committee in July of this year.

g)            Part II Items. A Member of the Committee asked if a report reviewing the increased use of Part II reports could be added to the workplan. The Chair asked the Member to put their request into an email so it could be considered and discussed further.

Following consideration, the Committee resolved;

(5 for, 1 against and the Chair not voting) to:

(1)      Note and agree the ongoing Work Programme as presented in Section 2.