Agenda and minutes

To approve as correct the minutes of the meeting held on 5^th June 2017.

The minutes of the Committee held on 5^th June 2017 were approved as a correct record and signed by the Chairman.

To receive any declarations of interest from Members of the Committee

There were no declarations of interest.

To receive any announcements from the Chairman of the Committee or the Chief Executive

There were no announcements.

Councillor Jonathan Chowen – Cabinet Member with responsibility for Leisure and Culture

The Cabinet Member with responsibility for Leisure and Culture was invited to attend the meeting of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee, as part of the on going process to interview each Cabinet Member.

As no questions had been submitted by Members in advance of the meeting by the agreed deadline, the Cabinet Member was invited to present his portfolio and following that the Committee would invited to comment and ask questions.

The Cabinet Member highlighted some of the major projects currently underway.

Delivery of The Bridge at Broadbridge Heath had commenced. Major construction was due to start at the end of July and the project should be delivered by October 2018. Following this, demolition of the old sports centre would take place to make way for the new car park.

Members noted the ongoing success of Dinosaur Island in Southwater. Measures were being taken to resolve the car parking issues for the village, arising from the popularity of park. These problems had highlighted the demand for low cost visitor attractions in the District, so possible opportunities going forward would be explored.

One challenge the Cabinet Member faced was the impact the new cinema in Piries Place would have on the Capitol. The Cabinet Member had received a report from the manager at the Capitol regarding the future of cinema and identifying any challenges it faced.

The Year of Culture 2019 was a major project underway. Work would be done with the local community to understand the needs of the District in terms of culture and heritage. The Cabinet Member would be encouraging involvement from the parish councils through the District Councillors who he would ask to act as “ambassadors”. A film of the District was also being produced to support this project and would be available to view at the launch which Members were invited to attend on 27^th September 2017 at the Capitol

The Chairman of the Committee invited Members to raise any questions or comments for the Cabinet Member.

Members suggested utilising the Park and Ride facility to help resolve the car parking problems linked with Dinosaur Island in Southwater; the Cabinet Member welcomed this suggestion and would explore this further.

Members suggested that as part of the Year of Culture, the important historic sites in Horsham should be promoted.  More attention should also be paid to the inclusion of young people and schools as part of the project.

Members asked the Cabinet Member to provide the Committee with an update on the possibility of a temporary ice rink in Horsham Park over Christmas 2017, following some concerns and complaints from local residents regarding the noise and disruption at the ice rink and Christmas market in 2016. Members were advised that at this stage no application had been submitted and the Cabinet Member was looking to have an informal discussion with the provider to determine some of the finer details before a formal planning application would be submitted and he would take into consideration the concerns  ...  view the full minutes text for item SO/17

The Committee received the Report on the Council’s Corporate Plan Priorities, Finance and Performance for Q4 2016/17.

Members noted that this report had been prepared for the Finance and Performance Sub-Committee, which had since been abolished, and therefore it had been agreed that the Overview and Scrutiny Committee would receive the report going forward. Unfortunately this meant that the data, on this occasion, was slightly out dated as it would have normally have been received in June.

The Committee considered the report.

Some areas were raised by Members; such as the future of the Drill Hall; the Committee was informed that this was an on going matter. Concerns about the cost to the Council for the repairs to the swimming pool at Billingshurst Leisure Centre and also the Debtors highlighted in the Budget Monitoring 2016/17 Outturn Report.

Members noted the length and detail of the report and asked for direction on which areas they should pay particular attention to and monitor, bearing in mind the limited time they had to consider the report at the meeting. The Committee was advised that two major areas in the report were Capital Projects and Income, and these should be carefully monitored.

The Director of Corporate Resources was asked to confirm the figure missing from page 27 of the agenda, in the Key Performance Indicators Report 2016/17 - DM22 Planning Appeals – adverse costs awarded for 2016/17.

Members highlighted their concerns regarding Freedom of Information Requests and the high costs incurred by the Council when answering them.

The Chairman asked the Committee whether it was satisfied with the format of the finance and performance report, going forward. It was agreed that the report was comprehensive and all Members had the opportunity to study the information provided in advance of the meeting. It was agreed that in future, any questions regarding any information in the report should to be submitted to the Lead Scrutiny Officer and the Chairman and Vice Chairman of Overview and Scrutiny, by the end of the last Wednesday before the Committee, once the agenda has been published. In a similar way to the receipt of questions for the Cabinet Member. This would allow officers sufficient time to prepare comprehensive answers for the meeting.

The Committee would continue to monitor the information in its current format.

                        RESOLVED

That the Corporate Plan Priorities and Finance and Performance Report for Q4 be received.

REASON

Since the aboliton of the Finance and Performance Sub-Committee the report would be received by the Overview and Scrutiny Committee.

At the Overview and Scrutiny Committee on 5^th June 2017, three Task and Finish Groups had been approved. The Chairman provided an update on the progress of  each of these to date:

1.    CenSus Revenues and Benefits Service: Members had been confirmed as Councillors Nigel Jupp, Tim Lloyd, Brian O’Connell and Michael Willett. The first meeting would be held on 18^th September 2017 and at this meeting the Group would be expected to appoint a Chairman, and approve terms of reference and a framework for the review.

2.    S106 and further investigations into the appropriate ways to fund parishes and wards and unparished areas with no planned development: Members were confirmed as Councillors Paul Clarke, Nigel Jupp, Tim Lloyd and Michael Willett. The first meeting would be held on 7^th September 2017 and at this meeting the Group would be expected to appoint a Chairman, and approve terms of reference and a framework for the review.

3.    Traffic Problems at Primary Schools in the District: Members were confirmed as Councillors David Coldwell, Mike Morgan and Billy Greening would replace Councillor Tricia Youtan, as she had since become Cabinet Member for Community and Wellbeing and therefore could no longer serve as a Member of Overview and Scrutiny and its task and finish groups. The first meeting had not been set for this Group.

It was suggested that the Chairman of these task and finish groups be informally appointed by the Committee for formal ratification at the first meeting, in order to begin preparations for the review.

Therefore it was suggested that Councillor Nigel Jupp would stand as Chairman of the CenSus Task and Finish Group, Councillor Michael Willett as Chairman of the S106 Task and Finish Group and Councillor David Coldwell as Chairman of the Traffic Problems Task and Finish Group.

The Committee noted the Work Programme, this would be subject to review at every meeting.

The Committee received the Cabinet Forward Plan.

Members discussed item three on the Forward Plan: Piries Place car park – potential replacement, and its place within the Council’s overall car parking strategy. The Committee wanted to ensure it was involved in the consultation at an early stage and therefore agreed that an additional Overview and Scrutiny Committee meeting would be scheduled, at an appropriate time, before the report was considered by the Cabinet on 21^st September 2017.

A meeting would be scheduled by the Lead Scrutiny Officer once the relevant strategy papers were available for consideration.

Items not on the agenda which the Chairman of the meeting is of the opinion should be considered as urgent because of the special circumstances

None.