Agenda and draft minutes

To receive the notes of the meeting held 25^th September 2018

The notes of the previous meeting held on 25 September were received by the group.

There were no declarations of interest.

There were no announcements.

The Chairman briefly summarised the conclusions of the group so far.  He then invited the group to discuss the second factor that formed the basis of the review, which was to consider options for enabling Overview & Scrutiny to have a proactive role in relation to major items on the Cabinet Forward Plan or work of the Council.

The group discussed the relationship of Overview & Scrutiny with Cabinet and agreed that Overview & Scrutiny should have an overview that enabled proactive engagement with Cabinet before decisions and policies were finalised, in particular with regards to the items scrutinised by the Finance & Performance Working Group. 

The group discussed the potential function of the three working groups that the Chairman had recommended at the previous meeting:

·         The Finance & Performance Working Group would focus on the budget, the MTFS (medium term financial strategy), and policy development.
 

·         The Business Improvement Working Group would review existing functions of the Council and scrutinise processes.  

·         The Community Working Group would concentrate on policy areas within the Community & Wellbeing and Leisure & Culture Cabinet portfolios.

It was suggested that ad hoc meetings between the Chairman and/or Chairman of Overview & Scrutiny, Cabinet Member and relevant officer could be arranged on specific issues.

Issues raised included the need to schedule Working Group meetings at appropriate times to link in with the Forward Plan and other work streams, in particular with regard to the budget and MTFS.  The consensus of the group was that scheduled meetings should be included in the group’s recommendations.  Cost implications of reinstating the working groups was also discussed.

Members noted that these working groups were essentially looking at the processes and functions of the Council, and that Task & Finish groups generated by the Work Programme for external and community issues would continue.  

It was suggested that the Forward Plan should be included as a standing item at Overview & Scrutiny committees.

The group agreed to arrange another meeting for Tuesday 13 November to finalise the Chairman’s report before its inclusion on the agenda for the Overview and Scrutiny Committee on 26 November.