Agenda and minutes

Venue: Park Suite, Parkside, Chart Way, Horsham

Contact: Email: CommitteeServices@horsham.gov.uk  Direct line: 01403 215465

Items
No. Item

SO/1

Election of Chairman

Minutes:

That Councillor Tony Bevis be elected Chairman of the Overview & Scrutiny Committee for the ensuing municipal year.

 

SO/2

Appointment of Vice-Chairman

Minutes:

That Councillor Brian Donnelly be appointed Vice-Chairman for the Overview & Scrutiny Committee for the ensuing municipal year.

 

SO/3

To approve the time of the meetings of the Committee for the next year

Minutes:

That meetings of the Overview & Scrutiny Committee be held at 5.30pm for the ensuing municipal year.

 

SO/4

Minutes pdf icon PDF 213 KB

To approve as correct the minutes of the meeting held on 22March 2021

(Note: If any Member wishes to propose an amendment to the minutes they should submit this in writing to committeeservices@horsham.gov.uk at least 24 hours before the meeting.  Where applicable, the audio recording of the meeting will be checked to ensure the accuracy of the proposed amendment.)

Minutes:

The minutes of the meeting of the committee held on 22 March 2021 were approved as a correct record and were signed by the Chairman.

 

SO/5

Declarations of Members' Interests

To receive any declarations of interest from Members of the Committee

Minutes:

Cllr Jonathan Chowen notified the Committee that he was the ex-Cabinet Member for Leisure and Culture.

 

Cllr Nigel Jupp notified that Committee that he was a West Sussex County Councillor.

 

SO/6

Announcements

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

Minutes:

The Chairman announced that there will need to be a new HDC representative appointed to the Health & Adult Social Care Scrutiny Committee and asked for volunteers to contact the Democratic Services Team.

SO/7

Overview and Scrutiny Annual Report pdf icon PDF 308 KB

To receive a report from Cllr Tony Bevis

Minutes:

The Chairman presented a report providing a review of the work of the Overview & Scrutiny Committee during the municipal year 2020/21.

 

The Committee agreed to interview the newly appointed Cabinet Members at future meetings of Overview & Scrutiny. It was agreed that an extra meeting be held in July to interview Councillor Paul Clarke, the new Leader of the Council.

 

            RESOLVED

 

            To refer the report to Council for noting.

 

SO/8

Finance and Performance in 2020/21 pdf icon PDF 324 KB

To receive a report from the Head of Finance and Performance

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The Director of Corporate Resources presented the Report on the Council’s Finance and Performance in 2020/21. The report was intended to provide the Committee with information to help it carry out its role of monitoring the internal and external delivery of services by detailing how successful the Council has been in delivering against the budget.

 

            RESOLVED

 

i)               That the contents of the report be noted by the Committee.

ii)              That the ex-Cabinet Member for Finance and Assets be invited to an additional meeting in July 2021 to provide further insight and answer questions raised from this report.

 

SO/9

Work Programme pdf icon PDF 139 KB

To receive any suggestions for the Overview & Scrutiny Work Programme and discuss any potential items for the 2021/22 Work Programme

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The Chairman announced that two new Work Programme Suggestions had been received:

 

The first was to review the capacity of crematoria used by residents of the district and to assess whether this would be sustainable long-term. It was agreed that this suggestion be deferred to allow HDC’s Strategic Planning department to provide comment.

 

The second suggestion was to review the potential of introducing micro-initiatives within the built up areas of the Horsham District aimed at greening townscapes by using plants to improve the air quality and capture pollutants whilst at the same time making these areas more pleasant to live in. It was agreed that a Task and Finish Group be established to take on this review.

 

The Committee received advice from HDC’s Legal Department regarding a previously deferred work programme suggestion concerning the Rookwood Golf Course. It was agreed that a Task & Finish group not be established as the questions raised in the Suggestion Form had been sufficiently answered in the Legal Department’s advice.

 

SO/10

Cabinet Forward Plan pdf icon PDF 152 KB

To note the contents of the Cabinet Forward Plan.

Minutes:

The contents of the Cabinet Forward Plan were noted by the Committee.

 

It was agreed that the Cabinet Member for Leisure & Culture be invited to the meeting of Overview & Scrutiny being held on 19 July 2021 to receive questions on their relevant Forward Plan Items.

 

It was also agreed that the Committee write to Cabinet to ask why the Local Plan no longer appeared on the Forward Plan.

 

SO/11

Urgent Business

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

Minutes:

There was no Urgent Business.

SO/12

Work Programme Suggestion - Rookwood Golf Course Appendix 1

Minutes:

The Committee noted the contents of the appendix.