Issue - meetings

Chair of Overview and Scrutiny Committee, Councillor Tim Harman

The Chair of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee, Councillor Harman, introduced the Annual Overview and Scrutiny Report 2015-16.  Firstly, he thanked Saira Malin, the Democracy Officer who supported the committee, as well as those that had been involved in any of the task groups and the lead Members, Councillors Payne and Walklett, for their contributions and hard work over the last year.  The report summarised some of the successes of the previous year, which had involved holding Cabinet to account, as well as a number of presentations on topics that were important to Cheltenham residents, which had included the NHS and the Police and Crime Commissioner and Cheltenham Festivals were scheduled to attend an upcoming meeting.  He reminded all Members that they could put forward items for consideration for inclusion on the committee work plan and were welcome at meetings.  As had been agreed earlier in the meeting, Stagecoach would attend a future meeting of the committee and he noted that he would be minded to use his discretion to allow non-committee Members to ask questions, were they to attend. 

Councillor Sudbury raised the issue of the Urban Gull Forum, which was currently supported by the Team Leader for Participation and Engagement, but which she hoped could be adopted as a standing task group.  Councillor Harman, who was also a member of the Forum, confirmed that they were scheduled to meet on the 1 November and that he planned to suggest that a formal report be tabled with the Overview and Scrutiny Committee meeting in November.  It would then be for the committee to consider if and how it wanted to scrutinise the topic.   

The Cabinet Member Clean and Green Environment took the opportunity to highlight the work of Cabinet Member Working Groups, which he personally felt, provided a level of scrutiny. 

Members thanked the committee for the work that they conducted, given the limited resources available to them. 

Upon a vote it was unanimously

RESOLVED that the Annual Report of Overview and Scrutiny 2015-16 be noted.