Agenda item

A review of the scrutiny workplan 2012/13.

The Democratic Services Manager introduced the workplan which had been circulated with the agenda.  She explained that each of the three previous committees had maintained their own workplan and any issues which they wished to be carried forward were set out in the new plan.

Members were keen that the committee was consistent on its strategy to avoid carrying out detailed scrutiny themselves.  On this basis it was queried why this committee should look at the draft Corporate Strategy in February and why this would not be done by a STG.

The chair responded that this document should come initially to this committee and they would then have the option to set up STGs to look in more detail at sections of the strategy. He added that the chair’s briefings would also be important for reviewing potential items for the agenda. For example this would include looking at the Corporate Risk Register to see whether there were any issues that needed to be brought to committee. He intended that the chair’s briefing should involve the vice-chair and the lead member from the other political group, Councillor Dianne Hibbert.  Each of the attendees would have a responsibility for communicating to their respective groups, particularly with regard to potential nominations for STGs.

There was some discussion about the various types of working group and potential duplication if a STG was set up to look at an issue were a Cabinet working group was already in place. The chair responded that if one was already operational then it would be appropriate for that group to stay in place.  However if members of the group felt unhappy about a particular aspect they could make a request to the O&S committee for a STG to do an additional piece of work. The commissioning working groups were a good example of Cabinet led working groups where non-Executive members had been invited to participate. The purpose of a Cabinet working group was to act as a sounding board for the Cabinet Member and not to carry out scrutiny. O&S could decide to scrutinise a commissioned service once it was up and running through a STG. O&S could also decide to set up a STG to review the commissioning process for that service and in that process the group would want input from members of the Cabinet working group as well as officers and the Cabinet Member.

The vice-chair expressed some concerns that the committee did not take on too much and she suggested there could be a maximum of two or three working groups at any one time. The committee must also give consideration to the capacity of officers and non-executive members to support all the STGs being suggested.

Regarding the list of information items in the workplan, members acknowledged that these were important for all members. It was suggested that such presentations could be held in external venues for example Gloucestershire Airport rather than hold it in the municipal offices. Generally the O&S committee would avoid reports from outside bodies unless there was a specific out come which required scrutiny. The chair suggested that some of these presentations should form part of the Council meetings.

Members considered each item on the plan and the actions agreed are set out in the revised plan in an appendix to these minutes. Further work would be carried out on the plan before being brought back to the next meeting of this committee.

Resolved that the draft work plan be revised to take account of the discussion at this meeting and brought back to be next meeting of the committee.