Agenda item

To review the summary of scrutiny task groups

Consider any new topics – a scrutiny registration form has been received from Councillor Max Wilkinson regarding cycling and walking.  Officer implications to follow.

The Committee reviewed the update of all scrutiny task groups and which had been circulated with the agenda. The following actions were agreed.

Rail issues – to bring back terms of reference for a STG as suggested by the Leader in his Cabinet Briefing. 

Public Arts Panel – The Cabinet Member, Councillor Rowena Hay had requested that the Committee could review the current structure of the panel and its accountability and governance arrangements, how it reports back its decisions and how long members remain on the panel. Scrutiny could also review the implementation of the recommendations made to Cabinet in December 2011 following a previous review by the Social and Community O&S committee. She suggested the task group could meet initially with the current chair from the University and the supporting officer.

It was agreed that members would be invited to join scrutiny task group and bring back terms of reference to this committee for agreement.

Rewiring Public Services – The Leader, Councillor Steve Jordan had proposed this topic to the committee. A document had been issued by the Local Government Association which puts forward ten proposals for changing the relationship between local and national government. It was agreed this could be a topic for a future member seminar rather than a STG and it should be looked at in the context of Vision 2020.

Vision 2020 – agreed scrutiny should keep a watching brief and set up a STG only when there was a particular issue to look at.

Pub Closures -although it had been suggested by officers that this could be picked up as part of the work on the Cheltenham Local Plan, members felt this was some time away and therefore a scrutiny task group should be set up to look at this issue which could then feed into the Local Plan.

* The DSM would invite nominations to join the task group

Cycling and Walking - a new registration form had been completed by Councillor Wilkinson. He thought the timing of this review was important to ensure that new roads were laid out in the right way to facilitate cycling and walking rather than an expensive refit being required later on. There was a general acknowledgement in Cheltenham that cycle routes were not good and statements needed to be backed up with action. The chair indicated that he would be happy to be involved given that he was a member of the county council with their responsibility for transport.

The next step would be to define terms of reference and officer support for the group.

JCS and Planning and Liaison Group – agreed that this should be a member working group but could reconvene as a STG when further validation work on housing numbers is required or any other issue arises requiring scrutiny.

Section 106 Agreements – Councillor Britter advised that the process was being phased out in favour of the community infrastructure levy and it was appropriate that this was picked up as part of the work on the Local Plan by the Planning and Liaison group. However as the new process was some time away, the STG wanted to focus on why some of the money was not being spent.

It was agreed that the STG continue on that basis

Deprivation – it was agreed that the report should be sent to Cabinet as an interim report and Cabinet requested to advise O&S which of the outline recommendations they would like a STG/s to follow up and bring back more detailed proposals for Cabinet to consider.

Performance measures at Cheltenham Crematorium and Cemetery – Agreed that members of this group should join the Cabinet Member Working Group but there will always be the option to set up a scrutiny task group should it be required.

The DSM highlighted to members that a lot of potential scrutiny work had been identified and this would need officer support from Democratic services and from relevant officers across the council. She agreed to review this and come back to the committee with some proposals. The chair acknowledged the need for the committee to prioritise and plan the scrutiny task groups in order to manage the limited resources available to scrutiny most effectively.