To approve the Overview and Scrutiny Committee Work Programme for the forthcoming year.

92.1           Attention was drawn to the report of the Corporate Services Group Manager, circulated at Pages No.17-28, which attached, at Appendix 1, the draft Overview and Scrutiny Committee Work Programme 2016/17.  Members were asked to approve the Work Programme.

92.2           The Chair indicated that it was intended to invite Ann Reader from South West Councils to observe the meeting on 14 June 2016 in order to provide some feedback as to how the Committee was performing and highlight any potential areas for improvement.  Ann had delivered the Overview and Scrutiny Committee induction training in 2015 and had recently held a session on chairing skills.  A Member noted that the Committee was due to receive a presentation on the systems review of Planning on 19 July 2016 and she queried whether the Lead Member for Built Environment could be asked to attend.  The Democratic Services Group Manager indicated that this would be appropriate and she undertook to ensure that he was invited to the meeting.  A Member queried when the Overview and Scrutiny Committee would receive a presentation from Healthwatch Gloucestershire and was informed that this was included in the ‘pending items’ section along with presentations from Severn Vale and Gloucestershire Fire and Rescue Service.  The Corporate Services Group Manager explained that he needed to make contact with the appropriate representatives from those organisations to establish when they could attend and these items would then be built in the Work Programme accordingly.

92.3           A Member suggested that it might be more appropriate for the Overview and Scrutiny Committee to meet the week before the Executive Committee as opposed to a week later under the current arrangements.  In response, the Democratic Services Group Manager explained that the main reason for holding the Overview and Scrutiny Committee meetings after the Executive Committee was to facilitate the call-in procedure which gave Members of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee the opportunity to call-in decisions made by the Executive within a certain timescale.  She advised that various different arrangements had been trialled in the past but holding Overview and Scrutiny Committee meetings a week after Executive Committee meetings had worked best in her experience.  A Member expressed concern that he knew very little about the call-in process.  The Democratic Services Group Manager briefly outlined the procedure, which had been touched upon in the Overview and Scrutiny Committee induction training, and indicated that she would be happy to arrange some additional training in relation to that specific element now that Members were more established within the Committee.  The Chief Executive provided assurance that the Overview and Scrutiny Committee worked in partnership with the Executive Committee which often requested that reviews be carried out in order to assist with important areas such as car parking, economic development and enviro-crimes.  He stressed that call-in should be the exception rather than the rule; however, it was a tool which was available should Members feel that a particular decision needed to be re-examined.  By engaging the Overview and Scrutiny Committee in policy development and working with the Executive Committee and Council it ensured that any issues were kept to a minimum.  Members were reminded that the Executive Committee Forward Plan was a standard item on the Overview and Scrutiny Committee Agenda and Members had the opportunity to request that items be considered by the Overview and Scrutiny Committee prior to the Executive Committee.

92.4           The Corporate Services Group Manager indicated that one of the particular strengths of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee was its task and finish working groups which had added real value in the past.  The Economic Development and Tourism Strategy Review Working Group was continuing to meet and would report back to the Committee later in the year.  Some potential areas of review had been identified from the new Council Plan which would be brought forward at the appropriate time.

92.5           Having considered the information provided, it was

RESOLVED          That the Overview and Scrutiny Committee Work Programme 2016/17 be APPROVED.