Agenda item

To consider the forthcoming work of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee.

80.1          Attention was drawn to the Overview and Scrutiny Committee Work Programme, circulated at Pages No. 16-19, which Members were asked to consider.

80.2          The Head of Corporate Services advised that the Update on Local Policing Arrangements, due to be considered at the meeting on 8 March 2022, would now be taken to the meeting on 7 June 2022 at the earliest as an Inspector had not yet been appointed for Tewkesbury Borough.  In response to a query regarding the arrangements, the Chief Executive clarified that the normal rank for the Tewkesbury Borough Police Commander was Inspector; there was a Community Superintendent, who had just been promoted from Chief Inspector and had covered Tewkesbury Borough for a period, but there was currently no local commander in post.  The Community Superintendent could be invited to give an update to the Committee but Officers considered it would be best to wait until an appointment had been made as that was expected in the near future.

80.3          A Member sought an update on the progress of the six month trial of mobile surveillance equipment for fly-tipping investigations, currently in the pending items section of the work programme.  The Head of Community Services advised that the equipment was yet to be purchased due to some General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) issues which needed to be resolved.  As Members would be aware, there had also been some changes to personnel within the Environmental Health team with the Interim Environmental Health Manager leaving the authority in December and the new Manager taking up his post; however, he provided assurance that, once the GDPR issues had been appropriately addressed and the equipment purchased, it would be deployed straight away with the six month trial commencing at that point.

80.4          The Head of Democratic Services explained that, at its annual meeting, the Overview and Scrutiny Committee appointed two Members to represent Tewkesbury Borough Council on the Gloucestershire Economic Growth Scrutiny Committee and the Gloucestershire Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee; at the meeting in May 2021, Councillors John Murphy and Jill Smith had been appointed respectively.  At that time, Members had been asked to nominate reserves to both Committees but nobody had come forward which meant there was nobody to deputise for either Member should they be unable to attend any meetings.  Councillor Murphy was not able to go to the Gloucestershire Economic Growth Scrutiny Committee on 31 March and Councillor Berliner had kindly offered to take on the role of reserve in order to represent Tewkesbury Borough Council at that meeting so the Committee was asked to formally approve the appointment.  Councillor Berliner indicated that she was happy to take on the role of reserve for the Gloucestershire Economic Growth Scrutiny Committee and also the Gloucestershire Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee should no other Member wish to put themselves forward.

80.5          It was proposed, seconded and

RESOLVED          1. That the Overview and Scrutiny Committee Work Programme 2021/22 be NOTED.

2.That Councillor K Berliner be appointed as the Council’s reserve representative on the Gloucestershire Economic Growth Scrutiny Committee and the Gloucestershire Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee for the remainder of the Municipal Year.