To determine whether there are any questions for the relevant Lead Members and what support the Overview and Scrutiny Committee can give to work contained within the Plan.

27.1          Attention was drawn to the Executive Committee Forward Plan, circulated at Pages No. 19-35.  Members were asked to determine whether there were any questions for the relevant Lead Members and what support the Overview and Scrutiny Committee could give to the work contained within the plan. 

27.2          The Director: Corporate Services advised that the Forward Plan had been updated to incorporate changes requested by the Executive Committee and now included an overview of each Agenda item, a column for the Lead Member and a column for background papers.  The plan itself was reasonably well populated and remained a fluid document, although he acknowledged there were a number of items in the pending section which he would work with Officers to slot into the appropriate meeting.  A Member asked whether it would be possible to produce a summary document showing dates of the Executive Committee meetings and what was being considered at each meeting; she had found it difficult to identify what the Executive Committee was working on and felt this would help members of the public to more easily understand the work of the Committee.  The Director: Corporate Services explained that the Forward Plan was owned by the Executive Committee and the Members of that Committee had expressed a desire to add more detail to the plan which was reflected by the additions he had described; however, he would take this comment away for consideration.

27.3          A Member noted that the Economic Development and Tourism Strategy was due to be considered by the Executive Committee on 18 October 2023 and she sought clarification as to whether that would be postponed given that it was not included for consideration on today’s Overview and Scrutiny Committee Agenda.  The Head of Service: Community and Economic Development explained that, since the last Overview and Scrutiny Committee meeting, the Borough Council had been consulted on the countywide Economic Development and Tourism Strategy and it was now intended to hold a Member seminar in relation to the countywide strategy as this would influence the Borough Council’s strategy.  Additionally, the strategy would need to align with the emerging work on the Council Plan and the priorities within that.  The item would therefore be moved to the pending section in the interim.

27.4          In response to a query as to why the Council Tax, Business Rates and Housing Benefits Overpayments Debt Recovery Policy and the Equalities and Diversity Policy had both been deferred, as referenced at Page No. 33 of the report, the Director: Corporate Resources advised that the former had been included in the Forward Plan at the request of the previous Head of Service; it was anticipated that it would be removed follow a refocus of the team.  The Equalities and Diversity Policy was an important policy that required a corporate group to take it forward and the supporting programme needed an action plan in order to demonstrate delivery against the policy so that item would also be removed from the Forward Plan for the time being.  Another Member noted that the Volunteering Policy had been deferred from the meeting on 1 March 2023 until the new Council was in place and she asked when this was likely to be brought to the Committee.  The Executive Director: Resources advised this would be taken forward by the new Associate Director: People, Culture and Performance who had taken up her post two weeks ago and he would seek a response prior to the next meeting.  A Member noted that the 2024/25 budget would be considered by the Executive Committee on 7 February 2024 and asked when Members would consider a longer term budget.  In response, the Executive Director: Resources clarified that the five year Medium Term Financial Strategy was due to be considered by the Executive Committee on 10 January 2024; he was hopeful this could be brought to an earlier meeting but it was currently scheduled for January.

27.5          It was

RESOLVED           That the Executive Committee Forward Plan be NOTED.