Agenda item

To consider the Draft Work Programme for Overview & Scrutiny Panel 2024/25.

Members considered and noted the future work programme.

Members made the following comments:

·         Councillor Booth stated that he would like to see a tracking system in place to work alongside the scheduled meetings so the committee could keep up to date on progress once the meeting has finished and keep a track of information that have been asked for during meetings. Councillor Mrs Davis agreed and suggested when the committee are coming up to a meeting they need to backtrack through the minutes of the last time that body was invited to an Overview and Scrutiny meeting, as a refresher and to use as a reference for any work unfinished. Councillor Booth added by using a tracker system the key points would be easier and quicker to see as sometimes information can get lost in the full minutes. The committee agreed.

·         Councillor Roy stated he has noticed that Clarion have not been included on the work programme, at the last meeting Clarion did suggest that everything was being dealt with but he is still receiving a number of repeated complaints from local Clarion residents and he feels that the main issues that were spoken about in the last meeting have not been addressed and feels that a meeting with Clarion would be beneficial. Councillor Mrs Davis stressed that if there are some issues that are not being dealt with since the last meeting contact can be made to follow this up with Clarion. Councillor Booth asked if Clarion are going to be invited back? Amy Brown stated that the Forward Plan has been reviewed and it was discussed which topics could be biannual and which ones would be annual, and the focus was on looking at the Council’s core priorities and making sure as an organisation those functions are covered, with Clarion being looked at as being biannual but if there are problems emerging as have been raised in this meeting, there is space within the Forward Plan to invite them back sooner but the thought was to invite new topics towards the end of the year but this can be looked at. Councillor Booth did not agree that Clarion should be biannual and that they need to be invited annually due to the number of problems arising, other councillors agreed. Councillor Mrs Davis agreed to review the Forward Plan with Amy Brown.

·         Councillor Sennitt Clough stated there is a distinction between Clarion and Clarion Futures and would like it made clear who the committee are referring too. She continued to make the point that given their reputation and the fact that they are fronting a not insignificant amount of money to match fund with the Arts Council and the Arts Council are part of the Future Work Programme, how this would play out within the public consciousness regarding complaints and was wondering if there was scope to have both parties in on the same day. Councillor Mrs Davis expressed the view that it was better to keep both parties separate. Councillor Booth recommended inviting Clarion Futures in for the Arts Council as opposed to the whole of Clarion to concentrate on that particular element. Councillor Foice Beard felt it would not be a good idea to invite Clarion Futures if the committee are just going to be talking about housing issues as these are two separate areas.

·         Councillor Booth made the observation that at the meeting on the 20 January is the draft Budget and Fees and Charges and he feels that the fees and charges needs to roll into the budget because if anything need changing this needs to be discussed. This was agreed by Councillor Mrs Davis.

Members AGREED to the inclusion of the discussed topics to the work programme.