Agenda for St Edmundsbury Overview and Scrutiny Committee on Wednesday 11 July 2018, 4.00 pm

Agenda and minutes

Venue: Conference Chamber West F1R09

Contact: Christine Brain  Email: Christine.Brain@westsuffolk.gov.uk

Items
No. Item

236.

Substitutes

Any Member who is substituting for another Member should so indicate, together with the name of the relevant absent Member.

Minutes:

The following substitution was declared:

 

Councillor Patricia Warby for Councillor Richard Rout.

237.

Apologies for Absence

Minutes:

Apologies for absence were received from Councillors Patrick Chung, Paul Hopfensperger, Richard Rout and Frank Warby.

238.

Minutes pdf icon PDF 130 KB

To confirm the minutes of the meeting held on 6 June 2018 (copy attached).

Minutes:

The minutes of the meeting held on 6 June 2018, were confirmed as an accurate record and signed by the Chairman.

239.

Public Participation

Members of the public who live or work in the Borough are invited to put one question/statement of not more than 3 minutes duration relating to items to be discussed in Part 1 of the agenda only.  If a question is asked and answered within 3 minutes, the person who asked the question may ask a supplementary question that arises from the reply.

 

A person who wishes to speak must register at least 15 minutes before the time the meeting is scheduled to start.

 

There is an overall limit of 15 minutes for public speaking, which may be extended at the Chairman’s discretion.

 

 

Minutes:

There were no questions/statements from members of the public.

240.

Announcements from the Chairman regarding responses of the Cabinet to reports of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee

Minutes:

The Chairman advised she attended the Joint Executive (Cabinet) Committee on 25 June 2018, and presented the Committee’s report on items it considered on 6 June 2018, which was noted.  She also reminded members that an Extraordinary Overview and Scrutiny meeting had been arranged for Wednesday 31 October 2018 to receive a follow-up from Suffolk County Council Highways. 

 

She informed members should would be speaking with Councillor Simon Cole, Chairman of Forest Heath’s Overview and Scrutiny Committee to look at the possibly of holding an informal joint meeting to receive an update on Barley Homes.

 

Finally, the Chairman advised she had spoken with officers who attended meetings of the Committee.  It was the general concensu they were happy being at meetings of Committee, and waiting to present their agenda item as they were able to work from their electronic devices.

241.

Haverhill Research Park pdf icon PDF 96 KB

Report No: OAS/SE/18/020

Minutes:

The Committee received Report No: OAS/SE/18/020, which updated members regarding the progress in delivering the Haverhill Research Park.  Officers had been working on a number of options to help to deliver the Council’s vision for high quality jobs to complement the growth in homes locally.

 

The report including information on the background; strategic links; the vision for the site; Enterprise Zone status; key challenges; the role of the council and next steps.

 

Whilst considering the information outlined in the covering report, officers also wished to give an exempt verbal presentation on the various options being considered.  As there was to be detailed discussion on the various exempt options, which would involve the discussion of commercially sensitive information, it was proposed by Councillor Margaret Marks, seconded by Councillor Clive Springett, and unanimously RESOLVED for these discussions to be held in private session (see Minute Number 247 below) and the press and public were then excluded from the meeting.

 

Following the conclusion of the detailed discussions held in the private session, the press and public were re-admitted to the meeting.

 

The Committee then noted the update report on the current position, and that it was proposed that progress would be reported back through the democratic process in six months’ time.

 

 

 

 

242.

Annual Presentation by the Cabinet Member for Housing pdf icon PDF 95 KB

Report No: OAS/SE/18/021

Minutes:

The Committee was reminded that on 19 July 2017, it had received a presentation from the Cabinet Member for Housing, setting out responsibilities covered under her portfolio.

 

At this meeting, the Cabinet Member had been invited back to provide her annual update, and Report No: OAS/SE/18/021 set out the focus of the update.

 

The Cabinet Member was also provided in advance of the meeting with some key questions identified by scrutiny members on areas they wished to be appraised on during the annual update, which were included in the report along with responses.

 

The Cabinet Member, Councillor Sara Mildmay-White, thanked the Committee the questions submitted, as set out in the report. 

 

The Committee asked follow-up questions relating to the two submitted questions (policy on building housing and the trend for new homes being sold freehold with ongoing management fees), to which responses were provided.

 

In response to a question raised regarding the development of the new West Suffolk Local Plan and involving local members in the process, officers advised that members would be a key element in the process to ensure that the new Plan included the right mix of housing for residents in West Suffolk.  However, this would be difficult with the National Planning Policy Framework.

 

Finally, the Cabinet Member for Housing informed members that the Housing Workshop held on Monday 9 July 2018, was very well received.  In particular the workshop was looking at accommodation for the ageing population.

 

The Chairman on behalf of the Committee thanked the Cabinet Member and officers for their attendance and noted the update.

 

243.

Cabinet Decisions Plan: 1 July 2018 to 31 March 2019 pdf icon PDF 38 KB

Report No: OAS/SE/18/022

Additional documents:

Minutes:

[Councillor Robin Pilley left the meeting at 4.50pm during the consideration of this item].

 

The Committee received Report No: OAS/SE/18/022, which asked Members to pursue the Cabinet Decisions Plan for the period 1 July 2018 to 31 March 2019, on items  it would like further information on or might benefit from the Committee’s involvement.

 

The Committee considered the Decisions Plan and did not request any further information on items contained in the Plan.

 

There being no decision required the Committee noted the contents of the 1 July 2018 to 31 March 2019 Decisions Plan.

244.

Shadow Executive (Cabinet) Decisions Plan: 1 July 2018 to 31 March 2019 pdf icon PDF 37 KB

Report No: OAS/SE/18/023

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The Committee received Report No: OAS/SE/18/023, which informed  Members on forthcoming decisions to be considered by the Shadow Executive (Cabinet) for the period 1 July 2018 to 31 March 2019.

 

The Committee considered the Shadow Executive (Cabinet) Decisions Plan and did not request any further information on items contained in the Plan.

 

There being no decision required the Committee noted the contents of the 1 July 2018 to 31 March 2019 Shadow Executive (Cabinet) Decisions Plan.

 

245.

Work Programme Update pdf icon PDF 62 KB

Report No: OAS/SE/18/024

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The Committee received Report No: OAS/SE/18/024, which updated Members on the current status of its rolling work programme of items for scrutiny during 2018-2019 (Appendix 1).

 

The Democratic Services Officer (Scrutiny) informed Members of an additional item to be included in its work programme for its meeting on 9 January 2019, being:

 

·         West Suffolk Customer Access Strategy, Business Case and West Suffolk Digital Strategy.

 

The report also requested that Members identify questions they would like the Cabinet Member for Operations to cover in his annual report to the Committee on 12 September 2018.

 

The Committee considered Appendix 1, and identified the following questions they wished to put to the Cabinet Member for Operations:

 

1)   To receive a progress report on the West Suffolk Operational Hub.

 

2)   In the longer term, the Haverhill Waste Transfer Station was not included in the West Suffolk Operational Hub, but the contract for the Haverhill Station was up for renewal, and questioned what contingency plans were in place?

 

Any further questions could be submitted to the Democratic Services Officer (Scrutiny) by Monday 23 July 2018.

 

Finally, Councillor Margaret Marks raised concerns regarding Barley Homes, to which the Service Manager (Democratic Service/Monitoring Officer) updated members on the current position.  The Vice-Chairman then informed the Committee that it was disappointing that these concerns had not been raised directly with the Cabinet Member for Housing who had been in attendance at the meeting, along with a Director of Barley Homes, under Item 7 of the agenda, when she gave her annual update of her housing portfolio, who could have responded to members concerns.

 

There being no decision required the Committee noted the update and the additional item to be included in its forward work programme for January 2019.

246.

Exclusion of Press and Public

To consider whether the press and public should be excluded during the consideration of the following items because it is likely, in view of the nature of the business to be transacted or the nature of the proceedings, that if members of the public were present during the items, there would be disclosure to them of exempt categories of information as prescribed in Part 3 of Schedule 12A of the Local Government Act 1972, and indicated against each item and, in all circumstances of the case, the public interest in maintaining the exemption outweighs the public interest in disclosing the information.

Minutes:

It was proposed by Councillor Margaret Marks, seconded by Councillor Clive Springett, and wit the vote being unanimous, it was

 

          RESOLVED

 

That, under Section 100A(4) of the Local Government Act 1972, the press and public be excluded from the meeting for the following item of business on the grounds that it involves the likely disclosure of exempt information as prescribed in Part 3 of Schedule 12A of the Local Government Act 1972.

 

247.

Exempt Presentation (Verbal) - Haverhill Research Park

Exempt Presentation (Verbal) to Report No: OAS/SE/18/020

 

(This exempt Presentation is to be considered in private under Paragraph 3 of Part 1 of Schedule 12A of the Local Government Act 1972, as it contains information relating to financial or business affairs of any particular person (including the authority holding that information).

 

Minutes:

The Overview and Scrutiny Committee received a presentation setting out a number of options and their associated risks.

 

Officers would continue to work on to understand the financial implications and risks of each of the options.

 

Detailed discussions were held on each of the options, to which comprehensive responses were provided.

 

Once the discussions were concluded in the private session, the meeting then moved back into the open session, where the press and public were re-admitted and the Committee then considered the recommendation contained within the report (see Minute Number 241 above).

 

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