Agenda for Overview and Scrutiny Committee on Thursday 20 July 2023, 5.00 pm

Agenda and minutes

Venue: Conference Chamber, West Suffolk House, Western Way, Bury St Edmunds, IP33 3YU

Contact: Christine Brain: Democratic Services Officer  Email: democratic.services@westsuffolk.gov.uk

Items
No. Item

226.

Substitutes

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

Minutes:

No substitutions were declared.

 

 

227.

Apologies for absence

Minutes:

Apologies for absence were received from Councillor Aaron Luccarini.

228.

Minutes pdf icon PDF 93 KB

To confirm the minutes of the meeting held on 15 June 2023 (copy attached).

Minutes:

The minutes of the meeting held on 15 June 2023 were confirmed as correct record and signed by the Chair.

229.

Declarations of interest

Members are reminded of their responsibility to declare any disclosable pecuniary interest or other registerable interest which they have in any item of business on the agenda, no later than when that item is reached and to leave the meeting prior to discussion and voting on the item.

Minutes:

Members’ declarations of interest are recorded under the item to which the declaration relates.

230.

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

Minutes:

The Chair informed members she attended Cabinet on 18 July 2023 and presented the Committee’s report from its meeting held on 15 June 2023.  As per the minutes confirmed above, the Chair updated Cabinet on the Committee’s consideration of the Suffolk County Council Health Scrutiny meeting held on 19 April 2023; the appointments made to the Suffolk County Council Health Scrutiny Committee for the term of the 2023 to 2027 administration and the Committee’s forward work programme, which were noted by Cabinet.

 

231.

Public participation

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

 

In accordance with government guidance, the Council has developed general protocols on operating buildings safety in order to reduce the risk of the spread of coronavirus and will apply to members of the public registered to speak.  We would therefore strongly urge anyone who wishes to register to speak to notify Democratic Services by 9am on the day of the meeting so that advice can be given on the arrangements in place.

 

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

Minutes:

There were no members of the public in attendance on this occasion.

 

232.

Cabinet Decisions Plan: 1 July 2023 to 31 May 2024 pdf icon PDF 156 KB

Report number: OAS/WS/23/010

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The Committee received report number: OAS/WS/23/010, which informed members on forthcoming decisions to be considered by the Cabinet for the period 1 July 2023 to 31 May 2024.

 

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 2023 to 31 May 2024 Decisions Plan.

 

233.

Work programme update and Suggestions for Scrutiny pdf icon PDF 128 KB

Report number: OAS/WS/23/011

Additional documents:

Minutes:

[Councillor Luke Halpin arrived at 5.08pm during the consideration of this item and prior to the vote being taken].

 

The Committee received report number: OAS/WS/23/011, which updated members on the current status of its rolling work programme of items for scrutiny during 2020-2021 (Appendix 1).

 

Attached at Appendix 2 was the scoping document and key lines of enquiry document for the Abbeycroft Leisure Strategic Partnership Review and terms of reference at Appendix 3.

 

Also attached at Appendices 4 to 6 were the work programme suggestion form, scoping document and key lines of enquiry document and terms of reference for the Infrastructure and Transport review.

 

The Committee considered and noted the current states of its rolling work programme and requested an update report on the Council’s approach to Modern-Day Slavery to be presented to the Committee at its September 2023 meeting.  The previous administration had agreed to set up a Modern-Day Slavery Working Group in November 2020 following the government’s announcement in September 2020 on new guidance, which the government had yet to legislate.    

 

The Committee then considered in detail the proposed Transport and Infrastructure Review and asked questions to which responses were provided.  In particular discussions were held on public transport and electric vehicles.  As part of the discussions, the Committee suggested broadband provision should be included as a utility service in Appendix 5 under “views from external expert advisors” which officers agreed to include.

 

The Committee considered the proposed Abbeycroft Leisure Strategic Review and did not make any amendments to the terms of reference or scoping document.

 

Nominations were then sort for the Abbeycroft Leisure Strategic Review and the Transport and Infrastructure Review Task and Finish Groups.

 

The Chair informed the Committee that she was concerned about a recent Panorama programme on CCTV cameras which had raised data security issues with the Chinese made equipment (Hikvision), whereby a number of councils who had this brand were now replacing them.  She suggested inviting the Cabinet Member for Operations, Councillor David Taylor to the Committee’s September 2023 meeting to find out whether the Council had any Hikvision CCTV equipment; if so whether they were being replaced; where the servers stored the data; and to provide a general overview of the Council’s CCTV system.

 

It was then proposed by Councillor Andrew Smith, duly seconded by Councillor Julia Wakelam, and with the vote being unanimous:

 

          RESOLVED, That

 

1)  The Abbeycroft Leisure Strategic Partnership Review be included into the Committee’s forward work programme for 2023 to 2024.

2)  The scoping document and key lines of enquiry document for the Abbeycroft Leisure Strategic Partnership Review be approved.

 

3)  The terms of reference for the Abbeycroft Leisure Strategic Partnership Review be approved, and

 

-      Councillor Sarah Broughton;

-      Councillor Rowena Lindberg;

-      Councillor Marion Rushbrook be appointed to sit on the Task and Finish Group.

 

Note: The Chair agreed to email non- scrutiny councillors following the meeting to seek two volunteers who would be interested in sitting on the Task and Finish Group.

 

4)  The Transport  ...  view the full minutes text for item 233.

 

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