Agenda item

Report number: OAS/WS/23/011

[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 and Infrastructure Review be included into the Committee’s forward work programme for 2023 to 2024.

5)  The scoping document and key lines of enquiry document for the Transport and Infrastructure Review be approved.

6)  The terms of reference for the Transport and Infrastructure Review be approved, and

-      Councillor Sarah Broughton;

-      Councillor Beccy Hopfensperger;

-      Councillor Birgitte Mager;

-      Councillor Andrew Smith

-      Councillor Don Waldron

-      Councillor Julia Wakelam;

-      Councillor Kevin Yarrow be appointed to sit on the Task and Finish Group.

7)  The Committee invites Councillor David Taylor, Cabinet Member for Operations to its September 2023 meeting to provide information on the Council’s CCTV system and the Chinese made Hikvision.

8)  The Committee receives an update on the Council’s approach to Modern Day Slavery at its September 2023 meeting.