Issue - meetings

The Overview and Scrutiny Committee is requested to consider the agenda report and its two appendices and to make the following resolution and recommendation:

A – RESOLUTION

That the Overview and Scrutiny Committee's 2018-2019 Annual Report and the 2019-2020 Work Programme be agreed.

B – RECOMMENDATION

That the Overview and Scrutiny Committee's 2018-2019 Annual Report and the 2019-2020 Work Programme be noted.

The Committee considered the report circulated with the agenda.

Mr Hyland introduced the Annual report and provided a brief overview of the process.  The previous Chairman, Mrs Apel advised that the Committee had done a large amount of good work during the previous year. 

Officers undertook to circulate the results of the annual survey on scrutiny at Chichester District Council sent to members of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee and the wider membership.

Mrs Rudziak undertook to chase up the report requested from the Sussex Police and Crime Commissioner for a detailed account of how the precept increase has been spent.

Mr Hyland explained that the draft Work Programme had been agreed at the Committee’s Annual Workshop, which was held to look back at the Committee’s work over the past year and to look at the work to be undertaken this year.

The Chairman asked members for any suggested changes and additional topics they would like added to the work plan, in particular for the next meeting on 10 September 2019. 

During the discussion the Committee made the following amendments to the Work Programme received answers to questions including the following:

-     Task and Finish Groups (TFGs): The terms of reference for the Corporate Plan TFG presented to the Committee each year were broadly the same and the Committee could amend if they wished.  In formulating the TFG it was helpful for the whole Committee to have a broad understanding of the projects being monitored to help direct the TFGs in terms of where they should be scrutiny is best placed.  The Corporate Plan was available to all members to view if they wished to view the Council’s priorities.  When considering the Terms of reference, members would be able to identify the topics that the TFG should be concentrating on.  Officers undertook to provide the Committee with the terms of reference for the three TFGs.

-     Sickness Level Report - It was felt that a deeper investigation was required, in particular concerning staff workloads, which were considered a strategic issue:  Mrs Rudziak explained that the Committee’s discussions had resulted in the Absence Management procedure being revised and suggested that members wait to see the impact of the revisions before deciding if more work was required.  It was noted that sickness levels were already falling.  Mr Hyland undertook to circulate the papers previously circulated to the Committee so that members could see the work previously considered.  Add update report for six months’ time.

-     There should be more communication between the rural Midhurst, Selsey and Petworth vision delivery plans and the City Chichester Vision, with the sharing of ideas as some were relevant to both the rural and city areas, with equal focus on all:  Mrs Rudziak suggested that the Committee could add this as a future item in itself for the Committee to consider to see if there were any further particular issues that required further investigation.  The issue would be discussed further outside of the meeting, to include input  ...  view the full minutes text for item 285