Issue - meetings

To discuss the role of Task Groups in undertaking in-depth reviews to enhance the impact of Overview and Scrutiny.

The Chairman recalled the training session that the Committee had received last September which included the role of task groups. She invited the Committee to consider whether there were any suitable items on its work programme which would benefit from this approach.

Councillor D. Saliagopoulos asked the Chairman to confirm that she had updated her Register of interests in relation to her position as a Surrey County Councillor.

The Monitoring Officer advised that the only legal requirement to update the Register was following a declaration of a pecuniary interest at a meeting in relation to an item on that agenda. Although members are encouraged to update their other interests as necessary, there is no ongoing obligation to keep the Register updated.

The Monitoring Officer offered to talk further to members about the procedure for declarations of interests outside this meeting as this topic was not part of the agenda business or related to any item on the agenda.

Members considered whether there was scope for a Task Group to review the Council’s property acquisitions before any purchase was completed. The Chairman advised the Committee that she had asked officers to report at the March meeting on commercial acquisitions and associated risks. This would be a more practical way to look at the matter rather than an ongoing process of reviewing each individual acquisition. The Committee agreed to the addition of this item on the work programme for March 2019.

The Committee agreed that it would be more useful to consider topics which could be reviewed by a task group at the start of the next municipal year.

As a result of feedback to the Leisure Centre consultation from residents, the Chairman proposed that a task group be set up to consider the topic of consultation with residents. She would discuss this further with officers and report back to the next meeting.

Resolved:

1.    To add an item on commercial acquisitions and associated risks to the Committee’s work programme for its March 2019 meeting;

2.    To consider suitable topics to be reviewed by a task group at the first meeting of the next municipal year; and

3.    To receive an update from the Chairman at the next meeting on the proposal for a task group to look at consultations with residents.

To discuss the role of Task Groups in undertaking in-depth reviews to enhance the impact of Overview and Scrutiny.

Members were asked to consider which items on the work programme might be a suitable subject for a task group to undertake. Due to the lateness of the hour, the Committee agreed to discuss this as the first item at its next meeting.

Resolved to defer consideration of this item to the next meeting in January 2019.