Agenda and minutes

Venue: Main Committee Room, Council Offices, Brympton Way, Yeovil. View directions

Contact: Becky Sanders,Case Services Officer (Support Services) - 01935 462596  Email: becky.sanders@southsomerset.gov.uk

Items
No. Item

113.

Minutes pdf icon PDF 96 KB

To approve as a correct record the minutes of the previous meeting held on 5 February 2019.

Minutes:

The minutes of the meeting held on 5 February 2019 were approved as a correct record and signed by the Chairman.

114.

Apologies for absence

Minutes:

Apologies for absence were received from Councillors Gerard Tucker, Martin Wale and Colin Winder. Councillor Tony Lock tendered his apologies for a late arrival for the meeting.

115.

Declarations of Interest

In accordance with the Council's current Code of Conduct (as amended 26 February 2015), which includes all the provisions relating to Disclosable Pecuniary Interests (DPI), personal and prejudicial interests, Members are asked to declare any DPI and also any personal interests (and whether or not such personal interests are also "prejudicial") in relation to any matter on the Agenda for this meeting.

Minutes:

There were no declarations of interest.

116.

Public question time

Minutes:

There were no members of public present at the meeting.

117.

Issues arising from previous meetings

This is an opportunity for Members to question the progress on issues arising from previous meetings.  However, this does not allow for the re-opening of a debate on any item not forming part of this agenda.

Minutes:

There were no issues raised from previous meetings.

118.

Chairman's Announcements

Minutes:

The Chairman reminded Scrutiny members that she had forwarded, by email, a survey regarding the Somerset Rivers Authority, and encouraged members to provide an individual response.

 

She also noted that regarding Transformation, the latest updates had been provided in an all member briefing prior to full Council in February.

 

The Chairman noted this was probably the last Scrutiny Committee meeting for this Council year, and hence the last meeting she would be chairing. She wished to convey her gratitude to all those who had been involved with Scrutiny over the years and the work that had been achieved.

 

The Vice-Chairman, on behalf of the rest of the Committee, thanked the Chairman for her chairmanship.

 

 

119.

Verbal update on reports considered by District Executive on 7 February 2019 pdf icon PDF 28 KB

Minutes:

The Chairman advised that the Scrutiny comments had been noted and were included in the District Executive minutes which had been circulated.

120.

Reports to be considered by District Executive on 7 March 2019 pdf icon PDF 59 KB

Minutes:

Members considered the reports within the District Executive agenda for 7 March 2019 and made comments as detailed below. Responses to comments were provided at the Scrutiny Committee by the relevant officers or Portfolio Holder.

 

Adoption of the South Somerset Leisure Facility Strategy (Agenda item 6)

 

·         Regarding agenda pages 12 and 13 – some members felt it would useful if there was an additional column/category for ‘other’ sports. It was acknowledged not every sport could be in the strategy but some members felt it was important unmentioned sports were not forgotten e.g. badminton.

·         Some members felt the next steps / actions should provide a little more detail and indicate more specific timescales.

·         A non-member of Scrutiny noted that Donyatt Bowls Club was being marketed and queried if inclusion of the facility in the strategy needed to be reviewed. 

·         Members queried the synergy between this strategy and the Local Plan?

·         A member queried the latest situation regarding the Yeovil North and Eastern corridor cycle path links, and how the project would link with the strategy.

·         Acknowledge the Needs Assessment has been completed and is correct at the current time. If elements or popularity of individual sports change over the lifetime of the strategy, is there an option to review the documents?

·         Some members queried if any projects identified within the strategy were specifically aimed at delivering facilities for the Wyndham Park and Bunford areas?

·         It was queried if the work to compile the strategy could have been undertaken internally, and how much finance had been required for the consultants.

 

Equality and Diversity Policy 2019 (Agenda item 7)

 

·         Agenda page 22 – section 9 – bullet points (i) to (v).

o   Members queried if there was a reason for the Gypsy and Traveller community being specifically highlighted from any other identified community?

o   Members noted that if bullet point (i) was being complied with that it would encompass point (iii), and hence queried the need for both bullet points.

·         Members were content that the recommendations go forward

 

SSDC Local Authority Trading Company (Agenda item 8)

 

Members raised a number of comments regarding this item, some of which are included in the bullet points below. (6 members of the Executive were present for much of the meeting and listened to the discussion.)

 

·         Is the amount of the loan requested (rec 3) adequate?

·         The first line of para 2 refers to seeking approval in principle however recommendation (a) at para 8 seems to suggest that the Executive approve with no mention of principle. Members sought clarity as to whether the decision would be ‘in principle’ or not.

·         Some members felt there was not enough time between publishing of the District Executive agenda and the Scrutiny Committee meeting, for members to read and digest the report fully. It was felt due to the nature of the subject matter that a separate briefing should have been arranged specifically for Scrutiny members.

·         Page 44, para 11.4a – refers to the shareholder agreement be  ...  view the full minutes text for item 120.

121.

Verbal update on Task and Finish reviews pdf icon PDF 45 KB

Minutes:

Members noted the updates provided by the Scrutiny Specialist on each of the Task and Finish Groups currently in progress.

 

Homefinder Somerset Plain English Policy – no updates since the last meeting.

 

Customer Accessibility – Some members had been involved in testing of the website and had provided feedback to the appropriate officers. Some refinement of the website was current being undertaken.

122.

Update on matters of interest pdf icon PDF 51 KB

Minutes:

The Scrutiny Specialist informed members that she would shortly be attending a meeting with representatives from the Centre for Public Scrutiny to hear the expectations relating to the new regulations around Scrutiny.

123.

Scrutiny Work Programme pdf icon PDF 57 KB

Minutes:

The Scrutiny Specialist reminded members that information had been circulated regarding the Troubled Families Programme and the Yeovil Refresh. She checked if members wished to specifically progress anything relating to the two projects.

 

During a brief discussion, it was suggested that no further update was currently required regarding the Yeovil Refresh in general. However some members felt that an update regarding the markets would be of interest and was something that the new Scrutiny Committee should look at, and this was agreed by members. Regarding the Troubled Families Programme it was agreed that a general update was no longer appropriate, but the Scrutiny Committee should consider the response from Somerset County Council when available, following their recent consultation on the Get Set services.

 

ACTION:

Scrutiny Specialist to update the Work Programme.

 

124.

Date of next meeting pdf icon PDF 28 KB

Minutes:

Members noted that the next meeting of the Scrutiny Committee was scheduled for Tuesday 2 April 2019 at 10.00am in the Main Committee Room, Brympton Way.

 

(Post meeting note – the Scrutiny Committee meeting scheduled for 2 April 2019 has since been cancelled. There is no meeting in May due to the elections. Therefore the next scheduled meeting of the Scrutiny Committee is for 10.00am on Tuesday 4 June 2019.)