Agenda

To receive questions / statements from the public, if any.

To approve as a correct record the minutes of the meeting of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee held on 13^th December 2023.

To determine any other items of business which the Chairman decides should be considered as a matter of urgency pursuant to Section 100B(4)(b) of the Local Government Act 1972.

Members are asked at this stage to declare any interests that they may have in any of the following items on the agenda. The Code of Conduct for Members requires that declarations include the nature of the interest and whether it is a disclosable pecuniary interest.

To consider any petitions received from members of the public.

To consider any requests made by non-executive Members of the Council, submitted to the Democratic Services Manager with seven clear working days’ notice, to include an item on the agenda of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee.

To consider any responses of the Council or the Cabinet to the Committee’s reports or recommendations:

To consider a Community Call for Action on Homelessness from Councillor Dr Victoria Holliday.

Recommendation – the Committee is invited to consider which of the options (a) to (f) set out in paragraph 3 of this report it wishes to take on this request.

To consider the draft budget for 2024/25, the MediumTerm Financial Strategy 2024/25 to 2027/28 and the proposed Capital Programme for 2024/25 to 2027/28.

Recommendation - that Cabinet consider any recommendations made by the Overview and Scrutiny Committee

To consider the final managing performance report for the Council’s Corporate Plan 2019 – 2023.

It summarises deliveryagainst theCorporate Planagreed by the Council in November 2019 and the Delivery Planagreed by Cabinet at its meeting of February2020.

Recommendation -The Overview and Scrutiny Committee is invited to receive and comment upon this report - acknowledging that the majority of the Corporate Plan 2019-2023 priorities and objectives were achieved despite the unprecedented circumstances presented by the global COVID pandemic.

To consider the Quarter 2 Managing Performance Report which enables the Council to assess operational service performance for the second quarter of the 2023/24 civic year – i.e. 1st July – 30th September 2023.

Recommendation -The Overview and Scrutiny Committee is asked to note the report and, as appropriate, make comments to Cabinet and Corporate Leadership Team on areas where performance might be improved.

To undertake some Pre-Scrutiny of a draft Action Plan that the District Council is required to develop in response to recommendations made through the recent Corporate Peer Challenge of the authority. The draft Action Plan seeks to meet this requirement.

Recommendation -the Overview and Scrutiny Committee is invited to comment on the draft Action Plan as a pre-scrutiny item of business before the Action Plan (as amended through any proposals made by the Overview and Scrutiny Committee) is presented to Cabinet for agreement and adoption.

To consider the Council’s Treasury Management Strategy for the year 2024/25. which details the Council’s Treasury Management activities and presents a strategy for the prudent investment of the Council’s resources. It also sets out the Council’s approach to the deployment of capital resources in meeting the Council’s overall aims and objectives. 

Recommendation - To recommend to full Council that the Treasury Management Strategy 2024/25 is approved.

To note the upcoming Cabinet Work Programme.

To receive an update from the Scrutiny Officer on progress made with topics on its agreed work programme, training updates and to receive any further information which Members may have requested at a previous meeting.

To pass the following resolution, if necessary:

“That under Section 100A(4) of the Local Government Act 1972 the press and public be excluded from the meeting for the following items of business on the grounds that they involve the likely disclosure of exempt information as defined in paragraphs 1,2 and 3 of Part I of Schedule 12A (as amended) to the Act.”

The appendix to the report [Agenda item 11] is to be treated as exempt for the following reason:

Information in this appendix involves the likely disclosure of exempt information as defined in paragraphs 1,2 and 3, Part 1 of schedule 12A (as amended) to the Local Government Act 1972.

These paragraphs relate to:

              Para 1. Information relating to any individual

              Para 2. Information which is likely to reveal the identity of an individual

Para 3.  Information relating to the financial or business affairs of any particular person (including the authority holding that information)

The public interest in maintaining the exemption outweighs the public interest in disclosure for the following reasons:

Paragraphs 1 & 2: The documents contain information relating to individuals at the Council and it is considered that disclosure of this information may have a prejudicial or detrimental impact. The privacy rights of such individuals outweigh the public interest in disclosure.

Paragraph 3: The documents contain information as to ideas and proposals for costs savings and income. These proposals and comments relating to them were captured. Releasing this information which is the business information of the authority would be likely to prejudice the effective conduct of public affairs and limit free and frank discussion as to the points recorded. Other organisations are also identifiable and disclosure of this information may have a prejudicial impact upon their business.