Agenda item

Feedback from the scrutiny panel

To receive feedback from the chairman of the Scrutiny Panel. 

Minutes:

Councillor Andrew Gant, chair of the Growth Board’s Scrutiny Panel, gave some feedback from the recent panel meeting.  The panel had made several recommendations to the Growth Board.  The chairman gave the following replies. 

 

Scrutiny Panel’s recommendation

Growth Board chairman’s reply

1: That the Growth Board considers and adopts the following principles of responding to the Scrutiny Panel’s recommendations:

(a)   The presentation of recommendations, and their accompanying narrative, is presented to the meeting at which a relevant decision is to be taken.  The Panel asks that the Growth Board gives full consideration and written responses to the recommendations made, addressing not only the recommendation, but also the rationale and context as provided in these reports going forward.

(b)   A suggested template response form was provided for the Growth Board to use to record its responses.  It is requested that once a draft response is completed (preferably by the Growth Board’s chairman in liaison with officers) that this document is published as a supplement to the Growth Board’s agenda or minutes, and the Board will be asked to give its full endorsement or otherwise to the draft response and decision in relation to any recommendations.

(c)   Under the current meeting arrangements, the Scrutiny Panel would hope to circulate its report and recommendations to the Growth Board on Friday or Monday after its meeting, and would hope to publish this together with the Growth Board’s draft response on the morning of the day the Growth Board is due to meet (Tuesday).  The response(s) will also be reported back to the Scrutiny Panel at their next meeting. 

The Growth Board would use its best endeavours to meet these requests. 

2: That the Growth Board takes further steps to raise concerns with Central Government about the timing of the Joint Statutory Spatial Plan’s submission deadline, and individual Local Plan submission deadlines, in April 2019 as required by the Growth Deal, without first understanding more details about the impact of the proposed Oxford to Cambridge Expressway.

Agreed

3: That in light of the continuing uncertainty about the route choice and its impact on the communities affected and the wider county, the Growth Board clarifies its rationale and evidence base for endorsing the expressway. 

The Growth Board’s stance on the proposed Oxford to Cambridge expressway was set out in the letter to Government dated 1 October 2018 and published on the Growth Board’s website.  The decision on the route of the expressway lies with the Government, not the Growth Board or the Oxfordshire Local Enterprise Partnership. 

4: At least one member of the Growth Board should attend each Scrutiny Panel meeting to answer questions about the Board’s work. The chair of one of the sub-groups should attend in rotation to discuss the work of their sub-group. 

Growth Board members or sub-group chairmen should be invited when a relevant item appears on the Scrutiny Panel’s agenda. 

5: Officers working on the Housing and Growth Deal’s strands as part of the Deal team and the Lead officer for the councils should attend the Scrutiny Panel as appropriate to answer questions and discuss their work.

Officers should be invited when a relevant item appears on the Scrutiny Panel’s agenda. 

6: That the Growth Board establishes a clear pro-active process for informing district, county and parish councillors about their work and future consultations and decisions.  This may take the form of a circulated newsletter or bulletin sent out by the Board’s programme officer, and should not rely solely on the information posted on the Board’s website.

All parish councils would be sent a link to the Growth Board’s website.  County and district councillors could also update parish councils. 

7: That the Growth Board takes formal votes on all items for decision, and records in the minutes each Leader’s individual vote, to increase transparency about decisions and each Council’s stance.

The Growth Board would take a formal vote, if requested by a Board member. 

8: That the Growth Board remains fully committed to encouraging public engagement in the Board’s work.

The Growth Board continues to be committed to encouraging engagement, as evidenced by the public participation at this and every Growth Board meeting. 

9: That the Energy Strategy Action Plan is revised to ensure it contains SMART targets and clear and measurable objectives.

The Energy Strategy is on the agenda for this meeting.  This point is valid. 

 

Supporting documents:

 

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