Agenda and draft minutes

At this point in the meeting, Members and co-opted members are asked to declare any disclosable pecuniary interest, or other registerable interest, they might have in respect of business on this agenda, if they have not already done so in advance on the Register of Interests. The disclosure must include the nature of the interest.

An interest must also be disclosed in the meeting when it becomes apparent to the member during the meeting.

[Please see the attached sheet for further guidance for Members.]

Members were asked to declare any disclosable pecuniary interest, or other registerable interest, they might have in respect of business on the agenda, if they have not already done so in advance on the Register of Interests.

In relation to item 4, Acomb Front Street, Phase 2 Update, both Cllr Coles and Cllr Waller noted, for transparency reasons, that they were the area’s Ward Councillors.

To approve and sign the minutes of the meeting held on 8 July 2024.

Resolved:  That the minutes of the last meeting held on 8 July 2024 were approved as a correct record.

At this point in the meeting members of the public who have registered to speak can do so. Members of the public may speak on agenda items or on matters within the remit of the committee.

Please note that our registration deadlines are set as 2 working days before the meeting, in order to facilitate the management of public participation at our meetings. The deadline for registering at this meeting is 5:00pm on Thursday, 5 September 2024.

To register to speak please visit www.york.gov.uk/AttendCouncilMeetings to fill in an online registration form. If you have any questions about the registration form or the meeting, please contact Democratic Services. Contact details can be found at the foot of this agenda.

Webcasting of Public Meetings

Please note that, subject to available resources, this meeting will be webcast including any registered public speakers who have given their permission. The meeting can be viewed live and on demand at www.york.gov.uk/webcasts.

During coronavirus, we made some changes to how we ran council meetings, including facilitating remote participation by public speakers. See our updates (www.york.gov.uk/COVIDDemocracy) for more information on meetings and decisions.

It was reported that there had been no registrations to speak at the meeting under the Council’s Public Participation Scheme.

Members will consider a report which provides an update on the Front Street phase 2 project, ahead of a final decision on design by the Executive Member for Economy and Culture on 24 September 2024.  A PowerPoint presentation/verbal update will be provided at the meeting, to capture any final design updates that were not available at the time of writing the report.

The Head of City Development and the Project Officer introduced the report on Phase 2 of the Acomb Front Street project and gave a presentation, contained in Agenda Supplement 1, updating the Committee with the latest information since publication of the report.  During the presentation they took the opportunity to thank the community for their high level of engagement whilst noting the competing needs of the different resident groups.

Officers highlighted the plans for a brand identity; a logo for  Acomb, developed by the Greater Acomb Community Forum, had received positive feedback on social media and at the Joint Ward Committee meeting, it would be used to create a community identity and cohesion throughout the scheme.

A breakdown of the timescales, subject to the Executive Member Decision Session, and costs was shared and officers emphasized the spending deadline of 31 March 2025.

Cllr Kilbane, the Executive Member for Economy and Culture, noted that the funding for the project came from the UK Shared Prosperity Fund (SPF).  He thanked the officers and community groups involved for their hard work.

Members asked a range of questions covering accessibility, including the trial of the wheelchair tactile paving, the type and quantity of seating and the proposed block paving.  They also asked about the plans for the bollards once removed, the ongoing maintenance of the area, the proposed mural, the funding, the privately owned pavements and the planned signage.

In response to Members’ questions, Officers reported that

·       They would look at the suitability of the granite blocks proposed for the top of the raised tables and share the criteria for the planned evaluation  of the wheelchair tactile paving trial once finalised.

·       Offers had been received from the community to help with the future maintenance of the planters and they would look to formalise these arrangements where possible.

·       They would liaise with Highways on the re-use of the bollards and the potential for a future budgetary saving on their re-use.

·       The need to maintain the level of community interest and to increase engagement with the 18-24 year old age group was acknowledged.

·       Officers confirmed their intention to continue council engagement with businesses, to maintain ongoing communication on the use and maintenance of the privately owned shop frontages.

[6.35-6.38pm, Cllr Merrett left the meeting.]

Resolved:             That the above actions be included in the report to the decision session of the Executive Member for Economy and Culture.

Reason:                To ensure that Members’ comments from the pre-decision scrutiny are taken into consideration by the Executive Member.

[7.18-7.26pm, the meeting adjourned for a comfort break.]

This report provides information to Members on the proposed review of the scrutiny function at City of York Council.

Members received a report outlining a possible review of the Scrutiny Function.  The Chair asked Members to consider their preferred approach for a review, taking into account the financial implications.

A number of different options were considered including commissioning an external review, making use of the training budget to develop a training programme and/or sharing best practice with and between other local authorities.  Several Members commented on the lack of dedicated Scrutiny Officers as a barrier to improving the function.

Following discussion it was;

Resolved:            That the Chair and Vice-Chair would meet with the Head of Democratic Governance to understand the plans for the future workforce structure of Democratic Services, with a view to bringing a more detailed proposal back to the Committee.

Reason:              To ensure that a review of the Scrutiny Function achieves the optimum outcome for the best value.

To consider the scrutiny overview work plan and the committee work plan.

Members considered the Scrutiny work plan for the four scrutiny committees and the Committee’s work plan for the municipal year.

Resolved:             That the work plan be noted.

Reason:                To ensure an overview of the scrutiny work programme.