Issue - meetings

The Shadow Executive considered a report which was listed as item 8 on the agenda for the Executive meeting on 13 June, at page 99.  The report asked Members to consider the final report of the Inclusive Decision Making Ad Hoc Scrutiny Panel, which made recommendations about improving the accessibility of the Council’s decision making processes to the local community.

Having discussed the issues set out in the report, the following comments were agreed:

The Shadow Executive:

• Commented that it is unfortunate that the report has arrived 2 months after the debate on changes to the Disabled Persons’ Advisory Group (DPAG) and setting up the Social Inclusion Working Group.
• Notes that the proposals do not make clear what the role of the Social Inclusion Working Group will be relative to the Without Walls Social Inclusion Forum and has concerns regarding overlap, duplication and confusion.
• Highlights the need for careful consideration in terms of making the arrangements work given the large range of communities of interest that the new Working Group covers, and also the need to ensure that members of the Working Group representing particular communities of interest are in contact with and accountable to those communities of interest.
• Also has concerns regarding the resourcing and funding position of the new Working Group given the disappearance of the former DPAG budget.
• Emphasises the need for the fullest consultation with all communities of interest proposed to be involved in the Working Group in relation to its set up and functions.
• Notes that the comments of DPAG and the Scrutiny Management Committee (SMC) had not been sent out with the Shadow Executive papers and there was not time for them to be properly considered at the meeting, therefore they were reserving their position in relation to these items, so that further comments could be made subsequently.

RESOLVED:(i) That the Executive be asked to take the above comments into account when considering this item.

                        (ii)            That the item not be called in.