Agenda and draft minutes

At this point in the meeting, Members will be invited to declare any personal or prejudicial interests they may have in the business on the agenda.

The Chair invited any declarations of interest from Members in relation to business on the agenda.  No such declarations were made.

To approve and sign the Minutes of the meeting held on 25 September 2006.

The Minutes of the last meeting of the Committee held on 25 September 2006 were approved as a correct record and signed by the Chair, subject to Councillors Merrett and Blanchard votes being recorded against the decision to reject a review on topic no.121 (parking charges in York) on clarification that such formal request had been made.

At this point in the meeting members of the public who have registered their wish to speak regarding an item on the agenda or an issue within the Committee’s remit can do so. Anyone who wishes to register or requires further information is requested to contact the Democracy Officer on the contact details listed at the foot of this agenda. The deadline for registering is Friday 20 September 2006 at 10.00am.

The Chair reported that no registrations to speak at the meeting under the Council’s Public Participation Scheme had been received.

To consider the draft final Scrutiny Sub-Committee report, revised comments received from Directorates in the light of further consultation and revised recommendations.

Members considered the final report of the Ad-hoc Scrutiny Sub-Committee reviewing carbon emissions from York’s public sector housing in the light of revised recommendations and comments on implications, following further officer consultation.  The Head of Financial Services attended the meeting to respond to any questions relating to associated resource implications.

RESOLVED:             That the final report and recommendations be now endorsed for submission to the Executive and the potential implications arising therefrom be noted.

To consider the final revised draft report of the above Scrutiny Ad-Hoc Scrutiny Sub-Committee following comments made at a previous meeting of the Scrutiny Management Committee and in the light of further officer consultation.

Members considered the final report and recommendations of the Ad-hoc Scrutiny Sub-Committee reviewing ‘Guidance on Sustainable Development’.  Councillor Vassie, Chair of the Scrutiny Sub-Committee, attended the meeting to briefly outline the purpose of the review and summarise the processes involved. He explained that Scrutiny Officers and Members had worked closely with colleagues in preparing the recommendations, including Building Control.  Comments on resource implications potentially associated with those recommendations were also included within the final report.

Members discussed the final report and endorsed it for submission to the Executive, with some revisions to clarify understanding of recommendation 12 and to incorporate reference to the statutory consultation process on the Local Development Framework.

RESOLVED:             That the final report and recommendations, as revised above, be endorsed for submission to the Executive in due course and any potential resource implications associated therewirth, be noted. .

To consider a report and associated topic registration forms and feasibility studies related to the above reviews deferred from the last meeting.  The Executive Member for City Strategy has also been invited to attend the meeting to explain the considerations involved in determining the Local Transport Plan 2.

Members considered a report inviting them to consider further 2 registered scrutiny topics, deferred from the last meeting, in relation to Local Transport Plan (LTP) 2 (No. 139) and traffic congestion in York (No. 120).  At the request of Members, the Executive Member for City Strategy attended the meeting to outline the processes involved and participation of Members in implementing LTP2 and determining the strategy.  Councillor Simpson-Laing also attended the meeting, as the registering Member, to explain why she believed both topics should be subject to scrutiny review.

In the light of the comments made, Members had a full and wide-ranging discussion on the potential for reviewing either topic and in particular on a focussed review of traffic congestion.  The possibility of specifically reviewing consultation processes was raised.  The Head of Financial Services also referred to potential funding available to the Council aimed at specifically addressing how it dealt with congestion on roads.

Members agreed not to proceed with topic (No.139) on LTP2 and deferred final consideration of topic 120 on traffic congestion to the next meeting, to enable officers to report back with a potential remit and further information on the funding sources referred to by the Head of Financial Services.

RESOLVED: That (1) topic No. 139 (LTP2) be rejected; and

(2) a further report as outlined above be submitted to the next meeting in relation to topic No. 120 (traffic congestion)

[Councillors Blanchard and Merrett wished it to be recorded that they had voted against the motion to reject topic No. 139 (LTP2)]   

To consider a report setting out proposed eligibility criteria and work management process for future scrutiny reviews.

Members considered a report on further work undertaken to establish some eligibility criteria and processes for managing scrutiny reviews.  Attached to the report were some proposed criteria and a flow chart setting out the stages involved in the processes.

A discussion was held about the proposed eligibility criteria and it was explained that, as a minimum, topics should comply with the proposed criterion on public interest and but otherwise should meet 3 of the criteria.

Councillor Merrett proposed and Councillor Blanchard seconded the following amendment to the motion to approve the criteria as drafted:

“That the proposed criteria be extended to include the following:

(i)                 policy development/review within the next 15 months; and

(ii)               holding the Executive to account”

On being put to the vote, the above amendment was declared lost and the criteria and processes for managing scrutiny reviews were approved.  The Chair suggested that the various scrutiny roles described in the criteria could, however, be amended to read ‘policy development and review’ and that was agreed.

RESOLVED: That the proposed eligibility criteria and processes for managing scrutiny reviews be approved, as annexed to the report, with the above slight revision.

To consider a report which proposes a remit for a new Scrutiny review of Council owned land in the Tang Hall area of York, as allocated at the last meeting of this Committee, and clarifies the position relating to the membership of the new Ad-Hoc Sub-Committee which will take on this review.

Members considered a report seeking approval to a proposed remit for the review, commissioned at the last meeting, relating to the ‘community use of Council owned land in the Tang Hall area’.  The remit had been drafted following consultation with those Members who had registered the topic and with relevant Council Officers.   In line with the constitutional responsibilities of Scrutiny Management Committee, Members were also asked to confirm the proposed proportionality of the agreed Ad-Hoc Scrutiny Sub-Committee.  

RESOLVED: That the remit for the Tang Hall Ad-Hoc Scrutiny Sub-Committee be approved, as drafted, and the membership for the Sub-Committee be confirmed as being 3(Lib Dem): 2(Labour) to comply with proportionality, with the Chair being Councillor Looker.

To receive an update report from the Chair of Health Scrutiny Committee on the position regarding those aspects of the North Yorkshire and York Primary Care Trust’s financial recovery plan which the Committee will scrutinise for their impact on the citizens of York.

Members received a report and an update at the meeting from the Chair of the Health Scrutiny Committee relating to progress on the review of the North Yorkshire & York Primary Care Trust’s financial recovery plan. He advised the Committee that Health Scrutiny would be looking at arrangements for community care next and potential dental care in the future. 

RESOLVED: That the report and update given by the Chair of Health Scrutiny Committee be noted.