Agenda and 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.

Members were invited to declare at this point in the meeting any personal or prejudicial interests they might have in the business on the agenda.  None were declared.

To approve and sign the minutes of the Scrutiny Management Committee meeting held on 23 February 2009 and the minutes of the “Cultural Quarter” Ad Hoc Scrutiny Committee held on 18 February 2009, as the Ad Hoc Committee has now held its final meeting.

RESOLVED:That the minutes of the meeting of the Scrutiny Management Committee held on 23 February 2009 and the minutes of the “Cultural Quarter” Ad Hoc Scrutiny Committee held on 18 February 2009 be signed as a correct record.

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 Monday 23 March 2009 at 5 pm.

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

This report provides Members with update information on the implementation of recommendations made as a result of a previously completed review on Reducing Carbon Emission.

Members received a report updating them on the implementation of recommendations made as a result of a previously completed review on Reducing Carbon Emissions.

Members were asked to consider signing off those recommendations where implementation had been completed or to request further updates to clarify any outstanding recommendations.

Officers detailed the actions that had been taken to implement the recommendations, as outlined in the report, and answered questions from Members.

RESOLVED:            (i)            That the contents of the report be noted.

(ii)               That recommendations 1, 4 and 8 arising from the Reducing Carbon Emissions scrutiny review be signed off as they had been fully implemented¹.

REASON:      To ensure recommendations are fully implemented.

This report presents the final report of the “Cultural Quarter” Ad Hoc Scrutiny Committee regarding their review on the proposed “Cultural Quarter” for York.

Members received a report that presented the final report of the “Cultural Quarter” Ad Hoc Scrutiny Committee regarding their review on the proposed “Cultural Quarter” for York.

Councillor Taylor, Chair of the Ad Hoc Scrutiny Committee, went through the key findings and recommendations arising from the review.  He stressed that the recommendations should be seen within the context of York being a “Cultural City” and its culture not being confined to any one area.  Attention was drawn to Annex J of the report, which demonstrated the suggested model.

The Ad Hoc Scrutiny Committee had seen the development of a “Cultural Quarter” as being particularly beneficial to the city during the economic downturn.  It would be a mechanism of attracting funding and would provide opportunities to enhance educational, historical, horticultural and other cultural experiences.  The Ad Hoc Scrutiny Committee had heard a great deal of evidence, including information gathered at a public drop in held at the Minster. There had been both positive and negative comments from the public. Issues in respect of branding and of the boundary remained to be addressed and the Committee had recommended that further consideration be given to these matters.  It was envisaged that the Council’s role would be to co-ordinate and lead the developments and to make improvements to the public realm. 

Concerns were expressed that the Ad Hoc Scrutiny Committee, as part of its evidence gathering, had not visited or collected information from cities that appeared to have greater similarities to York in terms of cultural heritage.  It was suggested that those selected by the Ad Hoc Scrutiny were not comparable to York and were likely to have attracted European funding for economic and social reasons.

Members welcomed the suggestions regarding “living above the shop” and the possibility of live/work units being included.

It was noted that some of the recommendations contained within the report were long standing aspirations that had not been achieved, for example improving access to the station. 

Clarification was sought as to why there had been no recommendation regarding traffic and yet this had been mentioned in the report.  Councillor Taylor explained that the Ad Hoc Scrutiny Committee were concerned about traffic pollution, for example in the Gillygate area.  They had heard evidence from Highways Officers but, at that stage, future plans for transportation in the area of the proposed “Cultural Quarter” were not complete and hence the Committee had decided not to make any specific recommendations in their report.

It was noted that the report would be presented to the Executive for consideration.  Once an implementation plan was in place it would be monitored and tracked by the Scrutiny Management Committee.

RESOLVED:(i)         That the contents of the final reports and its annexes be

                                    noted¹.

(ii)               That thanks be recorded to the “Cultural Quarter” Ad Hoc Scrutiny Committee for the work that they had carried out during the review.

REASON:            To inform the Executive’s consideration of the final report.

This report asks Members to agree to an extension to the timeframe originally agreed for the Planning Enforcement Ad Hoc Scrutiny Review.

Members received a report seeking approval for an extension to the timeframe originally agreed for the Planning Enforcement Ad Hoc Scrutiny Review.   Originally SMC had agreed that the review should take between three and six months.  This timeframe had expired but there was still a small amount of work outstanding. 

Concerns were expressed at the time taken to complete some ad hoc scrutiny reviews.  Views were put forward that for scrutiny to be effective there must be mechanisms in place to enable reviews to be completed within a short time span.  It was noted that, under the new scrutiny arrangements, there would be greater opportunity for ad hoc scrutiny committees to set their own work plans.

RESOLVED:That the request for an extension to the timeframe of the Planning Enforcement Ad Hoc Scrutiny Review be approved.

REASON:      To enable further relevant information to be considered by the Planning Enforcement Ad Hoc Scrutiny Committee.

This report informs Members that, as from 1 April 2009, Councillor Call for Action (CCfA) will come into force.  The report highlights how the overview and scrutiny function in York has responded to the forthcoming new requirements of the Local Government and Public Involvement in Health Act 2007.

Members received a report informing them that as from 1 April 2009, Councillor Call for Action (CCfA) would come into force.  The report also highlighted how the Overview and Scrutiny function in York had responded to the forthcoming new requirements of the Local Government & Public Involvement in Health Act 2007. 

It was acknowledged that Councillors may require some support in identifying ways in which they could attempt to resolve an issue before it escalated to a CCfA.  In York, how this support was provided and by whom was yet to be addressed and therefore the issue had been raised at CMT level.   

RESOLVED:            (i)            That the report be noted.

(ii)               That officers prepare a report on CCfA, including options on possible structures, processes and support, for further consideration by SMC¹.

(iii)             That, if possible, the report be circulated to group secretaries prior to being presented to SMC to enable wider consultation on the options.

REASON:      (i)         To raise awareness of the forthcoming introduction of

                                    CCfA on 1 April 2009.

(ii)To ensure appropriate mechanisms are put in place to support the implementation of CCfA.