Agenda and minutes

At this point Members are asked to declare any personal or prejudicial interests they may have in the business on this agenda.

The Chair invited Members to declare at this point in the meeting any personal or prejudicial interests they might have in the business on the agenda.      

To approve and sign the minutes of the meeting held on 26 November 2007.

RESOLVED: That the minutes of the Scrutiny Management Committee (Calling In) meeting held on 26 November 2007 be approved and signed by the Chair as a correct record.

It is at this point in the meeting that members of the public who have registered their wish to speak can do so. The deadline for registering is by 5pm the working day before the meeting. Members of the public can speak on specific planning applications or on other agenda items or matters within the remit of the committee.

To register please contact the Democracy Officer for the meeting, on the details at the foot of this agenda.

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

To consider the decision of the Executive on the above item, which has been called in by Councillors Scott, Merrett and Simpson-Laing in accordance with the provisions of the Council’s Constitution.  A cover report is attached setting out the reasons for the call-in, the remit and powers of Scrutiny Management Committee (Calling In) in relation to the call-in procedure, together with the original report and decision of the Executive.

Members received a report which asked them to consider the decision taken by the Executive, at their meeting on 18 December 2007, on the Council’s response to the Secretary of State’s Proposed Changes to the Regional Spatial Strategy.

Full details of the Executive’s decision were attached as Appendix A to the report.  The original report, on which that decision had been based, was attached as Appendix B.  In summary, the Executive had decided:

• To approve the draft response prepared by Officers and annexed to the Executive report for submission to Government Office;
• To delegate authority to the Director of City Strategy to make any incidental changes to the draft response before submission.

This decision had been called in by Cllrs Scott, Merrett and Simpson-Laing for review by the Scrutiny Management Committee (SMC) (Calling In), for the following reason:

“The Executive has misdirected itself in failing to consider properly or at all the comments of the Shadow Executive.”

The comments of the Shadow Executive referred to above were set out in the report for Members’ information.  Members were reminded that the SMC (Calling In) had the option either to confirm the decision of the Executive (Option A) or to refer it back to the Executive for further consideration (Option B).

Cllr Merrett addressed the meeting on behalf of the Members who had called in the decision.  He focused on the Shadow Executive’s comments in respect of Policy H1 in the Proposed Changes (Provision and Distribution Housing), stressing the need to provide sufficient affordable and intermediate housing to enable families to stay in York, in view of rising house prices, the ‘uniquely’ high rents in York and the economic expansion of the City.  The Calling-in Members were seeking to amend the draft response to support the provision of a miminum 1055 additional homes per annum, commencing in the year 2008.

After a full debate, after which Cllr Merrett was invited to respond, it was

RESOLVED: That Option A be approved and the decision taken on this item by the Executive on 18 December 2007 be confirmed.

REASON:      In accordance with the requirements of the Council’s Constitution in respect of called in decisions and because the Committee considers that the Executive’s decision was correct.