Agenda item

In this item Members are asked to consider briefing notes on two topics and to make a decision as to which of these topics they would like to progress to review during this municipal year. The topics are;

·         Construction Skills

·         Supporting Online Working  

Members considered briefing notes on the following topics:

·        Construction Skills

·        Night-time Economy

·        Supporting Online Working

Members were asked to decide which of the topics they would wish to progress during this municipal year.

(i)           Construction Skills

Consideration was given to a briefing note on Construction Skills.  The Chair suggested that the review should look at how City of York Council and its partners could work together to ensure that local York people were able to support the city’s ambition for housing and construction growth that is predicted to require over 4,000 building jobs within the next two years.  The Committee recognised the national and particularly, northern England shortage of skilled builders and agreed that the review should focus on what the Council and its partners could do to address that skills gap, particularly where it might generate work and prospects for local young unemployed people.

(ii)          Improving the City’s Night-time Economy

Members noted that the Corporate and Scrutiny Management Committee had requested that each scrutiny committee carry out a scrutiny review related to improving the city’s night-time economy.  The intention was that the Corporate and Scrutiny Management Committee would collate the findings and recommendations from these reviews into one report that would be presented to Cabinet for consideration.   A paper was tabled which gave examples of key areas that each overview and scrutiny committee could review. (A copy of the paper is attached to the on-line agenda for this meeting). 

Members suggested that the following topics could form the basis of a scrutiny review:

-      Night-time transport (including bus services and car parking)

-      Later retail opening hours

It was noted that a scrutiny review on the night-time economy had been carried out several years ago.  It was suggested that the report that had been published would provide useful background information when carrying out the forthcoming review.

(iii)        Supporting Online Working

Consideration was given to a briefing note on “York as a Super-Connected City – the Economic Impact and Potential of Enhancing York’s Digital Capacity” and to a progress report on super-connected cities  that had been considered by Cabinet on 4 June 2013.  

Members’ attention was drawn to the following possible topics for scrutiny:

-      How City of York Council can support all businesses to take advantage of faster broadband to stimulate business growth (and jobs) in York. 

-      How CYC can help residents further with online skills so that they have the skills to apply for jobs online and consider opportunities for working from home “on-line”.  Members suggested that this topic could also incorporate issues such as whether council tenancy agreements deterred on-line working.

Resolved:           (i)      That the Construction Skills Review be

undertaken first, followed by the Night-time Economy Review.

(ii)          That the remit of the Construction Skills scrutiny review, as circulated by the Chair, be approved.

(iii)        That the members of the Construction Skills scrutiny review task group be Councillors D’Agorne, McIlveen and Watt.

(iv)        That a remit for the Night-time Economy review, focussing on transport and later retail opening hours be drafted and circulated to the review task group.

(v)         That the members of the Night-time Economy Task Group be Councillors Semlyen, Barnes, D’Agorne and Hyman.

(vi)        That, prior to a decision being taken on the proposed review of on-line working, a further report evidencing any barriers to on-line business, be presented to the Committee.

Reasons:   (i)-(iii)          To progress the scrutiny review on

                                      construction skills.

                   (iv)-(v)        To progress the scrutiny review on the

                                      night-time economy.

                   (vi)             To enable the Committee to make an

informed decision as to whether to proceed with a review in respect of on-line business and, if so, the remit for such a review.