Minutes

Apologies for absence were received from Councillors B Gibb-Gray, J Hunt, V

Pierce Jones, D Smith and K Smith.

RESOLVED that the minutes of the meeting of the Scrutiny Board held on

26 February 2013 be approved as a correct record.

There were no arising from the minutes of the last meeting.

There were no declarations of interests from any of the members present.

The Chairman welcomed new members to the Board and explained that the

strength of the Scrutiny Panels should ensure significant work is undertaken in the forthcoming year.

The Board received a report from the Planning and Built Environment Panel,

setting out findings and recommendations in relation to its Development

Management Service Improvement Plan scrutiny review. In undertaking this

review, the Panel had sought to establish to what degree, and in what areas,

the Council’s Development Management Service appeared to be performing

less well than other local planning authorities. The Panel had worked with

Managers, as part of a wider engagement with the Development Management

Team and customers, to contribute to the development of a Service

Improvement Plan.

The Service Manager (Planning and Development) provided the Board with a

presentation on the Improvement Plan detailing the progress of the Plan, the

works and income involved, potential challenges, opportunities and also the

future priorities for the service.

The Service Manager (Planning and Development) and the Business

Development and Support Team Leader were then invited to join the meeting

and answered members’ questions in connection with the Improvement Plan

and the allocation of resources to enable delivery of its objectives.

The Board sought clarification with regard to why there had been a significant

drop in enforcement cases and the officers confirmed that this had been

achieved through pro-active management of unresolved cases and the

introduction of a more efficient decision making process. The Board suggested that communication of enforcement issues to Councillors be further

strengthened with the introduction of a regular update to Development

Management Committee members.

RESOLVED that

(1)       the Development Management Service Improvement Plan be endorsed

by the Scrutiny Board; and

(2)       the Planning and Built Environment Panel monitors the implementation

of the Plan and the delivery of its objectives and reports back to the

Board on progress in 6 months’ time.

The Board was given an opportunity to review progress with regard to the work undertaken by the scrutiny/policy review panels since the last meeting and to identify any additional matters for inclusion in the Board’s work programme for 2013/14.

The Board was then invited to agree the membership of the five scrutiny

panels.

RESOLVED that

(1)       The Scrutiny Panel membership as set out below be approved;

(a)       Environment and Neighbourhood Quality Panel:

Councillor David Keast – Scrutiny Lead

Councillor Colin Mackey

Councillor Ralph Cousins

Councillor Olwyn Kennedy

Councillor Hilary Farrow

Councillor David Smith (Co-opted Member)

(b)       Governance and Logistics Panel:

Councillor Leah Turner – Scrutiny Lead

Councillor Ray Bastin

Councillor Rory Heard

Councillor Marjorie Smallcorn

Councillor Andy Lenaghan

(c)        Marketing and Development Panel:

Councillor John Smith – Scrutiny Lead

Councillor Faith Ponsonby

Councillor Victor Pierce Jones

Councillor Terry Hart

Councillor Richard Galloway

Councillor George Smith

(d)       Planning and Built Environment Panel;

Councillor Gwen Blackett – Scrutiny Lead

Councillor Brendan Gibb-Gray

Councillor Cyril Hilton

Councillor Gerald Shimbart

Councillor Ray Bolton

(e)       Economy and Community Panel:

Councillor Caren Tarrant – Scrutiny Lead

Councillor Ken Smith

Councillor John Hunt

Councillor Frida Edwards

Councillor Michael Wilson (Co-opted Member)

(2)       The Governance and Logistics Panel be requested to undertake a

review of the current committee appointment system; and

(3)       The five Scrutiny Panels each review their individual service cluster

performance healthcheck reports on a quarterly basis.