Agenda item

Report of the Head of Legal and Democratic Services

Summary

To agree topics for future meetings, to identify issues arising from the Forward Plan (January – April 2010) and to monitor the status of items on the work programme.

The Portfolio Holder for Customer Service and ICT (with special responsibility for tourism) and the Head of Recreation and Health will be present at the meeting to discuss the Council’s preparations for the 2012 Olympics Tourism Potential.

Recommendations

The Overview and Scrutiny Committee is recommended to:

(1)               Note the current overview and scrutiny work programme for 2009/10 and make amendments as necessary;

(2)               Note the contents of the Forward Plan and identify any possible topics for scrutiny;

(3)               Consider whether to include Built Area Conservation on the agenda for the March meeting and to invite the Portfolio Holder, Head of Service and other officers to attend;

(4)               Consider whether to include Phone Access and Telephony on the agenda for the February meeting and to invite the Portfolio Holder and Head of Service to attend;

(5)               Consider whether the Committee wishes to refer any comments on the report on “Preparation for the 2012 Olympics Tourism Potential” to the Executive for consideration at their meeting on 11 January 2012.

The Committee considered a report of the Head of Legal and Democratic Services on the overview and scrutiny work programme 2009/10.

Existing work programme

The Committee noted the contents of the report and the existing work programme 2009/10.  They confirmed that the February meeting would focus on the scrutiny review into Engaging Young People and that the March meeting would include a report on the proposed approach to crime and disorder scrutiny.  The Committee noted that the revised Council calendar of meetings did not include an Overview and Scrutiny Committee meeting in April.

Forward Plan

The Committee did not identify any topics from the Forward Plan for inclusion on their work programme.

Scheduling

Built Environment Conservation Areas

The Committee considered the proposal to conduct a scrutiny review into the Council’s approach to Built Environment Conservation Areas.  The Committee recognised that this had some links to the developing strategy to break the cycle of deprivation and address inequalities across the district.

The Committee agreed that these important issues should be discussed in more detail at their March meeting.

Phone Access and Telephony Review

The Committee confirmed that they would wish to consider this report before it was referred to the Executive.  They suggested that the report could be allocated to the second Executive meeting at the end of March which would allow them to consider it at their meeting on 9 March.  The Scrutiny Officer undertook to refer the Committee’s request to the Portfolio Holder and the Strategic Director.

2012 Olympics Update

The Committee noted that the Executive had considered this report at their meeting on 11 January and all of the recommendations had been agreed.  Councillor Donaldson indicated that he would be interested in serving on the Member/Officer working group.  The Committee agreed that this topic should remain on the work for a further review on progress in 2010/11.

Affordable Housing and Rural Exception Sites

The Committee were informed that there had been good progress in a number of areas since the scrutiny review in the spring of 2008:

·        Quarterly reports are sent to Parish Councils and ward Councillors to update on progress in their Parish. These have been generally well received, for example Wiggington Parish Council commented that the report was ‘excellent and a great help’.

·        A service level agreement has been signed with the Oxfordshire Rural Communities Council (ORCC) in respect of the delivery of the rural housing enabler (RHE) service.  This includes a joint work plan for the RHE with clear targets for the work of the enabler.

·        Greater resources have been given over to site appraisal work within the Planning Development Control service leading to faster turnaround on appraising suitable sites.

·        We have built on positive relationships with the Duchy of Cornwall and some of the Oxford Colleges resulting in negotiation over land acquisition.

·        We are in the planning stages for moving to a rolling housing needs programme from April 2010. This will enable us to better understand where we should be targeting our activity.

Resolved

1)                       That the current overview and scrutiny work programme for 2009/10 be agreed.

2)                       That the contents of the Forward Plan be noted.

3)                       Include a briefing session on Built Area Conservation and Tackling Deprivation on the agenda of the 9 March meeting of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee.

4)                       That the Portfolio Holder for Customer Service and ICT be asked to delay the Executive’s consideration of the ‘Phone Access and Telephony Review’ until the end of March and to refer the report to the 9 March meeting of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee.

5)                       Note that the Executive had agreed the recommendations set out in the report on “Preparation for the 2012 Olympics Tourism Potential” and agree to add the topic to the work programme for a further review of progress 2010/11.