Appendix 1 – Changes proposed to the Overview & Scrutiny Committee Procedure Rules, at Part 3C1 of the Council’s Constitution

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20. Task & Finish Groups

20.1 Overview & Scrutiny Committees may each establish informal task & finish groups to undertake in-depth reviews of specific issues.

20.2 An Overview & Scrutiny Committee may choose to set the terms of reference for a task & finish group; or alternatively it may prefer to set the general scope for the group, delegating detailed terms of reference to task & finish group members following more detailed scoping of the issue.

20.3 An Overview & Scrutiny Committee may choose to set a date for a task & finish group to report back to the parent committee; or it may prefer to leave this decision for task & finish group members. However, task & finish groups are expected to take no more than 6 months to report back, unless by exception agreed by the Chair of the relevant Overview & Scrutiny Committee.

20.4 Task & finish groups are not required to adhere to strict rules of proportionality, but membership will generally reflect the composition of the Council.

20.5 Any elected member will be eligible to be a member of a task & finish group, other than executive members, members of HWB or Cabinet Advisors

20.6 An Overview & Scrutiny Committee may choose to appoint non-voting members to a task & finish group in addition to elected members – for example, local residents with lived experience of the issues in focus or subject experts.

20.7 At the first task & finish group meeting, task & finish group elected members will vote to elect a Chair. At the first group meeting, unless already specified by the parent Overview & Scrutiny Committee, task & finish group members will also consider a scoping report prepared by officers, agree terms of reference and agree the planned duration of the group as well as a schedule of meetings.

20.8 When a task & finish group has finished gathering evidence, it will draft a report with recommendations, with the assistance of Overview & Scrutiny officers, to be presented to the next scheduled meeting of the parent Overview & Scrutiny Committee. Task & finish group members should make every effort to achieve consensus on their report and its recommendations. If it proves impossible to reach a consensus, dissenting members may agree to submit a minority report to the Overview & Scrutiny Committee in addition to the majority report. Officer support to draft a minority report will not however be provided.

20.9 The parent Overview & Scrutiny Committee will determine whether to refer a task & finish group report to the relevant decision-making body – e.g. to Cabinet, to Council or to a partner organisation.

20.10 Where a task & finish group report has been agreed by an Overview & Scrutiny Committee, and referred on, and where the decision-making body has agreed to implement some or all of the report recommendations, the Overview & Scrutiny Committee will be responsible for monitoring the implementation of agreed recommendations via regular progress reports to committee.

20.11 In order to manage limited member and officer resources, no more than one two task & finish groups may be in operation at any point in time (i.e. two task & finish groups in total for the People, Place and Health Overview & Scrutiny Committees in any six month period). The Chairs of the Overview & Scrutiny Committees will agree the sequencing of task & finish groups in instances where both committees wish to undertake reviews concurrently.

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Changes proposed to the deadline for public questions to the Overview & Scrutiny Committees, as set out at Part 3C of the Council’s Constitution

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Public Questions

Public Question Time

11.9 A period of not more than thirty minutes shall be allowed for questions submitted by a member of the public who either lives or works in the area of the Authority at each ordinary meeting of a Committee. Any questions not dealt with within the 30 minute period will receive a written response. Priority Accorded to Public Questions

11.10 No questioner may submit more than one question to any meeting. Priority will in any case be given to questions asked by members of the public who have not asked a question at any meeting of any Council body in the previous six months. List of Questions

11.11 A list of the questions of which notice has been given shall be circulated to Members of the Committee at, or before, the meeting at which they are to be asked. Procedural Requirements

11.12 A public question shall be put at a Committee meeting provided that:-

(a) a copy of the question has been delivered to the office of the Chief Executive (see Procedure Rule 1.7) by not later than 10am on the eighth working day before the meeting at which it is to be put, with the exception of the Council’s Overview & Scrutiny Committees, in relation to which the deadline for public questions is no later than 10am on the fourth working day before the meeting at which it is to be put;

(b) the name and address of the questioner is indicated on the question;

(c) the questioner is present at the time when the question is put;

(d) the questioner is not presenting a Petition or Deputation on the same, or substantially the same, issue at the same meeting.

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