Agenda for Environment & Community Safety Overview & Scrutiny Committee on Monday, 16th June, 2008, 4.00pm
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Agenda and minutes
PDF 211 KBVenue: Committee Room 3, Hove Town Hall. View directions
Contact: Mary van Beinum, Scrutiny Support Officer
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Procedural Business A. Declaration of Substitutes
Where a Member of the Commission is unable to attend a meeting for whatever reason, a substitute Member (who is not a Cabinet Member) may attend and speak and vote in their place for that meeting. Substitutes are not allowed on Scrutiny Select Committees or Scrutiny Panels.
The substitute Member shall be a Member of the Council drawn from the same political group as the Member who is unable to attend the meeting, and must not already be a Member of the Commission. The substitute Member must declare themselves as a substitute, and be minuted as such, at the beginning of the meeting or as soon as they arrive.
B. Declarations of Interest
(1) To seek declarations of any personal or personal & prejudicial interests under Part 2 of the Code of Conduct for Members in relation to matters on the Agenda. Members who do declare such interests are required to clearly describe the nature of the interest.
(2) A Member of the Overview and Scrutiny Commission, an Overview and Scrutiny Committee or a Select Committee has a prejudicial interest in any business at meeting of that Committee where –
(a) that business relates to a decision made (whether implemented or not) or action taken by the Executive or another of the Council’s committees, sub-committees, joint committees or joint sub-committees; and
(b) at the time the decision was made or action was taken the Member was
(i) a Member of the Executive or that committee, sub-committee, joint committee or joint sub-committee and (ii) was present when the decision was made or action taken.
(3) If the interest is a prejudicial interest, the Code requires the Member concerned:- to leave the room or chamber where the meeting takes place while the item in respect of which the declaration is made is under consideration. [There are three exceptions to this rule which are set out at paragraph (4) below]. not to exercise executive functions in relation to that business and not to seek improperly to influence a decision about that business.
(4) The circumstances in which a Member who has declared a prejudicial interest is permitted to remain while the item in respect of which the interest has been declared is under consideration are:-
for the purpose of making representations, answering questions or giving evidence relating to the item, provided that the public are also allowed to attend the meeting for the same purpose, whether under a statutory right or otherwise, BUT the Member must leave immediately after he/she has made the representations, answered the questions, or given the evidence,
if the Member has obtained a dispensation from the Standards Committee, or
if the Member is the Leader or a Cabinet Member and has been required to attend before an Overview and Scrutiny Committee or Sub-Committee to answer questions.
Declaration of Party Whip
C. To seek declarations of the existence and nature of any party whip in relation to any matter on the Agenda as set out at paragraph 8 of the Overview and Scrutiny Ways of Working. Exclusion of Press and Public
D. To consider whether, in view of the nature of the business to be transacted, or the nature of the proceedings, the press and public should be excluded from the meeting when any of the following items are under consideration.
NOTE: Any item appearing in Part 2 of the Agenda states in its heading the category under which the information disclosed in the report is confidential and therefore not available to the public.
A list and description of the exempt categories is available for public inspection at Brighton and Hove Town Halls.
Minutes: 1a Declaration of Substitutes
Councillor Wrighton was substituting for Councillor Rufus.
1b Declarations of Interests
There were none.
1c Exclusion of Press and Public
In accordance with section 100A(4) of the Local Government Act 1972, it was considered whether the press and public should be excluded from the meeting during the consideration of any items contained in the agenda, having regard to the nature of the business to be transacted and the nature of the proceedings and the likelihood as to whether, if members of the press and public were present, there would be disclosure to them of confidential or exempt information as defined in section 100I (1) of the said Act.
RESOLVED: That the press and public be not excluded from the meeting.
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Minutes of the previous meeting
This was the first meeting of the Committee. Minutes: This was the first meeting of this Committee. |
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Chairman' s Communications Minutes: 3.1 The Chairman welcomed everyone to this the first meeting of the Environment and Community Safety Overview and Scrutiny Committee and introduced the Interim Head of Scrutiny, Ian Glossop, who said he would be working closely with Members and officers to develop a robust work plan. He was pleased to be helping raise the profile of Overview and Scrutiny at Brighton & Hove.
3.2 The Chairman said he had been co-opted on to the Overview and Scrutiny Commission as a non-voting member; this would ensure a continuing link between this committee and the Commission.
3.3 It was also important to establish working relations with the Cabinet Member, who would be invited to the next meeting.
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Public Questions a) the closing date for public questions is 12 noon on 6 June 2008
Minutes: 4.1 There were none. |
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Member's Letters Minutes: 5.1 There were none. |
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Notices of Motion Minutes: 6.1 There were none. |
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ECSOSC Terms of Reference and Procedure Rules
Additional documents: Minutes: 7.1 The Interim Head of Scrutiny introduced the report of the Director of Strategy and Governance, on the Committee’s Terms of Reference.
7.2 He reminded Councillors and officers of the role of the Committee, the processes for call-in and scrutiny reviews and said a robust work plan was needed to focus Overview and Scrutiny work on the key issues.
7.3 RESOLVED – That the report be noted. |
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Local Development Framework Core Strategy - revised preferred options
Additional documents: Minutes: 8.1 The Committee considered the report of the Director of Environment on the Local Development Framework Core Strategy – revised Preferred Options which had been presented to the Cabinet meeting on 12 June.
8.2 Members noted that the Council was probably one of the leading Local Authorities in the South-East and possibly nationally in developing the Core Strategy.
8.3 The Chairman commented that ideally this document would go to overview and scrutiny before Cabinet. The Committee asked to be sent copies of the Local Development Scheme which was scheduled to go to Cabinet on 10 July and the Transport Assessment report.
8.4 The Committee discussed development areas in Hove, car-free development, affordable housing, open space, and allotments.
8.5 The Chairman thanked the officers and asked for a further report to Committee in about a year.
8.6 RESOLVED – That a further report be requested for mid-2009.
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Local development framework Core Strategy - Background Studies
Additional documents: Minutes: 9.1 The Committee considered the report of the Director of Environment on the Local Development Framework Core Strategy – Background Studies which had been presented to the Cabinet meeting on 12 June.
9.2 RESOLVED – that the report be noted.
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Overview and Scrutiny and the Council's Forward Plan Minutes: 10.1 The Interim Head of Scrutiny presented the report of the Director of Strategy and Governance on the working of the Council’s Forward Plan and how Overview and Scrutiny might wish to use it.
10.2 He said consideration of the Forward Plan would form part of the discussion at Overview and Scrutiny pre-meetings.
10.3 The Chairman said the Committee may wish to consider decisions to be made that had not been included on the Forward Plan. He aimed to Chair the Committee in a similar way to Parliamentary Select Committees which could look at overall strategy as well as focussing on detail where needed. He was keen to build good working relationships with the Executive and develop a work programme that was well focussed on strategic issues.
10.4 RESOLVED – that the report be noted.
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Minutes: 11.1 The Interim Head of Scrutiny presented the report of the Director of Strategy and Governance. He stressed the importance of developing an agreed Committee work plan.
11.2 The Chairman, Deputy Chairman and Councillor Ian Davey agreed to form a work planning group with scrutiny and technical officers to bring a final draft work plan for approval to the next meeting, 15 September.
11.3 Possible matters for inclusion on the work plan were suggested (in no particular order):
11.4 RESOLVED – that a work group meet and report back as minuted above at 11.2.
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Local Authority Crime and Disorder Committees Minutes: 12.1 The Committee considered a report of the Director of Strategy and Governance on local authority crime and disorder committees.
12.2 Members heard that Police Reform Green paper (report paragraph 3.7 refers) was not now due until July 2008 and in view of the importance of the community safety aspect of the committees’ overview and scrutiny role and the work of the Community Safety Forum, asked to be kept updated.
12.3 RESOLVED – that a further report be presented to a future meeting of ECSOSC.
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Items to go Forward to Cabinet Minutes: 13.1 Comments on the Corporate Plan would be taken forward to 12 June Cabinet. |
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Item to go Forward to Council Minutes: 14.1 There were none. |