Issue - meetings

To enable Cabinet to give consideration to comments made to it by the Corporate Management Committee in respect of the above.

RESOLVED that Cabinet endorses the response of the Portfolio Holder for Finance and Corporate Resources to the comments made by the Corporate Management Committee.

Cabinet was informed that, at the meeting of the Corporate Management Committee held on 26 February 2018, Members had discussed ways in which the financial forecast and budgets would be scrutinised within the proposed new committee structure and it was agreed that there were concerns about the number and length of meetings proposed in the new Municipal Year, bearing in mind that the terms of reference for two Overview and Scrutiny Committees were being merged to form a new Resources and Services Overview and Scrutiny Committee. 

It was also noted by the Corporate Management Committee that it would be useful to have Task and Finish Groups on specific topics outside of the ordinary meetings of the Committee with three Members on each Group.  The Committee would decide what the Task and Finish Groups Terms of Reference would be and would consult with Cabinet on this.

Members also agreed that training/workshops run by an external resource for both of the new Overview and Scrutiny Committees would be advantageous.

The Corporate Management Committee decided to comment as follows, name that –

“(a)    Portfolio Holders may be asked to attend meetings of the Resources and Services overview and Scrutiny Committee, as and when required in order for the Committee to ask questions;

(b)     the Committee may need to schedule additional meetings throughout the year to ensure robust and thorough overview and scrutiny.

(c)     the aspirations for the year that the Leader referred to at full Council should feed into the Committee’s work programme.

(d)     the Committee would like the opportunity to consult Cabinet and Officers about the terms of reference for Task and Finish Groups. The Committee would like to ensure that all Members have a consistent understanding of the expectations and terms of reference for Task and Finish Groups.”

The Finance and Corporate Resources Portfolio Holder thanked the Corporate Management Committee for its comments and responded to each comment in turn as follows:

(a)       The Portfolio Holder notes this comment.

(b)       The schedule of meetings for the future Resources and Services Committee will be agreed by Full Council, any additional meetings may be scheduled at the request of the Committee Chairman but they should only be requested in exceptional circumstances.

(c)       The Leader’s aspirations for the year, will be included in the 2018/19 performance reporting process.

(d)       Prior to the first meeting of the two new overview and scrutiny Committees, further discussions will take place between the Chairmen and Officers in order to establish terms of reference for Task and Finish groups.

The Leader of the Council paid tribute to the work of the Corporate Management Committee.

It was moved by Councillor G V Guglielmi, seconded by Councillor Stock and –

RESOLVED that Cabinet endorses the response of the Portfolio Holder for Finance and Corporate Resources to the comments made by the Corporate Management Committee.