Agenda and minutes

(Assistant to the Chief Executive)  To report the appointment of any substitute members for the meeting.

Noted that Councillor K Chana was attending the meeting as substitute for Councillor B Rolfe.

(Assistant to the Chief Executive). To declare interests in any items on the agenda.

In considering whether to declare a personal or a prejudicial interest under the Code of Conduct, Overview & Scrutiny members are asked pay particular attention to paragraph 11 of the Code in addition to the more familiar requirements.

This requires the declaration of a personal and prejudicial interest in any matter before an OS Committee which relates to a decision of or action by another Committee or Sub Committee of the Council, a Joint Committee or Joint Sub Committee in which the Council is involved and of which the Councillor is also a member.

Paragraph 11 does not refer to Cabinet decisions or attendance at an OS meeting purely for the purpose of answering questions or providing information on such a matter.

No declarations of interests were made pursuant to the Member Code of Conduct.

Attached.

Agreed subject to the deletion of "Mrs" from Minute 9 (substitute members) in respect of Councillor J Demetriou.

(Chairman/Lead Officer). Attached.

The Panel noted the following points in relation to the current Work Programme:

(a)        Local Government and Public Involvement in Health Act 2007 (Work Programme Item 5)

Noted that a report on the new forms of executive provided by the Act was due to be considered by the Overview and Scrutiny Committee on 6 March 2008 and by the full Council on 22 April 2008.

It was also noted that the previous report on whole Council elections under the 2007 Act had been adopted by the Council on 19 February 2008.

It was further noted that forthcoming reports on the provisions of the Act concerning Local Strategic Partnerships and Overview and Scrutiny would now have to await the publication of further Government Regulations and would need to be included in the Work Programme for 2008/9.

To consider a report (attached).

The Panel received a report from the Assistant to the Chief Executive on the results of consultation with members of the Council and officers on next year's Member Training Programme.  The Panel received the comments made by Councillors, a list of the member training courses which had been in the programme for the current year, an analysis of attendances at each of those courses and a copy of the New Member Induction Course which had been held in May 2007.  The Panel then considered the general content of the Training Programme for next year as follows:

(a)        Member Induction - May 2008

It was agreed that the same basic structure for the induction seminar should continue next year, the only change being requested was to delay the start time until 7.00 p.m. to assist members who were at work during the day to arrive on time.

(b)       Courses which could be discontinued

The Panel felt that as the Council was about to launch webcasting on a permanent rather than trial basis in the near future, that media skills training should concentrate on the advanced module rather than the radio interview version which had been used for several years.

In relation to the Overview and Scrutiny Review Session, the Assistant to the Chief Executive was asked to check on whether a forward data had already agreed.  The Panel felt that it was possible that this review had moved to a session every two years in which case that session could be dropped from the programme for 2008/9.

(c)        New Courses

The Panel asked for consideration to be given to the following new courses or existing courses which were configured differently.

New Courses requested included Freedom of Information/Data Protection Act for Members, an Awareness Session on Housing Services including the operation of the HRA which had been held two or three years ago and had proved very popular.

In relation to Planning Services a number of courses were requested including: the usual Planning Induction Course designed specifically for new members or for existing members as a refresher, a course on Section 106 Agreements, a course on the Local Development Framework and other Forward Planning Issues.

The Panel were informed that arrangements were being made for a training course on Telecom Masts during 2007/8 and they asked that if there was sufficient demand, this course be repeated at some point during 2007/8.

The Panel asked to consider the need for the CIPFA training on Local Government Finance to be repeated during the year.  Members of the Panel were supportive of this course but asked that the Director of Finance and ICT should include within the course a session on the Council's own budget papers which the Panel felt were ill understood by some members.  They also asked that he give a presentation on his role as Chief Financial Officer, a statutory position within the Council.

(d)       ICT Courses

The normal courses regarding use of the "COMs" system were approved for the next year's  ...  view the full minutes text for item 20.

To consider which reports are ready to be submitted to the Overview and Scrutiny Committee at its next meeting.

The Panel were informed that the report from this meeting will be submitted to the Overview and Scrutiny Committee in April 2008 and that a report from the last meeting of this Panel will be submitted to the Overview and Scrutiny Committee on 6 March 2008 on Executive Constitutions.

The next programmed meeting of the Panel will be held on 28 April 2008 at 7.30 pm in CR1.

The next programmed Meeting of the Panel would be held on 28 April 2008 at 7.30 p.m. in Committee Room No.1.