Meeting documents

There were no declarations of interest.

RESOLVED: That the minutes of the meeting of the Improvement & Review Commission held on 14 January 2015, be approved as a true record and signed by the Chairman.

The Meeting considered the planned Member Induction for Commission Members at the first Commission meeting of the new municipal year, which would familiarise Members with their improvement and scrutiny role.

The session was to cover:

·         The ‘improvement’ and ‘scrutiny’ roles of the Commission;

·         The relationship between the Commission, the Cabinet and the Council;

·         The various way Members could propose items for consideration at Commission meetings and for inclusion in the work programme;

·         The ‘call-in’ process; and

·         The emerging work programme for 2015/16.

Informing the session would be the two key reference documents:

·         The Commission’s Scrutiny Guide (as agreed on 18 June 2014); and

·         The Commission’s Protocol as contained in the Constitution (as amended and agreed by Council February 2015).

The Meeting noted that a work programme was to be submitted to the first meeting after the election, at that time the following topics would be submitted for consideration, along with any other suggested topics:

·         The re-establishment of the Local Plan Task and Finish Group to input into the on-going review of the Local Plan; and

·         The Budget Task and Finish Group which had always traditionally featured as an annual Task and Finish Group. However the key issue of the focus of the Group’s work and therefore its timing was to be addressed.

Option 1 as had been carried out in previous years where the Budget Task and Finish Group’s recommendations were made to the same Cabinet meeting in early February, at which the actual Budget was considered, was rejected. Members favoured the Option 2 approach where an analysis and costing of schemes and initiatives would start in the summer of 2015 with a report to Cabinet in November well ahead of the actual budget setting, thus allowing any proposals that were accepted to be included in the following year’s budget.

The Meeting also considered the completed Work Programme Suggestion Form from Commission member Councillor T Snaith in respect of a Review of the role of the ward members and officers in the Planning Process and Planning Enforcement. It was felt it would be best to leave the adoption of Task and Finish Group subjects to the new Commission as constituted after the elections and Annual Council. This topic suggested by Councillor Snaith was to be included in the list of ‘possible’ topics, although it was noted that if selected, the terms of reference would need to be framed in a way that the review did not cross-over into staffing matters or non-executive matters under the purview of the Planning Committee, as this was outside the remit of the Commission.

RESOLVED: That (i) the proposed induction arrangements at the first meeting of the Commission following elections be noted; and

(ii) the emerging work programme to be submitted to the same meeting; be noted.

The Chairman gave a verbal update on the meeting of the Chairmen and Vice Chairmen of the Improvement & Review Commission and Audit Committee in respect of Quarter 3 performance indicator analysis for 2014-15, held on 11 February 2015.

The Commission noted the ‘Future of this Group’ note (Number 16) in which the Group had decided to recommend to Cabinet that the Audit and Improvement & Review Commission Performance Indicator Meetings be disbanded and that all performance indicators collated for each quarter be referred to the Audit Committee. Audit Committee could then if necessary also identify any particular piece of work for Commission / Task and Finish Group consideration that emerged from the analysis of these indicators.

The Commission discussed this proposal and agreed with the disbandment of the Audit / Improvement & Review Commission Chairmen’s Performance Indicator Analysis Meetings on that basis. 

The Commission also noted the Chairmen’s Meeting considered the provision of temporary accommodation whether it be with the use of Saunderton Lodge and whether the Lodge be re-furbished or not, was a suitable topic for consideration by the Improvement & Review Commission possibly as a Task and Finish Group. Again the Meeting agreed that this topic be placed on the list of possible Task and Finish Groups to be considered by the ‘new’ Commission in June.

RESOLVED: That (i) the notes of the Audit Committee and Improvement & Review Commission Chairmen’s Performance Indicator Analysis Meeting of 11 February 2015 be noted;

(ii) the Commission supports the disbandment of the Audit and Improvement & Review Commission Performance Indicator Meetings; and

(iii) the suggestion of a Task and Finish Group on temporary accommodation / Saunderton Lodge be considered at the next meeting, alongside other topics.

Members were advised that following the recommendations of the Review being accepted by Full Council in February, these had been referred to the County Council’s Health & Adult Social Care Select Committee, the relevant body with ownership of health scrutiny matters for Buckinghamshire. Wycombe District Council’s representatives on that Committee Councillors were Councillors Carroll, Green and Mrs Teesdale and a response from the health providers was expected to be given at the Select Committee’s meeting on 24 March 2015.

Councillor Gaffney also reported on the visit that day by the Chairman of Council and himself to the re-opening of the High Wycombe Hospital MIIU (Multiple Injury and Illness Unit) at which they had seen the extensive upgrade and refurbishment of the facility.

There were no Councillor Calls for Action.

The Chairman in closing the Meeting gave his ‘end of term report’ listing the achievements of the Commission during the municipal year which included:

·         The Urgent Health Care Review, including a public listening event;

·         The Sports and Leisure Centre Task and Finish Group;

·         The Houses in Multiple Occupation Task and Finish Group;

·         The Budget Task and Finish Group;

·         The on-going Local Plan Scrutiny through the Local Plan Task and Finish Group;

·         The completion of the visits to Commission Meetings by Cabinet Portfolio-holders;

·         The revised Scrutiny Protocol; and

·         The Annual assessment of the Local Community Safety Partnership.

It had been a busy year for the Commission and the Chairman paid tribute to the excellent Member and Officer support in all these activities.