Issue - meetings

The Board considered the report on Calls for Action as set out in the Local Government and Public Involvement in Health Act 2007. 

Members were informed of the consultation exercise currently being carried out by the Department of Communities and Local Government (CLG) and were urged to put forward recommendations to full Council, via the Monitoring Officer, in response to the consultation paper.

There was a discussion on the Calls for Action process and various points were raised, such as the possible timescales for Councillors to respond and the impact certain timescales might have on single Member wards.  There was also a concern over how letters to Councillors from the public would be monitored and it was suggested that perhaps they could be sent via officers.

It was reported that due to the limited information available from the Department of Communities and Local Government (CLG), a further report on the matter would be submitted later in the year when guidance had been issued.  (It was stated that if any Member had any comments relating to Local Petitions they should direct them to the Monitoring Officer after the meeting.)

RESOLVED that the report be noted.

RECOMMENDED that full Council include the following concerns of the Scrutiny Steering Board in response to the CLG consultation exercise on Calls for Action:

(a)    what would be the timescales for Councillors to respond to public requests and how could it be ensured single Member Wards would not disadvantaged by those timescales; and

(b)    what procedure could be put in place to ensure requests from the public were monitored and recorded.