Issue - meetings

(a)       To receive and note the minutes

(b)       To consider any recommendations contained within the minutes

Cabinet is asked to note that the recommendations from the Board made on 29^th March 2021 in respect of the Impact of Flooding Task Group and will be considered during the debate around that item, which is on the agenda for this meeting.

During that meeting of the Board, an amendment was made to recommendation 5 (c) of the Impact of Flooding Task Group.  This amended wording has been incorporated into the version of the report that is attached for Cabinet’s consideration.

The Libraries Task Group’s final report was also considered at the meeting of the board held on 29^th March 2021.  This report will be scheduled for Cabinet’s consideration in September 2021.

There were no recommendations arising from the meeting of the Overview and Scrutiny Board held on 26^th April 2021 for Cabinet’s consideration.

The minutes of the meetings of the Overview and Scrutiny Board held on 29^th March and 26^th April 2021 were submitted.  The Chairman of the Overview and Scrutiny Board, Councillor C. Hotham, attended the meeting to present the minutes for Members’ consideration. 

Cabinet was advised that at the meeting of the Board held on 29^th March 2021, Members had considered data arising from the Council’s staff survey and in relation to employees’ mileage claim forms.  Unfortunately, this had included data relating to staff employed by Redditch Borough Council, so the Board had requested further information that focused on the experiences of staff employed by Bromsgrove District Council.  The Board had welcomed news that home working arrangements had been successfully rolled out during the Covid-19 pandemic.  Green Homes Funding had also been discussed at the meeting. 

Members were asked to note that at the March meeting of the Board two final reports submitted by scrutiny Task Groups, focusing on flooding and the impact of changes to library services, had been considered.  Whilst the report in respect of flooding was due to be discussed by the Cabinet in July, alongside a scrutiny Task Group report focusing on equalities, a decision had been taken, following consultation with the Chairman of the Board, to postpone consideration of the report from the Libraries Task Group until September 2021, so that the Chairman of the group could attend to present the group’s findings.

During the meeting of the Overview and Scrutiny Board held on 26^th April 2021, Members had received a presentation focusing on the work of the North Worcestershire Community Safety Partnership in Bromsgrove District.  Whilst this had been an interesting update, Members had concluded that it would be useful in future to receive information in advance on this subject for inclusion in the agenda.  The Board had also discussed fireworks, particularly the impact that noisy fireworks could have on pets.  The Council was undertaking a procurement process in respect of fireworks and it was anticipated that attempts would be made to procure quieter fireworks.  The April meeting of the Board had concluded with a discussion of the content of the Overview and Scrutiny Annual Report 2020/21 and this was due to be presented for Members’ consideration at the following Council meeting on 14^th July 2021.

RESOLVED that the minutes of the meetings of the Overview and Scrutiny Board held on 29^th March and 26^th April 2021 be noted.