Issue - meetings

The Chairman advised that the following issues had been discussed at the Chairman’s quarterly meeting with the Leader:

• The attendance of portfolio holders at task group and Board meetings.
• Pressure on officer time, particularly in respect of attendance at task group meetings.  The Scrutiny Officer confirmed that this should be addressed as part of the planning of in the new Work Programme.
• The Sports Development Programme as a possible scrutiny exercise.   The Head of Leisure and Cultural Services agreed that this would be an interesting exercise for the Board to undertake and gave some background detail as to the funding the Council received and the level of flexibility, which may be less than Members would expect.  The Head of Leisure and Cultural Services advised that it would be most appropriate for the Board to consider this investigation in September/October 2010, after the summer activity schemes had been completed.  Members could then consider at that time whether it was appropriate to investigate the Sports Development Programme in more detail.
• Working with our partners and in particular the Local Strategic Partnership (LSP).  The Scrutiny Officer advised Members that a report on Overview and Scrutiny would be presented to the LSP at its next meeting.  This would provide the LSP with background information on the role of Overview and Scrutiny and assist in informing the Boards on key issues and the development of a relationship with the LSP. Members agreed that as this relationship developed it may be appropriate for the Chairman of the Scrutiny Board to attend a future meeting should any relevant recommendation be presented.  It would also provide tangible issues for the Board to consider scrutinising in the future.