Agenda and decisions

To receive any apologies for absence.

To approve the minutes from the previous meeting held on 7 March 2024.

To receive and note any declarations of interests in respect of any matters included on the agenda for consideration at this meeting.

(The other registrable interests of Councillors of Somerset Council, arising from membership of City, Town or Parish Councils and other Local Authorities will automatically be recorded in the minutes: City, Town & Parish Twin Hatters - Somerset Councillors 2023 )

The Chair to advise the Committee of any items on which members of the public have requested to speak and advise those members of the public present of the details of the Council’s public participation scheme.

For those members of the public who have submitted any questions or statements, please note, a three minute time limit applies to each speaker and you will be asked to speak before Councillors debate the issue.

We are now live webcasting most of our committee meetings and you are welcome to view and listen to the discussion. The link to each webcast will be available on the meeting webpage, please see details under ‘click here to join online meeting’.

To consider the Forward Plan for Scrutiny Corporate and Resources as attached and make recommendations for any areas to be considered by the committee.

Please use the following link to view the latest Somerset Council Executive Forward Plan of planned key decisions that have been published on the Council’s website:

Somerset Council Executive Forward Plan

The committee noted the Forward Plan but requested that the Transformation project be scheduled for each meeting to ensure that the committee are kept up to date on the various elements.  It was also suggested that the following areas should also be included in the Forward Plan:

·       Procurement

·       Asset Management

·       ICT projects – both current and future

To receive a report on the Review of the Terms of Reference for Local Community Networks and to make comment on the recommended revised Terms of Reference.

The report also gives a brief overview of the current position of the LCNs.

The committee noted the report and made a number of suggestions and amendments to the Terms of Reference for the Local Community Networks. It was also agreed that a Task and Finish Group will be set up, led by councillor Hobhouse and 4 or 5 councillors from this committee.

To receive a report on the review of the Scrutiny Committees (report to follow)

The committee the following recommendations:

(1)   The current structure of 5 scrutiny committees to remain in place, with a further scrutiny review to be conduced by the scrutiny chairs in late 2024/early 2025 following any potential service restructure.

(2)  The scrutiny manager is tasked with preparing a revised and improved scrutiny report template, which enables clearer and more concise presentation of reports, a standard consistency of reports across all 5 scrutiny committees, a clearer link between committee recommendations onto the Executive/Executive Member(s) and ensuring service areas clearly demonstrate where scrutiny is able to add value.

(3)  That all 5 scrutiny committees adopt a consistent approach to dealing with information only items, in order that agendas are kept clear for items with specific recommendations and the opportunity for the committees to add value.

(4)  To bolster the links between all 5 scrutiny committees and the Executive by ensuring clear communication between the parties and encourage increased opportunities for committee chairs to update the Executive on areas of focus and present any recommendations/proposals the committee have agreed. Also for the Democratic Services team to establish a central record of all formal scrutiny recommendations and the responses to them.

(5)  The scrutiny manager to liaise with the 5 Group Leaders in advance of the AGM Council meeting (My 2024) in order to provide detailed attendance information on each of the Committee’s membership, to ensure committee membership reflects maximum engagement and consistency.

(6)  The scrutiny manager to liaise with the 5 Group Leaders to ensure a consistent, timely and wherever possible consistent approach to scrutiny substitutes.

(7)   To continue with the monthly meetings of the 5 Scrutiny Chairs, Vice Chairs and scrutiny manager.

(8)  To support the continuation of a dedicated scrutiny resource from the Democratic Services team as per para 3.5, to allow for more effective and efficient scrutiny and increase scrutiny opportunities, whilst ensuring resilience within the officer cohort.

The committee also agreed an additional recommendation for the report to be put forward to the Executive for their views before a final report to Full Council.