Issue - meetings

REPORT OF THE SCRUTINY OFFICER

To consider the issues that the Overview and Scrutiny Committee plans to review at future meetings and the activities of its sub-groups.

RESOLVED:

(1)        That the report entitled Overview and Scrutiny Committee Work Programme for 2018/19 be noted;

(2)        That the Committee endorses the appointment of John Richardson as Independent Chair of the Review of Hitchin Town Hall in line with the appointment process agreed in January’s Overview & Scrutiny Committee;

(3)        That the Committee endorse the appointment of Councillors Sam Collins, Ian Moody, Helen Oliver and Val Shanley as the Panel to undertake the Review of the Hitchin Town Hall in line with the appointment process agreed in January’s Overview & Scrutiny Committee;

(4)        That the Scrutiny Officer be requested to organise an initial meeting of the Hitchin Town Hall Review Panel to discuss the scope of the review and arrange meeting dates.

(5)        That, the proposed Crematorium be placed o the Committee’s Work Programme.

REASON FOR DECISION: To enable the Committee to set the Work programme.

The Temporary Scrutiny Officer presented the report entitled Overview and Scrutiny Work Programme for 2018/19 and drew attention to the following:

Work Programme Reports

It was disappointing that the Committee had not considered this report for three consecutive meetings. The Committee could not plan its workload if it did not consider the options.

Members asked that, once a decision had been made regarding whether NHDC would appeal against the Planning decision regarding the proposed Crematorium, this be scheduled into the work programme

Review of Hitchin Town Hall

The Committee considered a paper regarding this at a previous meeting.

Two candidates for Independent Chair of the review had been interviewed and John Richardson had been identified as the most suitable candidate.

Group Leaders had nominated candidates to act as the Panel to this review.

There was some discussion that Members of the Panel not only had to act fairly and non-politically, but had to be seen to do so and that Members of the Panel will need to avoid bias and look for a useful outcome.

The next step was for the Panel to meet and discuss the scope of the review and set dates for meetings.

RESOLVED:

(1)        That the report entitled Overview and Scrutiny Committee Work Programme for 2018/19 be noted;

(2)        That the Committee endorses the appointment of John Richardson as Independent Chair of the Review of Hitchin Town Hall in line with the appointment process agreed in January’s Overview & Scrutiny Committee;

(3)        That the Committee endorse the appointment of Councillors Sam Collins, Ian Moody, Helen Oliver and Val Shanley as the Panel to undertake the Review of the Hitchin Town Hall in line with the appointment process agreed in January’s Overview & Scrutiny Committee;

(4)        That the Scrutiny Officer be requested to organise an initial meeting of the Hitchin Town Hall Review Panel to discuss the scope of the review and arrange meeting dates.

(5)        That, the proposed Crematorium be placed o the Committee’s Work Programme.

REASON FOR DECISION: To enable the Committee to set the Work programme.