To receive a verbal update from the Chair of Overview and Scrutiny on the proposed approach to scrutiny work on decisions surrounding the Lord Lister Hotel.
Decision:
The Chair advised Members of the scrutiny work proposed for future Committee Meetings with regards to the Lord Lister Hotel, Hitchin.
Minutes:
Audio recording – 9 minutes 25 seconds
The Chair advised Members that, following a request at Annual Council, the Overview and Scrutiny Committee would look into the process behind the decisions taken on the Lord Lister Hotel, Hitchin. The Chair noted that whilst it was possible to establish a Task and Finish group for this, he felt it was more suitable to call relevant Members and Officers to give their account under item 6.3.9 of the Constitution.
The Chair advised that he would be requesting Anthony Roche, Chief Executive and decision maker, Martin Lawrence, who made the decision request and authored the report, and Councillor Elizabeth Dennis-Harburg, who co-signed the decision, to give their account to the Committee.
The areas the Committee would be looking into included; the timeline of the process, the award of the contract including who was involved in this, any alternatives explored, the contract agreement and the performance against that contract to date and any lesson learnt through this process. It was expected that this would be presented to the Overview and Scrutiny Committee at their next meeting on the 12 July 2022.
The following Members asked questions:
· Councillor Claire Strong
· Councillor Adam Compton
· Councillor Nigel Mason
· Councillor Tony Hunter
In response to questions, the Chair advised:
· There were two parts to explore regarding this and the Committee would look at both the contracts agreed regarding the service and the grants awarded to provide the service.
· No prior discussion of this has taken place and this was the first time the proposed work had been explored.
· It was hoped that the grant funds allocated to North Herts Council would also be explored when Members and Officers gave their account.
· Members needed to be aware that this was subject of a planning application and Overview and Scrutiny Committee could not look into the planning aspect, or any licensing issues. The Committee was limited to look at the decision making process and the extent to which these align with Council policy and their performance.
· The timescales were quite short before the next meeting, but this is a call to account not a task and finish group. After the July meeting, the report can be referred onto Full Council or, if further work was required, it can be brought back to a future Overview and Scrutiny Committee.
· The call to account would allow relevant Officers and Members to explain the processes undertaken and it was important Members of the Committee heard this side of the story and did not base decisions on media reports or public comments.
· The Committee would look at whether the decision was taken in line with Council policy, as well as the Council Constitution.
· The decisions taken relating to this item have already been taken and should have done so in line with Council policy. There would be no new reports or decisions needed ahead of the July Committee meeting, therefore the timescales should be suitable for this.
The Chair advised that any Members who sat on both the Planning Control and Overview and Scrutiny Committee should seek advice from the Monitoring Officer if they feel they may have a disclosable interest.
The Chair noted that the Committee had never before used the call to account procedure and this was an opportunity for the Committee to use this to look into this decision, as was suggested in a recent Peer Review.