Agenda and minutes

There were no apologies for absence received.

To be apprised of any changes to the membership of the Committee in accordance with Council Procedure Rule 4.

In accordance with Council Procedure Rule 4, the Committee noted the termination of Councillors T Devine and E Pope and the appointment of Councillors J Finch and M Westley for this meeting only, thereby giving effect to the wishes of the Political Groups.

Note:  No other business is permitted unless, by reason of special circumstances, which shall be specified at the meeting, the Chairman is of the opinion that the item(s) should be considered as a matter of urgency.

There were no urgent items of business.

If a member requires advice on Declarations of Interest, he/she is advised to contact the Legal and Democratic Services Manager in advance of the meeting.  (For the assistance of members a checklist for use in considering their position on any particular item is included at the end of this agenda sheet.)

There were no declarations of interest.

In accordance with Overview and Scrutiny Committee Procedure Rule 16, Members must declare the existence of any Party Whip, and the nature of it, when considering any matter in the following categories:

-       The review of any decision of the Cabinet or

-       The performance of any Member of the Cabinet

N.B. The Secretary of State believes whipping is incompatible with Overview and Scrutiny.

There were no declarations of Party Whip.

To receive as a correct record the Minutes of the meeting held on 25 March 2021.

RESOLVED: That the Minutes of the meeting held 25 March 2021 be received as a correct record and signed by the Chairman, subject to the amendment of Minute 72 – Accommodation Strategy, to add the following financial Information following paragraph three:

Derby Street Offices

2019-20 - £45,199 - Toilet refurbishments

2020-21 - £743,457 - Majorly on new boiler, health and safety works on asbestos and fire regulatory plus office refurbishments

Sandy Lane offices

2019-20 - £56,595 - New lighting and electrical works

2020-21 - Nothing recorded on the ledger to date.

Note: (A comment was made in respect of Minute 69 – HRA Revenue and Capital Monitoring, in respect of the frequency of the Tawd Valley Development Cabinet Working Group being held bi-monthly.  The previous meeting had been held in February 2021, with the next meeting not until June 2021).

The Corporate Director of Place and Community made an undertaking to provide information detailing dates of when these meetings are held.

Residents of West Lancashire on giving notice, may address the meeting to make representations on any item on the agenda except where the public and press are to be excluded during consideration of the item.  The deadline for submissions is 10.00am on Friday 21 May 2021.  A copy of the public speaking protocol and form to be completed is attached.

There were no items under this heading.

To scrutinise the following Minutes of Cabinet:

13 April 2021

Consideration was given to the Minutes of Cabinet held on 13 April 2021 as contained on pages 15 to 18 of the Book of Reports.

RESOLVED: That the Minutes of Cabinet held on 13 April 2021 be noted.

To consider the Minutes of the Member Development Commission held 31 March 2021.

Consideration was given to the Minutes of the Member Development Commission held on 31 March 2021, as contained on pages 19 to 22 of the Book of Reports.

RESOLVED: That the Minutes of the Member Development Commission held on 31 March 2021 be noted.

To consider the report of the Corporate Director of Place and Community.

RESOLVED: That the Place Based Model Report be deferred to the September meeting of the Committee, to allow time for the report to be presented.

To consider the report of the Corporate Director of Place and Community. 

Consideration was given to the report of the Corporate Director of Place and Community as contained on pages 23 to 36 of the Book of Reports, which was to consider the revised Tenancy Policy.

The Senior Housing Officer outlined the report, explaining that the Tenancy Policy had been revised further to correspondence from the Housing Minister, which outlined the succession rights to Council housing tenancies, ensuring that Council housing is used both effectively and fairly.

He outlined the revised changes made to the Tenancy Policy document. He also explained that following the review, that whilst adequate procedures had been in place in respect of succession, they had not previously been sufficiently documented within the Tenure Policy.

In discussion a comment was raised that it would have been useful for Councillors to have had a version of the revised policy showing tracked changes. 

RESOLVED:      

A.   That the report and content of the revised Tenancy Policy be noted.

B.   That Executive Overview & Scrutiny Committee fully support the revised Tenancy Policy.

To consider the report of the Corporate Director of Place and Community.

Consideration was given to the report of the Corporate Director of Place and Community as contained on pages 37 to 76 of the Book of Reports, which provided Members with an update on the outcome of the Planning Services Review and to agree that the recommendations are taken forward and implemented.

The Head of Growth and Development outlined the report and explained that following feedback received from Members and some Parish Councils, it was suggested that a review of the Planning Service would be useful.  He also explained that the process had been included in the SORP review, during which time the Government announced the 'Planning for the Future consultation' which proposed significant changes to the planning process. 

He went on to inform that Red Quadrant was appointed to undertake the review, which took part in three stages.  The review has now concluded and overall 81 recommendations had been made covering a number of areas, which will improve the service further and lead to a better customer experience.

He explained that an Officer Working Group will be looking at the recommendations to take them forward in order to prioritise and implement.  He also explained that the information from the Officer Working Groups would be presented to Cabinet in Spring 2022.

The Portfolio Holder of Planning joined the meeting to respond to questions raised by Members of the Committee.

In discussion comments and questions were raised in respect of:

·         Planning Training

·         Appointment System for Members

·         IT Service / Self Service

·         Enforcement

·         Ward Councillor /Neighbour Disputes

·         Procurement of Red Quadrant

·         The necessity to use consultants for process mapping

·         Timescales / Action Plan

RESOLVED:

A.   That the Planning Services Review report be considered and noted.

B.   That the Committee request that an Action Plan detailing the milestones and outcomes of the Planning Service Review, with regard to each of the 81 recommendations, be presented to the next meeting in September. The frequency of the presentation of the Action Plan, is to be agreed at the Committee meeting in September.

(The Chairman thanked the Portfolio Holder of Planning for his attendance).

(The Portfolio Holder of Planning announced that the Head of Growth and Development and the Strategic Planning, Regeneration and Implementation Manager were both leaving the Council to move to new positions.  The Committee thanked them for all their work and wished them well in their future).