Issue - meetings

The Executive Member for Resident Engagement submitted a report which provided Members of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee with the opportunity to consider and provide comments on the draft proposed set of principles governing how the council will inform, engage and consult residents, businesses and stakeholders.

In response to a query from Councillor McAndrew regarding the inclusion of the two agenda items, at the request of the Chairman, the Head of Legal and Democratic Services explained the processes involved before reports are added to an agenda. 

Councillor McAndrew also referred to the future development of the Work Programme and proposed changes. The Chairman assured Members that he was in discussion with the Leader regularly in terms of the Forward Plan and its impact on the Work Programme of Overview and Scrutiny Committee. 

The Executive Member for Resident Engagement welcomed the opportunity to discuss the document before Members.  He explained that the report had been driven by the low electoral turnout at the District Elections in May 2023 and the need to ensure that the council engaged in a more diverse manner with residents and at the earliest opportunity especially on key issues such as housing, planning, licensing in order to hear more diverse views. He said that the paper before Members addressed a new approach to engagement and consultation.

The Executive Member acknowledged the council’s past record and practices but felt that there was a greater opportunity to work in a more open and transparent, engagement process. The report before Members drafted a simple and straightforward set of principles which the council would follow when seeking to inform, and consult with residents, businesses and stakeholders. 

The Chairman made the point that the council worked in an open and transparent way and that the meeting was a public meeting. He added that the information was open to inspection but that residents will only be interested in what they are interested in.

Following extensive debate, Members felt that:

·               the role of Ward Members and the role of Overview and Scrutiny should be emphasised more in the draft document;

·               there was a need to ensure that people’s expectations were managed in an open and transparent way and of the limitations which may be placed on officers from the viewpoint of planning;

·               the document should reflect an ability to say “no” from the viewpoint of resources and budget constraints.  It was acknowledged that a forum was needed to hear what the community wanted whether this was a citizens’ forum or other tried and tested forums for public engagement to listen to views;

·               the views of young people must be reflected in the document, including an explanation of how these might be collated;

·               further information should be included on how the council’s policies would be amended to reflect the principles set out in the draft document.

·               the role of councillors working in their wards was acknowledged and there was a need to improve internal communication in the consultation process in working with, Members, Officers and  ...  view the full minutes text for item 207