Issue - meetings

The Committee Support Officer submitted the work programme report and drew Members’ attention to the Appendix containing the items identified by Members at the workshop held on 11 June 2024.

The Committee Support Officer reminded Members to complete the scrutiny proposal form circulated by email on 12 June 2024. He said that this was particularly important for the housing topic for the November meeting.

Councillor Carter mentioned glyphosate and the officer briefing paper that had been circulated to Members. She said that she would like to see this matter come to Overview and Scrutiny Committee at a meeting. Councillor Carter said that it would be useful to see to what extent the council was using glyphosate and what could be done to minimise it. Councillor Horner said that he would be happy to talk to Councillor Carter about putting in a scrutiny proposal.

The Chair sought the committee’s views on moving the housing item from 5 November on the forward plan to later in the civic year given the substantial proposed changes to the planning process announced by the government. He commented on the clear relationship between these changes to planning and housing.

Councillor Boylan said that he was supportive of delaying this matter to later in the civic year until there was more clarity in terms of the impact of these changes. The Chair said that moving housing to March 2025 would leave a gap for 5 November which could be filled by considering glyphosate.

The Chair said that he had attended a meeting of the Joint Administration Steering Group and a number of items had come out of the discussions for possible considering by the Overview and Scrutiny Committee. He referred to the consideration of the parking engagement strategy in January 2025.

Councillor Swainston raised the topic of air source heat pumps and the council’s planning policy on this matter. The Executive Member for Environmental Sustainability referred to 3 ongoing appeals and whether the committee should discuss planning policy out with specific cases that were out to appeal.

Councillor Woollcombe proposed and Councillor Nicholls seconded a motion that the 2024/25 Overview and Scrutiny Committee work programme in Appendix 1, be agreed subject to the following changes:

·               Glyphosate considered on 5 November 2024

·               Parking Engagement Strategy considered on 14 January 2025

·               Housing topic moved to 4 March 2025

·               Additional items in the email sent to Overview and Scrutiny by the chair on 5^th September 2024

After being put to the meeting and a vote taken, the motion was declared CARRIED.

RESOLVED – that the 2024/25 Overview and Scrutiny Committee work programme in Appendix 1, be agreed subject to the following changes:

·               Glyphosate considered on 5 November 2024

·               Parking Engagement Strategy considered on 14 January 2025

·               Housing topic moved to 4 March 2025

Additional items in the email sent to Overview and Scrutiny by the chair on 5^th September 2024.