Issue - meetings

The Committee Support Officer submitted the work programme report and Members were invited to consider and determine the work programme going forward. He referred to the workshop held on 5 March 2026 and said that the topic of Sustainable Development might not now come forward for scrutiny and that the AI topic would now be discussed on 9 June 2026.

Members were advised that the matter of sewage discharge into rivers could come before the committee in June or September. The Committee Support Officer said that the members present at the workshop mentioned receiving an update on BEAM. He reiterated that the Chief Executive had confirmed that it would be premature for Overview and Scrutiny to consider local government reform before January 2027.

The Committee Support Officer summarised the other topics that had been mentioned during the workshop including the council being a listening council, the consultation around the new Community Governance Reviews in Sawbridgeworth and Buntingford and the assets held by the council.

The Committee Support Officer said that the Director for Communities had said that a topic for consideration for adding to the work programme, following a discussion he had with the Executive Member for Neighbourhoods, was the consideration of progress against the Housing Strategy action plan. The Committee could consider the 2025/26 end of year position, which would be known by the end of April, and the committee could consider this matter after that.

The Director for Communities had also mentioned that East Herts was looking to establish a charity regarding external funding towards arts and cultural activities in East Herts, and he had requested that this matter be added to the work programme.

The Committee discussed the work programme and the future topics. Councillor Andrews proposed, and Councillor Holt seconded a motion that the Overview and Scrutiny Committee work programme, as amended, be agreed. After being put to the meeting and a vote taken, the motion was declared CARRIED.

RESOLVED – that the Overview and Scrutiny Committee work programme, as amended, be agreed.