Issue - meetings

As detailed in the recommendations.

The Democratic Services Manager introduced the report and explained that a sequence of special meetings of Overview and Scrutiny Committees were held between 21^st and 28^th September.  At each of those meetings, a full presentation on the Recovery Strategy was given by the Chief Executive, supported by colleagues.

            Cabinet had invited each of the Overview and Scrutiny Committees to support recovery in their respective portfolio areas, and specifically to have oversight of:

1. The portfolio risk register(s) and the risk mitigation actions both live and planned;
2. The objectives for recovery for the portfolio(s);
3. The immediate strategic priorities for recovery of the portfolio(s) extracted from the draft Council Plan for 2020/21; and
4. The set of revised performance indicator targets for the portfolio(s) for 2020/21.

At each Committee the Strategy and the four points above were entirely supported.  It was recognised that the Committees assuming this important oversight role was in itself part of the recovery strategy for resumption of full democratic governance.

Each Committee agreed to rebuild its Forward Work Programme for the remainder of the municipal year with Recovery Planning and Risk Management at its core.  During each of the five meetings, Members asked a number of questions and sought clarification on some issues.  No specific risks were identified by the Committees as requiring their particular attention.

The previous day an interactive document had been put on the Council’s website on the Recovery Strategy.

RESOLVED:

(a)       That the support of the Overview and Scrutiny Committees for the Recovery Strategy be welcomed;

(b)       That it be recognised that the Forward Work Programmes of the five Overview and Scrutiny Committees are being rebuilt on the basis of the Recovery Planning and Risk Management at their core, with other issue4s confined to statutory and cyclical issues; and

(c)        That the Recovery Strategy as outlined in the presentation to the Overview and Scrutiny Committees be published on the Council’s website for wider public attention and assurance.