Issue - meetings

To consider the report of the Overview and Scrutiny Working Group, (copy enclosed).

The Committee considered the report of the Overview and Scrutiny Working Group  recommending responses and courses of action on a Scrutiny Workplan item and a further Member request for a scrutiny item.

The Chairman introduced the report and took the Committee through the key points. She drew Members‘ attention to the conclusions and initial Working Group response to the Committee at Appendix A in respect of the scrutiny item arising from recent planning appeal decisions and directed at planning decision making. She then invited Members to put any questions or comments they had on the report.

At this point Councillor Heubner proposed that the work outlined in Appendix A be referred back to the Working Group for further detailed work, prior to scrutiny by the Overview and Scrutiny Committee and referral to Council and this was seconded by Councillor Morgan.

Following a brief debate the Committeeaccepted the Working Group’s initial findings/conclusions in respect of recommendation (i) and asked for this to be worked up in greater detail by the Working Group, for interim consideration by the Committee in December. The Committee would then be in a better position to assess how near it was to being able to conclude making a response and any recommendations either to Council or the relevant Committee, with the aim of a final report to a meeting of the Committee by either the week beginning 27/2 or 6/3 next year at the latest.

With reference to recommendation (ii) in relation to the new requested scrutiny item (Councillor Swain) on Planning Enforcement, Councillor Mayes proposed that this item be brought back to this Committee providing full information on the process, open and closed cases, an overview of both current and future resources together with the impact on Planning, this was seconded by Councillor Heubner. It was agreed that a full report be presented to the Overview and Scrutiny Committee in January 2023. Councillor Morgan proposed that the report be supported at the meeting by relevant Officers, and this was seconded by Councillor Mayes.

The Chairman then moved the revised recommendations, taking account of the proposals and issues raised in the debate and they were agreed by assent as follows:

RESOLVED

(i)               That the  proposed outline response to the Notice of Motion/Planning Decision Making Workplan Item  be worked up in greater detail by the Working Group for interim consideration by the Overview and Scrutiny Committee, with the aim of a final report to a meeting of the Committee by either the week beginning 27/2 or 6/3 next year at the latest.

(ii)              That in the light of the scrutiny request from Councillor C Swain the Committee

agreed a full report be received by Overview and Scrutiny Committee in January 2023, covering the aspects detailed above and supported by relevant officers.