Agenda and draft minutes

The Committee will be asked to appoint a Chairman for this meeting.

It was proposed by Councillor C Wyatt-Lowe, seconded by Councillor Mrs Bassadone and agreed that Councillor Anderson be appointed Chairman.

To receive any apologies for absence.

Apologies for absence were received on behalf of Councillors Guest and Imarni.

Councillor Anderson explained that he had suggested having this meeting as it had been some time since they had a meeting of the Overview and Scrutiny Chairman and they used to meet often. He advised that it had also been opened up to regulatory Chairman as the topics being discussed affected all of the committees. He explained that the proposal was to ask all committee members to complete a questionnaire, which could be anonymous if required, and he asked members for their comments and if they supported this proposal.

Councillor Mahmood felt it was a good idea but the contribution from each committee needed to be forthcoming and open to change. He was interested to see the results.

Councillor C Wyatt-Lowe said that some members on her committee never comment or ask questions and queried if it was a problem at all committees. She also said that she see’s the same people at member development sessions and questioned why other members aren’t attending.

Councillor Taylor explained he was trying a new tactic on member development and that was to use the strapline ‘Whilst not compulsory or mandatory it is essentially necessary.’ He highlighted that WRAP was a mandatory course directed by the Home Office and yet many members still didn’t attend. Despite running various sessions in-house, he explained that members could also have attended the training elsewhere and that would have still counted towards their attendance but most members still didn’t attend.

Councillor Douris arrived at 7.38 pm.

Councillor C Wyatt-Lowe said training should be compulsory for Chairman/Vice Chairman and even if they’re not a newly elected member training should be seen as a refresher. She felt that they couldn’t get the best out of a meeting if the Chairman/Vice Chairman isn’t properly trained for the role.

Councillor Mahmood said there should be a system of self governance so that everyone has a record of what they have attended. Councillor Anderson advised that this information could already be found on the DBC website.

Councillor Taylor highlighted that members did achieve their training target on average but it tends to be the same individuals that attend the sessions. He said as Chairman of member development, he feels very passionate about the need for training and he attends every session he possibly can. He said he continues to learn every day and he would like to see more courses be made mandatory as we all need help and guidance at times.

Councillor Anderson asked if the officers could speak to other local authorities and investigate the kind of questions they have asked if they have carried out a similar review.

Councillor Mahmood felt that colleague feedback was a good idea.

Councillor Anderson highlighted the three aims and objectives for this review:

-          Improving performance

-          Enthuse/encourage members to attend training

-          Identify training needs

Councillor Mrs Bassadone felt that the forms should be anonymous in order to get a true reflection of how members are feeling. Councillor Taylor advised that the  ...  view the full minutes text for item 3.

Councillor Anderson advised that this item was to inform members of the Forum arrangements and to get a better idea of the layout, the meeting rooms and to see if everything was on track.

J Doyle gave a presentation to the committee on The Forum, which included a detailed slideshow on the building layout and the new technology within the meeting rooms.

He highlighted some key dates for member’s diaries:

·         3 January – Move to the Forum begins

·         6 January – Democratic Services move in to The Forum

·         11 January – Full Council Rehearsal

·         14 January – Customer Service Unit move in to The Forum over the weekend

·         16 January – Business will be resumed as normal

·         18 January – First Full Council meeting in the new Council Chamber

·         26 January – Effective Scrutiny Training

The committee to consider and note each work programme

Councillor Anderson ran through each of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee work programmes and asked members to highlight any amendments or issues. There was nothing substantial to report.

Councillor Anderson said that he felt the SPAE committee contribute in discussion and genuinely scrutinise performance reports more now than in previous years.

M Anderson highlighted that the budget process training session was on Thursday 17 November but the number of attendee’s was still very low. She asked if members could spread the word and encourage others to attend.