Agenda and draft minutes

An apology of absence was received from Councillor Mrs K Mandry.

To confirm as a correct record the minutes of the meeting of the Policy and Resources Scrutiny Panel meeting held on 22 January 2024.

RESOLVED that the minutes of the Policy and Resources Scrutiny Panel held on 22 January 2024be confirmed and signed as a correct record.

There were no Chairman’s announcements.

To receive any declarations of interest from members in accordance with Standing Orders and the Council’s Code of Conduct and disclosures of advice or directions received from Group Leaders or Political Groups, in accordance with the Council’s Constitution.

There were no declarations of interest made at this meeting.

To receive any deputations of which notice has been lodged.

There were no deputations made at this meeting.

To consider a report by the Assistant Chief Executive Officer which provides an introduction to the Policy and Resources Portfolio.

The Panel considered a report by the Assistant Chief Executive Officer which outlined the Panel’s Scrutiny responsibilities, the Policy and Resources portfolio remit and highlighted the relevant priorities from the Council’s Corporate Strategy 2023-2037. The report also provided members with guidance and helpful tips on how to conduct effective scrutiny.

RESOLVED that the Panel note the content of the report.

To receive a presentation by the Assistant Director (Finance and ICT) on the Council’s approach to Procurement and Contract Management.

The Panel received a presentation from the Strategic Procurement Professional on the Council’s approach to procurement and contract management. (A copy of this presentation has been appended to these minutes).

The presentation was broken down into four categories, with questions taken at the end of each category;

1.     Approach to Procurement and Achieving Value for Money

2.     Procurement Controls and Assurances

3.     Procurement Lifecycle Improvements

4.     Impact on Procurement Act 2023

Members asked a variety of questions of officers following presentation. It was noted that the workload for the procurement team is high and members asked how this is resourced especially during busier times due to the procurement team being a small team. The Strategic Procurement Professional advised that the team remain constantly aware of upcoming projects and ensure that they engage with service areas early to ensure that the work is completed within the prescribed timescale. He also advised that service areas may need to reallocate staff at times to assist with procurement projects where they are complex and time intensive.

Members also enquired as to whether the opportunities plan work had any impact on procurement, and whether it was worth undertaking this review again. The Assistant Director (Finance and ICT) addressed the Panel on this item and advised that the original plan was only for two years and whilst it has had a positive impact it is not something that can be measured in terms of procurement. She did advise that there is a lot of value in undertaking this exercise again and this will be considered at a later date.

RESOLVED that the Panel noted the content of the report.

To receive a presentation by the Assistant Director (Finance and ICT) on the Council’s Policy for the Regulation of Investigatory Powers (RIPA).

The Panel received a presentation from the Assistant Director (Finance and ICT) on the Council’s policy for the Regulation of Investigatory Powers (RIPA). (A copy of this presentation has been appended to these minutes).

Members were keen to note positively that the use of these powers is very rare.

A question was raised in respect of the very low usage of surveillance to establish if someone was living at a property or not, and whether this means that we do not investigate many of these cases. The Assistant Director (Finance and ICT) addressed the Panel to confirm that there are various channels available to report suspicions of fraud. These are assessed and cases prioritised for full investigation. There is an array of investigation techniques used to establish the truth of the case and surveillance is just one of these used in higher value cases where there is a high likelihood of legal proceedings being taken.

RESOLVED that the Panel note the content of the report.

To consider any items of business dealt with by the Executive since the last meeting of the Panel, that falls under the remit of the Policy and Resources Portfolio. This will include any decisions taken by individual members during the same time period.

The Panel considered the Executive items of business which falls under the remit of the Policy and Resources Portfolio, including Executive Member decisions and Officer delegated decisions, that have taken place since the last meeting of the Panel on 22 January 2024.

There were no comments received.

Councillor Hamilton enquired as to when the airside activities would become sustainable. The Daedalus Programme Lead (Airside) addressed the Panel on this item and confirmed that due to binding restrictive covenants we are obliged to operate an airfield which can be a benefit to the non-airside activities (such as land sales and leases). This means that the site should be viewed as a whole.

There were no comments received.

There were no comments received.

There were no comments received.

There were comments received.

There were no comments received.

There were no comments received.

There were no comments received.

There were no comments received.

There were no comments received.

There were no comments received.

There were no comments received.

To provide an opportunity for Members to consider the scrutiny priorities for the Policy and Resources Panel.

The Panel considered the Policy and Resources Scrutiny Panel priorities for 2024/25 and were given the opportunity to put forward any further items they would like to consider during this municipal year.

Councillor Whittle requested an item on the Daedalus Vision but was informed that this would be an item that would go to the Daedalus Scrutiny Panel as it falls under their remit.

He also requested that the unallocated item on the Town Centre Regeneration be added to a meeting date in this municipal year. Officers advised that they are unable to confirm a meeting date for this item at present as it is still unknown as to when this will be ready for pre-scrutiny. However, it was agreed that officers would speak to the service area concerned and make the request known.