Agenda and minutes

Venue: Council Chamber, Fourth Floor, Easthampstead House, Bracknell

Contact: Amanda Roden  01344 352253

Items
Note No. Item

None

48.

Minutes and Matters Arising pdf icon PDF 90 KB

To approve as a correct record the minutes of the meeting of the Overview and Scrutiny Commission held on 29 January 2015.

 

Matter Arising: Broadmoor Hospital Sirens (letter attached).

Additional documents:

Minutes:

RESOLVED that the minutes of the Overview and Scrutiny Commission meeting held on 29 January 2015 be approved as a correct record and signed by the Chairman.

 

Matters Arising

 

The Broadmoor Sirens would remain in place until 2019 when the new hospital was finished. A newspaper article concerning Broadmoor Hospital security and the reply from the Chief Executive of the West London Mental Health NHS Trust to a related letter from Wokingham Borough Council were tabled at the meeting. The article and letter were noted.

None

49.

Declarations of Interest and Party Whip

Members are requested to declare any disclosable pecuniary or affected interest, including the existence and nature of the Party Whip, in respect of any matter to be considered at this meeting.

 

Any Member with a Disclosable Pecuniary Interest or an affected interest in a matter should withdraw from the meeting when the matter is under consideration and should notify the Democratic Services Officer in attendance that they are withdrawing as they have such an interest. If the Disclosable Pecuniary Interest is not entered on the register of Members interests the Monitoring Officer must be notified of the interest within 28 days.

 

Minutes:

Councillor Mrs Birch declared an interest as the spouse of the Executive Member for Adult Services, Health and Housing. Councillor Mrs McCracken declared an interest as the spouse of the Executive Member for Culture, Corporate Services and Public Protection. There were no indications that Members would be participating under the party whip.

None

50.

Urgent Items of Business

Any other items which, pursuant to Section 100B(4)(b) of the Local Government Act 1972, the Chairman decides are urgent.

Minutes:

There were no urgent items of business.

51.

Public Participation

To receive submissions from members of the public which have been submitted in advance in accordance with the Council’s Public Participation Scheme for Overview and Scrutiny.

Minutes:

There were no submissions from members of the public in accordance with the Council’s Public Participation Scheme for Overview and Scrutiny.

52.

Economic and Skills Development pdf icon PDF 120 KB

To receive an update from David Cook, Partnership Chairman, and Victor Nicholls, Assistant Chief Executive, in respect of the work of the Economic and Skills Development Partnership and progress in implementing the Economic Development Strategy.

Minutes:

The Commission received an updated from David Cook, Economic and Skills Development Partnership (ESDP) Chairman, and Victor Nicholls, Assistant Chief Executive, in respect of the work of the ESDP and progress in implementing the Economic Development Strategy.

 

The Infrastructure Sub-Group was chaired by a Director at the Transport Research Laboratory and there was a brand new network. Mr Cook was in his fourth year as Chairman of the ESDP and was pleased that the Partnership was now business led. Stakeholders in business wanted to be a part of the Partnership and there was good attendance at meetings. Meetings had been held recently in relation to the variety of organisations in Bracknell and it was thought that Bracknell could be a flagship for business.

 

The fourth Bracknell Forest Careers Event was held during the year and work was being undertaken with UK Trade and Investment on regeneration and retail. City Deal acted as a broker between education providers and employers and provided a range of advice. Bids had been made through Thames Valley Berkshire Local Enterprise Partnership for funding for infrastructure under the Local Growth Fund and delegations had been hosted from China: Hunan province for business growth opportunities and Tianjin regarding opportunities to develop governance and anti-corruption issues.

 

A keynote event attracting over 60 local companies was hosted by David Cook in October 2014 in relation to how to win contracts. There was a need to access the right labour for small to medium size businesses and this was more likely to be sourced locally. There was more work to be done regarding how to generate enterprise and meetings were being held with businesses in the borough to feed into the Local Economic Framework.

 

Superfast Broadband was rolling out across the borough, and a better rail service was a priority; there would be two extra carriages on trains from Reading to Waterloo and two extra trains at peak hours according to National Rail’s plan. A new business website was being rolled out and the aim was to set up a local business partnership. It was thought that around 70% of the actions arising from the ESDP had been completed but the changes being made were part of a long term journey and work would be undertaken as part of a four year plan.

 

In response to Members’ questions, the following points were made:

 

·         The Borough Council was talking to and listening to businesses, and the new Business and Enterprise Team under the Assistant Chief Executive had made a difference regarding this. There was work which could be undertaken by the Borough Council which could benefit businesses, for example, in relation to infrastructure.

·         The location of head offices had changed dramatically with the advent of new technology to support mobile working and the number of people commuting to work had shrunk; people now wanted smaller more adaptable offices. The Elevate programme would help with guidance for young people as there were alternatives to university, for example, apprenticeships for practical skills such  ...  view the full minutes text for item 52.

None

53.

Quarterly Service Reports (QSRs) 2014/15 pdf icon PDF 737 KB

To consider the latest trends, priorities and pressures in terms of departmental performance as reported in the QSRs for the third quarter of 2014/15 (October to December 2014) relating to:

 

·         The Chief Executive’s Office

·         The Corporate Services Department

 

The Chairman has asked that any detailed questions arising from the reports should be referred to either the Assistant Chief Executive or Director of Corporate Services in advance and only raised in the meeting if you consider the issue requires wider discussion.

 

Please bring your copies of the performance monitoring reports to the meeting.

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The Commission noted the latest trends, priorities and pressures in terms of departmental performance as reported in the Quarterly Service Reports for the third quarter of 2014/15 (October to December) relating to the Chief Executive’s Office and the Corporate Services Department.

None

54.

Corporate Performance Overview Report pdf icon PDF 366 KB

To consider the Chief Executive’s Corporate Performance Overview Report for the third quarter of 2014/15 (October to December 2014).

 

The Chairman has asked that any detailed questions arising from the report should be referred to the Assistant Chief Executive in advance and only raised in the meeting if you consider the issue requires wider discussion.

Minutes:

The Commission considered the Chief Executive’s Corporate Performance Overview Report for the third quarter of 2014/15 (October to December).

None

55.

Executive Forward Plan pdf icon PDF 46 KB

Forthcoming items on the Executive Forward Plan of a corporate nature are attached for consideration.

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The Commission noted the forthcoming Key and Non-Key Decisions of a corporate nature.

56.

Work Programme and Panel Activity Update pdf icon PDF 63 KB

To note the progress against the Overview and Scrutiny work programme for 2014-15, and the reports from Overview and Scrutiny Panel Chairmen on each Panel’s progress against the work programme.

Minutes:

The Commission noted the progress by the Overview and Scrutiny Commission and the Overview and Scrutiny Panels against the Overview and Scrutiny work programme for 2014-15.

 

Commission members took the opportunity to thank the Overview and Scrutiny team for their work and support. The Chairman thanked everyone for taking part in the work of the Commission.

 

Contact Information

Democratic services

Email: committee@bracknell-forest.gov.uk