Agenda and minutes

To confirm the appointment made at the Annual Meeting of Council of Councillor Field as Chair and Councillor Pullen as Vice-Chair of the Committee.

Councillors Field and Pullen were confirmed as Chair and Vice Chair of the Committee respectively.

To receive from Members, declarations of the existence of any disclosable pecuniary, or non-pecuniary, interests and the nature of those interests in relation to any agenda item. Please see Agenda Notes.

There were no declarations of interest.

To declare if any issues to be covered in the Agenda are under party whip.

There were no declarations of party whipping.

To approve as a correct record the minutes of the meeting held on 6^th June 2022.

14.1    The Democratic and Electoral Services Officer noted that she had been advised by the Housing Team that the temporary accommodation acquired by the council in October last year was Jubilee House, rather than Potters Place as the minutes suggested.

14.2    RESOLVED - That the minutes of the meeting held on 6^th June 2022 be corrected with the above amendment and signed as a correct record by the Chair at the next meeting of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee.

To receive any questions from members of the public provided that a question does not relate to:

·       Matters which are the subject of current or pending legal proceedings, or

·       Matters relating to employees or former employees of the Council or comments in respect of individual Council Officers.

To ask a question at this meeting, please submit it to democratic.services@gloucester.gov.uk by 12noon on Wednesday 29^th June 2022 or telephone 01452 396203 for support.

There were no public questions.

To receive any petitions and deputations provided that no such petition or deputation is in relation to:

·       Matters relating to individual Council Officers, or

·       Matters relating to current or pending legal proceedings.

To present a petition or deputation at this meeting, please submit it to democratic.services@gloucester.gov.uk by 12 noon on Wednesday 29^th June 2022 or telephone 01452 396203 for support.

There were no petitions and deputations.

To note the outcomes of action points arising from previous meetings.

RESOLVED – That the Overview and Scrutiny Committee NOTE the updates.

To receive the latest version of the Committee’s work programme and the Council’s Forward Plan.

18.1       The Chair introduced the latest version of the Council Forward Plan

and invited suggestions as to any items Members wished to add to the Overview and Scrutiny Committee Work Programme. A discussion ensued about the agenda for the meeting on Monday 5^th September and it was agreed that the Committee’s preference was to consider the 2021-22 Financial Outturn Report, Green Travel Plan Progress Report 2021-22, and the Community Safety Partnership update. The Committee agreed that they were content not to consider the Financial and Performance Monitoring Quarter 1 reports.

18.2    Councillor Hilton asked whether the Overview and Scrutiny Committee could receive an update later in the year on the council’s bid for the second round of the Levelling Up Grant Funding. The Director of Communities noted that the submission deadline had changed and agreed to follow the timeframe up with the Head of Place. It was agreed that this item would be added to the Overview and Scrutiny Committee Work Programme with a date to be confirmed.

18.3    Councillor Gravells queried whether the Committee would be interested in receiving an update on the Integrated Care System. He offered to pass on details of colleagues in Gloucestershire County Council to the Democratic and Electoral Services Officer who might be able to assist with facilitating a meeting. The Chair agreed that many Members had an interest in how the local Health Service was operating, and it was agreed that this item would be added to the Work Programme with a date to be confirmed. The Director of Communities further noted that as the City Council had a seat on the Integrated Locality Partnership (ILP), it might be useful to request a briefing on their work during this session.

18.4    The Chair reminded Members that they were welcome to bring suggestions outside of the Forward Plan.

18.5    It was noted that an update on the Leisure and Cultural Services Options Appraisal had been added to the Work Programme for 28^th November 2022, and that an update on how the implementation of the Gloucester Commission to Review Race Relations’ ‘Calls to Action’ were progressing would be added to the agenda for the meeting on 9^th January 2023.

RESOLVED –

1)    That the Overview and Scrutiny Work Programme be amended to reflect the above and

2)    To NOTE the Work Programme.

To receive an update from the Cabinet Member for Housing and Planning Strategy on progress delivering the Government’s Homes for Ukraine Scheme.

19.1    The Cabinet Member for Planning and Housing Strategy introduced the report and explained that the Homes for Ukraine Scheme had been launched by central Government on 14^th March 2022. She explained that the scheme, which was being administered on a county-wide level in Gloucestershire, enabled Ukrainian nationals who do not have family in the UK to apply to be sponsored to come and live in the UK.

19.2    The Cabinet Member for Planning and Housing Strategy paid tribute to the sponsors in Gloucester who had welcomed Ukrainian families in need of housing. She noted that she was proud that the city and county as a whole had come together to support Ukrainian guests and thanked officers in the Housing Team for their work in administering the scheme. The Cabinet Member for Planning and Housing Strategy noted that all necessary security checks for guests and sponsors in Gloucester had been completed prior to guests’ arrival. She thanked the Gloucester Action for Refugees and Asylum Seekers (GARAS) for assisting with the delivery of the scheme.

19.3    The Cabinet Member for Planning and Housing Strategy explained that the key responsibilities for the various Homes for Ukraine workstreams was set out in 3.15 in the report, and that 3.14 confirmed which areas were under Gloucester City Council responsibility. She further noted that where there were cases of relationship breakdown between guests and sponsors, guests were eligible for homelessness assistance from the City Council if a rematch could not be achieved before the guest was required to leave the sponsor’s accommodation.

19.4    The Chair asked for the Cabinet Member for Planning and Housing Strategy’s views as to whether the Homes for Ukraine Scheme had been a success locally so far. The Cabinet Member for Planning and Housing confirmed that in her view it had been a success, particularly in view of the urgency needed to deliver the scheme quickly in response to the Ukraine crisis. She noted that she was not aware of any complaints from guests or sponsors within Gloucester.

19.5    In response to an additional query from the Chair as to whether the scheme had put a strain on officer time and resources, the Housing Innovation Manager explained that the Housing Team were used to having to deal with urgent and time sensitive issues and therefore they could be flexible in their response.

19.6    Councillor Wilson expressed the view that the report was a reassuring read. In relation to the narrative concerning rematching, he asked whether it was likely that there will be instances of people needing to be rematched and if so, whether the Council had the resources to find alternative accommodation. The Housing Innovation Manager confirmed that the UK as a whole had started to see an increase in the number of guests and sponsors requesting a rematch and although not as great, the Housing Teams were seeing a slow increase in Gloucestershire. He explained that Gloucester, along with the other districts, had processes in place if they needed  ...  view the full minutes text for item 19.

To RESOLVE that:

The press and public be excluded from the meeting during the following item of business on the grounds that it is likely, in view of the nature of business to be transacted or the nature of the proceedings, that if members of the press and public are present during consideration of this item there will be disclosure to them of exempt information as defined in Schedule 12A of the Local Government Act 1972 as amended.

Agenda Item No:

12.

Description of Exempt Information:

Paragraph 3: Information relating to the financial or business affairs of any particular person (including the authority holding that information).

RESOLVED that –

The press and public be excluded from the meeting during the following item of business on the grounds that it is likely, in view of the nature of business to be transacted or the nature of the proceedings, that if members of the press and public are present during consideration of this item, there will be disclosure to them of exempt information as defined in Schedule 12A (para 3) of the Local Government Act 1972 as amended.

To receive an update from the Cabinet Member for Performance and Resources on how the ICT recovery is progressing.

RESOLVED – that the Overview and Scrutiny Committee NOTE the verbal update as per the exempt minutes.

Monday 5^th September 2022.

Monday 5^th September 2022.