Agenda and minutes

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.

Councillor Castle declared a personal interest in Agenda Item 11 (Sports and Physical Activity Strategy) owing to her position as a trustee on the board of Aspire Leisure Trust.

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 meetings held on Monday 13^th March 2023 and Monday 27^th March 2023.

127.1  Councillor Hilton referred to the minutes of the meeting held on 27^th March and noted that the attendance list did not include Councillor Conder, despite her being present and taking part as a substitute. It was agreed that the attendance list would be corrected and that the minutes would be returned to the Chair for signing at the following Overview and Scrutiny Committee meeting.

          RESOLVED – That the minutes of the meeting held on 13^th March 2023 were approved and signed as a correct record by the Chair.

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 12 noon on Wednesday 19th April 2023 or tepephone 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.

There were no petitions nor 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.

131.1  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.

131.2  Councillor Hilton informed Members that the Liberal Democrat Group had called in the recent Cabinet Decision relating to the Nominations to the Gloucester City Homes Board. The Managing Director confirmed that Officers had consulted with the Overview and Scrutiny Committee Chair and relevant Cabinet Member, and that the Democratic Services Team were in the process of finding a mutually convenient date to hold a Special Meeting to consider the request. He further noted that this was likely to take place during the week commencing 8^th May and that the Chief Executive of Gloucester City Homes had indicated that he would also be willing to attend.

131.3  The Chair suggested that the Overview and Scrutiny Committee consider the Community Asset Transfer (CAT) Policy and Asset Management Strategy and it was agreed that these items would be added to the Overview and Scrutiny Committee Work Programme for the meeting on 5^th June 2023. Councillor Gravells noted his support for considering the Asset Management Strategy in particular, commenting that it would be useful for Members to understand the criteria required of community groups when transferring assets.

131.4  In response to a query from Councillor Sawyer regarding her request for an agenda item concerning Water Quality and River Pollution, the Chair confirmed that this had been added to the Work Programme under ‘dates to be confirmed’. The Democratic and Electoral Services Officer advised that she would be making enquiries to ascertain who the most appropriate Officers would be to assist with this request.

131.5  Councillor Trimnell suggested that the Overview and Scrutiny Committee consider the Kings Quarter Financial Update report. It was noted that Members would have the opportunity to debate this item at the full Council meeting on 13^th July 2023.

131.6  Councillor Wilson indicated that he would like the Committee to consider the 2022-23 Financial Outturn Report and it was agreed that this item would be added to the agenda for the Overview and Scrutiny meeting on 5^th June.

131.7  The Chair suggested that the Committee may wish to consider the Readoption of the Matson and Podsmead Supplementary Planning Documents and the Overview and Scrutiny Committee agreed to add this item to the meeting on Monday 3^rd July 2023.

          RESOLVED –

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

2)    To NOTE the Work Programme.

To receive a progress update on the City Council’s ambition to implement webcasting of Council meetings.

132.1  The Cabinet Member for Performance and Resources, Councillor Hannah Norman, advised Members that since the Committee received an initial briefing back in February, there had been an update on the proposed webcasting solution which was outlined in the agenda papers.  Councillor Norman explained that Officers had consulted a third party which specialised in webcasting to explore more traditional webcasting technology. She advised that costs were expected to be in the region of £60-£80k and confirmed that she would be happy to share the project plan with the Overview and Scrutiny Committee once the relevant quotes had been received.

132.2  The Chair queried whether the expected spend was comparable to packages received in other local authorities. The Program Manager advised that colleagues in Stroud District Council had confirmed similar costs. He noted that the set-up cost was estimated at around £30k for the initial software, with the remaining costs for hardware refresh and implementation of audio-visual equipment and technology.

132.3  In response to an additional query from the Chair as to whether meeting webcasting was likely to generate revenue for the City Council in the future, Councillor Norman stated that she did not expect webcasting to be an income generating resource, noting that there might well be additional costs to factor in relating to software licensing.

132.4  Councillor Hilton indicated that he welcomed the change of position, noting his view that the Civica ModGov Meet solution initially explored would have disrupted the interaction between Members and Officers during Council meetings. He felt it was the right decision to explore a more traditional webcasting solution and stated his hope that the Section 151 Officer would be able to source funding for the project. Councillor Norman explained that the situation had changed following confirmation from Civica that they would not be in a position to deliver the ModGov Meet offering for 6-8 months, and it was felt that this was too long to wait. She provided assurances that she had discussed the matter with the Section 151 Officer and that a breakdown of detailed costs, including ongoing software costs was key. Councillor Norman further advised Members that consideration needed to be given as to whether specialist Guildhall or additional Democratic Services staff might need to be present to support webcasting delivery during meetings. She noted that ongoing revenue costs were a concern for the City Council.

132.5  Councillor Hilton stated his expectation that the additional administrative burden was likely to be prior to meetings rather than during. He expressed the view that the webcasting project needed to go ahead, noting that Gloucester City Council was one of just two councils in Gloucestershire which did not have meeting webcasting facilities in place. Councillor Norman reminded Members that there had been delays with implementing the project due to the cyber incident. The Program Manager further explained that neighbouring district councils had adopted different proprietary systems, however there tended to be ongoing software costs.

132.6  The Chair commented that meeting webcasting could compliment the recommendation  ...  view the full minutes text for item 132.

To consider the report of the Leader of the Council sharing the report and recommendations resulting from the Corporate Peer Challenge (CPC) undertaken in November 2022, and outlining the Council’s response in the form of an Action Plan.

133.1  Councillor Norman introduced the report sharing the recommendations resulting from the Corporate Peer Challenge which took place in November 2022, and the Council’s resulting Action Plan. She outlined the themes considered by the peer team during their review which were set out at 3.5 of the report. She advised the Committee that the City Council had also asked the peer team to provide feedback on how the council responded to the cyber incident, and whether work undertaken by the council to tackle inequalities was improving outcomes for residents.

133.2  Councillor Norman highlighted the findings of the peer team at Appendix 1, noting that they had identified the commitment and talent of City Council Officers as a key strength, as well as the City Council’s track record of strengths-based community development work and relationship with voluntary and community groups in Gloucester. She also referred to comments at 4.2 in the full Corporate Peer Challenge report recognising the council’s commitment to culture and the Commission to Review Race Relations. Councillor Norman confirmed that that the peer review team had highlighted some challenges and the Action Plan included at Appendix 2 set out the proposed response to address those challenges.

133.3  The Chair commented that the Corporate Peer Challenge report was an interesting one and referred to the narrative at 4.3 in the full report stating that the Overview and Scrutiny Committee should consider an annual work programming session. Councillor Norman confirmed that the Cabinet would very much welcome input from the Overview and Scrutiny Committee in this way. She reflected on her previous experience of sitting on the Overview and Scrutiny Committee and recognised that Members might welcome the opportunity to drive policy rather than solely reacting to the Forward Plan.

133.4  In response to a query from the Chair regarding the proposed annual work programming session, the Managing Director noted that Officers from the Local Government Association (LGA) had offered to work with the Overview and Scrutiny Committee Group Leads, with potential opportunities for the Leads to observe how Members undertake policy development roles in neighbouring authorities. He further confirmed that Officers would be very willing to facilitate an annual meeting to develop a long-term Work Programme. It was noted that the Overview and Scrutiny Committee supported this unanimously.

133.5  Councillor Wilson referred to the narrative in the full Corporate Peer Challenge report at 4.4 and the statements that ‘consideration should be given as to whether resources in the Finance Team were sufficient to deliver the Quarter 3 and Quarter 4 budget monitoring reports’ and that ‘additional capacity’ may be needed. He asked for further information as to what had caused the peer review team to reach this conclusion. Councillor Norman explained that the Corporate Peer Challenge had taken place in November 2022, during a period where the cyber incident was having an ongoing impact on the finance system and the ability of the team to produce the routine Financial Monitoring reports. It was her belief that the comments around  ...  view the full minutes text for item 133.

To consider the report of the Cabinet Member for Culture and Leisure presenting the City Council’s Sport and Activity Strategy 2023-2028.

134.1  The Cabinet Member for Culture and Leisure, Councillor Andrew Lewis, introduced the report. He explained that the development of a Sport and Physical Activity Strategy was one of a number of actions raising from the options appraisal conducted by the Sport, Leisure and Culture Consultancy (SLC) back in 2022. Councillor Lewis further advised that Active Gloucestershire had been commissioned to help devise the strategy, which identified 4 priorities including achieving health and wellbeing outcomes, reducing inactivity, and increasing participation, delivering a positive customer experience, and working with local clubs, groups and the third sector.

134.2  Councillor Lewis informed Members that the Strategy included a set of 18 Key Performance Indicators to help monitor progress. He noted that the document was in draft form and that any suggestions for improvement from the Overview and Scrutiny Committee would be welcome.

134.3  In response to a request for clarification from the Chair as to what was meant by ‘physical literacy’, the Head of Culture explained that the KPIs set out in the draft strategy were based on Sport England guidance and that ‘physical literacy’ was a term used by Sport England to measure competency, enjoyment and confidence amongst young people undertaking physical activity.

134.4  The Chair referred to proposals for a Blackbridge Community Sports facility and noted that the proposal was for the facility to be run by a charitable trust rather than the City Council. He asked whether the Cabinet Member had received any updates on the position of GL1 Leisure facility. Councillor Lewis noted that he did not have any particular comments on GL1 but expressed the view that the Blackbridge proposals were good and that it was his hope that the facility would fit in well with the local community.

134.5  Councillor Hilton referred to the narrative at 3.2.3 in the report stating that a series of interviews had been undertaken with 12 Gloucester organisations during the development of the strategy. He noted that it would be useful for the list of these organisations to be shared with Overview and Scrutiny Committee Members. The Head of Culture explained that some of these organisations included the Gloucestershire Integrated Care Board (ICB) and local sports clubs. It was agreed that the full list of organisations would be shared with Overview and Scrutiny Committee Members in due course.

134.6  Councillor Hilton raised concerns that the strategy did not refer to elite athletes and how the City Council proposed to support talented young people who were progressing in their sport. He also noted that he felt more consideration needed to be given to swimming provision for young people. Councillor Lewis noted that elite athletes tended to be supported through their sporting bodies and associations, expressing the view that those organisations were best placed to provide specialist support. Councillor Lewis confirmed that the document was an aspirational and overarching strategy for the general public and welcomed suggestions from Members.

134.7  Councillor Hilton commented that in his view the strategy should deliver for both the  ...  view the full minutes text for item 134.

To approve the revised membership of the Task and Finish Group on Damp and Mould in Gloucester’s rented accommodation.

135.1  The Democratic Services Officer explained that the Overview and Scrutiny Committee were being asked to approve a revised membership of the Task and Finish Group on Damp and Mould in Gloucester’s rented accommodation. She noted that a Task and Finish Group progress update was outlined in the agenda papers and that it was hoped that the Committee would receive the Task and Finish Group report in June or July 2023.

          RESOLVED – That the Overview and Scrutiny Committee APPROVE the revised membership of the Task and Finish Group.

Monday 5^th June 2023 at 6.30pm in Civic Suite, North Warehouse.

Tuesday 9^th May 2023.