Councillors JD Peggs, FI Simpson, TJ Tyler and PS Watts.
176.
1. Apologies
Apologies for absence were received on behalf of Councillors DM Beith, AB Douglas, RE Hutchinson and RT Pearson.
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177.
2. Declaration Of Interest
Councillor JD Peggs: personal and prejudicial interest in Item 4 – Implications of the Withdrawal of Discretionary Rate Relief;
Councillor FI Simpson: personal and prejudicial interest in Item 10 – Embedding of Improvement Process, as a member of the Improvement Programme Board.
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178.
3. Minutes Of The Meeting of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee Held on 12th July 2007
DECISION: To approve as a correct record the Minutes of the Meeting of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee held on 12th July 2007.
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179.
4. Implications of the Withdrawal of Discretionary Rate Relief
Members were joined by the following representatives of organisations expected to be affected by the withdrawal of discretionary rate relief from April 2008:
• Mike Gowland, North Northumberland Village Halls Consortium
• Clive Hallam-Baker, North Northumberland Village Halls Consortium
• Marc Johnston, Community Action Northumberland
• Julien Lake, Berwick-upon-Tweed Community Development Trust
• Lynda Watson, Northumberland VCS Consortium
Members were told how the withdrawal of discretionary non-domestic rate relief would cause great hardship to small voluntary and community organisations across the Borough, many of which had extremely small budgets and worked on an entirely voluntary basis.
Lynda Watson also raised concerns about the Council’s decision in light of the agreed Northumberland Compact, and government guidance on the powers of billing authorities, although officers assured Members that all statutory requirements had been met.
DECISION: To set up a working group consisting of Councillors Stewart, Simpson, Tyler and Watts to consider in more detail the list of organisations which would be affected by the Council’s withdrawal of discretionary non-domestic rate relief, prior to considering recommendations on this matter. The working group would report back to the next meeting of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee.
[Note: having declared an interest, Councillor JD Peggs left the meeting for the duration of the item detailed above.]
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180.
5. Covalent Demonstration
DECISION: To encourage Members of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee to become users of the Covalent system, and to receive one-to-one training on its use from the Improvement and Projects Officer.
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181.
6. Venues for Council Committee Meetings in 2007-2008
DECISION: To request a further report to the next meeting of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee, outlining Members’ attendance at meetings over the past two years.
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182.
7. Berwick Borough Local Strategic Partnership
DECISIONS: (i) To agree that the notes of the first meeting of the review Working Group be circulated to all Members of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee; and (ii) to agree to receive further update reports as the review progresses.
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183.
8. Grass Cutting Review
DECISIONS: (i) To agree the draft report and recommendations on the Overview and Scrutiny Committee’s review of the Council’s grass cutting and gardening service, subject to the amendments agreed at the meeting; and (ii) to agree to present the completed report to the Policy Committee at its meeting on 26th September 2007.
[Note: Councillor PS Watts left the meeting following discussion of the item detailed above, and did not return.]
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184.
9. New Developments in Scrutiny
DECISION: To request a report from the Vice-Chair following the North East Regional Overview and Scrutiny Conference on 13th September 2007.
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185.
10. Embedding of Improvement Processes
DECISION: To consider how well the service plans agreed for 2007-08 meet the Council’s priorities and how these are being delivered by the services. This will be achieved by calling for reports from individual service areas, to a schedule to be agreed at the next meeting of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee.
[Note: having declared an interest, Councillor FI Simpson left the meeting for the duration of the item detailed above.]
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186.
11. Press Release
DECISION: To issue a press release announcing the completion of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee’s review of the Council’s grass cutting and gardening services, and outlining its key recommendations.
