Agenda and draft minutes

to approve as a correct record the minutes of the Committee held on 8 February 2024;

O&S.31/23        

The minutes of the meeting of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee held on 8 February 2024 were confirmed as a correct record

In accordance with the Code of Conduct, Members are invited to declare any Disclosable Pecuniary Interests, Other Registerable Interests and Non-Registerable Interests including the nature and extent of such interests they may have in any items to be considered at this meeting;

O&S.32/23        

Members and officers were invited to declare any interests in the items of business to be considered during the course of the meeting, but there were none made.

A period of up to 15 minutes is available to deal with issues raised by the public;

O&S.33/23        

In accordance with the Public Forum Procedure Rules, the Chairman informed that no questions had been received for consideration.

O&S.34/23        

The Committee noted the Executive Forward Plan

O&S.35/23        

The Chair welcomed Nigel Hunt (on MS Teams) from Devon Building Control Partnership.  It was highlighted that:

•          Extensive new powers relating to enforcement, including stop notices and substantial fines. Increasing the timescales for enforcement action either by or on Building Control from 12 months to 15 years.

•          They face many challenges such as recruitment issues and all building control professions now have to register with the Building Safety Regulator (BSR).

•          Any existing surveyors who don’t gain such a validation and not licensed/registered at the appropriate level by 1 April 2024, would, in effect, be terminating their contract therefore not be able to practice.

•          In 2023 have seen a downturn in application numbers and therefore income. This was due to financial uncertainty generally and risings costs within the construction industry.

•          The partnership would be meeting at the end of the month to discuss the concerns raised and would provide a progress report.

•          The Members challenge the partnership, and they were in a better position than other local authorities.

It was then:

RESOLVED

That the Overview and Scrutiny Committee noted the update and for Devon Building Control Partnership to attend a future meeting for a progress update.

O&S.36/23        

The Chair welcomed Jane Nichols and Mike Hodges from Sustainable South Hams.  It was highlighted that:

•          They were not a political organisation.

•          They have a business plan in place for the next 5 years.

•          They were a young organisation and running for the last 18 months.

•          They were a volunteer organisation.

            In response to questions raised, it was reported:

•          That working with energy providers was a slow process, however working with local people with local knowledge would provide better outcomes.

•          The Energy Bill and impact on the community was very complicated, they were working with Rural England on initiatives such as solar panels on industrial units.

•          They compiled a document asking for feedback from member groups to ensure that Sustainable South Hams were value for money and ensuring that the grant received from South Hams District Council was well utilised.

•          They have a full breakdown on where/how money was spent and their accounts available to view and where in the public domain.

•          They want to harness people within the community to raise their awareness and encourage local parishes to engage.

It was then:

RESOLVED

That the Overview and Scrutiny Committee noted the update.

O&S.37/23                    

The Chair welcomed the Lead Member for Customer Service; Improvement; IT; and Digital Services who highlighted that the report sets out key service performance up to 31 January 2024 (Appendix A – Key Performance Indicators) and sets out the revised suite of KPI’s for reporting to the committee from 1 April 2024.  It was also highlighted that:

•          The new waste and recycling collections have now been implemented   and it is expected that the service performance would be back to normal from April.

•          They had seen an increase in FOIs from national organisations and students, however FOIs from residents were prioritised.

•          In respect of on-line take-up, the target was 80% and was currently at 72%, largely due to waste enquiries coming in on the phones however these were starting to decrease. Members were invited to visit the call centre team to understand how they operate.

•          A quarterly report on the Council Plan to the Executive and Overview and Scrutiny for a deep dive on a particular theme.

It was then:

RESOLVED

That the Overview and Scrutiny:

            1. Noted the Key Performance Indicators for April 2023 – January 2024.

            2. Agreed the revised suite of Key Performance Indicators as set out in Appendix A which will be implemented from 1 April 2024.

a)         EA and SW Water Research Task and Finish Group

            b)         Fusion Task and Finish Group

            c)         Local Lettings Policy

O&S.38/23                    

It was reported that the following task and finish groups were in the process of the being set up:

•          EA and SW Water Research Task and Finish Group

•          Fusion Task and Finish Group

•          Local Lettings Policy

O&S.39/23        

The Chair informed the Committee that the next meeting would take place on 27 June 2024.  The Annual Work Programme would be populated and circulated to Members.