Issue - meetings

Reporting Person: Councillor Josh Brown

[Note: By the Council’s Constitution, Council meetings are required to end after three and a half hours unless members of the Committee agree to extend the meeting.  At 10:19pm the Committee held a vote to extend the meeting which was agreed by majority.]

Councillor Brown informed members that there would be an extraordinary meeting of the Committee to be held on 11 December 2023 to perform pre-decision scrutiny of items on the Executive agenda.  It was agreed to consider the:

·           Draft Medium Term Financial Strategy (MTFS) and General Fund Budget 2024-25

·           Draft Housing Revenue Account Budget Update 2024-25

·           Asset Disposal

The asset disposal would need to be considered without public or press presence due to commercial sensitivity.

In response to a Scrutiny Topic Proposal form submitted by a representative of Citizens Advice Woking, the Committee reaffirmed its agreement from the meeting held on 16 October 2023 to delegate arrangement of their invitation to the Committee to the Chair and Vice-Chair.  Preference was given to Citizens Advice Woking attending at the extraordinary meeting to be held on 11 December 2023.

In response to a concern raised, the Chair suggested that York Road Project be asked to submit a Scrutiny Topic Request form.  York Road Project was an organisation that held a Service Level Agreement with the Council and would receive reduced support.

Concern was raised that inviting only one organisation would amount to unequal treatment of partner organisations.

The Committee agreed to delay invitation of Thames Water to a future meeting until after the start of the next Municipal Year.

Resolved

That the Work Programme be noted.