Agenda item

The Chairman requested that examples of a Scrutiny Officer job description was attached to the agenda.

Reporting Person: Councillor D Hughes

The Chairman introduced the item, which followed up on the findings of the Independent Review by Dr Gifty Edila and conclusion of the Woking Football Club & Associated Developments Task Groups work.  She highlighted the important role of this Committee in undertaking a scrutiny function to provide assurance to residents and fellow members regarding the processes behind the decisions of the Council.  This item was to allow discussion on the recommendations within Dr Edila’s report which refer specifically to the Overview and Scrutiny Committee.  The Independent report confirmed that the task groups focus was on the processes that lead to the decision and not the scrutiny of the Planning application. It was highlighted that there was an error in the report as there were only two members who sat on the task group and were also on the Planning Committee at the time, not four as mentioned in the report.  The Committee welcomed suggestions for how effective scrutiny can be improved in future.

Members welcomed the recommendation for the Council to create a Scrutiny Officer position, to assist the Committee with research, report writing and the Work Programme.  The Chairman advised that the Woking Football Club & Associated Developments Task Group was the first piece of scrutiny undertaken of this size, it was a learning curve for all involved and someone with a specialised skill set and time allocated to the work would have relieved the pressure from members who also have other commitments.  The role would also be able to assist with consultations, surveys and pulling documents together for review etc.  It was felt that that the job descriptions were over qualified and a part-time position would be beneficial. 

Dr Edila reported that ‘the Task Group performed expeditiously with admirable skill in reviewing the project’ and fully endorsed and added to the Task Group’s recommendations. She added other elements that would be helpful in future, which included;

1.      Chair to contact the Chair of WFC post the review. Action completed and two way communication has been established.

2.      Although the task group was commended for its report, in future, enhanced clarity over the declarations of interest would be helpful for transparency.

3.      Again the Independent review found that the Task Group did not look at the importance or relevance of the project itself and whether the development should be supported.  It was suggested that if any scrutiny where to take place into a project that could result in a planning application, would only allow members of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee and the Planning Committee to sit on as witnesses.

4.      Funding should be available for the Committee to assist with effective scrutiny. For example to purchase external expert advice.

Member training was also discussed, as it was greatly impacted by Covid-19, it was felt that training for their appropriate committee’s was vital and the importance of ensuring Planning Committee members were up to date with the latest legislation was stressed.  Previously the Overview and Scrutiny Committee had received training from South East Employers which members praised and the Chairman suggested holding biannual training for members of the committee. Also, whether the number of attendees for the committee should be increased to allow more support to task and finish groups to scrutinise particular items.

There was a typing error for Cllr Whitehand’s name, which was pointed out under point 6.1 in the report.

The Chairman thanked members for the work and support on the report.  It was agreed that members would feedback any comments on the job descriptions to the Chairman by Monday, 1 March 2021.