Issue - decisions

Matter for Decision

The report provided an update on the activities of the Combined Authority since the last meeting of Strategy and Resources Scrutiny Committee in March 2017.

 

Decision of Executive Councillor for Strategy and Transformation:

     i.        Agreed to report the contents of this report to the scrutiny committee.

    ii.        Provided a verbal update at the meeting on issues considered at the 28 June meeting of the Combined Authority.

   iii.        Agreed to provide informal briefings if a Group Leader or a Combined Authority Overview and Scrutiny representative requested this using the process set out in paragraph 7.6.

  iv.        If a Group Leader or a Combined Authority Overview and Scrutiny representative wishes an informal briefing following a decision of the Combined Authority Overview and Scrutiny Committee to call-in a decision of the Combined Authority, Democratic Services will follow the process as described section 7.6 of the Officers report.

 

Reason for the Decision

As set out in the Officer’s report.

 

Any Alternative Options Considered and Rejected

Councillors requested a change to recommendation 2.2. Councillor Cantrill formally proposed to amend the following recommendation from the Officer’s report (amendments shown as bold and struck through text):

iii Agreed to provide informal briefings if a Group Leader or a Combined Authority Overview and Scrutiny representative with group leaders and Combined Authority Overview and Scrutiny representatives, if requested this using the process set out in paragraph 7.6.

 

Councillor Cantrill formally proposed an additional point under section 7.6 of the officer’s report (addition shown in bold):

 

iv. If a Group Leader or a Combined Authority Overview and Scrutiny representative wishes an informal briefing following a decision of the Combined Authority Overview and Scrutiny Committee to call-in a decision of the Combined Authority, Democratic Services will follow the process as described section 7.6 of the Officers report.

 

Scrutiny Considerations

The Committee received a report from the Chief Executive.

 

The Committee made the following comments in response to the report:

     i.        Commented that the formal process of scrutiny outlined in section 7.6 was not set up for pre-scrutiny. 

    ii.        Recognised the need to be flexible with their approach to scrutiny but suggested that some authorised record of the meeting was required, perhaps in the form of minutes.

   iii.        Asked about the status of the 100 day plan and whether the Combined Authority had any input or whether it was produced by the Mayor alone?

  iv.        Asked if there was a chance that the £70 million that the government promised to fund housing in Cambridge could be side-lined?

 

The Chief Executive and Executive Councillor for Strategy and Transformation said the following in response to Members’ questions:

     i.        Agreed that an appropriate method of scrutiny needed to be assessed in order for it to match the time and pace of the Combined Authority.

    ii.        Agreed in principle that a formal record would be beneficial where a scrutiny meeting was held in response to a Combined Authority item being called in by the Overview and Scrutiny Committee.

   iii.        The 100 day plan was created by the Mayor alone. It should be viewed in conjunction with the Combined Authority’s Forward Plan.

  iv.        Confirmed that the £70 million would not be side-lined.

 

The Committee unanimously resolved to endorse the recommendations as amended.

 

The Executive Councillor approved the recommendations as amended.