Agenda and minutes

It was noted that following receipt of the temporary resignation of Councillors Greenhalgh and Moulton from the Committee, the Monitoring Officer, acting under delegated powers, had appointed Councillors A Frampton and Fitzhenry to replace them for the purposes of this meeting.

To approve and sign as a correct record the Minutes of the meetings held on 14^th September, 2023 and to deal with any matters arising, attached.

RESOLVED that the minutes of the Committee meeting held on 14th September, 2023 be approved and signed as a correct record.

The Committee considered the report of the Scrutiny Manager which enabled the Overview and Scrutiny Management Committee to examine the content of the Forward Plan and to discuss issues of interest or concern with the Executive. 

MEDIUM TERM FINANCIAL STRATEGY UPDATE

The Committee considered the briefing paper attached to this item and the Cabinet report which was published on 9^th October 2023 detailing the forthcoming Cabinet decision regarding the Medium Term Financial Strategy Update. 

Councillor Fielker, Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Adults, Health and Housing, Mike Harris, Chief Executive, Mel Creighton, Executive Director Corporate Services and Steve Harrison, Head of Financial Planning and Management were present and with the consent of the Chair addressed the meeting. 

The Committee discussed the progress made in addressing the financial gap so far, how further savings were being identified, delivered and reported on a monthly basis in line with recommendations from CIPFA. 

CHANGE IN CITY CENTRE PARKING CHARGING HOURS

The Committee considered the briefing paper attached to this item detailing the forthcoming Cabinet decision regarding the proposed change in City Centre parking charging hours. 

Councillor Keogh, Cabinet Member for Environment and Transport, Ian Collins, Director of Environment and Richard Alderson, Service Manager Parking and Itchen Bridge were present and with the consent of the Chair addressed the meeting. 

The Committee discussed with the Cabinet Member the reasoning for the proposals being put forward and the impact this would have on residents, visitors, charitable and voluntary organisations and Sunday worshippers.

ST. MARY’S LEISURE CENTRE PROCUREMENT OUTCOME

This item was withdrawn from the agenda due to Cabinet deferring their decision to the November meeting. 

RESOLVED:

Medium Term Financial Strategy Update:

i)  That, whilst recognising the need for the Council to take timely decisions, the Executive commits to ensuring that, moving forward, the principles of transparency and openness continue to be employed by the Council when making decisions.

ii)  That clarification was provided with regards to whether additional funding had been provided by the Government in 2023/24 specifically for pothole repairs.

Change in City Centre parking charging hours:

iii)  That, at the earliest opportunity, the Executive seeks to identify solutions that will help to mitigate the impact of the proposals on charitable and community organisations in the city; and

iv)  That, at the earliest opportunity, the Administration invites Go South Coast to engage with faith communities and consider additional bus routes and increasing service frequency to enable modal shift to occur.

The Committee considered the report of the Cabinet Member for Adults, Health and Housing detailing the proposed draft Adult Social Care Charging Policy. 

Councillor Fielker, Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Adults, Health and Housing and Claire Edgar, Executive Director, Wellbeing and Housing were present and with the consent of the Chair addressed the meeting. 

The Committee discussed with the Cabinet Member the impact of fees and charges on residents, changes to current policy, cost of care both now and in the future and the uptake of service from residents who are presenting with more complex needs.

RESOLVED  that the Committee were provided with the Executive’s analysis with regards to the percentage of clients who would pay more for their care and the percentage of clients who would pay less for their care following the implementation of the proposed changes.

The Committee noted the report of the Scrutiny Manager which enabled the Overview and Scrutiny Management Committee to monitor and track progress on recommendations made to the Executive at previous meetings.