The Committee considered a Briefing Note, which provided a summary of the discussion and agreement at a meeting of the Policy and Performance Committee Chairs and Spokespersons held on 3September 2014, which had been convened to agree a common approach across all Policy and Performance Committees to scrutinising the proposals that come forward from the Future Council Programme. The Briefing Note indicated that Members had considered the successful approach taken in 2013/2014 and the Scrutiny Review that was undertaken by the Regeneration and Environment Committee upon the ‘What Really Matters’ consultation, and the impact of 2013/2014 budget options and potential options for 2014/2015. There had been broad agreement that the approach should form the blueprint for scrutinising budget options this year and, for 2015/2016, it was agreed that each Committee should operate independently but also, deliver a consistent outcome based upon the following principles –

·  A task and finish approach is adopted with the three Policy and Performance Committees setting up a scrutiny panel to review the options that fall under their remit.

·  Each committee to determine the number of Members on its panel and the number of sessions required.

·  The panel should have an initial scoping meeting once the budget options are published to agree which options they wish to scrutinise and who they want to speak to i.e. Council Officers / external advisors.

·  The panel should determine the preferred days/times for the Q and A sessions i.e. full evidence day, or a number of workshop sessions.

·  Cabinet leads should be invited to observe sessions.

·  In line with all task and finish scrutiny work, notes will be taken and a report with recommendations will be taken back to full committee for discussion and approval.

The Chair commended the proposed approach to Future Council scrutiny and referred to the need for the process to be streamlined, in view of the timescales involved. He also requested that volunteers for the Task and Finish Group should contact him directly.

Resolved – That the approach to Scrutinising Future Council Budget Options set out in the Briefing Note, be endorsed.