Agenda

 

Contact: Candida Basilio, Democratic Services

Telephone number: 07895 213820

Email: candida.basilio@southandvale.gov.uk

Date: 4 July 2023

Website: www.whitehorsedc.gov.uk

 

 

A meeting of the

Scrutiny Committee

will be held on Wednesday, 12 July 2023 at 5.00 pm

at The Beacon, Portway, Wantage, Oxfordshire, OX12 9BX

 

 

Members of the Committee:

Councillors:

 

Katherine Foxhall (Chair)

Judy Roberts (Vice chair)

Ron Batstone

James Cox

Amos Duveen

Oliver Forder

Hayleigh Gascoigne

Robert Maddison

Sally Povolotsky

 

Alternative formats of this publication are available on request.  These include large print, Braille, audio, email and easy read.  For this or any other special requirements (such as access facilities) please contact the officer named on this agenda.  Please give as much notice as possible before the meeting.

 

 

Patrick Arran

Head of Legal and Democratic

 

Agenda

 

Open to the Public including the Press

 

<AI1>

1.           Apologies for absence

 

 

To record apologies for absence and the attendance of substitute members. 

 

</AI1>

<AI2>

2.           Urgent business and chair's announcements

 

 

To receive notification of any matters which the chair determines should be considered as urgent business and the special circumstances which have made the matters urgent, and to receive any announcements from the chair. 

 

</AI2>

<AI3>

3.           Declaration of interests

 

 

To receive declarations of disclosable pecuniary interests, other registrable interests and non-registrable interests or any conflicts of interest in respect of items on the agenda for this meeting. 

 

</AI3>

<AI4>

4.           Minutes of the last meeting

(Pages 4 - 8)

 

To adopt and sign as a correct record the Scrutiny Committee minutes of the meeting held on 30 January 2023.

 

</AI4>

<AI5>

5.           Public participation

 

 

To receive any questions or statements from members of the public that have registered to speak. 

 

</AI5>

<AI6>

REPORTS AND ISSUES FOR THE CONSIDERATION OF THE SCRUTINY COMMITTEE

 

 

</AI6>

<AI7>

6.           Call in of Delegated Officer key decision: The provision of grounds maintenance, toilet cleaning and facilities service vehicles

(Pages 9 - 16)

 

 

 

The Scrutiny Committee is asked to consider the call-in of an officer key decision taken on 20 June 2023.  The decision relates to the provision of grounds maintenance, toilet cleaning and facilities service vehicles.

 

The call-in request was made by Councillor Katherine Foxhall, chair of Scrutiny Committee, supported by vice-chair Councillor Judy Roberts, and scrutiny committee members Councillors Hayleigh Gascoigne, Robert Maddison and Sally Povolotsky, for the following reasons:

  • The rationale for the decision is unclear and further explanation is required to address the climate and ecological implications of this decision – as laid out in the officer comments.
  • While this decision taken in itself is relatively minor, there are clear implications for future decision-making in relation to waste contracts (e.g. EV charging on the council estate), and the Vale’s commitment in its Climate Action Plan to reducing its carbon emissions by 75% by 2025.

 

The head of legal and democratic has accepted the call-in request as valid and has called this committee meeting to consider it.  The call-in request is deemed valid as:

  1. It was made within the five days call-in period, and
  2. The decision was called in by the chair of scrutiny committee and more than three supporting members

 

The effect of this call-in is that the decision will not be implemented until Scrutiny Committee has considered the matter. 

 

In making the decision, the Head of Development and Corporate Landlord, in conjunction with the Head of Finance and in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Environmental Services, considered the information contained in the delegated authority officer decision notice. The Lead Officer explained the information set out within the decision notice to the Head of Service, and that included how flexible the procurement framework would be in light of the ongoing Grounds Maintenance transformation process and the ongoing improvements with electric vehicle capability.  The decision notice was circulated to all members the day after the decision was made.

 

In accordance with the Scrutiny Procedure Rules in the council’s Constitution, the Scrutiny Committee has the following options:

  1. The committee may refer the decision back to the decision-maker (the Head of Development and Corporate Landlord)  The committee must define the nature of its concerns. 
  2. The committee may accept the decision as made and advise the decision-maker accordingly. 

 

Following the Scrutiny Committee meeting, the following may happen:

  1. If the Scrutiny Committee refers the decision back to the decision-maker for reconsideration, the decision-maker (Head of Development and Corporate Landlord) shall reconsider the decision, along with Scrutiny Committee’s comments.  The decision-maker may take the final decision by either incorporating amendments or confirming the original decision unchanged.  There is no scope within the Constitution for any further call-in. 
  2. If the Scrutiny Committee does not refer the decision back for reconsideration but instead agrees with the decision, then the decision can be implemented immediately. 

 

 

 

</AI7>

<TRAILER_SECTION>

</TRAILER_SECTION>

<LAYOUT_SECTION>

</LAYOUT_SECTION>

<TITLE_ONLY_LAYOUT_SECTION>

</TITLE_ONLY_LAYOUT_SECTION>

<TITLED_COMMENT_LAYOUT_SECTION>

</TITLED_COMMENT_LAYOUT_SECTION>

<HEADING_LAYOUT_SECTION>

</HEADING_LAYOUT_SECTION>

<TITLE_ONLY_SUBNUMBER_LAYOUT_SECTION>

</TITLE_ONLY_SUBNUMBER_LAYOUT_SECTION>

<SUBNUMBER_LAYOUT_SECTION>

FIELD_SUMMARY

</SUBNUMBER_LAYOUT_SECTION>

<COMMENT_LAYOUT_SECTION>

</COMMENT_LAYOUT_SECTION>