Agenda item

-      Report published as a supplementary agenda item.

* RESOLVED –

That Cabinet receives with thanks the report and recommendations of the Community, Customer and Organisational Scrutiny Committee and commissions a corporate officer working group to consider the resource implications to the Council of implementing the Committee’s recommendations, and to report this considered position back to the Committee and Cabinet for further review and final decision.

REASONS FOR RECOMMENDATIONS

1.   To ensure that all Friends of Groups can take on an effective role in the care and management of Chesterfield’s open spaces.

2.   To contribute to the delivery of the Chesterfield Borough Council Plan priority “to improve the quality of life for local people”.

Councillor Caulfield, Scrutiny Project Group Leader, presented the report and recommendations of the Community, Customer and Organisational Scrutiny Committee on Friends Groups.

The recommendations of the Scrutiny Project Group had been considered and approved by the Community, Customer and Organisational Scrutiny Committee on 19 September, 2017 (Minute No. 19, Community, Customer and Organisational Scrutiny Committee, 2017/18).  The Committee’s recommendations were now required to be considered by Cabinet in accordance with the Council’s Scrutiny Procedure rules.  A copy of the Scrutiny Project Group’s report on Friends Groups was attached as Appendix A to the Cabinet report.

The issue of how Friends of Groups and Community Groups worked with Council in support of the Council’s vision and priorities had been raised as an area for Scrutiny work as part of the new Scrutiny work programming process for 2016/17.  It was noted that the review contributed to the Council’s vision of “putting our communities first”, as well as the Council Plan 2015-19 objective “to increase the quality of public space for which the Council has responsibility through targeted improvement programmes.”

Councillor Caulfield informed the Cabinet of how the Project Group had carried out the review process, which included; meetings with Cabinet Portfolio Holders and Officers; consultations and discussions with local Friends Groups in-person and online; and analysing the current resources and officer support provided to Friends of Groups by Chesterfield Borough Council and other local authorities.

The Project Group’s recommendations were outlined to the Cabinet.  They had been formulated to make certain that the Friends of Groups are adequately and appropriately supported to ensure that they can function effectively and achieve the best possible outcomes for Chesterfield’s parks and open spaces.

Members discussed the recommendations and considered their resource implications to the Council.

Cabinet members expressed their appreciation to Councillor Caulfield and all members of the Scrutiny Project Group for their hard work on this issue, and noted the thoroughness and professionalism of the final report and recommendations.

* RESOLVED –

That Cabinet receives with thanks the report and recommendations of the Community, Customer and Organisational Scrutiny Committee and commissions a corporate officer working group to consider the resource implications to the Council of implementing the Committee’s recommendations, and to report this considered position back to the Committee and Cabinet for further review and final decision.

REASONS FOR DECISION

1.   To ensure that all Friends of Groups can take on an effective role in the care and management of Chesterfield’s open spaces.

2.   To contribute to the delivery of the Chesterfield Borough Council Plan priority “to improve the quality of life for local people”.