Agenda item

5.15pm

The Chair referred the Members to the previous reports that had been submitted to this Committee from the Leisure, Sport and Culture Activities Scrutiny Project Group. This group had been running since 2013 to review the on-going construction project for the new Queen’s Park Sports Centre and had since expanded to include reviews of the Playing Pitch and Outdoor Facilities Strategy, the Sports Facilities Strategy and the Parks and Open Spaces Strategy.

Some of the Members on the project group had stood down at the last election, so there was a need to invite new Members to join the Group. The Committee agreed to invite the previous Members of the group who had been re-elected to continue and that the Members of the Overview and Scrutiny Committees also be invited to take part.

The Committee also agreed that the Chair would take over leadership of the group from Cllr Flood, who had previously been the project group leader. It was commented that Cllr Flood had a lot of responsibility and commitments as Vice-Chair of Appeals and Regulatory Committee and of Licensing Committee. The Chair of the Enterprise and Wellbeing Scrutiny Committee taking on the lead of the project group was proposed to provide a clear leadership of the group from the Committee.

The Project Group would be asked to meet as soon as possible to consider its on-going work and also to review the scoping document for a sub-group on the review of the Community Sport and Physical Activity Strategy that had been considered at the previous meeting of this Committee. 

It was discussed that it would be beneficial for a development session to be held on the working of project groups. This was to cover project group procedures, the expectations on Members taking part in a group and the support that would be provided by the Council. This clarification on the project groups and their resourcing would then assist in the planning of the workload for the Committee and its expectations on the amount of project group work that could realistically be undertaken.

All Councillors would be invited to attend the development session and it was requested that this session be held before the next meeting of the Committee in July 2015.

The Policy and Scrutiny Officer advised the Committee that there are some guidance documents on the project groups on the intranet that may also be helpful for the Members to refer to.

Members discussed that, following the development session on the project groups, a review should be undertaken on the membership arrangements for project groups and that some guidance could be produced to be considered by the Overview and Performance Scrutiny Forum.

RESOLVED –

1)           That the Members of the Leisure, Sport and Culture Activities Scrutiny Project Group who had been re-elected be invited to continue to take part in the group.

2)           That all Members of the Overview and Scrutiny Committees be invited to take part in the Leisure, Sport and Culture Activities Scrutiny Project Group.

3)           That the Chair of this Committee, Cllr P. Gilby, take over the lead of the Leisure, Sport and Culture Activities Scrutiny Project Group.

4)           That the Leisure, Sport and Culture Activities Scrutiny Project Group be requested to meet as soon as possible to discuss its on-going work and review the scoping document on the Community Sport and Physical Activity Strategy.

5)           That a Member development session on project groups be held before 28 July 2015.

6)           That following the Member development session, the arrangements for membership of project groups be considered and for new guidance to be proposed for consideration by the Overview and Performance Scrutiny Forum.