Agenda and minutes
PDF 524 KBVenue: the Council Chamber - Council Offices, Trinity Road, Cirencester, GL7 1PX. View directions
Contact: Democratic Services
Media
| No. | Item |
|---|---|
|
Apologies To receive any apologies for absence. The quorum for the Overview and Scrutiny Committee is 3 members. Additional documents: Minutes: Apologies were received from Councillor Cunningham and Councillor Spivey.
|
|
|
Substitute Members To note details of any substitution arrangements in place for the meeting. Additional documents: Minutes: Councillor Wilkins substituted for Councillor Cunningham and Councillor Coleman substituted for Councillor Spivey.
|
|
|
Declarations of Interest To receive any declarations of interest from Members relating to items to be considered at the meeting. Additional documents: Minutes: There were no declarations on interest.
|
|
|
To approve the minutes of the meeting held on 3 March 2025. Additional documents: Minutes: The minutes of the meeting held on 3 March 2025 were discussed. Councillor Slater suggested that the entry regarding Councillor Selwyn chairing the meeting had been duplicated.
Councillor Dilys Neill proposed accepting the amended minutes and, Councillor Jon Waring seconded the proposal.
RESOLVED: To APPROVE the amended minutes of the meeting held on 3 March 2025 |
|
|
Matters Arising from Minutes of the Previous Meeting To consider actions outstanding from minutes of previous meetings. Additional documents: Minutes: Members asked whether a point raised at the previous Committee meeting regarding the Publica Transition Report, had been primarily focused on clarifying whether the Phase one of the Publica Transition was largely a matter of resolving HR and administrative matters. The Deputy Chief Executive had circulated a response to the query demonstrating the total and one-off costings of the Publics Transition Costs and other outstanding raised issues. |
|
|
Chair's Announcements To receive any announcements from the Chair of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee. Additional documents: Minutes: The Chair thanked Claire Locke for her help in supporting the work of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee. The Chair also thanked Gary Selwyn, who prior to his recent resignation as a Councillor had been a very effective and valued Deputy Chair of Overview and Scrutiny.
The Chair highlighted the British Farming Motion, proposed by Councillor Julia Judd at the last full Council meeting, as an important topic for the meeting. The intention was to establish a task-and-finish group to investigate this matter, with a report to be presented at the July Council meeting. The Chair acknowledged that the timeline was tight, considering the Easter and Bank holidays before the timing of the Council meeting.
|
|
|
Public Questions A maximum of 15 minutes is allocated for an “open forum” of public questions at committee meetings. No person may ask more than two questions (including supplementary questions) and no more than two such questions may be asked on behalf of one organisation. The maximum length of oral questions or supplementary questions by the public will be two minutes. Questions must relate to the responsibilities of the Committee but questions in this section cannot relate to applications for determination at the meeting.
The response may take the form of:
a) A direct oral response (maximum length: 2 minutes); b) Where the desired information is in a publication of the Council or other published work, a reference to that publication; or c) Where the reply cannot conveniently be given orally, a written answer circulated later to the questioner. Additional documents: Minutes: There were two public questions.
Question 1 Mr Andy Farmer, a resident farmer on the edge of Cirencester and the newly elected Secretary of the South Cotswold Labour Party.
Mr Farmer noted that the proposed British Farming Task-and-Finish Working Group would be cross-party membership, with all political groups invited to nominate one or two members. Mr Farmer asked whether the Committee believed that having a Labour representative on the working group would be beneficial? The Head of Democratic and Electoral Services confirmed that the Working Group would be representative of the political parties elected within Cotswold District Council but not of all political parties that existed in the wider District. It was confirmed that speakers could be invited to attend the Task-and-finish Working Group meetings to contribute to the findings.
Question 2 Mr Farmer expressed concern that the Task-and-finish Working Group, as outlined in the terms of reference, was tasked with considering the local impacts of inheritance tax and providing suggestions on how to campaign against the reforms, rather than focusing on determining the facts and data surrounding the issue. He asked whether the terms of reference for the working group could be adjusted accordingly?
The Chair reminded attendees to remain non-political due to the upcoming May elections and clarified that the motion requested a letter to Chancellor of the Exchequer based on the outcome of the discussions. The Chair noted that it was for the Task & Finish Group to decide how they would approach their investigations into the impact of the IHT changes on the farming community.
|
|
|
Member Questions A maximum period of fifteen minutes is allowed for Member questions. Questions must be directed to the Chair and must relate to the remit of the committee.
Questions will be asked in the order notice of them was received, except that the Chair may group together similar questions.
The deadline for submitting questions is 5.00pm on the working day before the day of the meeting unless the Chair agrees that the question relates to an urgent matter, in which case the deadline is 9.30am on the day of the meeting.
A member may submit no more than two questions. At the meeting the member may ask a supplementary question arising directly from the original question or the reply. The maximum length of a supplementary question is one minute.
The response to a question or supplementary question may take the form of:
a) A direct oral response (maximum length: 2 minutes); b) Where the desired information is in a publication of the Council or other published work, a reference to that publication; or c) Where the reply cannot conveniently be given orally, a written answer circulated later to the questioner. Additional documents: Minutes: There were no Member questions. |
|
|
Report back on recommendations For the Committee to note the Cabinet’s response to any recommendations arising from the previous Overview and Scrutiny Committee meeting. Additional documents: Minutes: In discussion the Chair suggested that, beyond keeping Town and Parish Councils informed about the transition to unitary councils, they should have been invited to share their views with each other. This would allow Town and Parish Councils to understand how their roles would be impacted by the changes to a unitary authority and what increased powers or financial resources they might seek to help them perform their responsibilities. It was emphasised that Councils wanted to be actively consulted rather than just informed, as various models for their involvement existed. Members requested insights from Town and Parish Councils in existing unitary councils on the upcoming Local Government Reorganisation.
The Monitoring Officer announced that a Town and Parish Summit would be held on 4 June 2025 in Cirencester, aimed at informing Town and Parish colleagues on Local Government Reorganisation, including lessons shared from other regions. A briefing note summarising key updates could also be provided for Members to share at Town and Parish meetings.
Concerns were raised about attendance difficulties due to the timing and location of the Town and Parish Summit, prompting discussions on satellite meetings in other areas. The Monitoring Officer suggested recording the sessions or enabling remote participation.
Members also discussed the financial implications of Local Government Reorganisation. The Deputy Chief Executive stated that no funding had been provided yet, though inquiries were being made. |
|
|
Work Plan and Forward Plan For the Committee to note and review its work plan and to select Cabinet decisions for pre-decision scrutiny at future committee meetings. Additional documents: Minutes: Suggestions for inclusion on the Work Plan were:
· The Chair had suggested inviting Bromford Housing Association, as the largest provider of affordable and social housing in the district, to provide an update on their strategies for tenant care, property maintenance and estate expansion.
· As part of the work plan, members suggested the Committee should scrutinise the impact of government tax changes on employment in the district. They noted that some businesses had paused recruitment or had made redundancies due to rising tax burdens, including business rates, national insurance, minimum wage increases, and new employment legislation. It was suggested that the Cotswold District Council explore ways to support economic vitality in response to these challenges. The Deputy Chief Officer highlighted the reduction in business rate relief from 75% to 40% for the 2025/26 tax year.
· The Planning Advisory Service (PAS) Review had highlighted the need for a new Local Plan, warning that without it, developers could challenge Council planning application decisions. The Deputy Leader of the Council stressed the importance of reviewing the PAS report upon receipt. It was evident that the Local Plan needed updating, particularly due to changes in housing targets. The uncertainty caused by the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) changes was acknowledged, and it was stated that further decisions would be made once more information was available. It was suggested that Overview and Scrutiny would be well positioned to examine the Cabinet’s response to the PAS Review and report its findings back to Cabinet. Members had discussed the resources allocated to supporting the delivery of the Local Plan.
The Deputy Chief Executive had noted the further £250K of funding allocated into the Council priority Ear Marked Reserve for the delivery of the Local Plan.
Members had explored engaging with the Enforcement team to receive an update on ensuring large estate developers fully complied with S106 obligations. Councillor Jenkinson would provide further information to support a report from the Planning Enforcement Team around the area of development obligations and their enforcement.
|
|
|
British Farming Motion Purpose To consider the Farming motion (attached) which was referred to the Committee by full Council on 19 March 2025 and whether to form 'Task & Finish' group to engage with interested parties about the local affects of Inheritance Tax changes.
Additional documents:
Minutes: The Chair had introduced welcomed the formation ofthe British Farming Motion Working Group, as proposed by the Council Leader at the Full Council meeting, 19 March 2025.
It was explained that the British Farming Motion Working Group would focus on examining the financial implications of inheritance tax changes on farming in the Cotswold District. Paul James, Business and Economic Officer for Cotswold District Council (CDC), had agreed to support the group. Whilst he acknowledged that farming and taxation were not his specialist areas, his strong understanding of the local business and economic context was considered to be a valuable asset. The Chair had expressed thanks for this involvement.
David Cunningham had been approached by the Chair of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee to chair the Farming Motion Working Group. The Chair asked the Committee to support his appointment, as his strong financial knowledge was considered vital to the group’s focus on inheritance tax and its impact on the farming sector.
Members expressed concerns that the Task-and-Finish Group's approach might be influenced by political considerations, potentially limiting its ability to objectively assess the impact of Inheritance Tax on Cotswold farmers. Members suggested that the Terms of Reference be refined to ensure an impartial approach.
The Chair explained that the structure of the British Farming Motion Task-and-Finish Group should reflect the political makeup of the Council. Additional Councillors could be invited to attend meetings to reflect their areas of expertise. A variety of external bodies would be sought to attend and inform the Task-and-Finish Group.
The Head of Democratic and Electoral Services explained that the Working Group’s Draft Terms of Reference stated that its purpose was to engage with interested parties to understand the local impacts of inheritance tax changes. Any wording about opposing the Inheritance Tax changes had come from the Farming Motion presented to the Full Council. The Group’s role was to better understand the impacts of the tax change rather than taking a stance against the changes.
Members considered the content of the Farming Motion and discussed the scope of issues to be included. Clarification was sought on whether the focus would be solely financial or encompass broader farming matters. Members discussed the processes by which Members could put forward suggestions to be considered by the Task-and-Finish Group.
The Interim Executive Director noted that the Committee did not need to delve into the scope of the discussion of the British Farming Motion Group or any prejudgments at this time, as the first meeting of the Task-and-Finish Group would determine the scope and approach for reviewing the information.
Members discussed the composition of the Working Group. The Head of Democratic and Election Services explained that, to meet the July deadline to report to Council, electing the Chair of the Working Group would facilitate the scheduling of meetings.
The Head of Democratic and Election Services outlined the points for approval in the Overview and Scrutiny Committee meeting as follows:
|
|
|
Financial Performance Report 2024-25 Quarter Three Purpose This report sets of the third budget monitoring position for the 2024/25 financial year. REPORT TO FOLLOW.
Recommendation That the Committee scrutinises the report and agrees any recommendations it wishes to submit to Cabinet.
Additional documents:
Minutes: The Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Finance and Transformation introduced the Financial Performance Report for 2024/25 Quarter Three. They raised the following points:
The Deputy Chief Executive added the following points:
Members discussed the report, raising the following points:
|
|
|
Updates from Gloucestershire County Council Scrutiny Committees Purpose To receive any verbal updates on the work of external scrutiny bodies:
Gloucestershire Economic Growth Scrutiny Committee – Cllr Angus Jenkinson Health Overview & Scrutiny Committee – Cllr Dilys Neill
Additional documents: Minutes: Councillor Jenkinson provided an update on the Gloucestershire Economic Strategy Scrutiny Committee and the following points were noted:
Councillor Neill provided an update on the Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee and the following points were noted:
Rollout of the spring COVID vaccine for those over 75 and individuals with pre-existing health conditions was planned. |