Agenda and minutes

Apologies for absence were received from Councillors E Anderton, C Birch and Matthew Vincent.

Members will disclose any pecuniary and any other significant interests they may have in relation to the matters to be considered at this meeting.

Councillor Reeves declared an interest in agenda item 8 (Overview and Scrutiny Work Programme 2016-17) as an employee of Citizens Advice Fylde, the report referring to a task group that would consider the future funding of Citizens Advice Lancashire West by the council.

To confirm as a correct record the minutes of the meeting of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee held on 1 August 2016.

RESOLVED that the minutes of the meeting of the committee held on 1 August 2016 be confirmed as a correct record.

Mark Broadhurst (Service Director Health and Wellbeing) has submitted a report.

Mark Broadhurst (Service Director Health and Wellbeing) submitted a report.  Councillor Vivien Taylor (Health and Community Engagement Portfolio Holder) also attended for this item.

Mr Broadhurst referred to his report and highlighted a number of points. 

LeftCoast was an innovative arts programme funded by the Arts Council and managed by a consortium of partners, including Wyre Council.  The Arts Council provided funding of £3m over three years from 2013-2016 and additional funding of £1m had been secured for a further three years, 2016-2019.  Wyre contributed £20,000 per annum, but it was considered that a return far in excess of the contribution was achieved. 

A work programme for the next three years was still to be agreed.  The council would be seeking to maximise how the programme might best deliver against local strategic priorities including contributions to improving health and wellbeing and addressing social isolation, for example.

There were three strands to the programme, all of which were detailed in the report:

(i)            Creative engagement – aimed at increasing participation

(ii)          Talent development

(iii)         Flagship commissions, with particular focus on the SpareParts Festival

In response to questions from members of the committee Mr Broadhurst made the following additional points:

• There was an awareness that the rural parts of Wyre could benefit from any LeftCoast initiatives just as much as urban areas.

• LeftCoast had enabled the council to achieve things that could not have been achieved in isolation, so it represented good value for money, a point that was supported by Councillor Vivien Taylor, Health and Community Engagement Portfolio Holder.

RESOLVED that

(i)            Mr Broadhurst be thanked for his report, and

(ii)          The report be noted

Marianne Hesketh (Service Director Performance and Innovation) and Ian Munro (Head of Culture, Leisure and Tourism) have submitted a report.

Marianne Hesketh, Service Director Performance and Innovation, submitted a report. 

Ms Hesketh referred to a meeting held in June, which was attended by Cat Smith MP, which addressed, amongst other things:

• Building better relationships with traders
• Marketing
• Security
• The market’s physical appearance

Ms Hesketh and Ian Munro (Head of Culture, Leisure and Tourism) responded to a number of questions from councillors, making the following points:

·         The occupancy rate (80%) was a little low

·         The gap between the cost of a market stall and the cost of renting a shop on Lord Street, for example, was closing

·         Fleetwood market, which is open four days a week, should not be compared directly with other markets, such as Poulton, which were only open for one day each week

·         A number of incentives were available to try to attract new traders

·         It was the responsibility of the traders to promote their own businesses

·         The council has provided marketing material jointly with Freeport

·         Significant efforts were made to reduce arrears

Councillors suggested that attention could be paid to making the layout of the market more attractive.  It was also suggested that efforts should be made to make travel to the market by tram more attractive, perhaps by introducing joint ticketing arrangements or by encouraging traders to offer discounts.

RESOLVED that

(i)            Marianne Hesketh be thanked for her report,

(ii)          Marianne Hesketh and Ian Munro be thanked for attending the meeting, and

(iii)         the report be noted

The Service Director Performance and Innovation, Marianne Hesketh, has submitted a report, the 1^st Quarter Performance Statement 2016/17, April – June 2016.

Marianne Hesketh, Service Director Performance and Innovation, submitted a report. 

The Chairman, Councillor Michael Vincent, asked why the project, “We will develop our staff so that they can effectively respond to current challenges” appeared not to have been commenced yet.  Ms Hesketh replied that this was a project that was dependent upon engaging with staff and that would be done once the new vision of the new Corporate Management Team had been communicated.

RESOLVED that the report be noted.

Rea Psillidou (Planning Policy and Economic Development Manager) has submitted a report updating the committee on the progress of the Local Plan.

Rea Psillidou, Planning Policy and Economic Development Manager, submitted a report.

It was suggested that the committee might investigate how the borough’s flood response was coordinated.  It was agreed that once a decision had been made the decision might be scrutinised but the committee should not parallel work that was already being undertaken.

RESOLVED that the report be noted.

Marianne Hesketh (Service Director Performance and Innovation) has submitted an update report on the Overview and Scrutiny Work Programme 2016/17.

Councillors were updated about current task groups and those that were planned, the Service Director Performance and Innovation, Marianne Hesketh, having submitted a report. 

The food hygiene task group would be holding its first meeting on Wednesday 21 September and the task group on domestic abuse had a series of four further meeting arranged before the end of October.

The committee considered the draft scoping document for a task group on Citizens’ Advice and agreed that all non-Executive councillors should be invited to express interest in taking part in the group, which was likely to hold two meetings during November.

It was noted that an item about the Shaping Your Neighbourhood initiative would not be ready for the committee to consider in time for the meeting on 10 October, as had originally been planned.  Councillors agreed that this item and a closely related on the implementation of the recommendations of the Engaging with Communities task group should be considered together at a later meeting.

RESOLVED that

(i)            the Citizens’ Advice draft scoping document be agreed,

(ii)          the meeting of the committee originally scheduled to take place on 10 October 2016, be cancelled, and

(iii)         the report be noted.

Monday 10 October 2016 at 6pm.

RESOLVED that the next meeting of the committee be held at 6pm on Monday 7 November 2016 at the Civic Centre, Poulton-le-Fylde.