To receive apologies for absence.

Apologies were received from Cllrs Bill Evans (substitute Cllr Frank Baynham) and Cllr Carole Allaway Martin and from Sue Pangbourne, Head of Paid Service.

To confirm the minutes of the meetings held on 17 November and 5 December 2011 (attached).

The minutes of the meetings held on 17 November and 5 December 2011 were confirmed and signed as an accurate record.

The chairman to identify any items of urgent business.

The chairman identified no items of urgent business.

To receive any declarations of interest in any matter to be discussed at the meeting.  Members and officers are requested to identify the nature of the interest and indicate whether it is personal or prejudicial.

Cllr Baynham declared a personal interest in item 8.1, because he had acted as a consultant to the Police.

Cllr Bevan declared a personal interest in item 7.2 as a bus operator.

Cllr Elsmore declared a personal interest in item 7.2 as an employee of Stagecoach.

To consider questions from members of the public in accordance with the published protocol. To submit a question contact Democratic Services on 01594 812625 or email democratic.services@fdean.gov.uk. All questions must be submitted in writing at least two working days prior to the meeting.

There were no public questions.

To consider items for discussion at future committee and panel meetings, including relevant issues on the Cabinet forward plan.

The committee considered the cabinet forward plan. Members agreed to leave the council's home working policy for the Staff Joint Consultative Panel to consider.

The Solicitor to the Council explained that the Single Status exercise was still at the stage of detailed negotiation concerning pay modelling and reconsidering some posts (sore thumbing). She hoped that a costed set of proposals could be brought to the cabinet in April 2012.

The committee agreed to add the Gloucestershire Homeseeker Housing Allocation Policy to its February agenda, alongside the Benefits Services Partnership already identified. The committee also decided to move the Affordable Housing Options item to its 12 April 2012 meeting and the six-month review of the office public opening hours to its 10 May 2012 meeting.

To establish any inquiry and confirm its scope and terms of reference and to confirm the inquiry into private sector housing renewals grants.

The committee agreed to begin the inquiry into private sector housing renewal grants as soon as possible. Cllr Horne agreed that the item regarding fuel poverty that she had submitted could be covered by the same inquiry.

Cllr Winship said that the panel would need to avoid the inquiry becoming too broad if it included the fuel poverty item.

Cllr Martin, who had agreed to chair the inquiry, commented that several of the identified outcomes in the fuel poverty scoping document were covered directly by renewal grants.

The chairman asked that a meeting be arranged to begin the inquiry as soon as practicable .

The committee then considered a scoping document submitted by Cllr Lynn Sterry concerning a review of governance arrangements.

The committee chairman, Cllr Burford reminded members that a Full Council motion regarding the same issue currently stood deferred until central government published detailed guidance on the implementation of the Localism Act.

Cllr Winship asked for advice on the best time to consider the issue.

The Solicitor to the Council replied that she was receiving indications that government guidance would be published in April. She would then inform Cllr Edey, the proposer of the deferred motion and the committee. She added that the motion and the inquiry were not contradictory.

The committee agreed to consider the scoping document again in April.

Cllr Burford again invited all councillors to bring potential inquiry issues to the committee by completing scoping documents.

Cllr Burford referred to the scrutiny panel plan, which appeared for the first time on the agenda (page 21). For cabinet member question and answer sessions, he asked members to send to Democratic Services the areas for questioning in plenty of time for the meeting. This would enable cabinet members to bring the relevant officer.

The panel assisted the inquiry into bus links and will soon begin an

inquiry into private sector housing renewals grants.

The panel was due to meet on 26 March 2012 for a question and answer session with Cllr Hale, Cabinet Member for Community and Cllr Diana Edwards, Cabinet Member for Local Partnerships and Projects.

The committee agreed to request as its training item an update on the Localism Act at the meeting.

Cllr Winship to present the final report of the bus links inquiry and recommendations to be referred to the Cabinet and Full Council.

The panel was due to meet on 23 April for a question and answer session with Cllr Quaile, Cabinet Member for the Environment.

Cllr Winship, inquiry chairman, presented the final report for the bus links scrutiny inquiry as at the agenda. She outlined the background, emphasising paragraph 1.3, page 24, which explained the change in direction for the inquiry.

She highlighted the efforts of councillors in undertaking research for the inquiry and the issues over vehicle reliability. The inquiry had taken written evidence from various sources.

The panel had questioned the community transport providers, who had requested support and help in marketing their services, in particular the fact that they were not just for older or infirm people, but for anyone with as transport need. The panel had also heard evidence from Alan Barrett from Gloucestershire County Council and Lena Maller from the council's Community Engagement team. Lena Maller had emphasised the need for support in the expression of interest sent for lottery funding to help co-ordinate the work of the community transport providers.

The council had already put details of the community transport providers on the screens in the reception area and would add them to the transport page on the website.

Cllr Winship said that there was still work to do in pushing for information to be given to patients at hospitals and clinics regarding community transport at times when the ambulance service could not provide transport home. She was pleased that there was now a bus service to Lydney station four times a day and believed the here would be a need for that to be increased.

She explained that recommendation c) of the report regarding a request for ongoing updates on all changes as they happened was crucial, because the county council had not made decisions on all the routes; some were under revision.

Cllr Winship ended by emphasising the importance of appointing a transport champion, who would be able to devote adequate time to the role, suggesting that it be someone who did not already have major responsibilities.

Answering a question from Cllr Baynham, Cllr Winship said that park and ride links had not been within the scope of the inquiry.

Cllr Frankie Evans asked if there was a time limit for sending the letters mentioned in the recommendations.

The Solicitor to the Council replied that the letters would be sent within 28 days of the meeting, if approved.

Cllr Brian Edwards asked if the voluntary community transport providers were willing to work together.

Cllr Winship said that Bream Voluntary Car Service wished to continue as it was, but that the lottery bid would help all four to work together.

Cllr Davies emphasised the need to address the use of bus passes in Wales, as residents in his ward had to travel across the border to visit hospital and doctors' surgeries.

Cllr Winship acknowledged that this had been an ongoing issue for some time and had been raised at MP level. It was between the  ...  view the full minutes text for item 7.2

Cllr O'Neill to give an oral update on the cabinet budget report, which the panel considered on 12 December 2010.

Cllr O'Neill, chairman of the panel, reported that the panel had met on 12 December and had asked many varied questions of Cllr Robinson, Cabinet Member for an Efficient Council, and the Group Manager for Finance and Property for over two hours. The panel had been completely satisfied by the answers. He emphasised that the meeting had been purely to clarify issues within the budget, not to challenge the budget itself.

He agreed to work with the group manager and Democratic Services Officer to produce a record of the questions and answers, to be appended to the minutes when complete.

The panel will consider the third quarter performance report in February 2012.

The panel would meet on 6 February 2012 to consider the third quarter performance report.

To note report LD.386, a briefing document from Gloucestershire County Council regarding the setting up of a Police and Crime Panel in the county.

Cllr Burford presented report LD.386. He emphasised that the panel would have an important role in scrutinising the work of the Police Commissioner to be elected in November 2012, effectively replacing the Police Authority. The panel would have the power to veto the police budget and the appointment of a Chief Constable. The council had to appoint a representative to the panel at its annual meeting in May 2012. Because the panel could affect budgets, it was thought that panel members should not come from councils' executives, as there would be a conflict of interest. In mid-March there would be an all-member information event to clarify the process.

The committee noted the report.

To consider report F.142 and make recommendations to the cabinet.

Cllr Robinson, Cabinet Member for an Efficient Council, presented report F.142, stating that the budget built on the previous one responding to the same corporate priorities. He commented that the surplus on page 39 had grown and was estimated to be near £55,000 by the end of 2012/13. Income from business rates was uncertain and although the medium term financial plan was sound, details of funding for 2013 -015 were still sketchy. It was proposed to freeze council tax, fees and charges and there were no proposed cuts to services for 2012/13. He invited questions.

The Group Manager for Finance and Property reported that the government had published its response to consultation regarding the future of external audit. Chief financial officers from the county's authorities would be meeting during the following week to reconsider a common framework, as the biggest impact would be on the county council. It appeared that the business rates issue would be index linked, so the council should not be adversely affected. He would be working on the detail to present to the cabinet in February.

Answering Cllr Frankie Evans, Cllr Robinson confirmed that the division of one of the council's units had been completed in January and three of the four units been let.

Cllr Robinson clarified for Cllr Winship that the £150,000 mentioned for recyclate collection was an increase in income. The £5 million set aside for claims from Two Rivers Housing had been an alternative to insuring a risk. It acted as an indemnity against any contamination on transferred land only and would run out in 2013. To date there had been no claims and hopefully it would become a free reserve.

Cllr Burford asked for clarification on the difference in green waste collection expenditure between 2012/13 and 2013/14.

The Group Manager for Finance and Property explained that £100,000 had been allocated as a one-off cost in the first year of operation.

Cllr Burford then asked why waste collection costs were set to rise between 5 and 10 per cent against a background of freezes and cuts. He also asked if savings could be made from the waste collection budget.

Cllr Robinson replied that prediction covered possible fuel cost increases and was in line with current inflation at just over 5 per cent. The Group Manager for Finance and Property added that the figure was not based on the Retail Price Index, but other indices.

Cllr Robinson said that the council was in a long-term contract and that it was considering involvement in joint waste arrangements and a possible waste company designed to achieve savings through partnership. The Group Manager for Finance and Property reminded the committee that the Environmental Contracts team had already achieved savings of £400,000, adding that there was scope for the council to save more by buying and then leasing vehicles to Biffa.

Answering a question from Cllr Winship, the Group Manager for Finance and Property said that the council had achieved a saving of £86,000 in buying refuse  ...  view the full minutes text for item 8.2

All at 6.00pm

Thursday 2 February 2012 at the council offices, Coleford

Thursday 12 April 2012 at the council offices, Coleford

Thursday 3 May 2012 at the council offices, Coleford

Thursday 19 July 2012 at Lydney Town Hall

All at 6.00pm with a chairman’s briefing for members at 5.30pm

Thursday 2 February 2012 at the council offices, Coleford

Thursday 12 April 2012 at the council offices, Coleford

Thursday 3 May 2012 at the council offices, Coleford

Thursday 19 July 2012 at Lydney Town Hall