Agenda and minutes

Meeting of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee held on 23 November 2021

RESOLVED that the minutes of the meeting of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee held on 23 November 2021 be confirmed and signed as a correct record.

Members may make any declarations of interest at this point and may also make them at any point during the meeting.

There were no declarations of interest at this point of the meeting.

There are no outstanding Matters Arising from previous meetings of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee.

There were no outstanding matters arising from previous meetings of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee.

Councillor Mrs A White, in the Chair, highlighted the work of the Overview and Scrutiny Flood Risk Management Working Group, explaining that whilst there had been delays through the pandemic, there had been significant work undertaken by Officer and Members, and she extended her thanks to all.

The Committee then heard from the Assistant Director of Commercial and Operational Services regarding the proposal to develop the council’s working arrangements to align strategic planning, development management and the operational response to the management of flood risk. It was explained that national statistics indicated one in six properties in England were at risk of flooding from rivers, sea and surface water, with many others susceptible to various sources of flooding. This number was only set to increase due to climate change, increasing the need and urgency for Councils and other Flood Risk Management bodies to put in place proportionate arrangements to deal with the increasing demand.

Members heard that this report would set out the current work being undertaken and propose a more formal method of providing officers and Members with adequate oversight of the current and future risk. This new method would bring together the current work, both operational and strategic, into one formal area. It was proposed that a new officer-led Flood Group would be formed and report to Management Team, similar to other working group arrangements. Feeding into the group would be a strategic Member Working Group comprising of Members who represented the authority on external flood-related bodies. Ultimately, reassurance in this area would be provided to the wider Member cohort through a twice-yearly report to the Overview and Scrutiny Committee.

The report outlined how officer and Member attendance at external forums would not only ensure the Council fulfilled its legislative duty, but also achieve a flow of consistent and credible information onwards to the Flood Group. It also acknowledged the need to communicate the Council’s strategies and preparedness to residents in order to support them to adequately protect their properties.

It was noted that the proposed Flood Group was not a reactive body. Existing

arrangements for minor and major flooding incidents, alongside other partners

via the Lincolnshire Resilience Forum were deemed adequate. If approved, the recommendations would help further prepare and protect residents against the short- and long-term risks from surface water and fluvial flooding.

In welcoming questions and comments from the Committee, there was further support for the work undertaken in recent times in relation to supporting those who had been flooded and were at risk of future flooding. The importance of involving Members with such work, as well as liaising with Town and Parish Councils, was emphasised, as was the need to document ‘near-misses’, as this could help inform where future risks may lie. It was noted that the efforts of homeowners to protect their properties, whilst perhaps experiencing flooded gardens or ‘non-residential’ space such as garages, were often overlooked and they did not receive the support they needed to avoid future flooding.

This was recognised  ...  view the full minutes text for item 33.

The content of the full Forward Plan for all Committees was NOTED.

The content of the Committee Workplan was NOTED.

To resolve that under Section 100 (A)(4) of the Local Government Act 1972, the public and press be excluded from the meeting for the following item(s) of business on the grounds that it involves the likely disclosure of exempt information as defined in paragraphs 1 and 3 of Part 1 of Schedule 12A of the Act.

RESOLVED that under Section 100 (A)(4) of the Local Government Act 1972, the public and press be excluded from the meeting for the following item of business on the grounds that it involves the likely disclosure of exempt information as defined in paragraphs 1 and 3 of Part 1 of Schedule 12A of the Act.

In anticipation of the presentation item at their meeting on 29 March 2022, Members of the Committee discussed areas of interest and concern in relation to leisure provision and sports development across the district. Following the presentations received by the Committee previously, it had been highlighted that it was important to engage with communities outside of the leisure centre environment and Members had previously been assured that outreach work had always been a focus, however the pandemic had delayed efforts. Members had previously heard the plan for initiating and continuing this outreach work and so the Committee suggested that this be a focus of the presentation.

Discussions also turned to experiences described to Councillors by individuals, in relation to use of the leisure centres and access to services, either in the community or on site in Gainsborough or Market Rasen.

A Member of the Committee noted the progress and delivery figures had been reported to the Prosperous Communities Committee and the focus on outreach work had also been discussed in that forum.

A Visiting Member suggested that, with major sporting events on the horizon, there was great opportunity to capture the excitement such events generated and use it to enhance engagement within local communities and, in particular, school aged children.

Further to this comment, it was suggested that a breakdown could be provided as to what services were offered for differing demographics, as well as a request for user data to be grouped by age range if possible.

The Democratic Services Officer undertook to share the areas of discussion with the attending guests in advance of the meeting in March, with the understanding that additional questions could be raised on the evening based on the information provided at that time.