Issue - meetings

To consider the report on the referral from Cabinet regarding the AECOM engagement.

The Chair opened the discussion by stating the next three items, while being dealt with individually, were of a similar theme and that there was a perception in some quarters that the Council had not always acted as openly and truthfully as might be wished and whether there were therefore issues of trust that might need to be resolved.

He gave a summary of the report. Cabinet had referred a matter to the Scrutiny Committee relating to the engagement of AECOM to review the Local Plan Sustainability Appraisal. The Chair had proposed a note to Cabinet following correspondence and a meeting which took place over the summer. This note summarised that there had been a failure to fully inform Members and the public of the potential challenges to the Sustainability Appraisal and proposed remedial action. This was due to an unintentional oversight by an officer. Measures were now in place that should preclude a repetition.

The Chair said the report raised the concern that the Council had not always been as transparent as it should be.

There was general agreement that there was no point in digging into an issue which had already been investigated and that the new administration should be looking to the future, and should be careful not to make similar mistakes.

RESOLVED to refer the report by the Chair of Scrutiny Committee to Cabinet.