Issue - meetings

To consider the Scrutiny Committee’s Annual Report.

Councillor Gregory, Chair of the Scrutiny Committee, presented the Scrutiny Committee’s Annual Report.

He thanked the following Officers for their work:

·       The Local Plan and New Communities Manager for his work on the Local Plan

·       The Business and Performance Manager for her work on economic development

·       The Assistant Director of Environmental Services for his work on Climate Change

·       The Director of Finance and Corporate Services for his helpful work on Finance

·       The Assistant Director of Resources also for her work on Finance

·       The Assistant Director of Corporate Services as lead Officer

He also thanked the Scrutiny Committee for their work, including cross party colleagues who had ensured that party politics were put to one side in the interests of the Council and residents as a whole.He extended particular thanks to Councillor LeCount and Councillor Jones.

He said that Uttlesford has not always had the most open culture but that he was very pleased to acknowledge the openness and transparency that the current administration demonstrated under the Chief Executive.He said that openness was vital, and that it was Scrutiny`s job to ask reasonable questions and expect reasonable answers.

He highlighted the following from the previous year;

·   Review of the Local Plan process, conducted extraordinarily well by the Local Plan and New Communities Manager and his team in challenging times

·   Planning Obligations have been brought forward, have gone to Cabinet and are now under the process of being implemented, led by Councillors Criscione and Jones and the Assistant Director of Environmental Services. He said that he expected great things under the new Director of Planning

·   Economic recovery had been excellent

·   The Corporate Plan Delivery Plan had seen a huge improvement

·   The Committee had found some of the Climate Change representations    unconvincing

·   The budget was well received but further engagement was required with people who were making suggestions that would improve performance. He asked Officers to embrace accountability.

Councillor Dean thanked Councillor Gregory for the report. He said that paragraph 39 relating to the Local Plan lacked comment about outcomes. He noted that paragraphs 24 and 25 stated that things got underway in June 2021, but actually began in 2018.

Councillor Gregory confirmed that the role of Scrutiny with regard to the Local Plan was only process. He said that the issue arose from the status of the Stansted application as Scrutiny was constitutionally barred from involving itself with live applications. The Stansted application flitted between live and resolved a number of times, further muddied by the delay in the publication of the decision notice, the possibility of appeal and subsequently judicial review. Scrutiny was required to wait until absolute closure was achieved before addressing it.

The report was noted.