Agenda and minutes

To confirm as a true record the Minutes of the meeting held on 12 April 2022.

RESOLVED:

THAT the minutes of the meeting held on 12 April 2022 be confirmed as a true record.

To invite Members to declare any interest they might have in the matters on the agenda.

Cllr John Medland declared an interest in minute item 95(c), Wightcare Business Unit - Business Model Development, as his mother was a client of Wightcare.

Cllr Chris Jarman declared a pecuniary interest in minute item 95(c), Wightcare Business Unit - Business Model Development, as his father received a care plan from the Isle of Wight Council.

Cameron Palin declared an interest in minute item  95(e), Outcome of the Consultation on the Future of Chillerton and Rookley Primary School, as an employee of a local authority school.

Cllr Karen Lucioni declared an interest in minute item 95(c), Wightcare Business Unit - Business Model Development, as a self-employed Personal Assistant for the Adult Social Care notice board.

Questions may be asked without notice, but to guarantee a full reply at the meeting a question must be put (including the name and address of the questioner) in writing or by electronic mail to Democratic Services at democratic.services@iow.gov.uk, no later than two clear working days before the start of the meeting. The deadline for written questions is Thursday, 5 May 2022.

No public questions were received.

To receive an update on the progress against the outcomes arising from previous meetings, and to provide an update on any outstanding actions.

The chairman presented the report which provided an update of the progress against actions and outcomes from previous meetings. No comments or questions were raised at this stage.

RESOLVED:

THAT the progress report be noted.

To identify any items contained within the Council’s forward plan which would benefit from early consideration by scrutiny, either before the Cabinet makes a decision or to monitor post-implementation, and should therefore be included in the Committee’s current work programme. The forward plan can be viewed online here: https://iow.moderngov.co.uk/mgListPlans.aspx?RPId=145&RD=0&bcr=1

To note the content of the current work programme, and to approve the scope of items identified at the April 2022 meeting relating to the Capital Programme, Policy Framework, Consultations, and Partnerships. Members of the public are also invited to submit in writing to the Committee possible items for inclusion in its workplan.

The Committee received the scoping documents for the items which had previously been identified for inclusion in the work programme in relation to the Capital Programme, Consultations, Partnerships, and Policy Framework.

The committee were invited to identify any item contained within the published forward plan that would benefit from early consideration within the committee’s own workplan or one of the policy and scrutiny committees.

It was requested that the Quarterly Performance Monitoring Report (Q4 2021-22) be considered by the committee at its next meeting, prior to its presentation to the Cabinet on 16 June 2022.

In relation to the deferment of the Island Planning Strategy, it was confirmed that the Cabinet Member for Planning and Community Engagement would be asked to confirm when this was due for reconsideration, and whether it would be presented to the Corporate Scrutiny Committee in the month prior to any decision being taken.

It was confirmed that the Review of the Public Health Partnership Function between Isle of Wight Council and Hampshire County Council (scheduled for decision by the Cabinet on 14 July 2022) would be considered by the Policy and Scrutiny Committee for Health and Social Care.

RESOLVED:

THAT the forward plan, and the content of the current work programme, be noted.

The following items have been identified by the Committee as warranting inclusion on its agenda, prior to consideration by the Cabinet:

Consideration was given to the report for Cabinet on 12 May 2022, which sought approval to negotiate with the Wildheart Trust as a special purchaser for a strip of land adjoining Wildheart Animal Sanctuary on Culver Parade, Sandown.

Questions were raised regarding the consultation process and it was noted that the proposals would enable the council to undertake further negotiations with the Trust before any final decision was taken on the disposal of the land.

RESOLVED:

THAT the report to Cabinet on 12 May 2022 be noted.

Consideration was given to the report for Cabinet on 12 May 2022, which sought approval to set the Table of Fares for Hackney Carriages to come into effect from 1 June 2022.

The Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Community Protection, Digital Transformation, Housing Provision and Housing Needs confirmed that an increase to the Table of Fares was justified, following the results of trade and public consultations and due to the increasing costs associated with running taxis and fuel costs.

Discussion took place with regards to the consultation process, transparency around how taxi fares are published, objections related to the availability of alternative public transportation, discretionary rates, and the impact on home-to-school transport. 

RESOLVED:

THAT the report to Cabinet on 12 May 2022 be noted.

The Cabinet Member for Strategic Finance, Corporate Resources and Transformational Change presented the report for Cabinet on 12 May 2022, which sought approval to confirm the revised fee structure changes and to undertake a review of the current Wightcare business model.

The Committee recognised that fees had not been increased since 2018 and services provided were discretionary. A business model for Wightcare was being developed and would be reported to Cabinet by September 2022.

RESOLVED:

THAT the report to Cabinet on 12 May 2022 be noted.

The Cabinet Member for Strategic Finance, Corporate Resources and Transformational Change presented the report for Cabinet on 12 May 2022, which sought to approve the revised fee structure changes, to identify an alternative funding source to cover the loss of £30k from the budgeted position, and to undertake a review of the Bereavement Services business model.

Questions were raised regarding the proposed increase in cremation charges, and the potential knock-on impact this may on the capacity of burial sites. It was requested that future modelling included comparative analysis against similar local authorities. The Committee noted the intention to review the current business model for bereavement services, and the impact of energy prices upon cremation costs was highlighted.

RESOLVED:

THAT the report to Cabinet on 12 May 2022 be noted.

Consideration was given to the Forward Plan item relating to the outcome of the consultation on the future of Chillerton and Rookley Primary School. The Cabinet Member for Children’s Services, Education and Lifelong Skills confirmed that Chillerton and Rookley Primary School would remain open, and that the public notice (leading to its closure) would not be issued.

Concerns were raised regarding the change in direction of travel from closure, particularly the time taken to reach the decision, whether the available information had changed significantly, cost-analysis, whether staff were opposed to keeping the school open, and future school-place planning.

It was confirmed that staff had been tasked with working up viable proposals so that they could be brought forward as soon as possible for consideration. It was noted that this would be included in the Committee’s workplan.

RESOLVED:

THAT the update be noted.

To consider a report on the provisions relating to public and member question time at Council meetings, as requested by the Committee at its meeting held on 12 April 2022.

Consideration was given to the report requested by the Committee at its meeting held on 12 April 2022, in response to concerns raised that there would have been no opportunity for the public or members to ask questions at the Cabinet meeting scheduled for 14 April 2022 (which was subsequently cancelled).

The Assistant Director of Corporate Services and Monitoring Officer presented the report regarding the provisions within the Constitution relating to public and member question time, and provided an explanation of the basis of the agenda-setting process for single items of business.

Questions were raised in relation to the review of the Constitution, the constitutional provision for extra-ordinary meetings of the Cabinet, and the basis for the refusal of two members written questions.

The Director of Corporate Services confirmed that there was an intention to establish a working-group of councillors to address various constitutional issues to make changes (where legally possible) and to present to Full Council for further adoption.

RESOLVED:

THAT the report be noted, and the proposal for further constitutional amends (to remove any ambiguity that exists in relation to member and public questions) be noted, to be initiated by way of recommendation in the Monitoring Officer’s report to Annual Council on 18 May 2022.

A question may be asked at the meeting without prior notice but in these circumstances there is no guarantee that a full reply will be given at the meeting. To guarantee a reply, a question  must be submitted in writing or by electronic mail to democratic.services@iow.gov.uk no later than 5pm on Friday 6 May 2022.

No questions were received.