Agenda item

Members of the Committee were reminded of the recommendations that the Joint Meeting of Cabinet / Education, Skills and Culture Scrutiny Committee agreed on the meeting held on the 4^th November 2022. It was noted that the recommendations contained a deferment of the future Delivery of Leisure services report from consideration and that an additional meeting be held to allow the committee time to clarify and formulate the additional information that the committee required to properly undertake their role in scrutiny. Officers therefore advised the committee that in order for them to conduct their pre-scrutiny role effectively it was proposed that a Task and Finish Group be established.

Members Firstly discussed their concern around the written element of the Future Delivery of Leisure Services report and felt that there was a lack of balance around the options within the report. Members therefore felt that a Task and Finish group may not be necessary as they felt that it would be the responsibility of the officers to produce a more balanced report. However, members understood that it would be beneficial to establish a Task and Finish Group to allow members time to formulate which elements they felt were missing to provide a balanced approach to the report.

Following the discussion of establishing a Task and Finish Group members then discussed the arrangements of the membership of the group. It was discussed that a Task and Finish Group would typically perform to its best ability when the membership consists of fewer members. However, members felt that due to the nature of the report and the high public interest, it was best practice to have the full membership of the Joint Meeting of the Cabinet / Educations, Skills and Culture Scrutiny Committee to be involved in the Task and Finish Group.

Members then discussed the Terms of Reference which referenced that the Joint Meeting of Cabinet / Education Skills and Culture Scrutiny Committees would make recommendations to the Cabinet. Members felt that it was not the role of scrutiny to provide Cabinet with a final recommendation and therefore requested that this be removed from the Terms of Reference. Officers reiterated to members that The Task and Finish Group’s intention would be to not replicate or dilute the final Scrutiny Committee. The aim of the group would be to allow the member’s time to clarify and formulate the additional information that the committee would require to properly undertake their role in scrutiny and to not provide recommendations to the Cabinet.

Members also discussed the arrangements of the scheduled draft meeting dates and officer attendance for the Task and Finish Group in the Terms of Reference within the circulated report. It was highlighted that Members preference would be to have a private meeting without the involvement of officers to allow them to have a frank and honest discussion in private. Allowing the group to populate the concerns and suggestions that officers would require to supplement the report. It was then confirmed that members would meet with officers following the initial private meeting to present their suggestions to officers.

Members highlighted the concern that staff within the leisure services may be experiencing based on the outcome of the decision and therefore requested that a commitment would need to be provided, to ensure a final decision of the future of leisure services be made within an acceptable timescale.

Following scrutiny, Members were in agreement to establish a Future of Leisure Services Task and finish Group subject to the following amendments to the Terms of Reference:

·        That the membership of the group consisting of the full Joint meeting of the Cabinet / Education, Skills and Culture Scrutiny Committee.

·        The initial meeting of the Task and Finish Group to consist of only Members and a Democratic Services officer.

·        The reference ‘the Task and finish Group to make recommendations’ be removed.