Agenda item

Overview & Scrutiny Work Programmes 2022/23

To consider suggestions for inclusion in the Overview and Scrutiny Committee Work Programmes for 2022/23.

Minutes:

The Committee considered a report, set out at Agenda pages 87 to 100, which gave details of proposed items for inclusion in the Overview and Scrutiny Work Programmes for 2022/23.

 

The report stated that the aim of effective work programming was to:

 

·           Reflect local needs and concerns

·           Prioritise topics for scrutiny which have the most impact or benefit;

·           Involve local residents and stakeholders in the process;

·           Be flexible enough to respond to new or urgent issues.

 

Set out at Annex A to the report were a number of suggestions for Scrutiny items submitted by Members and local residents. Annex B contained a draft work programme for each Overview and Scrutiny Committee based on standing items, items carried forward and priorities previously approved by Members. The Committee considered Annex A and B and merged the two into a composite work programme for each of the Overview and Scrutiny Committees.

 

The Committee considered the specific items in Annex A as follows:

 

Table: Overview and Scrutiny Work Programme Requests 2022/23 – Annex A

 

No

Request

By

 

Action

 

1

New housing developments – issues relating to adoption by WBC of infrastructure including roads, drainage, open space and play areas. Need for improved monitoring and reporting – holding developers to account. Link to review of the recommendations of the Estate Infrastructure Task and Finish Group from 2019.

 

Cllr Peter Dennis

OSMC Work Programme

2

Footpaths – developers and the Council should upgrade footpaths before the developments are completed and not after. Could the Committee suggest an assessment of the current footpath network (not just public) the state of these and plans to make them more accessible.

 

Jon Sellars

C&C Work Programme

3

State of Wokingham town centre bus stops. Request for improvements to help older people, people with disabilities and families with pushchairs to get on and off buses more easily.

 

Pam Small

C&C Work Programme

4

Litter – request for improved litter-picking on the A327 on a regular basis.

 

Rita Carr

Refer to service

 

5

Litter – volume of litter around the Borough. Need to hold developers to account. Could S106/CIL monies be used to employ contractors to at least undertake some litter clearance particularly along road margins and around footpaths?

 

Jon Sellars

OSMC Work Programme – link to item 1 above

6

Air Pollution – new properties being built in the Borough and surrounding boroughs continues. The more green space that is removed, the more air pollution and the associated health issues becomes a problem.

 

Jon Sellars

OSMC Work Programme.

Annual report on measures to improve Air Quality

 

7

Transparency and honesty – could the Committee discuss ways in which the Council could be more transparent and honest in its communication material.

 

Jon Sellars

OSMC Work Programme – link to item 1 above

 

8

The Council’s commitment to active travel and the climate emergency. Spending money on ‘reducing congestion’ to encourage more car use should be challenged in the context of a climate emergency. Increased spending money on proper segregated safe cycling routes that link across the Borough

 

Wendy Measures

OSMC Work Programme. Review LCWIP (cycling and walking)

 

9

Scrutinise the process for the Secondary School Strategy which is several years late and doesn’t give a solution to the lack of secondary school places in the south of the Borough.

 

Wendy Measures

CS Work Programme

10

Waste and recycling sites - now that we are exiting COVID restrictions, review whether the constraints on having to book a refuse site visit are still valid.

 

Link to the emerging Waste Strategy.

Steve Davies

OSMC Work Programme and refer to Member working group

 

11

Local highway reviews. The state of our local roads and repairs upon them is poor. Spending on temporary patching rather than responsive strategic fixes and preventative maintenance.

 

Steve Davies

C&C Work Programme

12

The immediate area around Hawkedon Primary School. Local traffic does not abide to the 20mph speed limits at school times and this is in not enforced.

 

Madeline Stonehill

Refer to service

 

13

Anti-social Behaviour in Wokingham town centre due to late night drinking. The problems are very particular to the times when people are heading home after a night out and include broken glass, loud and noisy behaviour, broken windows, fighting, stabbings and damage to lights, hanging baskets and planters.

Cllr Imogen Shepherd-Dubey

C&C Work Programme. Discuss with Thames Valley Police

14

The youth shelter adjacent to the play park at Maiden Place is often vandalised and frequented by youths commiting anti-social behaviour. There is no evident police presence within this area The play park itself is a really poor level of provision.

 

Madeline Stonehill

Refer to service and discuss with TVP

15

Recycling - where does our recycling actually end up. I've responded a few times to posts from RE3 about high recycling rates (which is well and good), but not had any response.

 

Tim Watson

Refer to service – respond to resident

 

16

Introduce a stage 3 to the Council’s Complaints procedure to align it with other Councils (Bracknell Forest is one example) and add the use of Trust Pilot or similar schemes to the process to improve openness and transparency

 

 

Cllr Gary Cowan

OSMC Work Programme

17

Scrutinise GP performance within central Wokingham, in particular the Wokingham Medical Centre - in the NHS nationwide patient survey it was ranked in the bottom 5%

 

Cllr Charles Margetts

HOSC Work Programme

18

 

 

 

 

Drivers ignoring street signs in Milton Road, Wokingham which is a no entry Road when coming from Broad Street and buses only when leaving Milton Road heading towards Broad Street. The signage is very clear but more and more drivers ignore both signs and drive straight through.     

 

Mark Rath

Refer to service and discuss with TVP

19

The process for getting double yellow lines painted at a junction or other road where parking is dangerous or inconsiderate is far too lengthy. I have instances in my ward where the process has taken almost 3 years. Current procedure reflects statutory requirements on WBC. Need for updated legislation.

 

Cllr Shirley Boyt

Respond to Cllr Boyt – statutory requirements and need to lobby the Government

 

20

 

 

 

Civil Parking Enforcement – annual update report to OSMC in line with agreement with the contractor NSL. Last annual report submitted in 2018. Improve transparency and public scrutiny of the service.

 

Cllr Maria Gee

C&C Work Programme

21

Scrutiny of the strategy to lower transport emissions - this strategy will be ready in May 2022 to then go out for consultation. This will be a new strategy and one that is required to reduce the harmful emissions of transport on such areas as health, climate change and the environment.

 

Cllr Paul Fishwick

OSMC Work Programme

22

 

 

 

 

 

Accessibility of the Sport and Leisure provision for less well-off families, older people, or those with additional needs or health conditions. Feedback from residents suggests not enough is being done to enable all residents to take part in the Sport and Leisure offer. Greater participation benefits residents and the Council.

 

Cllr Rachel Burgess

HOSC Work Programme

 

Members confirmed that the work programmes would allow flexibility for the consideration of urgent issues and the Call-In of decisions made by the Executive and individual Executive Members. Each Overview and Scrutiny Committee would consider its allocated work programme and timetable items into the schedule of meetings for 2022/23. Any further suggestions for Scrutiny items would be considered by the Management Committee at its meeting in June 2022.

 

RESOLVED That:

 

1)     the proposed work programmes for each Overview and Scrutiny Committee be approved;

 

2)     each Overview and Scrutiny Committee allocate items from the work programmes to individual meetings in the 2022/23 municipal year;

 

3)     any additional items submitted for inclusion in the work programmes be considered at the June 2022 meeting of the Committee.

Supporting documents: