Meeting documents

Cllr Will Sutton stated that on page 7, within the third paragraph there is reference to "Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Ely" however this should refer to the 'Princess of Wales Hospital'. Cllr Will Sutton proposed the minutes be agreed with this amendment, Cllr Fred Yeulett  seconded.

The minutes of the meeting of the 12 May 2016 were agreed and signed.

Cllr Gavin Booth stated that on page 14, within the bottom line, there is reference to the funding for the districts train stations being £150,000 however this should read £350,000. It was suggested that with this amendment, the minutes be agreed.

 The minutes of the Extraordinary Council meeting on the 1 July 2016 were agreed and signed.

Cllr Gavin Booth then suggested that there be an amendment to the order of the meeting, so that the question to be asked by member of the public Ben Martin (agenda item 10)  follows the Youth District Council presentation (agenda item 7), which was agreed.

Chairman Cllr Mrs Carol Cox informed the Members of the Council that they will be visiting Nettetal as part of the Fenland Twinning Association Partnership. She stated the Visit is to take place between the 8th and 12th September. She stated that if Members were interested in attending the visit than to please liaise with Cllr Mike Cornwell accordingly.

She stated that she would also like to take the opportunity to remind Members that it is the Chairman's Annual Civic Reception on Friday 22nd July, at the Queen Mary Centre Wisbech. She stated she looked forward to seeing all Members there.

Chairman Cllr Mrs Carol Cox then asked the Chief Executive to make an announcement.

The Chief Executive Paul Medd stated that he was delighted to announce that the Council has again been reaccredited for Customer Service Excellent or 'CSE' following the annual inspection last month.

He stated that CSE is a national standard that recognises public bodies that provide customer-focussed, high quality, excellent services. Fenland is one of the few Councils across the country that have consistently achieved this rigorous standard for all of its services.

He added that when visiting, the CSE assessor said "it remains clear that staff play a key part to Fenland's on-going ability to maintain and exceed satisfaction levels" and that the staff, customers and partner organisations that he met on the day "confirmed Fenland's ability to give above and beyond service levels to residents in Fenland".

Paul Medd then invited Cllr Seaton to accept the CSE certificate from the Chairman Cllr Mrs Carol Cox on behalf of the Council.

Ben Martin from the Youth District Council presented Members with a PowerPoint presentation that outlined the yearly review of the YDC. He also gave an overall view of the past, present and future of the YDC. The following were the points covered within this presentation:

• The aim of the presentation was to outline the achievements from the last year, as well as to take members on a journey of the YDC from the inception in 2006 to where they see themselves in the future.


• He gave the reasons the YDC was initially set up, stating the aim was to help influence decisions which directly affected young people. He stated that they work in partnership with the 5 secondary schools in Fenland, with up to 5 representatives for each. There is a formal election process for Chair, Vice-Chair and Finance Officer and they meet formally every two months.


• He referred to Article 12 of the United Nations Convention on the Right of the Child which states that young people should have the right to say what they think when adults make decisions which affect them. He stated that in 2006 a report was published which found that young people living in England had less understanding of the democratic process than anywhere else in the world.


• Fenland District Council had a desire to enable young people to play and active role and make a positive contribution to their community which led to the formation of the YDC in July 2006.


• Small Grant Scheme - The YDC has managed its own small grant scheme, something they are very proud of. The scheme is open to any voluntary or community youth groups who can apply for up to £1000 per application. To date they have received a total of 125 applications too the scheme, with a total value of £83,000. The grants have been used for projects and activities including:
  
  
  
  
  
  • Purchasing of equipment
  
  
  • Educations visits
  
  
  • team building exercises
  
  
  • Venue Hire
  
  
  • Club specific merchandise
  
  
  • Community based activities
  
  
  
  
  
  


• All the grant recipients provide the YDC with a report showing how the funding has met the outcomes detailed in the application.


• Ben Martin then outlined some of the other aspects of community life that they have been involved with including 'The Kids Are Alright' and 'The Dignity and Respect' campaigns.


• He stated that the YDC are also seen as effective consultation body for FDC and other partners who wish to obtain the views and opinions of the young people in Fenland. He then gave an overview of some of the consultations which the YDC have been involved in.


• In relation to this year, he stated that the small grant scheme was over-subscribed, with 16 applications, there were 13 that were fully or partially funded. He gave some examples of those that had been successful. He went on to outline some of the events that YDC have supported in the last year including the Pride of Fenland, Safety Zone and Golden Age Fairs.


• Ben Martin then reflected on the consultations from this year, stating that they were consulted on FDC's Corporate Plan and internally consulted on how the YDC will move forwards. He stated that the internal consultation was held for the first time to consider why there has been poor attendance at meetings, poor or lack of communication amongst the councillors, lack of awareness about the YDC within schools and the general public and to discuss the reduction in the amount of grant funding combined with the reductions in the number of grant applications. Within the meeting there were discussions about the factors the YDC felt were fundamental to the smooth running and longevity of the council, e.g. meetings, grants, elected members.


• He stated that 13 consultation documents were issued with a return of 70%, and from this they were able to generate 'job descriptions' covering four broad areas within the YDC, essential to the restructured group going forwards.


• In relation to the future of the YDC, Ben Martin reflected on the results of the Comprehensive Spending Review and the decisions to cease both financial and administrative support for the YDC from April 2017. He stated that they are disappointed by this decision but acknowledged that they aren't made lightly. They have produced a plan as to how they can ensure the continuation of the YDC from April 2017. He stated they have a short, medium and long term plan and have completed work with Cllr Michelle Tanfield to produce a viable business plan which can be taken into schools, county, district and town Councils, and other charitable organisations with a view to obtaining an element of funding or other contribution such as free venue hire. They have been able to attribute an approximate cost to the essential requirements that the youth group must have in order to sustain itself at a basic level from April 2017 which form part of the proposal.


• He went on to outline what needs to be in place prior to April 2017, stating that all Youth Councillors need to agree the action plan and associated business proposals. There will need to be a new name and logo for the group, and agreement of the revised constitution and terms of reference. Lead Councillor roles and responsibilities, targets and reporting mechanisms, appointment of trustee(s).


• He stated levels of support will need to be established from the Heads/ Principals of the secondary schools, Town Councils, British Youth Councils. Social media presence will need to be maintained. He stated the grant scheme will continue to be administered until March 2017, or until the funds are exhausted. The new group is to be launched in December 2016/ January 2017.  


• The primary focus for the new group in the first year will be as a consultation body. he stated they are delighted that Fenland District Council have agreed to continue consulting them on their business and service plans.


• Within the second year the focus will be to embed the group as a consultation in Fenland, representing young people on a wide range of projects and plans. Also, to widen the membership to non-educational based youth groups, different methods of meetings - exploring the potential for them to web-based. Begin to apply for grant funding to run community projects.      


• Long term 2019 onwards, he stated that they will be focussing on expanding the group and tis roles and responsibilities, increase consultation opportunities to encompass all of Cambridgeshire. Ensure the group reflects the demographic profile of Fenland and actively recruit from hard to reach groups.

Following the presentation this agenda item was open to discussion. Cllr Michelle Tanfield stated that she would like to take the opportunity to thank Ben for coming along, and felt the presentation gave a great insight into the past of the YDC. She also thanked Members for their support, Cllr Maureen Davis and Cllr Clark had sent ideas to her regarding alternative sources of funding. She stated that Ben had worked very hard and feels there is a great future ahead for the YDC.

Cllr Gavin Booth congratulated Ben Martin on the work YDC have done, particularly road safety. He stated to Ben not to forget the Parish Councils as a quarter of the population live in rural areas, quarter of young people live in these areas so remember them in your consultations.

As requested at the start of the meeting this item was originally item 10 in the agenda. It was agreed that this item be brought forward to follow the YDC presentation based on the relevance of the question to item 7.

Member of the public, Ben Martin directed his question to Cllr Chris Seaton as per the attached documents.

Cllr Chris Seaton responded to the question, initially by congratulating Ben Martin on his excellent and professional presentation. He agreed that the actual spend by YDC has not been £56,000, and the revenue support budget had not been fully spent which was part of the CSR. The proposal of £56,000 being put forward as a saving is based on a number of factors. The YDC grant of £7,500 which is set aside for YDC activities, they have removed one post, which is not one full time post, and having the need to re-allocate other work within the Council has contributed to the figure for the saving. He stated that the total cost needed to be accounted for to inform the CSR process. He stated he hopes he has answered the question, if there was any other information that would be required he requested that this be put in writing. Cllr Chris Seaton also asked for input from Cllr Michelle Tanfield.

Cllr Michelle Tanfield stated that the most important thing is making sure the cost for the YDC in relation to meetings, paperwork etc. is included. She stated there are lots of opportunities coming up for those costs to be met.

Ben Martin stated that the running costs for the YDC were £12,600 which he obtained through an FOI, which also gave him the information that this has never been fully spent in the last 3 years, in fact over £6,000 less. He stated he was asking for the reasons behind the costing as they gave a misleading view of what the YDC actually costs. Cllr Chris Seaton stated that it was important to account for the total cost within FDC, which included the post for support, which wasn't one person, it included an amalgamation of roles. Again, he stated if further information was required then he can be contacted for this. Ben Martin responded by asking if Cllr Chris Seaton agreed that it has shown a misconception about the funding, Cllr Chris Seaton responded by stating he accepts that the figure is not all YDC, however the whole cost has to be considered, and there are large costs involved in this.

There were no questions received in relation to Procedure rule 8.6.

With regard to Procedure rule 8.4, there were questions from Cllr Gavin Booth and Cllr Mrs Bucknor.

Cllr Mrs Bucknor stated that she wanted clarification on a number of points in the report specifically for Cabinet Members but that this would be covered in the next item, therefore she stood down.

Cllr Gavin Booth stated he had three questions to put to the Leader of the Council, Cllr John Clark. Following on from the YDC presentation, he asked if a free venue would be considered for the YDC to meet given the fact that the provision of a room would not be a cost to the Council, the administration of this would need to be done by the YDC in terms of booking etc.? Cllr John Clark responded stating that this had already been offered to YDC in terms of use of the rooms and in terms of helping them to move forwards this is something that we can accommodate for free.

Cllr Gavin Booth asked in relation to Selective Licensing, can they confirm when the proposals will be put to the Minister of State? Cllr John  Clark stated that he could not answer this question but that officers had been to study another area, and several things came forward that were more user friendly which are currently being discussed. The decision taken would come before the Seminar. Cllr Gavin Booth then stated that they had talked about full Council to discuss the full decision and it was taken that Cabinet would make a decision on this, asking if he agreed that the public should be involved in a debate on this subject? Cllr John Clark stated that a decision hasn't been taken, it has been circulated to members and comments have been taken on board. The Cabinet will consult other Members, this is still in the early stages and there is still a lot to be decided and items to be put to Members, which could change with progression.

Cllr Gavin Booth asked in relation to the brown bin proposals, in the Member Seminar last week he was concerned about the nature of the language, in terms of it sounding as though this had been agreed, asking if there had been consultation with members of the public and has there been any feedback? Cllr John Clark stated that they had consulted with the public and he understands that this needs to be a balanced decision. He stated there are various options open to make savings, three areas in particular and the brown bins got the most support. He stated other areas have adopted this proposal and any comments made by the general public have been taken into account within this.

The following questions were received in relation to the attached reports:

Cllr Mrs Bucknor asked Cllr Will Sutton - on page four, support for vulnerable members, it states there will be 200 letters about the benefits cap in the autumn and she requested that she is notified when this been issues as the vast majority will be in the Waterlees area and she would therefore like advanced notice of this. Cllr Will Sutton confirmed this would be fine.

Cllr Mrs Bucknor stated that she had been alerted the previous night that a couple and one man had been sleeping rough in the cemetery and rough sleeping had increased by 30% in the year. She stated that some have mental health issues, as the couple have, the demand for this issue cannot be met, some areas have tents and although she wasn't proposing this stated that the police have been involved in advanced bookings from hostels, she asked if there was a contingency in place regarding this matter? Cllr Will Sutton stated that they do move people out of a patch as this is part of course, and this has to be done. He stated he wasn't aware of the 30% increase throughout the year and recommended this gets reported to the team, as they are a good team and will be proactive. He stated that once this has been reported then a solution can be considered.

Cllr Steve Tierney asked Cllr Pete Murphy about the grass cutting in Wisbech, stating it had been broadly caught up on, commended him for this, however wanted to know what the issue was with this? Cllr Pete Murphy stated that there were a few things that happened at the same time, the weather being the main cause, as they had good grass growing weather. He stated a new contract had been started with new contractors, which always brings initial issues however these have been resolved and the equipment is in place allowing them to begin to catch up. He stated it wasn't an issue solely for Wisbech, other areas had been affected and it was now all coming together. Cllr Steve Tierney stated that he appreciated the response, stating it was bad at some points but that people were commenting on how good it was currently looking.

Cllr Jan French stated she had a comment for Cllr Pete Murphy, thanking the team who removed large amounts of fly tipping on Barkers Lane. Cllr Pete Murphy stated that this had been completed on Monday and Tuesday that week before 9am. Cllr Jan French requested that an email be sent to her to say that the reports of this had been received.

Cllr Steve Count stated to Cllr John Clark, in relation to the Cabinet meetings, as it was referred to that they are private meetings however within the constitution it states that these are held within the public forum, could he confirm this? Cllr John Clark confirmed that Cabinet members are open to the public, with one member attending the meeting today, it is within his gift that if the person has a comment they wish to make, this is usually accommodated.

Cllr Mrs Bucknor asked Cllr Michelle Tanfield that on page 10 of 64 'Active Fenland' it states that it has been a successful start with 23,000 visits, however the detail is limited to establish if it has been more effective in the deprived areas of Fenland, asking if there was a break down of the figure, and how they have focussed the limited resources on Active Fenland as listening to the YDC presentation there was money for a tennis coach in Chatteris for a period, we have this issue that we cannot pay for trainers for any period of time, in the coming year where will the focus be? Cllr Michelle Tanfield stated that it was absolutely right, it is a project well done, working through the processes to collate the numbers to see how effective it has been and felt sure it would be available to keep this going. Cllr Mrs Bucknor asked for assurance that this information would be sent to her, Cllr Michelle Tanfield stated yes and that tennis was on the list for the 2nd year, and she will get the numbers down.

Cllr Mrs Bucknor referred to page 33, stating to Cllr Mike Cornwell, the Wisbech alcohol project was based in Tesco, which is a great place due to the facilities and understands why this done. She asked if they were intending to focus on areas with the greatest need, in her area (Waterlees) men die 4 years earlier on average, could this project operate out of the Oasis Centre in the future? Cllr Mike Cornwell stated he would refer that to the FSP to see what they could do.

Cllr Mrs Bucknor asked Cllr Simon King if the wooden train in her local park could be replaced as it had disintegrated and recently removed. Cllr Simon King stated Cllr Pete Murphy would be better to respond to this. Cllr Pete Murphy stated that he was aware about the train being removed and this is something that can be looked into, however it may not be a simple process as they had it made for them. Cllr Mrs Bucknor requested that she be informed of the outcome. Cllr Simon King added that the original funding for the tree sculptures had come from a grant, and were made from trees already removed. He stated that the programme has continued, and therefore could be funded through FDC, but the wood would need to be sourced. He stated he would make enquiries with Bob Ollier.

Cllr Mrs Bucknor asked Cllr Ralph Butcher for further information on the progression of the business ambassadors outlined on page 56 of the attached report. Cllr Ralph Butcher stated they are working with Opportunity Peterborough who are currently working on the business ambassadors.

Cllr Mrs Bucknor stated to Cllr Simon King that she was disappointed with the statement in relation to improvements of the A47 and no update was posted online as proposed. She asked if they are being proactive about this or waiting for others to do it, and what she would like to hear from this Council is that they are pushing for this not waiting for others. She stated she would like to know what is being done as there has been an exceptional increase in the population in Wisbech. Cllr Simon King stated that unfortunately the report (attached) had been completed prior to a recent alliance meeting and wanted to assure them that they are being very proactive. He stated he feels passionate about this, however it is an alliance which includes the whole length of the A47 and they use a particular method for scoring their priorities- such as casualties, time delays, how to put in specific improvements. He stated it would be completely impossible that they would improve the whole stretch in one go. The only pinch point is the Guyhirn roundabout and when they question them about it they are insistent that this is most pressing need. He stated there are other pinch points but the cost of these is much higher. The devolution proposal and the garden town proposal means there would be higher amounts of future traffic. They are currently working with Cambridgeshire County Council preparing and reviewing the data already submitted, allowing for extra houses, allowing highways to look at priorities and there will be further information from CCC in the near future. He stated there is nothing guaranteed, it is a long term project however they will continue to be proactive. Cllr Mrs Bucknor responded with thanks for the assurance this matter is being considered.

Cllr Mrs Bucknor stated to Cllr Ralph Butcher that she appreciates certain circumstances are confidential, and she doesn't attend Cabinet meetings, asking what the Council has already sold and what they plan to sell? Cllr Ralph Butcher stated they had looked at several parcels of land, two had already been disposed of, some were more in the pipeline for auction. He stated what they intend to do in the future is that any pieces of land coming up for sale, they will be looked at in Cabinet, and the local members will be involved. Therefore, if it is in the local area of a member they will be informed. Cllr Mrs Bucknor stated that she was glad it would be in writing.

Cllr Gavin Booth asked Cllr Ralph Butcher in relation to page 57, the broadband report, if he could inform Council what the short hand is in the reports- for example it states that there are problems with areas regarding the 'EO' lines and a change request had been raised? Cllr Ralph Butcher stated that he doesn't know, but could get the answer. Cllr Gavin Booth requested that acronyms are not included in the report.

Cllr Gavin Booth asked Cllr Simon King in relation to page 73 regarding the A47, there is a meeting proposed in September about Guyhirn roundabout- could the ward councillors be updated following with this. This is an important topic for Guyhirn, they would like to know when the potential works are going to be carried out. Cllr Simon King stated he was happy to do this. He did state that the minutes of the meeting are available, these can be forwarded to all members. He added that Guyhirn roundabout was not discussed at the last meeting but ensured that updates would be sent.

Cllr Gavin Booth asked Cllr Simon King, in relation to the existing contract with Balfour Beatty is there prospect of involving Parish Councils? A note was issued informing us of what had happened - will this be a proactive relationship going forwards? Cllr Simon King stated it has been a long process, there has been a meeting with Gary Garford, Cllr Ralph Butcher, Cllr John Clark and Cllr Chris Seaton. The work to compare other providers to Balfour Beatty has been completed and a meeting to discuss the findings. He stated the findings/ suggestions would be shared with parishes over the course of the next month and they can make judgement on whether they wish to go ahead with Balfour Beatty or another provider. Running parallel to this, the stock of lights within the Council has been considered within the CSR and it has proved to be very complicated. He stated they fully intend to inform the parishes. Cllr Gavin Booth thanked him for the response.

Cllr Maureen Davis added at this point- for the benefit of Cllr Gavin Booth, the 'EO' lines referred to earlier in the meeting stands for 'Exchange Only' lines. Cllr Ralph Butcher asked if this helped understanding, and Cllr Gary Tibbs offered explanation.

Cllr Jan French stated to Cllr Simon King that she was intrigued to hear about Balfour Beatty with regard to parishes using another provider. She stated that March Town Council have been trying to change providers for three years, and had discussion after discussion as Balfour Beatty want to charge £64,000. She stated they have been told they cannot use another provider, the charge is £3,000 per column per year for maintenance? Cllr Simon King asked who owns the columns? Cllr Jan French stated she doesn't know, but they were promised £10,000 by the leader which was leftover from the footpath. In terms of who owns the columns they believed the town did, and asked Balfour Beatty who haven't answered. Cllr Simon King stated that they all share concerns about the service that Balfour Beatty raises on occasions. Cllr Simon King agreed to contact Trevor Watson and forward the response to Cllr Jan French.

Cllr Mike Cornwell stated that with the new paperless scheme and the IT being used, he was finding it difficult to locate the page numbers and asked for advice as to how they interpret the page numbers that Members are referring to? Cllr David Oliver stated that it shouldn't matter what device is being used, the file format is PDF which should appear the same on any platform. Cllr Mike Cornwell stated that this was the point he was trying to make. Cllr Gavin Booth stated that there is one master set of page numbers, not additional points. Cllr Maureen Davis stated that there are additional page numbers appearing from the reports that have been inserted. Cllr David Oliver stated that it is the large page numbers that people are following.

Cllr Michael Bucknor stated that in relation to PDF, it was adopted that PDF would be the consistent format for files for committees which isn't happening. He stated that they are still receiving documents that aren't in this format. Cllr David Oliver stated that all documents are sent out as PDF files. There will be occasions where word documents are sent, Microsoft documents usually sent out for documents requiring comment, PDF for meetings. Cllr Michael Bucknor stated this wasn't always happening.

Cllr David Mason presented the motion as attached. Cllr Gavin Booth seconded this motion.

Cllr Gavin Booth stated that the reason he has chosen to second the motion is that a resident had approached him with similar wording. More than happy to second this as a strong message needs to be sent and some strong work with Operation Pheasant.

Cllr David Oliver read the reply from the Council - 'Living without the fear of being abused or attacked, because of who you are, is a basic human right and one we all share. Hate crime can destroy lives and cause real fear with the victims amongst us. It  can stop people living their everyday lives making them fearful to leave their homes. Hate crime affects the whole community. We recognise the public sector equality duty requires the Council, like any other public authority to have due regard to eliminate unlawful discrimination, harassment and victimisation and other prohibited improper conduct. We believe that we all have the responsibility to change the attitudes and behaviours that foster hatred. Intervening early to raise awareness and promote positive relations for example, within children and young people, within sports and social media networks and many other channels will make a real difference. Hate crime of any kind directed against any community, race or religion has no place in our society. We need to do more to understand the hate crime we are seeing and to tackle it.  That is why we have place a tension monitoring group to monitoring incidents that can cause frictions, hatred and tension and put in place positive actions to seek to minimise such incidents. This work required is developed by Fenland Diverse Community Forum which is in partnership with statutory, voluntary, community and multi-faith groups within the district. As a Council we acknowledge that many people are reluctant to report a crime or incident that is committed against them, often due to their fear that the situation will get worse. Therefore in the last 12 months we have been supporting measures to increase the reporting of hate incidents and crimes including, including working with communities, police, develop community reporting centres which are facilities that our community are familiar with to help encourage incident reporting. Therefore we feel it is appropriate that as a Council we support the following motion. We are proud to live in a diverse society. Racism, xenophobia and hate crime have no place in our country. Fenland District Council condemns racism, xenophobia and hate crimes. We will not allow hate to become acceptable. FDC will work to ensure local bodies and programmes have support and resources needed to fight and prevent racism and xenophobia which will reassure that all people living in Fenland that they are valued members of our community'. 

Cllr Steve Tierney stated that he supports this motion, and was appalled to see the comments made at Cambridge City Council last week by two Councillors who referred to Fenland as a place full of 'stupid racists', they were disgusting comments, utterly wrong, he stated we have a widely diverse community. He stated there had been some success with the difficulties that come with diversity.

Cllr Ralph Butcher stated he had been in another meeting that week whereby a similar motion had been discussed, but it was not written as clear and simple as this one is. He stated it is a good motion and he would be voting for this.

Cllr Steve Count stated that he is in support of the motion as there is a resounding endorsement for hatred of racism, or xenophobia. He stated he had come across something this week which upset him, to do with racism. Every time racism is mentioned by authority and by the media they seem to centre around Wisbech. He stated he was getting tired of seeing this. This week there was a story about the £1.9m lottery fund and he stated he was glad to see that report because the voice over in that report showed some of the buildings that could be brought back to life and made to look good. Nothing overly racist about that whatsoever. However he stated the voice over continued and stated raising the standards of Wisbech and making the shops look better, the end shot whilst this was going on was not of a derelict building, it was obviously a thriving supermarket with a Polish or foreign name. it was just subtle it was in the background, someone has made the decision to insert that piece of information in there perhaps an unguarded moment or an unsubtle attempt to paint the same brush. He stated there is a clear role for us to say back to those who have banded us wrongly or back to the media that we are not racist over here and stop treating us this way. He stated he would go as far to say that the piece of footage used should be questioned as to why they chose this and why it was presented that way? Wisbech 2020 is a fantastic project- one of the major issues is with communication. He stated it is important to communicate that Wisbech is a great town and has a great future, all working together.

It was agreed unanimously that this motion be adopted, with a request from Cllr David Mason that the press be informed of the motion and the adoption of this.

Cllr Fred Yeulett presented the report as attached. Cllr Chris Seaton seconded the report.

Cllr Will Sutton stated that he is an ex-member of Overview & Scrutiny and has made his views clear about the way it used to be more scrutiny than overview. He stated he really welcomes the way this now runs and allows things to be fed in and considered. He congratulated the panel for this.

Cllr Fred Yeulett responded with thanks on behalf of the committee and asked members to come forward with any items they would like to be discussed within the Overview & Scrutiny panel.

The Overview and Scrutiny annual report was agreed and adopted.

Cllr Mark Buckton presented the report and stated the following:

"I would first like to pay tribute to Cllr Kit Owen Who presided at Chair over the Committee's activities for this period and it is his stewardship of the role that is reflected in this report. I would also like to thank members of the Committee for their participation and enthusiasm, and officers for their hard work in servicing the needs of the Committee. The Corporate Governance Committee is tasked with two key functions:

• Providing independent assurance of the adequacy of the risk management framework and the control environment and;


• Independently scrutinising the Authority's financial and non-financial performance and overseeing the financial reporting process.

Accordingly, the activity of the committee outlined in the report shows that it approved the Annual Governance Statement, the Statement of Accounts and the Internal Work Audit programme outturn for 2014/15.

The Committee further conducted the annual review of the Risk Management Strategy and was involved to varying degrees in reviews of the Anti Fraud and Corruption Policy, Treasury Management Strategy and the Code of Procurement.  the Committee also reviewed the Council's use of the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000.

Cllr Chris Seaton presented the Treasury Management Annual Report for 2015/16 as attached. He also congratulated Geoff Kent and the team that worked so hard on achieving the CSE award.

The Treasury Management Annual Report 2015/16 is agreed and adopted.