To confirm as a correct record the minutes of the meeting of the Board held on 9 June 2021.

The minutes of the meeting of the Board held on 9 June 2021 were confirmed as a correct record and signed by the Chairwoman.

To receive a response from Deborah Kelly, Torbay and South Devon NHS Foundation Trust on the Board’s comments on the Draft Quality Account for 2020/21.

Further to the meeting of the Overview and Scrutiny Board on 9 June 2021, Deborah Kelly, Torbay and South Devon NHS Foundation Trust provided a response to the Board’s comments on the Draft Quality Account for 2020/21.

The Board thanked Ms Kelly for her response and requested a full written submission be provided.

To review the Prioritised Council Business Plan (due to be approved at the Cabinet meeting on 13 July 2021) and identify any areas for policy development or review by Overview and Scrutiny.

The Board considered the Prioritised Council Business Plan for 2021/22, which was approved by the Cabinet at their meeting on 13 July 2021.  Members reviewed the priority actions and discussed areas where overview and scrutiny could add value through undertaking policy development or reviews.

Resolved:

That the Overview and Scrutiny Board conducts a review to focus on Torbay’s housing crisis and explore what action is being taken to address the following key areas: 

1.        shortage of temporary accommodation; 

2.        implications of short term leases; 

3.        social and affordable housing and the work of TORVISTA; 

4.        empty properties; 

5.        general housing supply; and 

6.        the work of the Strategic Housing Board. 

This links to the following Thriving People Priority Actions: 

1.        Deliver and update our Housing Strategy Action Plan, including working with developers to encourage sites to be brought forward, to ensure a five-year housing land supply, thereby protecting our green spaces. 

2.        Continue to work to enable work to start on stalled development sites across Torbay. 

3.        Develop a sufficiency strategy approach to reduce the need for temporary accommodation. 

4.        Working with Registered Providers across Torbay, facilitate the availability of social and affordable accommodation to enable people to move on from temporary accommodation including ‘next steps’ accommodation.   

To consider the submitted report on the Budget Monitoring Outturn and make any recommendations to the Cabinet/Council.

The Board considered the budget monitoring outturn report for 2020/2021 which provided a high-level budget summary of the Council’s revenue and capital position, based on figures on 31 March 2021.  The report was discussed at the Cabinet meeting held on 13 July 2021 and would be presented to the Council meeting on 29 July 2021.

The Overview and Scrutiny Board made the following recommendations:

1)            That the Cabinet be recommended to request that the Director of Place in consultation with the Chairwoman of the Harbour Committee works with the Section 151 Officer and the Cabinet Member for Finance to take the necessary steps to increase the Harbour Reserve Fund to a level that is financially acceptable; and

2)        That the Audit Committee be requested to consider a report on the detailed financial reporting and monitoring of the Council’s wholly owned companies.

To review the effectiveness of the Sub-Committee of the Overview and Scrutiny Board following six months of operation.

The Chief Executive, Anne-Marie Bond, outlined the submitted report on a six-month review of the activity of the Children and Young People’s Overview and Scrutiny Board, established as a sub-committee of the Overview and Scrutiny Board on 13 January 2021 to enable greater focus and time to be spent on overview and scrutiny of children and young people, working with key expert advisers to improve outcomes.  The report sought approval for the continuation of the Board and a minor change to allow non-voting parent co-opted members to be appointed where the Council was unable to fill the statutory education parent governor co-opted member positions to help represent the voice of the child or young person.

Resolved:

1.         that the Children and Young People’s Overview and Scrutiny Board remains in operation to fulfil the Council’s overview and scrutiny functions in respect of children and young people; and

2.         that, in the absence of the appointment of suitable parent governors to fill the Statutory Education Co-opted Parent Governor Representative places, the membership of the Children and Young People’s Overview and Scrutiny Board be expanded to enable parents who are not parent governors but have children at either a primary, secondary or an academy school in Torbay to become non-voting co-opted members on the Board, following an interview with the Chairman of the Children and Young People’s Overview and Scrutiny Board and Democratic Services Team Leader, to assist in ensuring that the voice of the child is represented on the Board.

To monitor the progress of the Cabinet’s response to the Overview and Scrutiny Review of Climate Change Emergency approved on 23 March 2021.

Members considered the submitted report which provided an update on the Cabinet’s response to the Board’s recommendations following the review of Climate Change Emergency.

Resolved:

That the Overview and Scrutiny Board continue to monitor the climate change agenda and make recommendations when appropriate.