Agenda and minutes

(15 minutes for public questions and 25 minutes for Councillor questions)

Councillor Fielding MOVED and Councillor Sykes SECONDED that without notice in accordance with Council Procedure Rule 8.4(k) that the Council meeting be adjourned until Thursday, 12^th July 2018 at 6.00 p.m. due to England playing in the World Cup Semi Final.

On being put to the VOTE, the MOTION was CARREID UNANIMOUSLY.

RESOLVED that the Council meeting be adjourned until Thursday, 12^th July 2018 at 6.00 p.m.

The meeting started at 6.00 p.m. and ended at 6.02 p.m.

Council

12/07/2018 at 6.00 pm

The Mayor advised the meeting that the first item on the agenda in Open Council was Public Question Time.  The questions had been received from members of the public and would be taken in the order in which they had been received.  Council was advised that if the questioner was not present, then the question would appear on the screens in the Council Chamber.

The following questions had been submitted:

1.       Question received from Mr. Uddin via Facebook and email:

           “Shortage of Secondary School place for Residents of Coppice & Primrose Bank.  Recently the Council approved the expansion of North Chadderton School at a cost of £3.4m. North Chadderton School was chosen ahead of Hathershaw College citing additional refurbishment costs but this wasn’t detailed in the report nor was it scrutinised. In the Manchester evening news it was reported that the Council took 75 seconds to come to the decision to expand North Chadderton which clearly indicates that adequate scrutiny was not afforded to this decision. The PAN number at North Chadderton School is 240 compared to 210 for Hathershaw. Despite this, Hathershaw College was not prioritised for expansion.  The parents of Coppice are frustrated that most of their children are excluded from attending Hathershaw College as priority is given to the feeder schools. Will the Council seriously look into the expansion of Hathershaw College in the immediate future given the acute shortage of secondary school places for the residents of Coppice?”

            Councillor Jacques, Cabinet Member for Education and Culture responded that forecasts showed that by September 2019 an additional 110 places would be needed in year 7 and subsequently across all other year groups.  By 2022, there would be 150 places needed in year 7 and subsequently across all other year groups.  If the trend follows the primary school projections then the additional places would be needed in Chadderton and East and West Oldham.  There were a number of schemes that had been discussed at the Education Provision Group (EPG) which sought to address the pressure and satisfy demand in the borough, ensuring the Council’s statutory duty of providing sufficient school places was adhered to.  The opportunity to expand existing secondary schools had been evaluated using the Secondary Schools Priority Matrix.  The matrix took into account a number of criteria including percentage of first preference requests at year 7 allocation, Ofsted ratings, progress and attainment results, site conditions and  ...  view the full minutes text for item 1.

Apologies were received from Councillors Brock, Byrne, Chadderton, Harrison, Hewitt, Aftab Hussain, Fida Hussain, Larkin, Moores, Phythian, Turner and Williamson.

RESOLVED that the minutes of the Council meeting held on 23^rd May 2018 be agreed as a correct record subject an amendment at Item 7 of the minutes, insert after second paragraph, “Councillor Sykes and Councillor A. Alexander paid tribute to the work of Councillor Klonowski during his time served on the Council.”

In accordance with the Code of Conduct, elected members declared the following interests:

Councillors Garry, C. Gloster and H. Gloster declared a pecuniary interest at Items 12, Policing Motion, and 14a, Police and Crime Panel Minutes.  Councillors Garry, C. Gloster and H. Gloster left the room during Item 12 and did not vote or take part in the discussion thereon.

Councillor M. Bashforth declared a personal interest at Item 14b, MioCare Board by virtue of her appointment to the Mio Care Board.

Councillor Chauhan declared a personal interest at Item 14b, MioCare Board by virtue of his appointment to the Mio Care Board.

Councillor F. Hussain declared a personal interest at Item 14b, MioCare Board by virtue of his appointment to the Mio Care Board.

Councillor Roberts declared a personal interest at Item 14b by virtue of her appointment to the FCHO Board.

There were no items of urgent business.

The Mayor referred to the firefighters, the Army and Mountain Rescue who had been working in extremely difficult and challenging circumstances and were continuing to work hard to put out the multiple fires across Saddleworth Moor.  Council recorded their thanks to all those involved.

The Mayor advised that one petition had been received for noting by Council:

People and Place

Petition related to Rear of Park Road/Brompton Street Road Surface (St. Mary’s Ward) received on 12^th June 2018 with 124 signatures (Ref: 2018-09)

RESOLVED that the petition received since the last meeting of the Council be noted.

(time limit 15 minutes).

Councillor Fielding to MOVE and Councillor Hewitt to SECOND the motion:

The Council notes that the 150^th anniversary of the TUC is in June 2018.  Council also notes that the history of the TUC is intertwined with that of Greater Manchester, with the first meeting of the TUC taking place in 1868 at the Mechanics Institute on Princess Street in the City Centre.

Council recognises the improvements to the quality of life of working people in Oldham and across the United Kingdom that have been delivered by Trade Union campaigning, particularly on pay, conditions and safety at work.

Council resolves to:

• Write to the General Secretary of the TUC, Frances O’Grady, reaffirming this Council’s commitment to Trade Unionism.
• Offer a venue and support to the North West TUC who themselves are organising a programme of events across the region to ensure that the anniversary is marked in Oldham.”

The TUC

Councillor Fielding MOVED and Councillor Hewitt SECONDED the following motion:

“The Council notes that the 150^th anniversary of the TUC is in June 2018.  Council also notes that the history of the TUC is intertwined with that of Greater Manchester, with the first meeting of the TUC taking place in 1868 at the Mechanics Institute on Princess Street in the City Centre.

Council recognises the improvements to the quality of life of working people in Oldham and across the United Kingdom that have been delivered by Trade Union campaigning, particularly on pay, conditions and safety at work.

Council resolves to:

·       Write to the General Secretary of the TUC, Frances O’Grady, reaffirming this Council’s Commitment to Trade Unionism.

·       Offer a venue and support to the North West TUC who themselves are organising a programme of events across the region to ensure that the anniversary is marked in Oldham.

AMENDMENT

Councillor Sykes MOVED and Councillor C. Gloster SECONDED the following Amendment:

“Insert an additional new paragraph 4:

‘This Council is proud to note that the Oldham Trades Council, a body comprising representatives from trades union branches within the Borough, was established in 1867, pre-dating the TUC by one year; that suffragette Annie Kenney was the first woman trades unionist elected to that body; that the early records for the Trades Council are now held at the Working Class Movement Library in Salford, and an early banner from the organisation by the People’s History Museum in Manchester.’

And that at the end of the resolution a full bullet point be added:

‘Work with the current Oldham Trades Union Council in organising this commemorative event.’

Amended Motion to read:

‘The Council notes that the 150^th anniversary of the TUC is in June 2018.

Council also notes that the history of the TUC is intertwined with that of Greater Manchester, with the first meeting of the TUC taking place in 1868 at the Mechanics Institute on Princess Street in the city centre.

Council recognises the improvements to the quality of life of working people in Oldham and across the United Kingdom that have been delivered by Trade Union campaigning, particularly on pay, conditions and safety at work.

This Council is proud to note that the Oldham Trades Council, a body comprising representatives from trades union branches within the Borough, was established in 1867, pre-dating the TUC by one year; that suffragette Annie Kenney was the first woman trades unionist elected to that body; that the early records for the Trades Council are now held at the Working Class Movement Library in Salford, and an early banner from the organisation by the People’s History Museum in Manchester.

Council resolves to:

-        Write to the General Secretary of the TUC, Frances O’Grady, reaffirming this Council’s commitment to Trades Unionism.

-        Offer a venue and support to the North West TUC who themselves are organising a programme of events across the region to ensure that the anniversary is marked in Oldham.

-        Work with  ...  view the full minutes text for item 8.

(time limit 20 minutes)

There is no Youth Council business to consider.

There was no business from the Youth Council to consider.

The Leader of the Main Opposition, Councillor Sykes, raised the following two questions:

1.         Question 1:

            “The new Leader has talked about his plans to revise the Masterplan for the Oldham Town Centre.  I am sure everyone in this chamber, myself included, will look forward to seeing the revised proposals.  But first let me raise with the Leader tonight the issue of outstanding developments on two other town centre sites – that of Prince’s Gate and of Hotel Future.  The Council’s website still proclaims Prince’s Gate is ‘one of the most ambitious redevelopments for our town centre since the 1980’s’. Former Leader Jim McMahon called it a ‘game-changer for the new Oldham’.  Version 1 of this Royally-named scheme was due to open in 2017, but it collapsed when the flagship retailer Marks and Spencer pulled out despite a £9 million plus sweetener to fit out their new store and a promise of rent free occupancy for six months.  On then to Version 2, minus M&S or may be just an M&S Food Hall.  And now another Labour Council Leader, Councillor Jean Stretton, who was supposed to announce a new development partner for the site in the summer of 2017.  Some 12 months on, not a shout nor a sign – so perhaps we are onto Version 3, now we have yet another Labour Council Leader?  Prince’s Gate was supposed to deliver 700 jobs and £21 million a year to the local economy.  Instead, it has so far cost the Council Tax payers of Oldham many millions in undisclosed abortive costs spent on marketing, planning and regeneration professionals as well as the costs of site assembly and clearance.  And what do we have to show for it – a very, very costly car park.  Truly then a gateway fit more for a Pauper than a Prince.  Let us next turn to another site – the ‘will, won’t it go ahead’ hotel and conference centre on our doorstep, the development adjoining the Queen Elizabeth Hall, formerly known as Hotel Future.  Poor Hotel Future has become like an unwanted old mongrel when it was once a Crufts pedigree.  It was first a bespoke hotel training establishment offering courses in the hospitality industry, then it became a standard hotel from a standard hotel chain, then the plan was abandoned when the site, including the Queen Elizabeth Hall, was scheduled for demolition.  And now the Leader is holding out the promise of refurbishing the QE Hall and perhaps putting the hotel back on site.  In any case, the joke has clearly been again at the expense of Oldham Council Tax payers.  It was revealed in a recent response to a Freedom of Information request that £418,670 has been spent on this project between 2011 and its abandonment in July 2017.  Here then is my final question.  Will the Leader please end the misery and tell us what development will be done, when it will be done and with whom it will be done  ...  view the full minutes text for item 10.

(time limit 20 minutes):-

a) 26^th February 2018

b) 26^th March 2018

c) 23^rd April 2018

The minutes of the Cabinet meetings held on 26^th February 2018, 26^th March 2018 and 23^rd April 2018 were submitted.

There were no questions raised on the Cabinet minutes.

Members raised the following observations:

Councillor Harkness, Cabinet Minutes, 26^th February 2018, Item 7, Joint Local Area Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND) Inspection in Oldham 2 – 6 October 2017 – Councillor Harkness expressed disappointment with the inspection report and that transformation was needed and highlighted the challenge to raise standards in services, case log and budget overspend.

Councillor Fielding, Leader of the Council and Cabinet Member for Economy and Enterprise responded that the Council must get the service absolutely right.  Staff were passionate and the language used was emotive.  The Administration understood the obligations and investing the resources and had seen and hoped to see improvements in the future.

RESOLVED that:

1.         The minutes of the Cabinet meetings held on 26^th February 2018, 26^th March 2018 and 23^rd April 2018 be noted.

2.         The observation and response be noted.

(time limit 30 minutes)

Motion 1

Councillor S Bashforth to MOVE and Councillor M Bashforth to SECOND:

Policing

This Council notes that anti-social behaviour and crime in our suburbs is blighting our communities creating an unsettling atmosphere of fear and justified anger. This arises from the reduction in front line police services as a direct result of coalition and Tory Government cuts of £215m in the money which funds Greater Manchester Police.

2,000 Officers have been cut across GM since 2010 – over 1/3 of the total. The police are under increasing pressure to fight cyber crime/terrorism and because of the cuts neighbourhood policing is suffering.

It is essential that the public have confidence in the police and that the relationship between police and elected members is strong. The 101 service is the first point of contact for reporting crime and more needs to be done to ensure it is responsive and reliable and deals with the issues troubling residents appropriately. In the current situation of reducing public sector resources, it is also important that there is good communication between the police and elected members as residents will approach whoever they can contact to raise concerns about policing and anti-social behaviour.

Council notes that this Labour administration has appointed a cabinet member for Police and Community Safety to focus on these issues and resolves

1. to ask the Cabinet Member to negotiate a Memorandum of Understanding between the council and police to ensure that elected members can be confident that their enquiries on behalf of residents will be dealt with and responded to in a timely manner.
2. to continue to press the Mayor for Greater Manchester to resolve the difficulties faced by the 101 service so that it provides an acceptable response to calls made by the public

Motion 2

Councillor Leach to MOVE and Councillor Taylor to SECOND:

Rail

This Council notes with dismay the continuing shocking state of rail services in the Greater Manchester area. New timetables have reduced the number of trains at peak times and fragmented journeys across the conurbation of Greater Manchester. The ‘emergency’ timetable has only marginally improved the situation. People travelling from Oldham have suffered intolerably.

The underlying problem is of underinvestment in local rail service, lack of rolling stock, too few trains at peak times and unreliability of the service. Basically, this is the result of the fragmentation of rail services, the operation of the franchise system and the length of franchising. Delays in electrification and other infrastructural improvements have negatively affected rail users in the North.

This council supports the efforts of the Mayor of Greater Manchester and local MPs to get the Government, Network Rail and the operating companies to take responsibility for this crisis and to provide a long term solution which accords as much importance to local links in the system as to inter-city travel. 

The Council welcomes work underway at Mills Hill to provide full platform access.

This Council believes that

1.    The current franchising system  ...  view the full agenda text for item 12.

Motion 1 – Policing

Councillor S. Bashforth MOVED and Councillor M. Bashforth SECONDED the following Motion:

“This Council notes that anti-social behaviour and crime in our suburbs is blighting our communities creating an unsettling atmosphere of fear and justified anger. This arises from the reduction in front line police services as a direct result of coalition and Tory Government cuts of £215m in the money which funds Greater Manchester Police.

2,000 Officers have been cut across GM since 2010 – over 1/3 of the total. The police are under increasing pressure to fight cyber crime/terrorism and because of the cuts neighbourhood policing is suffering.

It is essential that the public have confidence in the police and that the relationship between police and elected members is strong. The 101 service is the first point of contact for reporting crime and more needs to be done to ensure it is responsive and reliable and deals with the issues troubling residents appropriately. In the current situation of reducing public sector resources, it is also important that there is good communication between the police and elected members as residents will approach whoever they can contact to raise concerns about policing and anti-social behaviour.

Council notes that this Labour administration has appointed a cabinet member for Police and Community Safety to focus on these issues and resolves

1.      to ask the Cabinet Member to negotiate a Memorandum of Understanding between the council and police to ensure that elected members can be confident that their enquiries on behalf of residents will be dealt with and responded to in a timely manner.

2.      to continue to press the Mayor for Greater Manchester to resolve the difficulties faced by the 101 service so that it provides an acceptable response to calls made by the public”

Councillor Ur-Rehman spoke in support of the Motion.

Councillor Sykes spoke in support of the Motion.

Councillor Sheldon spoke in support of the Motion.

Councillor Hudson spoke in support of the Motion.

Councillor Ali spoke in support of the Motion.

Councillor Mushtaq spoke in support of the Motion.

Councillor Rehman spoke in support of the Motion.

Councillor Iqbal spoke in support of the Motion.

Councillor S. Bashforth exercised his/her right of reply.

On being put to the VOTE, the MOTION was CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY.

RESOLVED that:

1.         The Cabinet Member be asked to negotiate a Memorandum of Understanding between the council and police to ensure that elected members can be confident that their enquiries on behalf of residents will be dealt with and responded to in a timely manner.

2.         The Mayor of Greater Manchester to be pressed continually to resolve the difficulties faced by the 101 service to that it provided an acceptable response to calls made by the public.

Motion 2 – Rail

Councillor Leach MOVED and Councillor Taylor SECONDED the following Motion:

“This Council notes with dismay the continuing shocking state of rail services in the Greater Manchester area. New timetables have reduced the number of trains at  ...  view the full minutes text for item 12.

(time limit 30 minutes)

Motion 1

Councillor Harkness to MOVE and Councillor H Gloster to SECOND:

Addressing Mental Ill-Health in Schools

This Council notes that:

In March 2016 the Department of Education produced advice for school staff titled 'Mental Health and Behaviour in Schools'

• This guidance identified that:

1. Approximately 10% of 5-16 year-olds have a clinically diagnosed mental health disorder.
2. A further 15% of 5-16 year-olds have problems that put them at risk of developing mental health problems.  

• Recent calls from government have called for more work to be done on supporting young people in schools with mental health difficulties and also possibly includingthis as an assessed component of future inspection regimes.

Council welcomes the:

• Recent plan adopted by Oldham’s Health and Wellbeing Board to transform the borough’s Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) by employing additional staff to bring down waiting times to six weeks.
• Employment of a specialist mental health school advisor.

Council believes that an aspiration to ensure positive mental health and well-being in the students and staff of all of our academies, colleges and schools should be a high priority, and that we should support them to each have:

• an appropriate strategy in place
• a designated Mental Health Lead  to coordinate, and monitor, the delivery of that strategy
• Mental health First Aiders in each academic year group to provide first-hand immediate support
• Mental health Peer Mentors where appropriate
• Access to mindfulness and similar programmes
• Access to professional Counsellors in the secondary and tertiary sectors

The strategy of every educational establishment should focus on:

• Promoting positive mental health in all students and staff
• Training staff and peer mentors so they are aware of common mental health conditions; the signs of, and risk factors for, mental ill-health; how they might support students in crisis or otherwise in need; and the support services available to these students and their families
• Promotingself-help strategies and online resources (such as those relating to personal resilience and mindfulness) to students and staff to enable them to better manage their own mental health

Council resolves to ask the Lead Cabinet Member(s) to work with the Health and Well-being Board to determine how these aspirations can be made a reality, and provide a report back to full Council on progress made within 12 months.

Motion 2

Councillor Sykes to MOVE and Councillor C Gloster to SECOND:

Tackling ‘Problem’ and Underage Gambling

Council notes that:

·       The UK has the largest regulated online gambling market in the world, generating approximately £4.7 billion in gross gambling yield per annum.

·       The Gambling Commission is responsible for regulating this market.

·       There are an estimated 7 million on-line gambling accounts, with almost one in five gamblers now playing on-line.

·       This trend is moving upwards as more people possess smart phones and internet connectivity speeds continue to improve.

·       The Gambling Commission estimates that on-line gambling will generate 50% of all gross gambling yield by the end of the  ...  view the full agenda text for item 13.

Motion 1 – Addressing Mental Ill-Health in Schools

Councillor Harkness MOVED and Councillor H. Gloster SECONDED the following motion:

“This Council notes that:

In March 2016 the Department of Education provided advice for school staff titled ‘Mental Health and Behaviour in Schools’

·         This guidance identified that:

1.    Approximately 10% of 5 – 16 year-olds have a clinically diagnosed mental health disorder.

2.    A further 15% of 5 – 16 year-olds have problems that put them at risk of developing mental health problems.

·         Recent calls from government have called for more work to be done on supporting young people in schools with mental health difficulties and also possibly including this as an assessed component of future inspection regimes.

Council welcomes the:

·         Recent plans adopted by Oldham’s Health and Wellbeing Board to transform the borough’s Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) by employing additional staff to bring down waiting times to six weeks.

·         Employment of a specialist mental health advisor.

Council believes that an aspiration to ensure positive mental health and well-being in the students and staff of all of our academies, colleges and schools should be a high priority, and that we should support them to each have:

·         An appropriate strategy in place

·         A designated Mental Health Lead to coordinate, and monitor, the delivery of that strategy

·         Mental health First Aiders in each academic year to provide first-hand immediate support

·         Mental health Peer Mentors where appropriate

·         Access to mindfulness and similar programmes

·         Access to professional Counsellors in the secondary and tertiary sectors

The strategy of every educational establishment should focus on:

·         Promoting positive mental health in all students and staff

·         Training staff and peer mentors so they are aware of common mental health conditions; the signs of, and risks factors for, mental ill-health; how they might support students in crisis or otherwise in need; and the support services available to these students and their families

·         Promoting self-help strategies and on-line resources (such as those relating to personal resilience and mindfulness) to students and staff to enable them to better manage their own mental health

Council resolves to ask the Lead Cabinet Member(s) to work with the Health and Wellbeing Board to determine how these aspirations can be made a reality, and provide a report back to full Council on progress made within 12 months.

AMENDMENT

Councillor S. Bashforth MOVED and Councillor Roberts SECONDED the following Amendment:

“To add a third  bullet point after ‘Council welcomes the’

·                     The production of the toolkit ‘Supporting young minds through tough times – the whole school and college approach to emotional health and well being in Oldham’

At the end of paragraph beginning ‘Council believes’ delete the words

‘that we should support them to each have:’

and add

‘acknowledges the progress being made towards implementing the toolkit including a comprehensive training programme for school and college staff and governors to deliver’

Following the sixth bullet point in the sentence in the same section in the sentence beginning ‘The strategy of’ delete the words  ...  view the full minutes text for item 13.

(time limit 8 minutes):-

The minutes of the following Joint Authority meetings were submitted as follows:

Greater Manchester Health and Social Care                  16^th March 2018

Partnership Board

Greater Manchester Waste Disposal Authority              15^th March 2018

(GMWDA)

Transport for Greater Manchester                                     16^th March 2018

Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA)        23^rd February 2018

                                                                                                29^th March 2018

                                                                                                27^th April 2018

                                                                                                25^th May 2018

Police and Crime Panel                                                     22^nd February 2018

National Park Authority                                                      16^th March 2018

Members asked the following questions:

Councillor Heffernan:  GMCA, 29^th March 2018, Item 68/18 The Greater Manchester Congestion Deal – Councillor Heffernan asked about the suggestion of a congestion charge which had previously been voted down.  Was the GMCA looking to bring a charge or was there an action plan on the table?

Councillor Fielding, Leader of the Council responded that had not been present at that meeting but since he had been appointed there had been no discussions about the introduction of a congestion charge in Greater Manchester.

Members raised the following observations:

Councillor Sykes:  GMCA, 29^th March 2018, Item 64/18 Armed Forces Covenant and the Greater Manchester Combined Authority – Councillor Sykes asked what the implications were for Oldham?

Councillor Fielding, Leader of the Council responded that he had not been present at that meeting but the Armed Forces Covenant in Oldham was led by Councillor Ball and the Council was in a strong position.  If the Greater Manchester scheme would strengthen it, it would be welcomed.

Councillor Sykes:  GMCA, 25^th May 2018, Item 113/18, Bus Reform Objectives Update - Councillor Sykes raised the problem with buses and getting a reasonable service, noted the intelligence gaps in the local bus network and asked how it would be delivered and if local members would be involved?

Councillor Fielding, Leader of the Council responded that there was a disparity in fares between the north and south and the quality of bus services.  The main corridor was not reliable.  The Leader would be championing a mechanism for members to inform franchises and input local intelligence for services to be what was expected.

Councillor Sykes:  GMCA, 25^th May 2018, Item 112/18 Introduction of Zonal Fares Structure on the Metrolink Network – Councillor Sykes queried the zonal fares structure and the opportunity to right a wrong to make sure steps were in place so Oldham stops were all in the same zone as it would not be right that from Shaw and Crompton it would be cheaper to go to Rochdale than Oldham.

Councillor Fielding, Leader of the Council responded that he agreed and all stops in Oldham should be included in Zone 3 and the cost related to Shaw and would be happy to make the case.

Councillor H. Gloster: GMCA, 25^th May 2018, Item 4, Greater Manchester Spatial Framework – Councillor Gloster raised that the GMSF would be available after the local elections but that this would not now be available until November or had it been ‘kicked into  ...  view the full minutes text for item 14a

(time limit 7 minutes)

The minutes of the Partnership meetings were submitted as follows:

Oldham Leadership Board                               3^rd March 2018

MioCare Board                                                26^th March 2018

Health and Wellbeing Board                             23^rd January 2018

                                                                      27^th March 2018

There were no questions or observations on the minutes.

RESOLVED that the minutes of the Partnership meetings as detailed in the report be noted.

Consideration was given to a report of the Director of Legal Services which informed members of actions that had been taken following previous Council meetings and provided feedback on other issues raised at the meeting.

Councillor Sheldon spoke on the report.

RESOLVED that:

1.      The Update on Actions from Council be noted.

2.      The response to Councillor Sheldon’s question related to the speed limit on Manchester Road, Greenfield be reviewed again by Highways.

Consideration was given to the Overview and Scrutiny Annual Report for 2017/18.  The report outlined the purpose of Overview and Scrutiny, the roles and responsibilities of the Overview and Scrutiny Board, the Performance and Value For Money Select Committee and the Health Scrutiny Sub-Committee.  The report contained a summary of the work undertaken in 2017/18 and outline how individuals could get involved in Overview and Scrutiny.

Councillor Williams spoke on the report.

RESOLVED that the Overview and Scrutiny Annual Report for 2017/18 be approved.

Consideration was given to a report of the Director of Legal Services regarding the appointment of Independent Persons on the Standards Committee / Independent Remuneration Panel.  Following the advertisement of the positions, interviews were conducted.  Two person were recommended to be appointed as Independent Persons for the Standards Committee to serve for four years.  It was proposed to re-advertise the current vacancy on the Independent Remuneration Panel.

RESOLVED that:

1.         Alex Feay and Martin Matthews be appointed as Independent Persons to the Standards Committee for a four year term.

2.         The current vacancy on the Independent Remuneration Panel be re-advertised.