Agenda item

The Council considered the Overview and Scrutiny Annual Report, which highlighted the progress of Doncaster Council’s Overview and Scrutiny function during 2019/20.  The report also provided a summary of the work undertaken by the Overview and Scrutiny Management Committee (OSMC) and its four Standing Panels, and highlighted some of the key achievements and the impacts that Overview and Scrutiny had made over the past year, and identified priorities for 2019/20.

In presenting the report, Councillor Jane Kidd, Chair of the OSMC, pointed out that the Overview & Scrutiny Annual Report was usually presented to Council at the ordinary Council meeting following the Annual Council Meeting, and that whilst keeping with this practice, the change to the Council’s meeting schedule had resulted in presenting the report later in the year.

It was reported that the period covered by the report was 1st April, 2019 to 31st March, 2020 which mainly reflected a time before the lives of the Borough’s residents and communities were so profoundly changed by the COVID pandemic.  When the 2020/21 report was presented to Council next year, it would include details of the important work which had been undertaken through virtual meetings during this challenging period.

Members’ noted that the Annual Report highlighted a number of activities and achievements that were important, including how Overview and Scrutiny had engaged with the public and partners, had held decision makers to account, contributed to policy development and provided an opportunity for Members to consider issues they felt were important to residents of the Borough.  The report also identified some of Overview and Scrutiny’s priorities moving forward for 2020/21 and that consideration of a number of these issues were already well underway.

It was also reported that much of Scrutiny’s work had been driven by the wider strategic objectives of Doncaster Growing Together and the priorities detailed in the Corporate Plan.  It had also been responsive enough to consider issues that had arisen during the course of the year, such as the wider impacts of the flooding emergency of November, 2019.

Councillor Kidd drew Members’ attention to an important piece of work where Overview and Scrutiny helped shape and influence decision making, where significant work had been undertaken by OSMC during Autumn 2019, to review the use of Ward Member budgets as a means of engaging and supporting communities to deliver important local initiatives and priorities.  All Members were invited to participate and contribute to this review and OSMC’s recommendations to establish a process of priority setting and review of applications at regular Ward Meetings, were agreed by the Executive.  Whilst it was not possible to implement the Ward Member budget arrangements in the way they were originally envisaged, the key principles for establishing the scheme were used to enable Ward Members to support and respond to their communities during the early stages of the COVID pandemic, and initial lockdown period.  OSMC would continue to review Ward budgets and other Locality issues during the course of the year.

In concluding her presentation, Councillor Kidd conveyed her thanks to everyone who has contributed to the Overview and Scrutiny process including Members, the Executive, partners, the public and Officers, and she hoped Overview and Scrutiny could continue to build on its successes moving forward, particularly in these challenging times.

RESOLVED that the Overview and Scrutiny Annual Report 2019/20, be noted.