Overview and Scrutiny Committee (October 2023)
Summary
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Agenda
1. Apologies for Absence and Substitutions
2. Chairs Announcements
3. Minutes
To consider the minutes of the meeting held on 18 July 2023.
4. Decision and Action Sheet
To consider the decisions and actions from the previous minutes from the 18th July 2023 meeting.
5. Declaration of Interests
All Members are reminded that they must disclose any interests they know they have in items of business on the meeting’s agenda and that they must do so at this point on the agenda or as soon as they become aware of the interest. If the interest is a Disclosable Pecuniary Interest they are also obliged to notify the Monitoring Officer within 28 days of the meeting.
6. Public Question Time
Any member of the public may ask a question or make a statement at this point in the meeting. Each person has two minutes and a maximum of 20 minutes is allotted to public questions/statements, which must be about matters for which the Committee is responsible.
The Chair may disallow a question if it is offensive, substantially the same as another question or requires disclosure of exempt or confidential information. If the question cannot be answered at the meeting a written response will be provided after the meeting.
Any member of the public who wishes to submit a question or statement to this meeting should email it to committees@chelmsford.gov.uk 24 hours before the start time of the meeting. All valid questions and statements will be published with the agenda on the website at least six hours before the start time and will be responded to at the meeting. Those who have submitted a valid question or statement will be entitled to put it in person at the meeting.
7. Decisions Called-In
To report on any Cabinet decisions called in and to decide how they should be progressed.
7.1 Public Spaces Protection Order – Hylands Park
The Overview and Scrutiny Committee is to consider the decision taken by Cabinet on 12th September 2023 which was called in on 13th September 2023. The decision relates to a Public Spaces Protection Order to be placed on Hylands Park. The reasons given for the call-in are as follows:
“1. Questions about why Hylands Park, of the approximately 25 Parks controlled by Chelmsford City Council was selected for the Public Spaces Protection Order, (PSPO) were not adequately addressed. The data and statistics referred to did not appear to highlight Hylands Park as having a significant issue or being the priority for this type of action and the potential Criminalisation of dog walkers.
2. If it is shown that public safety from dogs off the lead and multiple dogs being walked by one person, is a real issue at Hylands, it was clear from the general debate during cabinet, that enforcement will be key to the success of any PSPO in providing any meaningful impact on the issue.
3. Given that there is to be no increase in enforcement officers and the refusal by the council at the meeting to engage in self-funding enforcement resources the introduction of the PSPO, at some public expense, does not appear to be value for money. Elsewhere it was stated that PSPOs in relation to litter were not impacting on the issues and an increase was being experienced.
4. The public consultation results and feedback did not appear to have been adequately addressed. This approach was further reinforced when the request by a member of the Public to have his question read out in full was not met. Nor was it appropriately answered as the specifics about the five-year figures and criminal convictions were not responded to, nor was there any commitment to provide the information.”
8. Cabinet Portfolio Report – Leader of the Council
9. Cabinet Portfolio Update – Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for a Connected Chelmsford
10. Work Programme
11. Urgent Business
To consider any other matter which, in the opinion of the Chair, should be considered by reason of special circumstances (to be specified) as a matter of urgency.