DRAFT

BOROUGH OF KETTERING

OVERVIEW COMMITTEE

Meeting held – 8th September 2004 

Present:		Councillor Smith-Haynes, (Chair),
Councillors Bayes, M. Evans, Gordon, Hales, L.Henson, Jones, Whyte and Wiley.

Also Present:		Councillor Harrison

04.OV.1	APOLOGIES

There were no apologies for absence.

04.OV.2	MINUTES

RESOLVED	that 	the minutes of the meeting held on 30th March 2004, be approved as a correct record and signed by the Chair.

04.OV.3	DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST

Councillor Jones declared a personal interest in item A3, as a member of both the KCLL and KLV Working Groups.

Councillor Hales declared a personal interest in item A3 as member of the KCLL Working Group.
		
04.OV.4	PUBLIC SPEAKERS		

Mr T. Blair (McKinlay Theatre Manager), Mr C. Jervis (Secretary of Kettering Theatre User Group), Mr P.Joyce (Chair of Kettering Theatre Users Group) and Mr M. Wallis (Kettering Operatic Society) all indicated that they wished to speak in respect of item A3 on the agenda.

04.OV.5	PERIODIC ELECTORAL REVIEW (A1)

A report was submitted that requested members to consider establishing a methodology for formulating the Council's response to the Boundary Committee for England's (BCE) Further Electoral Review of the Borough. It also sought to determine a timetable for the submission of the Council's proposals to BCE. 

Representatives from BCE were present at the meeting and gave a brief presentation with regard to the review stages, the criteria on which the Council's submission needed to be based and the manner in which submissions should be produced. It was noted that Council Size should be the starting point of any deliberations for anyone wishing to submit comments to BCE. It was also noted that the provisions within the process for examining Parish/Town Council arrangements did not extend to reviewing their external boundaries, and was mainly concerned with the size of the Council and the feasibility of warding arrangements where necessary. It was noted that the main reason for the review was that eleven out of twenty three of the Borough wards were now outside the usual tolerance level for representation of plus or minus 10% from the average for the Borough. It was also noted that each Council was treated as a separate body, and that there was no model number for elector:councillor representation. Having considered the report, it was 

RESOLVED		that:-

i)	a new Task and Finish Group be created to deal with this issue, with a final report being 	submitted to Overview Committee on 2nd November 2004. The Group to consist of eight members, with a 5:2:1 proportionality,;

ii)	the Task and Finish Group will replace the Neighbourhood Engagement Task and Finish 	Group, subject to members agreeing that its work has been completed.

iii)	the Group's first meeting shall take place on 23rd September 2004, with future dates being 	arranged at that meeting; and

iv)	the final report on this issue be considered by the Borough Council at its meeting held on 24th November 2004, with a view to its content being submitted to the Boundary Committee for 	England as soon as possible after that date.

04.OV.6	BEST VALUE REVIEW OF LEISURE, CULTURE AND SPORT – INTERIM REPORT (A3)

Members of the Committee received the interim report of the Best Value Review of Leisure, Culture and Sport Task and Finish Group. Councillor Harrison, the Chair of the Group attended the meeting and presented the report. He outlined the rationale behind the groups work, and explained the reasons for submitting an interim report at this stage. He referred to the workload undertaken by the Group, the evidence taken, and thanked his colleagues for their commitment. 

		The headline recommendations of the Group were as follows:-

•	The Council should seek to establish a separate charitable trust manage the art gallery and museum, in conjunction with Northampton Borough Council;

•	The Council should seek to ensure that a venue for community theatre is provided to replace the McKinlay Theatre when it closes, but that Kettering Leisure Village does not appear to the Group to be the best or most satisfactory solution;

•	The current contract for Leisure Services should be amended and market tested between now and 2007, with a view to entering into a new 25 year agreement;

•	The current tennis bubble at KLV should be replaced, and the opportunity of grants and sponsorship to provide, in conjunction with KLV, an indoor tennis facility for the Borough, should be taken up;

•	There should be a radical overhaul of the Leisure Pass scheme.

Messrs Blair, Jervis, Joyce and Wallis all addressed the Committee under the terms of the Council's Right to Speak Policy. They spoke in respect of their disappointment that the Task and Finish Group had not yet consulted them as Groups and as individuals. They requested that the Task and Finish Group, and the Overview Committee should consider their views before making a final recommendation about community theatre.
In response to the above, Councillor Harrison explained that the Task and Finish Group would be writing to representatives of community theatre inviting them to give evidence.

When considering the matter, members noted that the interim report did not demonstrate links with other Council strategies, or contain supporting information by way of facts, figures and timings. The need to provide replacement facilities for the Tennis Bubble at KLV was questioned. it was felt that the Task and Finish Group should be asked to look further into the provision of a multi-functional facility in conjunction with its partners, and increasing the critical mass of sport and leisure facilities that could be provided by another contractor. It was felt that Skateboarding could be considered as a stand alone issue and that the provision of a dedicated skateboard facility in the Borough could be examined by the Group. Councillor Harrison confirmed that the issue of Skateboarding had been considered under the heading of ‘Parks’.

Members welcomed the proposal to overhaul the Leisurepass scheme, but felt that this should be professionally promoted. It was also suggested that the KCLL and KLV Working Groups should be invited to meet the Task and Finish Group. The need for facilities in rural areas should not be overlooked.

		Having considered the Interim report, the Committee

				RESOLVED		that:-

i)	the work of the Task and Finish Group to date be noted, and its members thanked for their efforts;	

ii)	the Group be asked to widen its consultation in relation to a prospective theatre (See Objective 2); and

iii)	the Group be requested to present a second interim report, including statistical and funding details to this Committee on a date to be arranged by the Chair of the Task and Finish Group in consultation with the Chair of Overview Committee.

04.OV.7	NEIGHBOURHOOD ENGAGEMENT TASK AND FINISH GROUP (A5)

	Members received a report requesting them to consider winding -up the Neighbourhood Engagement Task and Finish Group, and outlining the outcomes of the Group's  work.

	In acknowledging that the Group's work was now complete, the Committee requested that its thanks to them be placed on record.

RESOLVED        that

the Neighbourhood Engagement Task and Finish group is wound up as its work is complete.	

04.OV.8	OVERVIEW AND SCRUTINY WORK PROGRAMME(A2)

Members received the Overview and Scrutiny Work programme for consideration, in order to review and co-ordinate the planned work programmes for the Monitoring and Audit Committee,  the Policy and Improvement Committee and the Council's task and Finish Groups for the forthcoming Municipal Year, and to recommend them to Council for approval.

Members noted that the Neighbourhood Engagement Task and Finish Group had been replaced by the Periodic Electoral Review Task and Finish Group, and that this change would be reflected in the programme submitted to Council. It was also considered that the report on the Borough Council's Eco-friendly Status should be considered by Policy and Improvement Committee.

Members received a verbal update on the progress of the Recycling Task and Finish Group.

RESOLVED 	that the overview and scrutiny work programme be submitted to Council for approval, subject to the changes detailed above being incorporated.

04.OV.9	CHANGING THE CONSTITUTION (A4)

A report was submitted that requested members to consider the principle of proposed changes to the constitution, and the draft timetable for making those changes through to a final decision at the meeting of the full Council to be held in December 2004.

Members queried the effect of the Freedom of Information Act on the Council's Forward Plan, but were informed that the statutory minimum information was already exceeded in respect of the current format of that document, and that freedom of information provisions were already included in the Council’s Protocol on Open Government.

During consideration of this item, Councillor Whyte proposed, Councillor Bayes seconded and it was

RESOLVED	that no further action should be taken in respect of investigating the Council changing to alternative arrangements during the next twelve months.

		( For the motion 7, Against 1, Not voting 1)

Having considered the report in its entirety, and subject to the amendments of dates as identified in the Appendix to the report and the content of the resolution above, it was further

RESOLVED	that the Committee instructs officers to pursue the detailed development of the changes to the Constitution in accordance with the submitted but slightly amended timetable.

                        (The meeting started at 7:00pm and ended at  9:26pm)

Signed_____________________________________________

						Chair