There were no apologies.

There were no Substitute Members.

There were no urgent items.

Councillor Perry was in attendance as a Visiting Member for Item 14 – Report of the Water Management Cycle Working Group.

There were no disclosures by Members and Officers.

All Committee Members had been lobbied on Item 14 – Report of the Water Management Cycle Working Group.

RESOLVED: That all items be taken in public as proposed.

RESOLVED: That the Minutes of the Meeting held on 21 February 2023 be approved as a correct record and signed.

There were no petitions.

There were no questions from Local Residents.

There were no questions from Members to the Chairman.

The Chairman highlighted that the Executive had published its response to the Committee’s waste review, with any comments from the Committee likely to be considered in the next municipal year; the Council would be considering amendments to the Constitution which included a protocol on the receipt of and response to Overview and Scrutiny Committee reports by the Executive.

RESOLVED: That the Committee Work Programme be noted.

The Democratic Services Officer introduced the report, stating that it was a constitutional requirement for the Committee to produce and submit an annual report to the Council. The draft report attached at appendix A to the report summarised the Committee’s training, reviews undertaken and outcomes and work programme for the 2023/24 Municipal Year.

It was stated that next year’s draft report would be received earlier, to allow for likely format and content changes to reflect the Committee’s views as the Overview and Scrutiny function continued to develop.  

The Committee expressed support for the draft report attached at appendix A to the report, with the ambitious work programme and high volume of work completed across the year noted. It was requested that the next annual report include the names of any working group and substitute members that attended any meetings, in recognition of their contribution.

RESOLVED: That the report attached at Appendix A be approved for submission to the Council.

The Democratic Services Officer introduced the report, stating that the working group’s (the Group’s) draft report was attached at Appendix 1 to the report. The report recommendations included a request from the Group to add a second phase to the review to the Committee’s 2023/24 work programme.

The Group’s members on the Committee expressed their support for the report and recommendations, which they felt would achieve improvements to the Water Management Cycle. Reference was made to the positive, useful engagement that had taken place with external stakeholders and the cross-over between the review and the Council’s Biodiversity and Climate Change Action Plan.

During the discussion, the following points were raised; the importance of joint working with other partners as outlined within some of the group’s recommendations, the need to push developers to develop sites in a way that improved the water management cycle, the aspirations expressed by the Water Companies in relation to the proposed Garden Communities and the aims of the second-stage review proposed.

Thanks were expressed to those Members that attended the group’s meetings as substitutes or contributed to the review generally. The ambitious nature of the review was highlighted, with it noted that consideration should be given to the resources and time required to support these types of review. 

The Committee welcomed the Group’s draft report attached at Appendix 1 to the report.

RESOLVED: That

1.  The report of the working group, attached at Appendix 1 to the report, be considered and agreed for submission to the relevant decision makers;

2.  Delegated authority be given to the Democratic Services Officer to amend the report following any changes to Lead Member Portfolios post May 2023, if required; and

3.  A second-phase review, to review the remaining considerations as outlined in point 2.3 of the report, be added to the Work Programme for 2023/24.

6.30 p.m. to 7.05 p.m.