Maidstone Borough Council

Community, Leisure Services & Environment Overview & Scrutiny Committee

Tuesday 15 July 2014

Cabinet Member for Community and Leisure Services and Cabinet Member for Environment

Priorities for the Municipal Year 2014 - 15

Report of: Tessa Mallett, Overview & Scrutiny Officer

1.          Introduction

1.1        The Cabinet Member for Community and Leisure Services and Cabinet Member for Environment’s portfolios have been aligned to this Committee’s terms of reference.

2.          Recommendation

2.1    The Committee are advised to consider the verbal updates from the Cabinet Member for Community and Leisure Services and Cabinet Member for Environment on their priorities for the 2014-15 Municipal Year.  Outlines of these priorities are attached as Appendix A.

2.2        The Committee should focus its questioning on the areas listed below to ensure its future work programme and review topics are reflective of, and can be aligned to, key decisions and priority pieces of work being undertaken during the year ahead.  Many of these will feature in the list of forthcoming decisions:

·         Major pieces of work being undertaken by departments within each Cabinet Member’s portfolio areas (see Appendix B – OSC Terms of Reference);

·         Their personal priorities for the year;

·         Key decisions; and

·         Pre-Decision scrutiny.

3.      Reasons for Recommendation

3.1     The Community, Leisure Services & Environment Overview and Scrutiny Committee are responsible for holding the Cabinet Member for Community and Leisure Services and the Cabinet Member for Environment to account.

3.2     The areas of responsibility for the Cabinet Member for Community and Leisure Services and the Cabinet Member for Environment are detailed at Appendix B. 

3.4     The Committee may find their responsibilities cross over with other Scrutiny Committees.  The Committee should focus primarily on its terms of reference but can make recommendations to the appropriate Overview and Scrutiny Committee or the Scrutiny Co-ordinating Committee should a piece of work be highlighted that falls outside its jurisdiction.

4.      Impact on Corporate Objectives

4.1        The Committee will primarily consider reports that deliver against the Council priority: ‘For Maidstone to be a decent place to live.’

          4.2    The Strategic Plan sets the Council’s key objectives for the medium   term and has a range of objectives supporting the delivery of the Council’s priorities.  Actions to deliver these key objectives may      therefore include work the Committee will consider throughout the coming year.