Meeting documents

+ Cllr Ken Pedder - Chairman

+ Cllr Richard Brooks - Vice-Chairman

+ Present

- Apologies for absence presented

PART I

The External Partnerships Select Committee received a report on the Committee’s terms of reference and responsibilities. Members also received further details on the general and specific Committee terms of reference and responsibilities.

Members noted the role of the Local Strategic Partnership, a single body which brings together a number of partners from across the Borough to develop a Community Plan for Surrey Heath, and the Committee’s involvement in the development of this and the Community Safety Strategy.

RESOLVED, That the general select committee responsibilities and the responsibilities and terms of reference specific to the External Partnerships Select Committee be noted and applied in consideration of future committee reports.

The Committee considered a report proposing a draft work programme for the municipal year 2004/05. Members noted the need to balance in the work programme the mix of significant and long term investigations with other short and medium term reviews and to have regard to the available member and officer resources. Additional reviews could also be requested by the Council and Executive. The Committee took note of these issues when assessing the proposed work programme.

Members were reminded that individual Member and Officer proposals had been invited for issues which might be considered by the Committee in addition to the issues proposed in the draft work programme. In the event that a significant number of proposals were submitted, a matrix would be used to assess each proposal.

Having considered the issues recommended in the report and further Member proposals, the Committee agreed the draft work programme attached at Annex A. In addition to those issues allocated to specific meetings, the work programme included matters which would be investigated at a later stage. It was emphasised that this would be a flexible work programme, responding to the needs of the Executive and Council and taking into account the availability of expert witnesses.

It was noted, in response to a proposal that Surrey Police be invited to address the Committee, that this would form part of the presentation on the Community Safety Strategy, scheduled for 18th November 2003. The Lead Officer was asked to investigate required timescales in relation to the Blackwater Valley Partnership with a view to allocating a presentation on the Partnership to a suitable future meeting.

The Committee agreed that it would be appropriate to raise issues such as speeding, road safety and road congestion with Surrey Police, possibly as part of the Community Safety Strategy.

Members noted that the report included a list of significant partners. It was intended to develop the list further to identify the key partners in priority terms and Members were invited to notify the officers of any further organisations such as schools or voluntary bodies which should be included. The Committee agreed that it would be helpful, when reviewing the list of significant partners, if an additional column could be included indicating which Members/Officers were the Council’s main links with the organisations listed.

RESOLVED, That the Executive and Council be recommended to adopt the draft Committee Work Programme for the Municipal Year 2003/04, as attached at Annex A.  

CHAIRMAN

ANNEX A

DRAFT COMMITTEE WORK PROGRAMME