Agenda item

Report of the Director of Policy, Performance and Communications.

7.1      Members of the Committee were requested in the report to suggest any items of interest to add to the Work Programme.  Members recommended the following items:

·                     Business Rates – this was currently scheduled for the next meeting in May.  The Chairman requested that in order to make the item viable expert witnesses would need to be available such as Sir Peter Rogers, Chairman, New West End Company.

·                     Placeshaping – potentially the next meeting in May. 

·                     Baker Street Two Way and 20 miles per hour trial areas – potentially June 2017.

·                     Broadband – potentially September 2017.

·                     Night Tube – potentially September 2017 (one year after the Night Tube commenced).

·                     Pedestrianisation of Oxford Street – potentially September 2017.

·                     Crossrail 2 – potentially November 2017 or February 2018.

·                     Cycling Strategy – including an update on progress of the Cycling Superhighways.

·                     Topics within the City Plan to be considered at the pre-consultation stage.

·                     Support for the forums undertaking Neighbourhood Planning – potentially during February / April 2018.

·                     Street Markets (Cabinet Member for Business, Culture and Heritage portfolio).

·                     The service provided to customers by the utilities such as Thames Water / UK Power Networks – potentially February 2018.

7.2      Muge Dindjer, Policy and Scrutiny Manager, advised Members of the Committee that they have the option to establish task groups and that there is a small scrutiny research budget should the Committee wish to commission some external work.  She would be consulting the Cabinet Members on other potential topics for the Work Programme and would provide a more detailed Work Programme for the next meeting of the Committee in May. 

7.3      The Chairman recommended to his Committee colleagues that they contact Ms Dindjer if they have any further items for inclusion in the Work Programme.  It was agreed that Ms Dindjer would consult Councillor Astaire and the relevant officers as to the potential for a task group on parties which make representations in respect of planning applications being able to address the planning committees.  ‘Assets of community value’ and in particular the policies towards pubs was also proposed as a potential task group.    

7.4       ACTION: The following actions arose:

·           Councillor Chalkley and the relevant officers to be consulted as to whether it was appropriate timing to consider Baker Street Two Way and 20 miles per hour trial areas at the 7 June meeting (Muge Dindjer, Policy and Scrutiny Manager, Councillor Danny Chalkley, Cabinet Member for City Highways and Sion Pryse, Cabinet Officer).

·           Councillor Chalkley and the relevant officers to be consulted on the appropriate timing regarding an update on the Cycling Superhighways (Muge Dindjer, Policy and Scrutiny Manager, Councillor Danny Chalkley, Cabinet Member for City Highways and Sion Pryse, Cabinet Officer).

·           Councillor Astaire and the relevant officers to be consulted as to the potential for a task group on parties which make representations in respect of planning applications being able to address the planning committees (Muge Dindjer, Policy and Scrutiny Manager, Councillor Daniel Astaire, Cabinet Member for Planning and Public Realm, Madeleine Hale, Senior Cabinet Officer and John Walker, Director of Planning).

·           Councillor Astaire, the relevant officers and Councillor Crockett to be consulted on the potential for a task group on assets of community value / pubs (Muge Dindjer, Policy and Scrutiny Manager, Councillor Daniel Astaire, Cabinet Member for Planning and Public Realm, Madeleine Hale, Senior Cabinet Officer and Barry Smith, Head of City Policy & Strategy).

·           The Committee requested a document setting out the respective stages that the Neighbourhood Forums are at (Muge Dindjer, Policy and Scrutiny Manager, Councillor Daniel Astaire, Cabinet Member for Planning and Public Realm and Madeleine Hale, Senior Cabinet Officer).

·           Councillor Glanz and the relevant officers to be consulted on progress on broadband (Muge Dindjer, Policy and Scrutiny Manager and Councillor Jonathan Glanz ).

·           That expert witnesses are invited to attend the May meeting in order to address the Committee on business rates (Muge Dindjer, Policy and Scrutiny Manager).

7.5       RESOLVED: That (i) the potential unallocated items be noted; and

That (ii) an updated Work Programme, taking into account the Committee’s proposed items, be provided for the next meeting of the Committee in May.