Agenda item

Members were invited to propose ideas for the next review item, following the conclusion of the Select Committee’s homelessness review. It was clarified that only one review—either minor or major—could be conducted at a time. Two initial suggestions were presented: a minor review on funfairs and a major review concerning the parking enforcement contract. Members were encouraged to submit additional ideas.

It was agreed that a decision would not be made during the meeting. Instead, all suggestions would be collected and discussed with officers, and the committee leads, to shortlist feasible options. Regarding funfairs, concerns were raised about recurring issues such as fly-posting and inadequate responses from previous information items. It was proposed that a formal review could yield practical recommendations.

The parking enforcement suggestion focused on suspended parking zones, some of which had been inactive for over 20 years, thereby preventing wardens from issuing tickets. This situation had led to increased parking issues near schools. A review was proposed to assess these zones and potentially implement a scheme to clearly demarcate parking permissions, enabling enforcement.

Members highlighted the upcoming Borough elections in 296 days and suggested that any review should be realistically scoped to conclude by March or April 2026, considering the limited time and potential changes in Committee membership. It was noted that some reviews in other Committees had taken up to two years, and the current review should be manageable within the available timeframe.

Further suggestions included expanding the funfair review to encompass all corporate events on council land, addressing illegal street trading, and reviewing the limited issuance of Fixed Penalty Notices. It was also noted that information items could be used as an alternative to formal reviews, allowing scrutiny and suggestions without formal recommendations to Cabinet.

Members proposed a minor review on flooding and watercourses, citing seasonal relevance. Concerns were raised about the potential discontinuation of reviews post-election, but it was clarified that completed reports would still be submitted to Cabinet.

Councillors emphasised the tight timeframe, noting the absence of meetings in August and December. They expressed doubts about fitting comprehensive topics like parking enforcement into the schedule. He also raised concerns about persistent fly-posting and the lack of 24-hour parking enforcement.

The Committee suggested a review of private sector housing, particularly its integration with local authority structures and its impact on residents. Councillors supported the funfair review and proposed an additional review of Public Spaces Protection Orders (PSPOs) across the Borough. Councillor Davis suggested reviews on Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMOs) and private business waste management, linking the latter to fly-tipping issues.

Democratic Services summarised the suggestions, which included funfairs and corporate events, illegal street trading, flooding, parking enforcement, private sector housing, PSPOs, HMOs, and private waste. It was decided that these ideas would be evaluated for feasibility, and a shortlist would be presented at the next meeting. The possibility of progressing the review via email before the September meeting was discussed, subject to constitutional constraints and consultation with Democratic Services. This would save time and enable the scoping report to be tabled at the September meeting.

RESOLVED: That the Select Committee:

1. Noted the guidance on undertaking policy reviews in Appendix 1;

2. Sought to make use of the scorecard attached in Appendix 1 (Annex A) to assess any policy review topic ideas;

3. Developed a shortlist of potential topic ideas over the coming months or year for officers to scope further and report back to the Committee on feasibility.

4. Delegated to the Democratic Services Officer, in conjunction with the Chairman (and in consultation with the Opposition Lead) any further agreement on review topic selection as required.