Decision details

In the absence of the Chair of the Overview & Scrutiny Committee, the Vice-Chair of the Committee advised that there had been two meetings of the Committee since the December 2022 Council meeting.  The Committee had been fulfilling its role of scrutinising Executive decisions, including those on the Housing Revenue Account, General Fund, Capital Strategy, Housing for Older People Strategy, Stevenage Design Guidance SPD, Temporary Accommodation and Procurement Strategy and Treasury Management Strategy.  The Executive Portfolio Holder for Environment & Climate Change had given a presentation to the February meeting of the Committee on “Climate Change Strategy – Making it happen at grass roots level”.

The Chair of the Community Select Committee advised that the Committee’s scheduled February meeting to discuss public health had been cancelled due to the Hertfordshire Director of Public Health being called away unexpectedly.  The Committee would be meeting next on 9 March 2023.

The Chair of the Environment & Economy Select Committee advised that the Committee was conducting a detailed review on the impact of the cost of living crisis on the public, the Council and its employees, and local businesses.  At the January 2023 Committee meeting, the Citizens Advice Bureau and representatives from the SBC Policy and Warms Spaces Teams attended to report on the impact and reasons why Stevenage residents required support as a consequence of the crisis.  At the February 2023 meeting of the Committee, the Executive Portfolio Holder for Economy, Enterprise & Transport attended, as did WENTA representatives and the Council’s Business Relationship Manager, to inform Members of the impact on the business community in Stevenage.  There was to be a further Committee meeting in March 2023 to look at the impact on SBC and its employees, involving officers from the Finance and Human Resources Teams and Trade Union representatives.