Agenda item

To receive and consider the attached report of the Head of Scrutiny and Member Development

The Head of Scrutiny and Member Development submitted a report presenting information and guidance to assist the Board in developing its work programme for 2009/10.

The following information was appended to the report:

-  Council Business Plan 2008-11 – Executive Summary;

-  Council Business Plan 2008-11 – Improvement Priorities;

-  Council Strategic Plan 2008-11;

-  Leeds City Region Agenda for 2008-09; and

-  List of work undertaken by Scrutiny in the last 5 years.

The Chair welcomed the following representatives to the meeting to contribute to the discussion about the Board’s Work Programme and respond to queries and comments from the Board:-

-  Paul Rogerson, Chief Executive;

-  James Rogers, Assistant Chief Executive (Planning, Policy and Improvement); and

-  Rob Norreys, Head of Regional Policy.

The Board was provided with suggested topics for inclusion in its programme.  The main areas of discussion were:

City Region

• Governance issues relating to the City Region and the need for wider engagement with Members.
• Developing work with local authorities and outside organisations to align delivery of services, particularly relating to transport issues.

Transport

• The Transport Act 2008 and implications for wider decision making.
• Developing arrangements with partner organisations to deliver better services, especially the Integrated Transport Authority.

Employment and Skills

• The need to review roles and responsibilities for the skills agenda and contributing to the development of terms of reference.
• The need to co-ordinate training programmes, particularly focussing on how partner agencies deliver services and ensuring that less skilled workers were not left behind.
• The enterprise agenda and work being developed to bring forward proposals to support the modern construction industry.

Vision for Leeds

·  Assessing the Vision for Leeds and how strategic plan priorities were being delivered in the context of refreshing the Vision for Leeds up to 2030 / 2040.

·  Overview of the process for refreshing the Vision for Leeds.

(Councillor Lyons declared a personal interest in this item as Chair of West Yorkshire Integrated Transport Authority).

(Councillor Shelbrooke left the meeting at 11.02 am and Councillor Fox at 11.04 am during the consideration of this item).

RESOLVED – That the information presented with the report and discussion with those present be used towards the development of the Board’s Work Programme.