Minutes:
9.1 The vice chair asked members to suggest themes for the cabinet member interview, which is scheduled for the next meeting. There was a discussion on the move away from individual questions for cabinet member interviews. Recent interviews have been based on themes as these allow a more discursive discussion that needs less resource support by officers in times of budget reductions.
9.2 A member commented that the quarterly review of the Children’s and Young Peoples Plan (CYPP) has been a useful forum for the young people.
9.3 A member suggested a theme of mentoring, apprentices and employment support. He noted that, in particular, it would be useful to understand how much work local stakeholders offer Southwark young people and what the rate of pay is.
9.4 A member commented on national research that indicated that there is a relationship between gangs and the 1000 most disruptive families in a borough the size of Southwark.
9.5 There was a suggestion by a member that a themed discussion on the committees current review topic of universal free healthy school meals would be useful. Another member commented that it might be helpful to link that to the recent review report produced on Childhood Obesity and Sports Development. Traffic Safety was also suggested as a theme.
9.6 The wider overview and scrutiny committee’s commitment to holding cabinet members to account on their portfolio generally, and council plan commitments specifically was discussed.
ACTION
The suggested themes agreed were: