Last week – a brief review

Wednesday saw a meeting of the Audit and Regulatory committee, which although a rather ‘dry’ sounding committee, have an important part to play in scrutinising the ‘budget’ of the Council, and how the fund and resources available are used.
On the agenda was a report from the district auditors, a review of the district audit’s report on how well the council is using the ‘resources ‘ it has, and an update on the work the committee is doing on reviewing the full council meeting.

In terms of the auditors report, I raised questions and concerns over how well we are scrutinising the work been done on the Crescent Development in Buxton, given that because of the various ‘public and commercial confidentiality issue’s, most members are not able to be fully updated on all of the issue’s surrounding the project, and the risk’s involved, no answers on the night, but it was something that the officers will go away and work on.

The report on the review group, was altered slightly with a report from the Borough Solicitor on issue’s raised from the Select Committee Chair’s and Leaders Group on several changes that they want to bring in for various council meetings and possible restricting the work of the scrutiny committee’s.

Several of the changes raised concerns from the members present at the meeting including the concern that the report had not been scheduled to go through the committee, and was instead intended to by-pass it and go straight on the agenda for the full council meeting, so we requested that the recommendation by altered, and our concern placed on the report, which will be discussed at the forthcoming full council meeting.

Thursday saw the Annual General Meeting of the Labour Group, no changes as such with Caitlin Bisknell and Jacqui Wilkinson been re-elected as the Group Leader and Deputy Leader, and most other members retaining there ‘jobs’ as well.
Saturday see a ‘Youth in action’ event taking place at the lower site of Glossopdale Community College on Talbot Road, I don’t quite know what this will involve but along with a number of the other councillor’s from the Glossopdale are, I will be in attendance, more the come on this later.