The Head of Law and Governance has submitted a report seeking the appointment of members and chairs of Scrutiny Standing Panels and Review Groups following changes to the political composition of Oxford City Council. The recommendations are set out in the report.

The Scrutiny Officer presented the report from the Head of Law and Governance which sought appointment of members and chairs of Scrutiny Standing Panels and Review Groups following changes to the political composition of Oxford City Council.

It was noted that the following nominations had been received in line with the cross-party principle guide for appointments to Scrutiny Standing Panels and Review Groups, which were agreed by the Committee:

Finance and Performance Panel (and Budget Review Group): Cllr James Fry (Chair); Cllr Tiago Corais; Cllr Chris Smowton; Cllr Chris Jarvis; Cllr Hosnieh Djafari-Marbini; Cllr Amar Latif

Housing and Homelessness Panel: Cllr Lizzy Diggins (Chair); Cllr Mary Clarkson; Cllr Jo Sandelson; Cllr Rosie Rawle; Cllr Paula Dunne; Cllr Shaista Aziz

Climate and Environment Panel: Cllr Alex Hollingsworth (Chair); Cllr James Fry; Cllr Katherine Miles; Cllr Emily Kerr; Cllr Paula Dunne; Cllr Shaista Aziz

For the Companies Scrutiny Panel, the Oxford Socialist Independents Group did not wish to take up its allocation of a seat.  It was therefore recommended that this Panel revert to a membership of 4 Members and the vacant seat be given over to the Independent Group, therefore the Panel would be comprised as follows:

·       Cllr Mike Rowley (Chair), Cllr Katherine Miles, Cllr Alistair Morris and Cllr Ajaz Rehman

The report proposed that the Scrutiny Operating Principles be updated to reflect the revised cross-party principle guide for appointments to Scrutiny Panels and Review Groups.  The Scrutiny Officer proposed that the Operating Principles also be updated to provide clarity on membership in case a similar situation arose in the future where political groups might not want to take up their seat allocation on a particular Panel/Review group.  The following wording was agreed, which the Committee requested that the Scrutiny Officer amend in the Operating Principles:

“Where a political group does not wish to take-up its allocation of a seat on a Standing Panel or Review Group, it will first be offered to political groups that would not normally have a seat allocation through the cross-party principle guide for appointment to Standing Panels and Review Groups – the seat will be offered to those political groups in priority order based on strongest entitlement to a seat as per political proportionality calculations. Should there be there be no take-up of the seat after offering to other political groups, the Committee will decide what to do.

Where two or more political groups have the same entitlement to a seat on a Standing Panel or Review Group as per political proportionality calculations, but where there are not enough available seats to allocate to all of those political groups, the Committee will decide what to do. ”

The Committee were resolved to:

1.    Agree the revised cross-party principle guide for appointments to Standing Panels and the Review Groups as set out in paragraph 5 of the report; and delegate authority to the Scrutiny Officer to update the Scrutiny Operating Principles 2023/24 to reflect the change.

2.    Agree the allocation of 6 seats of Finance and Performance Panel, Housing and Homelessness Panel and Climate and Environment Panel; and 4 seats on Companies Scrutiny Panel for the remainder of 2023/24.

3.    Agree to appoint the members nominated by political groups to Standing Panels and Review Groups.

4.    Agree to re-appoint the existing chairs of Standing Panels for the remainder of 2023/24 (as set out above) in the interests of continuity.

5.    Agree that the membership of Finance and Performance Panel, including the Chair, will comprise the membership of Budget Review Group for 2023/24.

6.    Approve the wording in respect of what to do where a political group does not take up its seat allocation on a Standing Panel (set out above) for inclusion in the Scrutiny Operating Principles 2023/24; and delegate authority to the Scrutiny Officer to update the Operating Principles accordingly.