To receive any questions relating to items on the Agenda from members of the public and replies thereto.
Minutes:
Nick Quinn, a local resident submitted questions in relation to agenda Item 6 - Communication Engagement Strategy – which were read out by the Leader on behalf of the resident:
Question 1
At paragraph 1.8 in the Report, on page 30 of your papers, the number of “followers” of the Council is given as 34,000 – with a breakdown by platform. How many of these ‘followers’ are based in Mid Devon, or the immediate surrounding area?
The Cabinet Member for Community and Leisure responded by stating that most followers/subscribers to our content do not need to provide addressing information so we are unable to quantify across most of the platforms. We can however identify 'claimed' addresses on the Next Door platform, and this currently stands at approx. 8000.
Question 2
In the Strategy document, on page 36 of your papers, is a piece about a new online platform called Engagement HQ. I think this is already on the Internet as LetsTalkMidDevon” - which is what the public will call it. Using different names for the same thing can cause confusion. Why is the naming not consistent?
The Cabinet Member for Community and Leisure responded by stating that the Engagement HQ is the product name of the platform implemented. The website/url address is LetsTalkMidDevon which is what our residents will use to interact with us and was named subsequent to the report being written.
In relation to agenda Item 7 – Notification of Key Decisions – the following questions were read out by the Leader on behalf of the resident:
Question 3
The document issued is headed “Forward Plan” and is said to contain any “Key Decisions to be taken by Cabinet or Council”. To be a “Key Decision”, the decision must meet certain requirements. It is not clear which of the current items listed meet these “key” requirements and which are ordinary decisions or information reports. Please can future “Notification of Key Decisions” lists indicate which items are actual “Key Decisions”?
The Leader responded by stating that the forward plan only needs to list key decisions, since these are the only ones that require ‘notice’ to be given. However, the document will also sometimes list other non-key decisions (or the part of the decision that is ‘non-key’ such as when things are going to a PDG first). The Forward plan is a useful organisational tool that aides the Council within the decision making process.
Question 4
In the current “Notification of Key Decisions”, it is not clear what the decision to be taken actually is. Please can future “Notification of Key Decisions” lists specify the actual decision to be taken?
The Leader responded by stating that to publish a decision to be taken could be considered as predetermination. Recommendations on reports are only recommendations. The Forward Plan is a 'live' document and can change at any time in line with the priorities of the Council. Some of the decisions brought to Cabinet must have the ability to change before the next planned meeting so therefore it is not practical to detail the key decision to be made.