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The Chair of the Overview & Scrutiny
Committee advised that there had been two meetings of the Committee
since the October 2023 Council meeting. 
She referred to the presentation given to the Committee’s
November meeting in respect of the 2021 Census data for
Stevenage.  The way the Census data was
presented by the Office for National Statistics made it difficult
to extrapolate information down to Ward level, although she hoped
that the Committee would be able to do further work on the data
later in the Municipal Year.
 
The Chair of the Community Select Committee
advised that the Committee had met on 14 November 2023 and received
a well-informed presentation from the Assistant Director (Building
Safety and Housing Property Services) on the external review of
Housing Voids which had been undertaken by Ridge.  The report emphasised that the Service needed to
improve communication with residents, and to formalise policies,
processes and procedures.  She was
confident that work had commenced in response to the Ridge
review’s recommendations.  The
Committee also interviewed the Executive Portfolio Holder for
Housing & Housing Development in respect of complaints and were
confident that the Portfolio Holder was exploring opportunities to
improve the associated processes.
 
The Chair of the Environment & Economy
Select Committee advised that the Committee had completed a one-off
piece of pre-scrutiny work on the proposed Cycle Hire Scheme for
Stevenage.  It was hoped that this
Scheme would be rolled out in the Spring of 2024.  The debate included SBC Officers and local
representatives of Cycling UK.  This was
an exciting development that would enable residents to move
cheaply, quickly and enjoy the added health benefits of cycling
around the town.  In January 2024, the
Committee would be considering its review work on Bus Services and
the Cost of Living.  There would also be
a meeting of the Committee, in conjunction with the Planning &
Development Committee, in February 2024 to consider the
Council’s Biodiversity Strategy.