Members of the South West Network met up at the Devon County Council Offices at Exeter on 19 April 2013. The guest speaker was Councillor James McInnes who talked about the role of the District Councillor on Health and Well Being Boards. This prompted lots of discussion with officers across the region sharing experiences. A session was given by Graham Russell on the results of the recent South West Members Allowances survey. Simon Harper and Sidgoree Nelson from the Gloucestershire Scrutiny team gave a presentation on how scrutiny can make a difference and influence national agencies. Their particular example related to a recent scrutiny topic on the Severn Estuary and how this had prompted the Environment Agency to have a rethink of their proposals.
John Quinton and Rosalind Reeves updated members on what was happening with ADSO and encouraged people to come forward with ideas for future sessions for SW members.
Next meeting planned for Friday 18 October at Exeter.