The Overview and Scrutiny Committee of West Suffolk Council met on Thursday 15 January 2026 to discuss the council's property assets, appointments to outside scrutiny bodies, and the Cabinet Decisions Plan. The committee also received an update on its scrutiny work programme.

West Suffolk Council's Property Assets

Councillor Andrew Smith, Chair of the Development Control Committee and Conservative Group Chair and Deputy Leader, was in attendance to present on West Suffolk Council's property assets. The committee discussed ongoing projects related to council property at Anglian Lane, Rougham Hill, Olding Road, and the former BSE Post Office. The committee expressed a desire to gain further understanding of the status of these projects and agreed that an invitation would be extended to the Cabinet Member for Resources to attend the meeting on 15 January 2026 to discuss these matters.

Appointments to Outside Scrutiny Bodies

The committee discussed the appointment of representatives to the Suffolk Health Scrutiny Committee. It was noted that West Suffolk Council currently had no appointed representative on this body. Councillor Rowena Lindberg expressed her interest in serving as the full representative but was unable to do so due to her current appointment to the Suffolk Health and Wellbeing Board. The committee supported a proposed way forward to address this, which involved Councillor Lindberg potentially resigning from the Health and Wellbeing Board, allowing her to be appointed to the Health Scrutiny Committee at a future meeting.

Suffolk County Council Suffolk Police and Crime Panel

The committee received a report on the Suffolk Police and Crime Panel meeting held on 10 October 2025. Councillor Mike Chester, a representative on the panel, presented the report. Discussions included the transfer of powers from Police and Crime Commissioners to a new Mayor and the overall cost and expenditure breakdown of the Suffolk PCC office. Further information on these topics was to be sought and circulated to the committee.

Cabinet Decisions Plan

The committee reviewed the Cabinet Decisions Plan for the period of 1 February 2026 to 31 May 2026. It was noted that two items, the Barley Homes Business Plan and the Affordable Housing Supplementary Planning Document consultation, had been postponed from a November Cabinet meeting to a December meeting. The committee was invited to identify any items within the plan on which they would like further information or that they felt might benefit from the committee's involvement.

Scrutiny Work Programme Update

An update on the committee's rolling work programme was presented. The format of the work programme had been amended to improve accessibility and informativeness. The committee agreed to invite the Cabinet Member for Resources to the January meeting to discuss the council's property assets. Additionally, it was agreed to invite the Cabinet Member for Planning to the March meeting to brief members on new local plan guidance. The committee also endorsed the invitation of Cabinet Members to future meetings as outlined.