I am currently the Chair of the Community Overview Committee. As the name suggests the committee covers a wide range of topics affecting the community of the Basingstoke & Deane Borough.

Committees do not make the decisions - they are charged with looking at all the proposals put before them, discuss, debate and make recommendations to our Cabinet before a final decision is voted on by your Full Council.

During the past year we have dealt with such matters as:

Access to Dental Practices and Doctors' Surgeries

Updating the bylaws of our parks, gardens, leisure and pleasure grounds

Community Wardens and the more recent Accredited Community Safety Officers

Members worked very hard to complete a Crime & Disorder & Drug Audit to enable the introduction of the new Community Safety Strategy 2005/08

More recently we have been finalising a consultation for Leisure Facilities in various areas of the borough - the resulting reports are to be one of the many items on the Agenda for our meeting on 1 March 2005.

I also sit as a member on the Scrutiny Committee - and again, as the name suggests, we are there to scrutinise the work of the council - with specific matters being referred to us all the time.