Agenda item

Second report of the Constitution Working Group (Agenda item 9 as per published agenda 28 July 2020)

The Leader will present the recommendations of the Constitution Working Group (recommendations 1 to 3 below) and any further recommendations.

 

1.    The Executive and Scrutiny Committee Chairs should meet as required (but preferably no less than quarterly) to consider the forthcoming work of the their committees;

 

2.    The Regulatory & Appeals and Licensing Act 2003 committees be replaced with a new committee called Licensing and Regulatory Committee as provided for in Section 3 of the Report;

 

3.    The Constitution procedural rules be amended regarding:

(a)  Membership changes to committees during the civic year

(b)  Notice requirements for questions

(c)  Motions

(d)  Chair of Standards Committee

as detailed in the Report paragraphs 5.2 – 5.5    respectively

 

Minutes:

The Leader presented the report recommendations numbered (1), (2) and (3) from the Constitution Review Group.

 

He proposed report recommendations (1), (2), 3(a) with the amendments below; and that the report recommendations 3 (b), 3 (c) and 3 (d) to be referred back to the Constitution Working Group for further consideration:-

 

i)               A councillor can resign from a Committee by notifying their Group Leader/Deputy Leader who will advise the Managing Director in writing or by email (Where a councillor is not in a Group, they should advise the Managing Director in writing/by email);

 

ii)              If a councillor stops being a member of the Authority, or resigns from a committee, the Leader of the relevant Group (or, in their absence, the Deputy Leader), will appoint a replacement committee member to fill the vacancy;

 

iii)             Appointments of replacement councillors or changes to committee membership will be reported to the next available Council meeting; and

 

iv)            Councillors appointed to committees will undertake the appropriate training before being able to serve, for example Planning, Licensing; and

 

The recommendation was seconded by the Portfolio Holder for Recycling, Household Waste and Environmental Health.

 

RESOLVED that:

 

(1)           The Executive and Scrutiny Committee Chairs should meet as required (but preferably no less than quarterly) to consider the forthcoming work of the their committees;

 

(2)           The Regulatory & Appeals and Licensing Act 2003 committees be replaced with a new committee called Licensing and Regulatory Committee as provided for in Section 3 of the circulated report;

 

(3)           The Constitution be amended so that in respect to committee appointments:

 

i)       A councillor can resign from a Committee by notifying their Group Leader/Deputy Leader who will advise the Managing Director in writing or by email (Where a councillor is not in a Group, they should advise the Managing Director in writing/by email);

 

ii)        If a councillor stops being a member of the Authority, or resigns from a committee, the Leader of the relevant Group (or, in their absence, the Deputy Leader), will appoint a replacement committee member to fill the vacancy;

 

iii)       Appointments of replacement councillors or changes to committee membership will be reported to the next available Council meeting; and

 

iv)       Councillors appointed to committees will undertake the appropriate training before being able to serve, for example Planning, Licensing; and

 

(4)           The report recommendations 3 (b), 3 (c) and 3 (d) to be referred back to the Constitution Working Group for further consideration.

 

A Roll Call was taken.

 

Voting for

Councillors Bullivant, Clarance, Colclough, Connett, Cook, H Cox, D Cox, Daws, Dewhirst, Eden, Evans, Foden, Goodman-Bradbury, Gribble, Hayes, Hocking, G Hook, J Hook, Jeffrey, Jeffries, Jenks, Keeling, Kerswell, MacGregor, Morgan, Mullone, Nutley, Nuttall, Parker-Khan, Patch, Peart, L Petherick, Phipps, Purser, Rollason, Russell, Swain, Taylor, Thorne, Tume, Wrigley, Parker and J Petherick

(Total: 43)

 

Abstain

Councillors Bradford and Haines

(Total: 2)

 

Apologies

Councillors Austin and Orme

(Total: 2)

 

Members then debated items numbered recommendations 4 and 5 of the circulated report.

 

The Leader proposed recommendations 4 and 5and this was seconded by the Portfolio Holder for Recycling, Household Waste and Environmental Health.

 

RESOLVED that:-

 

(5)      The current Overview and Scrutiny Committee be replaced with two new scrutiny committees as provided for in paragraph 2.5 of the circulated report; and

 

(6)      The Planning Committee comprise of 17 members.

 

A Roll Call was taken.

 

Voting for

Councillors Connett, Cook, H Cox, D Cox, Dewhirst, Eden, Evans, Foden, Goodman-Bradbury, Hayes, G Hook, J Hook, Jeffries, Jenks, Keeling, MacGregor, Morgan, Nutley, Nuttall, Rollason, Swain, Taylor, Wrigley and Parker

(Total: 24)

 

Against

Councillors Bullivant, Clarance, Colclough, Daws, Gribble, Haines, Hocking, Jeffrey, Kerswell, Mullone, Parker-Khan, Patch, Peart, L Petherick, Phipps, Purser, Russell, Thorne, Tume and J Petherick

(Total: 20)

 

Absent

Councillor Bradford

(Total: 1)

 

Apologies

Councillors Austin and Orme

(Total: 2)

 

Supporting documents: