Issue - meetings

To appoint Members to serve on Committees, as required by Procedure Rule 15. (Report of the Director of Strategy and Resources on the nominations of the Leaders of all Groups to the places allocated to their respective Groups, copy to follow).

The Council considered the report of the Director of Strategy and Resources, circulated prior to the meeting, to appoint serving Members to Committees for the Municipal year to May 2025.

At this point the Chairperson advised that Membership of the Appointments Board would be considered following the appointment of Committee Chairpersons and Vice-Chairpersons.

The Chairperson referred to the Motion submitted by Councillor R H Siddall and duly seconded by Councillor P L Spenceley, deferred from an earlier point on the agenda, and asked Councillor Siddall to present his Motion.

Councillor Siddall provided background information to his Motion, highlighting the excellent work of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee and how, if agreed, his Motion would make things logistically easier and enable the Committee to run smoothly with good representation. He then moved:

That the Constitution be amended with immediate effect, to permit members put forward by political groups that sit on the Strategy and Resources Committee (S&R) and the Performance Government and Audit Committee (PG&A) are also able to be put forward to sit on the Overview and Scrutiny Committee (O&S). This is subject to the requirement of maintaining political balance. This dispensation does not extend to the Chairs or Vice Chairs of S&R and PG&A, who will continue to be ineligible to sit on O&S.

In response to the Motion, the Director of Strategy and Resources advised that the Council’s previous decision to change to the Overview and Scrutiny Committee (O&S) Terms of Reference had been made to give truer oversight and separation from decisions that may be scrutinised. The 2022 Corporate Governance Audit had also given good assurance on the Council’s governance and as part of that noted the O&S arrangement as good practice. It was the view of Officers that changing the Terms of Reference would impact on the independence of the O&S and go against good governance best practice that had been put in place.

During the debate that followed a number of Members spoke both in favour and against the proposed Motion.

In accordance with Procedure Rule No. 13 (3) Councillor A S Fluker requested a recorded vote which was duly seconded. The Chairperson then put the Motion in the name of Councillor Siddall to the Council and the voting was as follows: 

For the recommendation:

Councillors M G Bassenger, D O Bown, S J Burwood, J Driver, A Fittock, J C Hughes, K Jennings, M R Miller, S J N Morgan, C P Morley, R G Pratt, N G F Shaughnessy, R H Siddall, N D Spenceley, P L Spenceley, E L Stephens, N J Swindle and L L Wiffen.

Against the recommendation:

Councillors V J Bell, A S Fluker, L J Haywood, A M Lay, M G Neall, W Stamp, J C Stilts and S White.

Abstentions:

Councillors M F L Durham, K M H Lagan, W J Laybourn, U G C Siddall-Norman and M E Thompson.

The Chairman declared that the Motion was  ...  view the full minutes text for item 15