Issue - meetings

To consider the report of the Assistant Director – Programmes, Performance and Governance (copy enclosed).

The Council considered the report of the Chief Executive seeking Members’ agreement of a formal response on behalf of the Council to the Government consultation on remote attendance and proxy voting.

Members were advised of the Government consultation seeking views on the detail and practical implications of allowing remote and hybrid attendance at Local Authority meetings. Views were also sought on the possible introduction of proxy voting for these occasions when an elected Member, due to personal circumstances, may be unable to attend, even remotely. The Consultation was due to close on 19 December 2024. A consultation response on behalf of the Council had been drafted and was attached as Appendix A to the report.

The Leader of the Council presented the report and advised that all Group Leaders had been engaged and broadly felt that the Council should support remote attendance for cases of exceptional circumstances and proxy voting not be supported as this would present issues, particularly in the case of Committees like planning. He thanked the Lead Legal Specialist & Monitoring Officer and Assistant Director – Programmes, Performance and Governance for their assistance in producing the response.

In response to a query, the Leader of the Council advised that the comment detailed to question 7 in Appendix A should read “…code of conduct to say private meetings should not be done in a public location”. This was noted.

During the debate that followed some comments were raised by Members and the Chairperson advised that each Member had the opportunity to also respond to this consultation as an individual.

Councillor J C Stilts proposed that the Council’s response be amended to state that even if a Member was attending remotely they could not vote. This amendment was duly seconded and agreed.

The Chairperson the moved the recommendation set out in the report with the amendment to question 7 as detailed above and the further agreed amendment from Councillor Stilts. This was duly agreed.

RESOLVED that subject to the above amendment to question 7 and clarification that if a Member was attending remotely they could not vote, the draft consultation response to the Government consultation on remote attendance and proxy voting, attached at Appendix A to the report, be endorsed.