Agenda item

To consider the report of the Director of Resources (copy enclosed).

The Council considered the report of the Chief Executive, reporting back following a Member led activity in response to a Committee Structure Review undertaken by BDO (Internal Audit) and considered by this Council at its meeting on 5 April 2017.

It was noted that output from meetings with Group Members had been used to compile the recommendations set out in the report.  The report provided a summary of the following issues considered:

·                 Officer attendance at Committee meetings;

·                 Reports for noting and information;

·                 Alignment of the decisions of different Committees;

·                 Replacement of the Parish Trigger and extending the Member call in area;

·                 Paperless Committee meetings;

·                 Screening of Committee meetings;

·                 Review of Area Planning Committees;

·                 Structure of Committee Services;

·                 Linking the Director roles with key programme Committees;

·                 Training for Members of Area Planning Committees.

RESOLVED

(i)              That Committee reports are presented by either the appropriate Director or their deputy at each programme Committee meeting to minimise the cost of officer time at meetings.  Other officers should only be in attendance at the request of, or with the approval of, the Committee Chairman with the exception of Area Planning Committee and Extraordinary Council meetings where senior planning officers, in conjunction with the Committee Chairman, will decide which officers attend to present reports and take questions;

(ii)            That reports for noting and information will be brought to the attention of all Members but will not be included in the agenda of Committees / the Council.  Members wishing to debate such reports can apply to the appropriate Committee Chairman or Leader of the Council;

Where reports concern Corporate Risk and Staff Statistics, these will still be presented to Committees by way of a recommendation ‘for review and comment’;

(iii)          That where a decision is required by more than one Committee and such decisions are not aligned the final decision will be made at the next meeting of the Council; 

(iv)          That the current Town and Parish Council Trigger be replaced by member call in to Area Planning Committees, as detailed below: 

Members Call in to Area Planning Committees

The process of Members calling in planning applications to the Central Area Planning Committee remains unchanged.

The process of Members calling in planning applications to the South Eastern and North Western Area Planning Committees is changed to allow for Ward Members to call in any planning application that falls within their call in area, as follows:

South Eastern Area Planning Committee

Call in area 1................. Burnham-on-Crouch North and Burnham-on-Crouch South

Call in area 2................. Althorne, Mayland, Southminster and Tillingham

North Western Area Planning Committee

Call in area 1................. Tollesbury, Tolleshunt D’Arcy and the Tothams

Call in area 2................. Purleigh, Wickham Bishops and the Woodhams.

(v)            That the Council delivers additional IT training to Members and carries out a full review of technology and hardware to ensure it is fit for purpose; 

(vi)          That the Council will fully implement Mod.Gov and achieve paperless meetings, save for extraordinary individual circumstances, by May 2019; 

(vii)        That Officers bring forward a proposal to improve the ability to screen Committee meetings in the Northey Room (formerly the Training Room at the Council Offices) through improved cameras and sound recording equipment and present a proposal to live stream meetings for consideration; 

(viii)      That the Director of Resources in conjunction with the Leader of the Council, Deputy Leader of the Council, Chairmen and Vice Chairman of the programme Committees reviews both the scope of Directorships and the terms of reference of programme Committees to align the Corporate Leadership Team (CLT) roles better with those of the programme Committees;

(ix)          That mandatory training is provided to all Area Planning Committee members no later than the Statutory Annual meeting of the Council in May 2018.  This training should cover core planning regulations and guidance to support and inform Members when making decisions on planning applications; 

(x)            That the Director of Resources reviews the outcome of these changes and reports back to Members no later than the end of quarter one 2018 / 19.