Agenda item

To consider the Corporate Manager - Democracy Report No. DEM2505 (copy attached) which sets out proposed updates to the Council’s Constitution for recommendation to Council and an update and proposals for taking forward the CfGS Committee Review recommendations.

The Committee considered the Corporate Manager – Democracy Report No. DEM2505, which set out proposed updates to the Constitution in respect of:

• a proposed update to Standing Orders with a scheme to enable public questions at full Council Meetings (as set out in Para 3 and attached to the Report)
• a proposal to specify expected core training topics for all Elected Members in the Code of Conduct for Councillors (as set out in Para 4)
• a proposal to split the current Corporate Governance Audit and Standards Committee (CGAS) into two committees – creating an ‘Audit and Governance Committee’, and ‘Licensing & Council Business Committee’, with training plans to support Members on each.
• a proposal for a cross party ‘work programme management group’ to co-ordinate the work programmes of the non-executive committees (Policy & Project Advisory Board (PPAB), Overview and Scrutiny Committee (OSC) and the Committee with responsibility for audit and governance). The individual Progress Groups would no longer meet.
• the PPAB work programme to be more closely aligned to deliver Council Plan Priorities and with Cabinet Member engagement.

The Committee discussed the principle of splitting the CGAS Committee, and the responsibilities to be allocated to the new Licensing and Corporate Business Committee. A question was raised regarding political balance, and it was confirmed that the balance calculation would enable a seat on both committees for the Liberal Democrat group, and it was noted that licensing hearings did not need to be politically balanced. It was indicated that three meetings of the Licensing and Corporate Business Committee would be scheduled per annum.

During discussion on the proposed scheme for public questions at full Council, it was confirmed that the scheme included provision to reject questions and there were parameters for limits on time allowed.

In terms of next steps, it was agreed that the Constitution Working Group would progress the further detailed work to update the terms of reference for the committees to support the changes to the committee structure arising from the Committee Review. It was requested that there be an opportunity for the Members of the Corporate Governance and Audit Committee to review the proposed updates in advance of a report to the full Council.

(i)              RECOMMENDED TO THE COUNCIL that subject to any further modifications recommended by the Constitution Working Group the updates to the Constitution in respect of public questions at the full Council Meeting as set out in Para 3 of the Report, and updates to the Councillors Code of Conduct, as set out in Para 4 of the Report be approved, as set out in the Corporate Manager – Democracy Report No. DEM2505;

(ii)             RESOLVED that the Constitution Working Group be asked to progress the further detailed work to support the changes to the committee structure arising from the Committee Review as set out in paras 5.5. and 5.6 of the report, with an opportunity for the Committee to review the proposed updates in advance of a report to Council.

(iii)           RESOLVED that the Corporate Manager – Democracy be authorised, in consultation with the Chairman of CGAS, and Leader of the Council to make any further minor updates to the Constitution documents to be recommended for update to the Council, in advance of the report to the Council.