Agenda and minutes

Members are asked to declare the existence and nature of any Disclosable Pecuniary Interests in respect of any item of business to be considered at the meeting.

No declarations of interest were made by Councillors in items on the agenda for this meeting.

Proposed changes to Part 4 of the Council’s Constitution.

The Committee received a report proposing changes to Part 4 of the Constitution.

The Chief Legal Officer proposed that since only the Council’s procedure rules were being taken forward at the current time, only this section needed to be reviewed. Therefore, the Committee was requested to review only Section 1 (previously named section A) of Part 4 of the Constitution at this meeting. Section 1 related to Council Rules of Procedure (Standing Orders) for Council, Committee, Sub-Committee and Advisory Panel meetings. The Committee agreed with this principle.

A printed copy of Annex 1 to the report was circulated to Members of the Committee at the meeting.

It was noted that following the Committee’s consideration of Part 4 of the Constitution at this meeting, the Chief Legal Officer would tidy the document to address matters of duplication and referencing within it, and update officer job titles and other elements in line with her standing authority to do so. Any such amendments would not change the meaning of the document.

Following consideration, the Committee:

(1)          Approved the changes to Part 4 of the Constitution as set out in the printed copy of Annex 1, subject to the following specific guidance:

a)            That definitions be included for the following terms: “Vice Chairman”, “Petition”.

b)            That the term “Standing Order” should be recognised to mean “Full Council Rule of Procedure” or “Committee Procedure Rule” during meetings of the Council, Committees, Sub-Committees, Advisory Panels or Joint Committees.

c)            That FCR and CPR number references within the document required updating.

d)            That item “(k) Chairman’s statements” be removed from FCR2 (Order of business at the Annual meeting of the Council).

e)            That the items in the list of business for ordinary meetings of the Council be reordered as follows: that “Business remaining from the previous meeting” become item “(f)”, that “Questions from Members” become item “(g)”, that “ Chairmen’s Statements” become item “(h)”.

f)             That consideration be given to cross referencing FCR 2.5 (relating to the consideration of business for which the press and public have been excluded) with the relevant section of the Access to Information Procedure Rules.

g)            That clarification be added to FCR 4.6 to state that 8 members in total must request a recorded vote for the request to be actioned.

h)            That clarification be added to FCR 4.8 to state that there shall be a recorded vote on any decision relating to the budget or council tax.

i)             That clarification be added to FCR 5.4 to explain the process for appointing to vacancies in the position of Chairman and Vice-Chairman of Committees, Sub Committees and Advisory Panels, and the process for appointing to vacancies in the general membership of Committees, Sub Committees and Advisory Panels.

j)             That FCR 5.5 should also list the Audit, Crime and Disorder and Scrutiny Committee.

k)            That the words “Council Chamber” in FCR 7.1 would be replaced with “Meeting”. That this change be replicated in the Committee Rules of Procedure.

l)             That FCR 8.1 and  ...  view the full minutes text for item 2.