Meeting documents

There were no declarations of interest.

To agree the Minutes of the previous meeting.

The Minutes of the Committee’s meeting 25^th October 2016 were agreed by the Committee and signed by the Chairman as a correct record.

The Committee were asked to consider whether they wished to pursue possible changes to the Council’s current political management arrangements alongside the review and updating of the Constitution.

The Chairman clarified that the purpose of the report was to present possible options for members to note and consider which if any they felt worth considering, and how they would consult with all members on potential changes before making any decisions.  No decisions on the options were intended to made at this meeting.  Any changes would be subject to Full Council approval.

The Head of Legal and Democratic Services presented the content of the report to the Committee outlining the key areas for consideration as:

·       Cycle of Meetings

·       Overview and Scrutiny Committees and joint overview and scrutiny

·       Policy Advisory Groups (PAGs)

·       Individual Cabinet Member Decision-Making

·       Personnel Committee and JAIC

It was noted that some of the areas outlined in the report had been considered previously in 2014, but it was agreed that any  changes should not be considered until at least a year after  the District Council Elections in May 2015. This was to allow newly elected councillors to become more familiar with the decision making structure of the Council.

Members agreed that this was a matter for  consultation and consideration within individual political groups, following which any  proposals for change would be brought back  to the Governance & Electoral Arrangements Committee. prior to any  recommendations for change being made to  full Council. It was however noted by Members that given the imminent move of all staff to harmonised terms and conditions the suggestions around the personnel committee and JAIC seemed entirely logical. The proposed timeline  for any changes to the political management arrangements was to ensure that amended structures were in place to coincide with the commencement of the municipal year after the Annual Council meeting in May 2017.

RESOLVED:

(i)  That options (vi) and (vii) in the report be progressed as follows:

·         That the principle of establishing a joint Personnel Committee with South Bucks by extending the terms of reference of JAIC, subject to in principle agreement by South Bucks be agreed; and

·         That, if a joint Personnel Committee is established to delegate any residual personnel issues for CDC staff to Governance and Electoral Arrangements Committee

·         That, if a joint Personnel Committee is agreed that the Terms of Reference of Joint Appointments and Implementation Committee be amended to reflect this

(ii) That the Head of Legal & Democratic Services be asked to produce further information in respect of the following possible options for consultation and  consideration by members within their political groups, prior to the matter being brought back  to a future meeting of the Governance & Electoral Arrangements Committee:

·         Whether to reduce the cycle of meetings from 6 to 4

·         Whether to establish a single Overview Committee

·         Whether to agree the principle of establishing joint scrutiny functions with South Bucks District Council subject to in principle agreement by South Bucks

·         Whether the current PAG arrangements require any amendment

·         Whether to introduce  ...  view the full minutes text for item 24.

The Head of Legal and Democratic Services presented the report for consideration to review the Council’s Constitution.  In accordance with the agreed work plan members were invited to undertake a detailed review of the Introduction and Articles of the Constitution and received a report on Part 3 Roles and Responsibilities and Terms of Reference for Council Committee and Part 4 Procedure Rules for the Overview and Scrutiny function and the Budget and Policy framework.

Members were advised that the current Constitution first came into effect in May 2002 and reflected the requirements of the Local Government Act 2000.  The format of the Constitution was based on a national model recommended by the government in 2000.

The Committee had agreed a work programme for reviewing and updating the Constitution at their meeting in October.  The report dealt with the first two parts of the Constitution which were appended in full with proposed revisions shown in track changes.  It was noted that Parts 3 and 4 were also covered in the report but full details and proposed revisions were to be considered at the next meeting of the Committee.

The Head of Legal and Democratic Services made members aware of an amendment to the Committee Organisational Structure in Appendix 2 (Page 39 of the agenda) which should be six Portfolios and not five, as the Leader now had Portfolio responsibilities.  In response to a Member’s query, the Head of Legal and Democratic Services explained that the deletion in paragraph 7.1.3 was proposed as this was no longer a requirement of the political management arrangements.

RESOLVED:

i)     That the proposed revisions to the Introduction and Articles of the Constitution at Appendix 1 be agreed; and

ii)   That the position on Part 3 Roles and Responsibility and Terms of Reference for Council Committees and Part 4 Procedure Rules for the Overview and Scrutiny function at Appendix 3 and the Budget and Policy framework procedure rules at Appendix 4 be noted.