Agenda item

Standing Orders for the Authority and its Committees

At a meeting of the Executive Committee on 24 March 2021 the Chairman agreed to a request that an amendment to the Authority’s Procedural Standing Orders be put to the Annual Meeting (Minute EX49). The purpose of the requested amendment was for the Chairman to invite officers to apprise a meeting of any updates on actions recorded in the minutes from the preceding meeting.

The relevant Standing Order is SOA 3. This applies to meetings of the Authority and also to meetings of its committees by virtue of SOC 1. Amendments to SOA 3 were approved by the Authority at its Annual Meeting on 21 June 2021.

During the intervening period it has been proposed that a further amendment is made to SOA 3, so that any updates from officers are taken as the next item after approval of the Minutes and before the declarations of interests.

The proposed alterations to accommodate this are shown underlined; with proposed deletions shown as struck-through.

It is recommended that the following amendments be made to the Standing Orders for the Authority and its Committees:

SOA 3              ORDER OF BUSINESS, AGENDA PROCEDURE AND SUMMONS

1.               At the Annual Meeting of the Authority or when a vacancy exists for the post to elect a Chairman and consider the election of a Vice-Chairman.

2.               To elect a Member to preside if the Chairman and Vice-Chairman are both absent.

3.               To receive any apologies for absence and any changes in Membership since the last meeting of the Authority.

4.               To consider and to amend or approve, and the Chairman to sign as a correct record the approved Minutes of the previous meeting.

5.         The Chairman to invite officers to provide verbal updates on any actions             noted in the Minutes from the previous meeting.

5.6.      Members to declare any disclosable pecuniary interests if these have not             been entered onto the Authority’s register (where the matter is not a             ‘sensitive interest’) they may have in a particular item to be considered in             accordance with section 31 of the Localism Act 2011; and officers to declare             any interests they may have in a particular item to be considered in             accordance with section 117 of the Local Government Act 1972.

6.         The Chairman to invite officers to provide verbal updates on any actions             noted in the Minutes from the previous meeting.

7.         To receive the Chairman’s announcements.

8.         To receive petitions in accordance with Standing Order SOA6.

9.         To receive questions in accordance with Standing Order SOA7.

10.       To dispose of business (if any) remaining from the last meeting.

11.       To consider notices of motion in the order in which they were received.

12.       To consider statutory and other reports of officers of the Authority.

13.       To authorise the sealing of documents.

14.       To consider other business, specified on the Agenda.

15.       The Order of business may be varied at the meeting at the discretion of the             Chairman, but such a variation shall not displace business falling under items             1,2,3,4,5 and 6.

16.       No business may be transacted at a Meeting of the Authority or its             Committees which is not specified in the agenda for the Meeting unless the             Chairman of the Meeting agrees that the item should be considered as a             matter of urgency and the reason for urgency shall be specified in the             Minutes.

17.       At least five clear working days before a meeting of the Authority or any             Committee a summons to attend the Meeting, in the name of the Monitoring             Officer of the Authority and together with an agenda specifying the business             to be transacted, shall be left at or sent by post to the usual place of             residence (or such other address as the Member may specify) or, where a             Member has given consent for the summons to be transmitted in electronic             form to a particular electronic address (and consent has not been withdrawn)             sending it in electronic form to that address, of every Member of the body in             question, provided that want of service of the summons shall not affect             validity of the Meeting.

Background papers: https://bucksfire.gov.uk/authority/authority-committees-standing-orders/

Contact Officer: Katie Nellist (Democratic Services Officer) – 01296 744633

The Director of Legal and Governance advised Members that this was a further amendment to the Authority’s procedural Standing Orders to that agreed at the June Annual Meeting. The alterations were set out on Page 5 of the agenda.

RESOLVED –

That the suggested amendments be made to the Standing Orders for the Authority and its Committees.

(Councillor Darlington joined the meeting)