Agenda item

(a)        Local Government and Housing Act 1989 and Local Government (Committees and Political Groups) Regulations 1990.

 

The Authority is required by the above Regulations to review the basis of allocation of seats amongst the Political Groups either at its Annual Meeting, or as soon as practicable thereafter, or following a change in its Membership.  In making its review, the Authority is required, so far as reasonably practicable, to comply with the following principles:

 

(i)               Not all seats on each Committee are to be allocated to the same Group.

 

(ii)             The majority of seats is to be allocated to a particular Group if the number of persons belonging to that Group is a majority on the Authority.

 

(iii)            Subject to the above paragraphs, the number of seats on the Committees allocated to each Group should bear the same proportion to the total of all the seats on the Committees as that borne by the number of Members of that Group to the Membership of the Authority.

 

(iv)            Subject to paragraphs (i) to (iii) above, that the number of the seats on the body which are allocated to different political groups bears the same proportion to the number of all the seats on that body as is borne by the number of members of that group to the membership of the authority.

 

Subject to formal notification of the Membership of each Political Group, the allocation of seats on the Authority is as follows:

 

Conservative Group:                          11 seats          (64.70%)

Liberal Democrat Group:                    3 seats             (17.65%)

Labour Group:                                    3 seats             (17.65%)

 

The above Regulations, with the Authority’s Scheme of Delegation, require a notice in writing to be delivered to the Authority’s Monitoring Officer signed by two or more Members of the Authority to establish a Political Group. 

 

The Authority is asked to note the report.

 

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

 

Background papers: None.

                       

(b)       Committee Appointments

To consider making appointments to the Authority’s committees. The membership of the Executive and the Overview and Audit committees is required to be mutually exclusive.

 

Executive Committee

 

The Authority is asked to make appointments to the Executive Committee in accordance with the wishes of the respective Political Groups (8 Members).

 

It is recommended that the seats should be allocated as follows:

 

Conservative - 5

 

Liberal Democrat – 2

 

Labour - 1

 

Overview and Audit Committee

 

The Authority is asked to make appointments to the Overview and Audit Committee in accordance with the wishes of the respective Political Groups (9 Members).

 

It is recommended that the seats should be allocated as follows:

 

Conservative - 6

 

Liberal Democrat – 1

 

Labour – 2

 

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

 

Background papers: None.

 

(c)        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 is 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. It is proposed that a further amendment is made to SOA 3, as the practice of the Authority receiving minutes from committees was superseded many years ago by all Members receiving committee reports and minutes by email irrespective as to whether they sit on a committee.

 

The proposed addition is shown underlined; the proposed deletion 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.               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.

 

67.       To receive the Chairman’s announcements.

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

1011.   To consider notices of motion in the order in which they were received.

 

11.       To receive and adopt the Minutes of any meetings of the Committees held since the last ordinary meeting of the Authority.

 

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.

 

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.

 

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

           

Background papers: Standing Orders for the Authority and its Committees, October 2018

(a)        Local Government and Housing Act 1989 and Local Government (Committees and Political Groups) Regulations 1990

 

The Authority notes that the allocation of seats on the Authority was:

(i)         Conservative Group:              11 seats                      (64.70%)

(ii)        Liberal Democrat Group:          3 seats                       (17.65%)

(iii)       Labour Group:                          3 seats                       (17.65%)

 

(b)       Committee Matters – Committee Appointments

 

RESOLVED –

 

That the following Committees be appointed and seats be allocated, as follows:

(a)        Executive Committee (8 Members):

(i)         Conservative – 5 seats

(ii)        Liberal Democrats – 2 seats

(iii)       Labour – 1 seat

 

(b)       Overview and Audit Committee (9 Members):

(i)         Conservative – 6 seats

(ii)        Liberal Democrats – 1 seat

(iii)       Labour – 2 seats

 

RESOLVED –

 

1.         That the following Members be appointed to the Executive Committee:

 

Councillors Christensen, Clarke OBE, Hall, Hopkins, Lambert, Marland, McLean and Walsh in accordance with the Group Leaders wishes.

 

2.         That the following Members be appointed to the Overview and Audit Committee:

 

Councillors Bagge, Carroll, Chapple OBE, Darlington, Exon, Hussain, Rankine, Stuchbury and Waite in accordance with the Group Leaders wishes.

 

(c)        Standing Orders for the Authority and its Committees

The Director of Legal and Governance advised Members that at a meeting of the Executive Committee in March 2021, the Chairman agreed to an amendment of the procedural standing orders. The proposed amendment introduced an opportunity for the Chairman to invite officers to provide updates on actions committed from proceeding meetings. Also, the opportunity had been taken to delete from the agenda order receiving the minutes of the standing committees.

 

RESOLVED –

 

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