Issue - meetings

Mr Nash outlined that, following the resolution of the Democracy Committee on 30 January 2019, the Committee Structure Review Working Group met for a fourth time on 14 February 2019.  During this meeting the group considered the changes to the Committee Structure Review Report, Response to Recommendations, Draft Constitutional Changes and report template options.  At the Working Group, Members suggested that the Committee names be changed to:

·  Policy and Resources Committee

·  Communities, Housing and Environment Committee

·  Strategic Planning and Infrastructure Committee

·  Prosperity, Heritage and Leisure Committee

·  Democracy and General Purposes Committee

Additionally, Mr Nash stated that a briefing for all Members was to be arranged if the Committee Structure Review report and Draft Constitutional Changes were recommended to Council.

Mrs Estelle Culligan, Principal Solicitor, Contentious and Corporate Governance, explained that a further area of work had been identified as a result of the Committee Structure Review.  The committee arrangements relating to disciplinary matters for Statutory Officers were to be reviewed during the next municipal year.

The Committee commented that:

·  The use of the term Prosperity did not accurately reflect the function of the Prosperity, Heritage and Leisure Committee in the recommended structure.  It was stated that this committee should be renamed to the “Economic Regeneration and Leisure Committee”.

·  Relocating the Cross-Cutting Issues and Implications section in the report template was advantageous, as this provided a useful summary to be read alongside the Executive Summary.  By moving the section towards the front of the report, this would help Members to consider relevant issues before they read the detail of reports.

·  Any review of disciplinary processes for Statutory Officers should consider incorporating the required functions into existing committees.

RESOLVED:

1.  That the Committee Structure Review Report and Draft Constitutional Changes reflect the agreed committee names:

·  Policy and Resources Committee

·  Communities, Housing and Environment Committee

·  Strategic Planning and Infrastructure Committee

·  Economic Regeneration and Leisure Committee

·  Democracy and General Purposes Committee

2.  That the report template, attached as Appendix 4, be used by Officers.

Voting: Unanimous

3.  That Council be recommended to agree the Draft Constitutional Changes, attached as Appendix 3.

Voting: For – 7   Against – 0   Abstentions – 1

4.  That Council be recommended to agree the Committee Structure Review Report, attached as Appendix 1.

Voting: Unanimous