Issue - meetings

Mr Bailey summarised that the exemptions to political proportionality rules for the Urgency and Employment Committees was within the scope of the Committee Structure Review.  A separate report, for debate and comment, had been produced to outline the implications of any changes to proportionality rules.

The Committee commented that:

·  Political balance and representativeness were key considerations, as it was necessary for Committees to appropriately represent the public.

·  There was the potential to merge current committee functions to reduce the overall number of Committees.

·  A quorate urgent Policy and Resources Committee was a sensible alternative to the Urgency Committee.

·  It was important to consider whether the Policy and Resources Committee was over-extending its functions, particularly if it was to undertake the role of the Urgency Committee.

·  The division of functions within the Employment Committee, which prevented Members from undertaking numerous roles, was a complication that required consideration.

·  There was an overlap in the functions of the Democracy Committee and Audit, Governance and Standards (AGS) Committee, as the AGS Committee had been introduced under the Cabinet system.  The return to the Committee system had overlooked the potential duplication of functions.

·  The creation of a General Purposes Group, which would be responsible for the internal workings of the Council, may create a meaningful and worthwhile Committee.  This would justify an increased membership size and allowed numerous members to undertake the tasks currently within the remit of the Employment Committee.

·  It was crucial to ensure that all Committee memberships comprised an odd number of Councillors, so that the casting Chairman’s vote was not too powerful.

In response to questions from the Committee, Mr Bailey stated that:

·  The primary impact of applying proportionality rules to the Urgency and Employment Committees was that smaller political parties would have more negotiable seats on committees. 

·  An urgent Policy and Resources Committee meeting could undertake the responsibilities of the Urgency Committee, as the quorum was similar and could be easily achieved when considering the size of the Committee membership.

·  A change to the Constitution would be required to accommodate a situation where a single party held overall control of the Council, if the current proportionality rules were retained.

·  As the Employment Committee appraised the Chief Executive and Directors, the membership would ideally comprise of Members who worked closely with these Officers.

Mrs Patricia Narebor, Head of Legal Partnership, informed the Committee that there were prescribed legislative requirements regarding statutory Officers, which could not be altered, although which committee was responsible for them was a matter of local choice.

RESOLVED: That the feedback provided by the Committee be noted.