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Agenda item

Appointment of and Allocation of Seats on Committees for the 2019/20 Municipal Year (C3599)

To consider the appointment and allocation of seats on Committees for the next Municipal Year in accordance with the duty under section 15 of the Local Government Housing Act 1989, whilst recognising that the number of elected Members of the Council has reduced from 52 to 43.

To agree the Council’s Policy Framework for 2019/20 as set out in Paragraph 6.1 of Appendix B.

Minutes:

The Council considered a report (Agenda Item 10) concerning the appointment and allocation of seats on Committees for the next Municipal Year and sought to agree the Council’s Policy Framework for 2019/20 as set out in paragraph 6.1 of Appendix B.

MOTION: Proposed by Councillor Lynne Doherty and seconded by Councillor Graham Bridgman:

“That the Council:

1.    notes that under Paragraph 8 of the Local Government (Committees and Political Groups) Regulations 1990, notice has been received that the Members set out in paragraph 1.1 of Appendix B to the report are to be regarded as Members of the Conservative,  Liberal Democrat and Green Party Groups respectively.

2.    agrees to the appointment of the various Committees and to the number of places on each as set out in paragraph 2.2 of Appendix B (Table A).

3.    agrees to the allocation of seats to the Political Groups in accordance with section 15(5) of the Local Government Act 1989 as set out in paragraph 3.4 of Appendix B (Table B)

4.    agrees that the number of substitutes on Committees and Commissions be as set out in paragraph 4.1 of Appendix B (Table C).

5.    agrees that in respect of the District and Area Planning Committees, the substitute Members are all drawn from Members representing wards within the Committee’s area who are not appointed to the Committee.  (Where substitutes attend the District Planning meeting they need to be drawn from the same Area Planning meeting as the Member they are substituting for)

6.    approves the appointment of Members to the Committees as set out in Appendix C, subject the inclusion of Martha Vickers as a substitute in place of Billy Drummond on Western Area Planning Committee and notes the appointments set out in Appendix D, subject to the inclusion of  Dennis Benneyworth in place of Howard Woollaston on the Governance and Ethics Advisory Panel ,which are in accordance with the wishes of the Political Groups.

7.    in accordance with Regulation 4, Schedule 3 of the Local Authorities (Functions and Responsibilities) (England) Regulations 2000, and the Local Authorities (Functions and Responsibilities) (England) (Amendment No.2) Regulations 2008, agrees that the Council’s Policy Framework for 2019/20 be as set out in paragraph 6.1 of Appendix B and that any appropriate amendments be made to the Council’s Constitution (Paragraph 2.5.2) should this be necessary.

8.    in accordance with Regulation 5, Schedule 4 of the Local Authorities (Functions and Responsibilities) (England) Regulations 2000, approves that all other plans, policies and strategies requiring approval and not included in the approved Policy Framework be delegated to the Council’s Executive.

9.    agrees that Paragraph 2.6.5 of Article 6, setting out the Executive Portfolios, be amended to reflect any changes made by the Leader of the Council at the Annual Council meeting.

10. Agrees that the appointment of two non-voting co-opted Parish/Town Councillors be made to the Governance and Ethics Committee namely: Barry Dickens (co-opted non-voting Parish Councillor) and Jane Langford (co-opted non-voting Parish Councillor). That two substitute non-voting co-opted Parish/Town Councillors be appointed to the Governance and Ethics Committee namely Lourdes Cottam and Roger Hunneman.

11. Agrees that the appointment of two non-voting co-opted Parish/Town Councillors is made to the Governance and Ethics Committee’s Advisory Panel namely Tony Renouf and Simon Pike. That two substitute non-voting co-opted Parish/Town Councillors be appointed to the Governance and Ethics Committee’s Advisory Panel namely  Elizabeth O’ Keefe and David Southgate.

12. To re-appoint three Independent Persons namely Lindsey Appleton, James Rees and Mike Wall.

13. To note the membership of the Health and Wellbeing Board as set out in paragraph 9.1 of Appendix B.

14. That authority be delegated to the Monitoring Officer to make any changes required to the Constitution as a result of the changes to the number of Members of the Council and following the appointments to Committees.”

 

Councillor Lee Dillon commented that he believed reducing the number of Members on individual committees was a mistake. Councillor Bridgman commented that a lot of work and thought had gone into the preparation of this document and it was felt to be prudent to reduce the number of seats on committees, where appropriate, to reflect the decrease in the number of Members on the Council post the Boundary Review.

 

Councillor Doherty commented that the reduced numbers on committees would hopefully free members up to have more time to engage with their residents.

 

The Motion was put to the meeting and duly RESOLVED.

 

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