| Date of meeting: | 17 August 2009 |
| Document type: | Minutes |
| Committee: | Constitution Board |
| Attendees: | Barry Dare p Steve McHale p Mark Hawthorne p Antonia Noble P Tony Hicks p Ray Theodoulou p Jeremy Hilton p Will Windsor Clive p Ceri Jones p P=Present a=apology/absent |
Abstract (plain text version of the report)
Please click on link above for foratted version
CONSTITUTION COMMITTEE
TIME: 10.am
DATE: Monday, 17 August 2009
VENUE: Chairman’s Room
MINUTES
Membership:
Barry Dare p Steve McHale p
Mark Hawthorne p Antonia Noble P
Tony Hicks p Ray Theodoulou p
Jeremy Hilton p Will Windsor Clive p
Ceri Jones p
P=Present a=apology/absent
16. ELECTION OF CHAIRPERSON – Cllr Dare proposed, Cllr Hicks
seconded and the Committee
Resolved
That Cllr Antonia Noble be elected Chairperson for the ensuing
year.
17. MINUTES
RESOLVED
THAT the minutes of the meeting held on 19 March 2009 be approved
as a correct record and signed by the Chairperson, subject to the
correction of the date in minute 14 from ‘2008’ to
‘2009’.
18. APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE – No apologies were received.
19. PUBLIC QUESTIONS – No public questions were
received.
20. MEMBERS’ QUESTIONS – No members’ questions
were received.
21. REVIEW OF PROCESS FOR EMPLOYMENT RELATED APPEALS – The
Chairperson informed the Committee that this item was withdrawn for
consideration at a later date.
22. TAKING SCRUTINY FORWARD – Consideration was given to the
proposals for the re-organisation of the Council’s Scrutiny
function put forward by the Overview and Scrutiny Management
Committee.
Cllr Denis Andrewartha attended the meeting on behalf of the
Overview and Scrutiny Management Committee to answer detailed
questions on the proposals.
The Committee noted taken that these proposals aimed to both take
account of the findings of the last Council’s Scrutiny Review
Group and the new legislative requirements recently or due to be
introduced in the near future.
Following a short discussion, general agreement was reached with
the proposals and the consequential changes to the Constitution
with the following comments being made:
Ø The view expressed by the Overview and Scrutiny Management
Committee that the Police Authority member co-opted onto the
Community Safety Scrutiny Committee should not be a county or
district councillor should be enshrined within the Constitution to
emphasise the need to avoid any possible conflict of interests
occurring.
Ø Some reservations were expressed that the proposed remit
of the new Health, Community and Care Scrutiny Committee was too
wide and could detract from its principle function of scrutinising
the NHS services within the county. The Committee therefore agreed
to recommend that the word ‘principle’ should be
inserted into the relevant article of the constitution (Article
8.01.2), and that the Overview and Scrutiny Management Committee
should be asked to review the functioning of this Scrutiny
Committee within a 12 month of its establishment to highlight if
any further changes were required.
Ø The Committee requested that the Overview and Scrutiny
Management Committee put forward proposals on how to introduce
neighbourhood scrutiny at the earliest opportunity.
The Committee therefore
Resolved to Recommend
That Council approve the changes to the Constitution as set out in
Annex D of the report, amended as detailed above.
23. AMENDMENTS TO THE COUNCIL’S CONSTITUTION – The
Committee noted the pages of the Constitution recently amended
under the Monitoring Officer’s delegated powers, and .
Resolved to Recommend
That Council ratify the changes to the Constitution as set out in
the Monitoring Officer’s report.
24. INDEPENDENT MEMBER OF THE STANDARDS COMMITTEE – The
Committee was informed that following an advertisement three
applications for the vacancy had been received.
In order for this vacancy to be filled at the Council meeting on 9
September, it was agreed that the panel of three members arranged
to interview the applicants should be authorised to make a
recommendation on the appointment directly to Council.
Resolved
1. That an interview panel consisting of three members (in the
ratio of 2 conservative group members to 1 other group) be
convened; membership to depend on availability.
2. That the panel be authorised to make a recommendation on the
appointment direct to Council in order that the appointment can be
made by Council at its meeting on 9 September 2009.
Antonia Noble
Chairperson