Agenda item

Report of the Chief Executive setting out the political balance of the Council and asking the Council to agree the membership of its committees and the appointment of Chairmen and Vice-Chairmen for those Committees.

A table had been circulated to Members that showed the nominations for committee placements from each of the group leaders. It also included nominations for the chairmanships and vice-chairmanships of the Council’s committees.

During debate the following changes and clarifications were made:

·         Governance and Audit Committee: the two Independent seats would be taken by Councillor Baxter and Councillor Paul Wood

·         Licensing Committee: Councillor Trotter would be replaced by Councillor Mrs. Kaberry-Brown

·         Constitution Committee: Councillor Baxter would be replaced with Councillor Kelly

The unaligned member stated that he felt it was unfair that he was not entitled to a place on any of the Council’s committees. A number of members spoke in support of the unaligned member, stating that he had been elected by his constituents with a good majority and that they would expect him to have access to the Council’s committees to represent their views.

One member highlighted that all of the proposed chairmanships and vice-chairmanships came from the majority group. They referred to the previous term when the Chairman of one of the overview and scrutiny committees was a member of the Independent Group. It was suggested that allowing opposition members to chair scrutiny committees provided an environment for better scrutiny. Members who spoke in support of the suggestion made reference to the increased size of the Independent Group and the proportion of votes received by different groups and candidates across the district in the recent election. The suggestion was put forward that the Chairman and Vice-Chairman of one overview and scrutiny committee and one regulatory committee should be given to a member of the opposition group.

An amendment was proposed and seconded that Councillor Baxter be appointed as the Chairman of the Environment Overview and Scrutiny Committee and Councillor Paul Wood be appointed as the Vice-Chairman of the Governance and Audit Committee.

15:19 to 15:36 – the meeting adjourned

The Chief Executive highlighted article 4.4.1(viii) of the Council Constitution which stated that it was for the Leader to consider the suitability of an individual for a chairmanship or vice-chairmanship. The proposition could not, therefore, be treated as an amendment. He did, however, state that it was in line with the Constitution for the suggestion to be debated, prior to determination by the Leader on the suitability of the named candidates.

Members who spoke in support of the appointment of non-majority group chairmen and vice-chairmen again referred to the proportion of seats achieved by the different groups in the context of the number of votes that they received, which they felt should be reflected in the allocation of responsible roles. These members also reiterated how they considered wider distribution of roles would strengthen scrutiny.

Reference was made to all the avenues through which Members could scrutinise the administration, including Members Open Questions and the circulation of Cabinet minutes as part of the Council agenda. Some members challenged this view and stated that as backbench members of the majority group, they felt fully able to effectively scrutinise matters brought before the Council’s overview and scrutiny committees. One speaker also stated that the political affiliation of a chairman did not matter, citing experience of how members from all groups worked collaboratively and how it was the Chairman’s role to facilitate this.

Clarification was sought about why nominations for the Companies Committee had not been included in the table that had been circulated. Members were advised that the Committee had not yet been constituted; it had been due to be considered as part of the wider review of the Council’s Constitution that began prior to the election. The Committee agreed to defer the Constitution of the Companies Committee until after the election to ensure that there was sufficient time to effectively scrutinise the proposals. The matter would therefore be considered at the first meeting of the Constitution Committee in the 2019/20 municipal year, with the proposals being brought to Council at its meeting in June 2019.

In summing up, the Leader stated that he had offered a chairmanship to a member of the opposition but on reflection they had declined the offer. He spoke about the changes that had been made to the Council’s overview and scrutiny committees to strengthen the scrutiny role and how these were complemented by members open questions and the circulation of Cabinet minutes at Council. He stated that he had had discussions and considered representations, which were taken into account when making a decision about the person he considered to be best placed to carry out each of the roles.

The Leader proposed suspending political balance requirements in respect of the Planning Committee, removing Councillor Bellamy from the list of Conservative nominees and giving the seat to Councillor Selby.

A vote was taken on the membership of all of the Council’s committees, except the Planning Committee, including their chairmanships and vice-chairmanships, which was carried. A separate vote was taken on the membership of the Planning Committee. As the proposed membership did not comply with the rules of political balance, any such vote was required to be unanimous, with no member voting against. This was put to the vote and carried.

The Council AGREED:

1.      The membership of the Council’s Committees as appended to these minutes

2.    The appointment of chairmen and vice-chairmen to the Council’s committees as set out in the appendix to these minutes