Issue - meetings

To enable Cabinet to give consideration to the programme of meetings for the period August 2020 to April 2021.

RESOLVED that –

(a)    the programme of meetings for the Council and its Committees, as set out in the Appendix to this report, be agreed, in principle, and be submitted to Full Council for formal approval; and

(b)    the proposed dates for All Member Briefings for Members be noted.

The Cabinet gave consideration to a report of the Corporate Finance and Governance Portfolio Holder (A.2) which enabled it to give consideration to the proposed programme of meetings for the period August 2020 to April 2021.

Members were aware that the Cabinet was required by the Constitution, to submit for formal approval to the Annual Meeting of the Council a programme of meetings for the forthcoming Municipal Year. However, due to the outbreak of Covid-19 and the ensuing global public health emergency, meetings of the Council (including the Annual Meeting), its Committees and the Cabinet had been unable to take place during March, April and early May 2020. Legislation had been passed that permitted Councils not to hold an Annual Meeting in 2020.

In addition, Parliament had enacted The Local Authorities and Police and Crime Panels (Coronavirus) (Flexibility of Local Authority and Police and Crime Panel Meetings) (England and Wales) Regulations 2020 (the “Regulations”) which enabled local authorities to hold meetings remotely such as video conferencing and to ‘live stream’ those meetings to enable the public to watch, and/or listen to, the proceedings.

It was reported that Paragraph 4 of those Regulations permitted the Council to determine how such meetings were held and enabled flexibility on the time and date and frequency without the requirement of additional notice.  With the approval of the relevant Chairmen, one Cabinet meeting, two Planning Committee meetings, one Planning Policy & Local Plan Committee meeting and one Resources and Services Overview and Scrutiny Committee meeting had been arranged and successfully held under the new Regulations.

It was therefore considered timely that a full programme of meetings for the remainder of what would have been the 2020/21 municipal year be submitted for Cabinet’s endorsement in order that it could then be submitted for approval to Full Council. The programme also included provisional dates for part of 2021/22.

Having considered the proposed programme of meetings and in order to enable this matter to be submitted to full Council for its decision:-

It was moved by Councillor Stock OBE, seconded by Councillor McWilliams and:-

RESOLVED that –

(a)    the programme of meetings for the Council and its Committees, as set out in the Appendix to this report, be agreed, in principle, and be submitted to Full Council for formal approval; and

(b)    the proposed dates for All Member Briefings for Members be noted.