Agenda item

Council is requested to agree, in principle, a new committee structure.

Council recalled that, at its meeting held on 5 September 2017 (Minute 66 referred) it was agreed that:-

“officers are authorised to commence a review of meeting arrangements, Cabinet and committee size, frequency and make-up in preparation for the reduction to 48 Councillors in 2019;”

Council was informed that, at the meeting of the Electoral Review Working Group held on 7 November 2017, initial proposals had been submitted for discussion in relation to the review of Committees in preparation for the reduction in the total number of Councillors to 48 from 2019. The key proposals, in summary, were:-

·                Two Overview and Scrutiny Committees - with task and finish groups focused on evidence based reviews.

·                Presentations and providing information to all Members would remain through the all Member briefings (not formal meetings, but provided the ability to ask questions).

·                A single Governance Committee incorporating the existing Audit and Standards Committees.

·                Two Licensing sub-committees reduced from the current four.

·                A combined Human Resources and Council Tax Committee able to consider senior management appointments and dismissals as well as the impact of emergency planning on staff.

·                Titles were for working purposes and formal Committee titles would need to be decided in due course.

The following timetable had been proposed by the Working Group:-

·                Consideration by Electoral Review Working Group – 7 November 2017;

·                Consideration by Full Council and agreement to an “in principle” new committee structure – 21 November 2017;

·                Consideration by Electoral Review Working Group of the proposed terms of reference, size and committee names etc. – Early January 2018;

·                Consideration by Full Council of terms of reference etc. for the new committees – 23 January 2018;

·                Implementation of new committee structure – Annual Council 24 April 2018 (seats to be allocated to new committees based on existing 60 Councillors);

·                Operation of new Committees to be monitored during 2018;

·                Any necessary amendments to terms of reference and appointments to committees based on new Council of 48 Councillors – Annual Council 2019.

It was reported that the Working Group had discussed issues including:-

(i)         whether to have a member of an “Opposition” Group as chairman of the “inward facing” overview and scrutiny committee;

(ii)        cross-membership of the Local Plan and Planning Committees;

(iii)       the number of meetings in a municipal year of the “inward facing” overview and scrutiny committee;

(iv)      the possibility of the Planning Committee meeting in the daytime;

(v)       the size of the committees and especially making sure that the overview and scrutiny committees were large enough to form a pool of potential members of the “task and finish” working groups;

(vi)      external input on the workings of the new committee structure;

(vii)     the importance of keeping a human resources committee (albeit with a smaller membership than at present); and

(viii)    how the overview and scrutiny “task and finish” working groups could operate.

Council was made aware that the Working Group had agreedthat The Centre for Public Scrutiny and/or SOLACE be invited, in Summer 2018, to give their input on the Council’s new committee structure once it had been in operation for a few months.

Having considered the proposed committee structure the Working Group had decided to recommend to Council that –

(a)       the proposed new committee structure be approved, in principle; and

(b)       the proposed timetable for the implementation of the new committee structure be adopted.

Having considered the Working Group’s recommendations, it was moved by Councillor Honeywood, seconded by Councillor I J Henderson and:

RESOLVED that -

a)         the proposed committee structure, as set out in the Appendix to item A.6 of the Report of the Head of Governance and Legal Services, be approved, in principle, subject to the Audit Committee and the Standards Committee not being merged; and

b)         the proposed timetable for the implementation of the new committee structure, as detailed in the Executive Summary to the aforementioned report, be adopted.