Issue - meetings

To consider the recommendations of the Constitution Committee. 

The Constitution Committee  at its meeting on 22^nd September 2011 had considered proposed interim amendments to the Council’s Officer Delegation Scheme.

The Officer Delegation Scheme had been revised to reflect the most recent changes to the senior management structure. The Scheme had also been revised at paragraph 5.2 to empower officers to deal with statutory procedures or undertake consultation exercises on the basis that in doing so they must consult appropriate members. In addition, a separate exercise had been undertaken by the Assets Team in consultation with relevant Portfolio holders to clarify responsibility for the control and management of the Council’s Assets so that day-to-day operational decisions were delegated in future to the Strategic Director (Places and Organisational Capacity).

Only interim changes shown underlined were being proposed to reflect the fact that the Officer Delegation Scheme would need to be consistent with the provisions in the Finance and Contract Procedure Rules and any changes arising from the management review of the third, fourth and fifth tiers being undertaken by the Chief Executive.

The Officer Scheme of Delegation, showing proposed amendments highlighted, was set out in the Appendix to the Committee’s report. The Committee had approved the interim arrangements for recommendation to Council, subject to the amendment of paragraph 5.2 to refer to ‘non-statutory statistically valid consultations’. In approving the arrangements, the Committee had resolved that a presentation on the Corporate Landlord Function should be made to the Corporate Scrutiny Committee.

A revised version of the Appendix incorporating the amendment agreed by the Constitution Committee had been submitted to Council.

RESOLVED

That

(1)   the interim amendments to the Officer Delegation Scheme, as set out in the Appendix to the Committee’s report (as amended), be approved and the Constitution be amended accordingly; and

(2)   in order to ensure that the Council’s documented decision-making arrangements properly reflect the emerging structure, and that existing officer delegations remain unaffected pending the completion of the senior management review, all existing delegations shall remain effective and shall accrue to the relevant post holders as appropriate.