Issue - meetings

The Leader of the Council announced:-

·         That he was pleased to confirm the appointment of Judith Tench as the Council’s new Head of Governance and Stewardship (Deputy S151 Officer) illustrating his commitment to governance in the strongest terms.

·         That he would be asking the Constitution Committee to review the role of planning in the Constitution, especially the Strategic Planning Board, working with all the three planning chairs to create a more transparent, resident friendly and holistic planning framework. This would be alongside Housing, Planning, Economic Development and Regeneration Portfolio Holder, Cllr Don Stockton.  

·         That he had requested a review of the Council’s financial procedures, working with the Council’s Chief Operating Officer, Peter Bates, with a strong emphasis on procurement, in order to improve this area and give greater transparency on the Council’s finances, which were strong. He also wanted to support procurement locally. He believed that the Council would have a balanced budget this year, next year and the year after, all without increasing the burden on residents.

·         That he would be requesting the Head of Paid Service to move away from zero hours contracts towards flexible contracts and also that the Council would move towards the living wage for all its employees, something the Council already did in most areas.

·         That the Council would also look to open a controlled redundancy process in 2014, to allow all officers to apply for redundancy. This did not automatically mean that all staff would be allowed terms, as many roles were important to the Council.

·         That he would introduce a review of the Council’s Policy Development Groups and would like to know what Members thought should be done to change and adapt in order to strengthen Member decision making.

·         That he would also be asking the Council’s Constitution Committee to look into an addendum to the Constitution, illustrating that, where possible, Ward Members would receive information at the earliest opportunity. This protocol already existed, but he wanted it to be strengthened and potentially added into all Council and officer protocols and to be part of officer behaviour. He would also be working with the Council’s Corporate Leadership Board and union colleagues on the introduction of confidentiality and non disclosure clauses in all managers’ contracts of employment.

·         That he was committed to strong open leadership, but there must be structures in place to underpin transparency. He would be requesting the Council’s Head of Paid Service and Chief Operating Officer to review the terms of reference of the Monitoring Officer. He wanted a robust and effective officer core and believed that the Council currently had the strongest leadership board in the history of Cheshire East Council and he wanted to ensure that the Monitoring Officer was empowered to deliver the Council’s ambitious agenda.

·         That the full introduction of the Alternative Service Delivery Vehicles had been delayed until March 31^st 2014. This was so that the Council could get the governance right. Members could already attend any formal meeting and speak, at the discretion  ...  view the full minutes text for item 58