Agenda item

To consider the recommendations of Constitution Committee in relation to:

(a) Frequency of Meetings 

(b) Questions to Cabinet

(c) Scheme of Delegation for Director of Public Health 

Consideration was given to a number of recommendations from the Constitution Committee, as follows:-

(a) Frequency of Meetings

The Constitution Committee had received a report which indicated that Council Members attended around 220 decision-making and other meetings per year. In view of the consequent burden on Member time and expenses, the associated officer costs, the cost of arranging meetings etc, the report sought an in-principle decision that there should be fewer Council meetings.

The Constitution Committee had declined to accept the recommendations of the report and resolved to recommend that Council should approve the draft calendar of meetings for 2013/14, which was appended to the agenda.

RESOLVED

That the Calendar of meetings for 2013/14 be approved.

(b) Questions at Cabinet

At the meeting of Council on 13^th December 2012 it was proposed that a new provision be included in the Council Procedure Rules which would allow questions to be put by Members to Cabinet Members at Council meetings, without notice first having been given.  Council had agreed this proposal.

The Leader subsequently called for a similar provision to be put in place which would allow for questions, without notice, to be put by Members to Cabinet Members at Cabinet meetings. 

A report had, therefore, been submitted to the Constitution Committee, which proposed that the Constitution should be amended to include a provision, which would allow 20 minutes for questions to be put to Cabinet Members by Members of the Council at Cabinet meetings.  

It was recommended that the Rules previously agreed by Council, which applied to questions at Council should be adapted appropriately for the purposes of questions to Cabinet Members at Cabinet meetings, details of which were contained in the report to Council. 

RESOLVED

1.         That the Constitution be amended to include a provision to allow 20 minutes for questions to be put to Cabinet Members by Members of the Council at Cabinet meetings.  

2.         That the Rules previously agreed by Council, which applied to questions at Council, be adapted appropriately for the purposes of questions to Cabinet Members at Cabinet meetings, as contained in the report. 

(c) Scheme of Delegation for Director of Public Health

The Constitution Committee had received a report which explained that health responsibilities would transfer to local authorities in April 2013.  Therefore, the Council needed to amend its scheme of delegation in order to ensure that the Director of Public Health would be empowered to undertake their role.  A draft scheme of delegation for the Director of Public Health was appended to the agenda for consideration. The report noted that the Officer Delegation Working Group was continuing to consider the officer delegation scheme and that this Group might wish to review the delegation scheme in due course.

The Constitution Committee resolved to recommend to Council that the scheme of delegation for the Director of Public Health be adopted pending a further review by the Scheme of Delegation Member Working Group.

 RESOLVED

That the scheme of delegation for the Director of Public Health be adopted, pending a further review by the Scheme of Delegation Member Working Group.