Issue - meetings

To consider a report outlining the work undertaken on appointments to outside organisations during the current Municipal Year.

The Committee considered a report outlining the work undertaken on appointments to outside bodies in the current municipal year. The report sought approval for three specific appointments as well as for monitoring forms intended to establish the appropriateness and effectiveness of representation on outside organisations. The report also outlined progress on the production of guidance for Members appointed to outside organisations.

In considering the report, Members made the following comments:

?       That appropriate training should be provided for Members once the Member guidance on outside organisations had been produced.

?       That after an appropriate period following the notification of Member appointments to outside organisations, those organisations which had not contacted Members appointed to them should be contacted by Democratic Services.

?       A list of Officers appointed to outside bodies be produced (this had been requested by the Task Group on Outside Organisations for its next meeting).

?       The monitoring form to be completed by Members should also apply to Officers appointed to outside bodies and the form should be amended accordingly.

?       Consideration be given to whether the monitoring form could be modified to enable Members to give a reason for not attending a meeting of an outside organisation.

Members also sought advice regarding those situations in which there could be a conflict of interest between the Council and the body to which they had been appointed. They were advised that the new guidance would offer general advice on this and that in particular cases, Members should seek advice from Legal and Democratic Services.

RESOLVED

That

(1)   Sandbach Park Steering Group be added to the list of approved outside organisations and Councillor Gillian Merry be appointed as the local Ward Member;

(2)   Transport Futures be added to the list of approved outside organisations and Councillor H Davenport be appointed;

(3)   Councillor D J Cannon be appointed to the Mid-Cheshire NHS Foundation Trust (Leighton Hospital) to fill the casual vacancy caused by Councillor E Howell’s resignation from the organisation;

(4)   the forms attached to the report (Appendices A and B) be adopted as a means of monitoring the effectiveness and appropriateness of representation, subject to the forms being amended as appropriate to reflect the comments of Members;

(5)   the progress on the draft Guidance for Members Appointed to Outside Organisations (Appendix C) be noted and appropriate training be provided  for Members once the Guidance has been published and brought into use; and

(6)   the activities of the Task Group on Outside Organisations during 2009-2010 be noted.