Issue - meetings

To consider the next stage in the review of the Council’s Constitution, with particular regard to executive arrangements.

The Committee considered the next stage of the review of the Council’s Constitution, with particular regard to executive arrangements.

Democratic Services Officers had identified the following issues for consideration as part of any review of executive arrangements:

1.      The Constitution contained both Executive Procedure Rules and Cabinet Procedure Rules. Both contained similar or duplicate information and it was recommended that a single consolidated set of Executive Procedure Rules be produced for consultation initially with the Cabinet. 

2.      All decisions considered to be Key Decisions had to be published in the Forward Plan. However the Overview and Scrutiny Chairmen had commented that the Forward Plan did not provide the level of detail required to assist them and the public in understanding the decisions to be made. The Council may wish to review the Forward Plan in consultation with the Cabinet to determine:

• the form and presentation of the Forward Plan.

• Whether a monetary threshold should be used to define the financial aspect of ‘significance’ in the statutory definition of a Key Decision.

• Whether the role of the Forward Plan should be expanded to include all items coming forward, and not simply key decisions.

3.      The Constitution provided for all decision-making by individual Portfolio  Holders to be undertaken in public. It was suggested that research should be undertaken with neighbouring Councils on the procedures used by them for decision-making by individual Cabinet Members in order to determine the adequacy and appropriateness of the current arrangements in Cheshire East.

Members were reminded that the next stage of the Constitutional review would be a review of  the Finance and Contract Procedure Rules. An Officer Working Group had been established to commence this work.

RESOLVED

That the Cabinet and all Members of the Council be consulted upon issues relating to the Council’s executive arrangements, including those matters specifically identified in the report, and the Chairman and Vice-Chairman be consulted upon the form and content of the consultation.