Issue - meetings

Councillor Call For Action Protocol

Meeting: 14/12/2010 - Corporate Overview and Scrutiny Committee (Item 73)

73 Councillor Call For Action Protocol pdf icon PDF 64 KB

To consider a report of the Borough Solicitor.

Minutes:

On 30 October 2009, the Council had approved a Councillor Call for Action (CCfA) protocol.

 

The CCfA protocol was intended to strengthen Member involvement at

Ward level through the provision of timely, relevant information on local

issues in line with the principles outlined in the Local Government and

Public Involvement in Health Act which emphasised the importance of

the role of Ward Members as community leaders and advocated their

empowerment to deal with local issues.

 

To date, there had only been one request received to invoke the CCfA

procedure. Notwithstanding the fact that in that particular case, the

Member concerned did not provide evidence that all available options

to resolve the matters raised in the CCfA had been explored, the range

of problems raised by the Member, did highlight the fact that there was

a gap in the protocol in how cross cutting issues should be handled.

On this occasion, in the absence of any formal advice, the Scrutiny

Chairs Group (SCG) had been consulted informally. This had given Chairmen

and Vice Chairmen of the 5 Overview and Scrutiny Committees an

opportunity to explore at an early stage, the written evidence supplied

by the Member concerned, in support of the CCfA. Additionally,

Members concluded that the SCG was the most appropriate place for

requests for CCfA to be considered, where the subject matter affected

more than one Committee.

 

The Scrutiny Chairs Group had therefore recommended that the

protocol be amended to give the SCG a role in determining which of

the 5 Overview and Scrutiny Committees should deal with cross cutting

issues.

 

 

 

RESOLVED

 

That it be recognised that  the Scrutiny Chairmen’s Group should determine which of the 5 Overview and Scrutiny Committees should deal with cross cutting issues raised under CCfA and Council be recommended to authorise the Borough Solicitor to make appropriate reference to the Scrutiny Chairs Group role in the CCfA protocol, by amending section 7of the protocol.