Councillor Call For Action Protocol
Meeting: 14/12/2010 - Corporate Overview and Scrutiny Committee (Item 73)
73 Councillor Call For Action Protocol 
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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.