Issue - meetings

Cabinet Decision Making Arrangements

 

 

Meeting: 06/01/2009 - Cabinet (Item 135)

135 Cabinet Decision Making Arrangements pdf icon PDF 143 KB

Report to follow.

Minutes:

Consideration was given to the report of the Monitoring Officer on options for Cabinet arrangements for the Council from 1 April 2009.  It was reported that following circulation of the report further consideration had been given to the decision requested; a revised wording had subsequently been prepared and a copy of this was circulated and agreed by the Cabinet, subject to further consideration being given to the definition of a key decision. 

 

RESOLVED

For the reasons set out in the report and as now given: -

 

That the Governance and Constitution Committee recommend to Council that, with effect from Vesting Day:

 

  1. The Council shall have a Leader and Cabinet form of executive arrangements, these to include the “Strong Leader”

      model in, in respect of which, and amongst other things, the Leader:

a.      is elected by Council;

b.      is empowered to appoint Members of the Council to and remove Members of the Council from the Cabinet, subsequent notification being given to Council;

c.      is empowered to determine the extent of the decision-making powers of Cabinet Members and other executive decision-making bodies.

2.  The Council’s executive arrangements shall comprise those arrangements set out in Appendices A and B to the report, subject to the following changes:

  1. References to Deputy Leader are to be removed from the Adult Services Portfolio.
  2. The following functions listed within the Children and Family Services Portfolio to apply, as appropriate, to the Portfolio Holders for Adult Services, Children and Family Services and Health and Wellbeing:

                                                               i.      Liaison with NHS Trusts and Health Authorities;

                                                             ii.      Mental Health and Disability;

                                                            iii.      Health Promotion;

                                                           iv.      Development of Integrated Services with Health Partners.

  1. The references within the Children and Family Services Portfolio to:

                                                               i.      Mental Health and Disability, to be made specific to Children and Young People; and

                                                             ii.      Connexions, to be removed.

  1. In respect of the Health and Wellbeing Portfolio:

                                                               i.      Public Rights of Way to be added beneath Countryside.

                                                             ii.      Tourism to become a dependency, rather than being a prime responsibility.

  1. In respect of the Environmental Services Portfolio:

                                                               i.      Health and Safety enforcement to become a dependency rather than being a prime responsibility;

                                                             ii.      Public Rights of Way Maintenance to be deleted and moved to Health and Wellbeing, as Public Rights of Way.

  1. The Prosperity Portfolio to include Building Control.
  2. The Safer and Stronger Communities Portfolio to include Health and Safety enforcement in the list of prime responsibilities.
  3. The Performance and Capacity Portfolio to include Twinning in the list of prime responsibilities. 

 

3.  Further consideration be given to the definition of a Key Decision, to potentially include a financial threshold of £1M, beyond which an executive decision shall be a Key Decision; and that a report be made to Members on the implications.

4.  That the Governance and Constitution Committee recommend to Council that the Monitoring Officer be authorised to make such changes to the Council’s emerging Constitution as he considers are necessary to give effect to the wishes of Council.