Agenda and minutes

In the absence of the Chairman, at the beginning of the meeting, Councillor G Merry, Vice-Chairman, assumed the Chair.

To provide an opportunity for Members and Officers to declare any personal and/or prejudicial interest in any item on the agenda.

Declarations are a personal matter for each Member to decide.  Whilst Officers can advise on the Code and its interpretation, the decision to declare or not, is the responsibility of the Member, based on the particular circumstances.

Members were invited to declare any personal and/or prejudicial interest in any item on the agenda.  Declarations of interest were made, as appropriate, during discussion of the item of business in which there was an interest.

In accordance with Procedure Rules Nos. 11 and 35, a total period of 10 minutes is allocated for members of the public to address the Panel on any matter relevant to its work.

Individual members of the public may speak for up to 5 minutes, but the Chairman will decide how the period of time allocated for public speaking will be apportioned where there are a number of speakers.  Members of the public are not required to give notice to use this facility.  However, as a matter of courtesy, a period of 24 hours’ notice is encouraged.

Members of the public wishing to ask a question at the meeting should provide three clear working days’ notice, in writing, to enable an informed answer to be given.

In accordance with Procedure Rules 11 and 35, a total of 10 minutes was allocated for members of the public to address the Panel on any matter relevant to its work.

There were no members of the public in attendance and the Panel, therefore, proceeded to its next business.

To approve the Minutes of the Meeting held on 22 October 2010.

RESOLVED: 

That the Minutes of the Meeting held on 22October 2010 be approved as a correct record and the update provided by Officers in respect of action taken on issues identified at the previous meeting be noted.

The reports relating to the following item has been withheld from public circulation and deposit pursuant to Section 100(B)(2) of the Local Government Act 1972 on the grounds that the matters may be determined with the press and public excluded.

The Panel is asked to RESOLVE –

That the press and public be excluded from the meeting during consideration of the following item, pursuant to Section 100(A)4 of the Local Government Act 1972 on the grounds that it involves the likely disclosure of exempt information as defined in Paragraph 1 of Part 1 of Schedule 12A of The Local Government Act 1972 and the public interest would not be served in publishing the information.

RESOLVED: 

That the press and public be excluded from the meeting during consideration of the following items, pursuant to Section 100(A)4 of the Local Government Act 1972 on the grounds that they involved the likely disclosure of exempt information as defined in Paragraphs 1 and 2 of Part 1 of Schedule 12A of the Local Government Act 1972 and the public interest would not be served in publishing this information.

The report of the Head of Children and Family Services –

(a)               informs Members of current Authority Governor vacancies within Cheshire East-maintained schools and recommends individuals for appointment to identified posts; and

(b)               invites the Panel to consider revisions to the appointments procedure for recommendation to the Constitution Committee.

The report of the Director of Children and Family Services invited the Local Authority School Governor Appointments Panel to appoint individuals to identified vacancies within Cheshire East maintained schools for a four term of office with effect from 2 December 2010.

Additional information was tabled at the meeting in respect of new appointments and a re-appointment where the term of office was due to end before the next meeting of the Panel.

RESOLVED: 

(a) That the following appointments be made for a four year term of office with effect from 2 December 2010:

(1) Lindow Primary School

            Councillor M D Lloyd

(2) Woodcock’s Well Primary School

            Mrs K L Jones

(3) The Marlborough Primary School

            Mrs H Ashcroft

(4) Lacey Green Primary School

            Miss K Drabwell

(b) That Councillor S McGrory be appointed to the vacancy at Middlewich High School for a four year term of office with effect from 2 December 2010;

(c) That the Schools Liaison Manager be authorised, in consultation with the Chairman, to consider offering the second candidate (for the vacancy at Middlewich School) a role at the school with a view to her being offered any future governor vacancy at the school.

(Note: At this point in the proceedings, the Chairman, Councillor D Thompson, joined the meeting and assumed the Chair.)

(5) St John’s CE Primary School, Sandbach Heath

            Mrs J J Brassington

(d) That the following re-appointment be made for a four-year term of office:

            Park Royal Community School

            Mr R Watson (start date 10.01.2011)

(e) That, in view of the urgency, the Schools Liaison Manager, in consultation with the Chairman, be authorised to make arrangements for the appointment of a Governor at Audlem St James’s CE Primary School.

Notes:

(a) Councillors G Merry, B H Dykes, H Gaddum and T Jackson declared a personal interest in the appointment to Lindow CP School on the basis that the person making the nomination was Councillor Menlove’s wife;

(b) Councillors H Gaddum, G Merry, T Jackson and D Thompson, declared a personal interest in Item (d) above on the basis that they were acquainted with Mr R Watson who was a former Macclesfield Borough Councillor; and

(c) Councillors G Merry, B H Dykes, H Gaddum and T Jackson declared a personal interest in the appointment of Councillor S McGrory to MiddlewichHigh School, on the basis that he was a Council colleague.

The report of the Director of Children and Family Services invited the Panel to consider revisions to the appointments procedure.  The procedure had been drafted during the transitional year and had been based on the former County Council procedure. It was now timely to review the procedure and a proposed revision was submitted.  Members commented as follows:

·         Panel Membership:  Membership of the Panel was a decision made by Council, not the Constitution Committee, as noted in the report.

·         The Council had recently been invited to appoint a Councillor to Sir John Deane’s College, Middlewich, through the outside bodies appointments process.  This college provided sixth form education, not only to Northwich and the surrounding area (in Cheshire West and Chester Borough), but also to Middlewich and Holmes Chapel in Cheshire East.  In view of this, the procedure should be amended, at to add the words “…..and to those schools to which Cheshire East Council appoints…”

·         The application form (at page 17) to be expanded to a two-sided A4 sheet to allow more space in the box ”the reasons for becoming a governor” and additional space in the “home address” box.

·         The application form made reference to faith school preferences, but only included “Catholic Schools” or “Church of England Schools”; an additional tick-box should be added to allow preferences to be expressed for other faith schools.

RESOLVED:

(a) That the draft Procedure for the Appointment of Authority Governors, as amended at the meeting, be approved; and

(b) That the Constitution Committee, at its January 2011 meeting, be informed that Members had unanimously agreed the revised procedure.

Members are reminded that the next meeting of the Panel is 4 February 2011.

It was noted that the next scheduled meeting of the Panel was 4 February 2011.