Agenda and minutes

To provide an opportunity for Members and Officers to declare any disclosable pecuniary and non-pecuniary interests in any item on the agenda.

There were no declarations of interest.

In accordance with Procedure Rules Nos.11 and 35 a period of 10 minutes is allocated for members of the public to address the meeting on any matter relevant to the work of the body in question.  Individual members of the public may speak for up to 5 minutes but the Chairman or person presiding 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 at least three clear working days’ notice in writing and should include the question with that notice. This will enable an informed answer to be given.

There were no members of the public wishing to speak.

To approve the minutes of the meeting held on 29^th January 2015.

RESOLVED

That the minutes of the meeting held on 29^th January 2015 be approved as a correct record.

To consider a report which addresses a range of decision-making and governance issues and which seeks a recommendation from the Constitution Committee to Council about proposed constitutional changes.

The Committee considered a report addressing a range of decision-making and governance issues and recommending appropriate changes to the Constitution.

The report sought to amend the terms of reference of the Staffing Committee to reflect properly the split between executive and non-executive functions within the Council’s Constitution. It also sought to add greater flexibility to the decision-making powers of the Chief Executive and to reflect the current management structure within the Council.

Details of the proposed changes were set out in paragraphs 11 to 13 of the report and shown as tracked changes to the relevant extracts from the Constitution in Appendix 1.

The Committee also considered proposed changes to the arrangements for dealing with Notices of Motion at Council as set out in paragraph 14 of the report.

Finally, it was proposed that there should be a work programme overseen by the Committee to review the whole of the Constitution within the next 12 months. A proposed work programme was set out at Appendix 2 to the report.

RESOLVED

That

1.    the proposed changes to the terms of reference of the Staffing Committee as set out in Appendix 1 to the report be recommended to Council for approval subject to the following amendments:

            (i)        paragraph 2 under Statement of Purpose be amended by the addition of the following:

“(d) following any process leading to the receipt of additional benefits by senior officers, to review how the process was carried out.”

          (ii)        the performance indicators currently listed under paragraph 8 be retained as a minimum requirement.

2.    the proposed changes to the powers of the Head of Paid Service in relation to staffing and other matters as set out in Appendix 1 to the report be recommended to Council for approval subject to the following amendment:

            (i)        paragraph 1.22 of the scheme of delegation to officers be amended to provide that the Chief Executive may consider and implement major staffing and organisational reviews subject to any restructuring arrangements affecting statutory posts being recommended to the Staffing Committee, and the terms of reference of the Staffing Committee be amended to reflect this requirement.

3.    Council be recommended to instruct the Head of Legal Services to make the changes to the Constitution set out in Appendix 1;

4.    Council be recommended to instruct the Head of Legal Services to make any minor corrections, amendments or contextual changes resulting from the above;

5.    subject to 6 below, the work programme set out at Appendix 2 be adopted for the year 2015-16; and

6.    a review of the arrangements relating to Notices of Motion be deferred at this time and the matter be included in the work programme for 2015-16.