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 by Members.

The Head of Legal Services and Monitoring Officer declared a non-pecuniary interest in relation to an item on proposed changes to the staff employment procedure rules insofar as it affected her post.

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 26^th March 2015.

RESOLVED

That the minutes of the meeting held on 26^th March 2015 be approved as a correct record subject to the placing on record of Councillor G Wait’s apologies for the meeting.

The terms of reference of the Constitution Committee and its sub-committees are attached for information.

The Committee considered its terms of reference.

RESOLVED

That

1.    the terms of reference be noted; and

2.    it be noted that a meeting of the Civic Sub-Committee was being arranged to consider various matters.

To make appointments to the Category 2 list of outside organisations.

RESOLVED

That consideration of this matter be deferred to a later meeting.

To consider a report which addresses the legislative changes introduced by the Local Authorities (Standing Orders)(England)(Amendment) Regulations 2015 and which seeks authority to make the required constitutional changes.

The Committee considered a report addressing the legislative changes introduced by the Local Authorities (Standing Orders)(England)(Amendment) Regulations 2015. The report sought authority to make the required constitutional changes.

The 2015 regulations made it a requirement for the dismissal of the Chief Executive, Monitoring Officer or Chief Finance Officer to be approved by the full Council before notice of dismissal was given. This was already the position under the Council’s constitution.

The 2015 regulations also removed the need to appoint a designated independent person before taking any disciplinary action against these three statutory officers. Instead the Council had to comply with a new procedure which was set out in new standing orders the Council was required to adopt. These had been incorporated into the revised version of the Staff Employment Procedure Rules attached as Appendix 1 to the report.

RESOLVED

That Council be recommended that

1.    the amended Staff Employment Procedure Rules as set out in Appendix 1 to the report be included in the Constitution;

2.    the Head of Legal Services be instructed to make the changes in the Constitution set out in Appendix 1; and

3.    the Head of Legal Services be instructed to make any minor corrections, amendments or contextual changes resulting from the above.

Report to follow.

RESOLVED

That this matter be considered at a special meeting of the Committee in July on a date to be determined.