Agenda item

To consider the recommendations of the Constitution Working Group.

The Committee considered a report on the recommendations of the Constitution Working Group on transitional provisions and future constitutional work.

The Committee had deferred consideration of the revised constitution at its meeting on 6^th April 2021 with the intention of considering it further at its meeting on 29^th April. The Constitution Working Group then met on 16^th April and agreed a number of recommendations which would normally have been made to the Committee. However, Council at its meeting on 19^th April adopted the constitution and in doing so approved two of the Working Group’s recommendations, namely, the removal of any time limits from the length of meetings and confirmation of the right of access of all staff to the Appeals Committee.

The Working Group had also considered that further work should be undertaken on how the public and members could engage with the committee process. The basic policy approach was set out in Appendix 1 to the report. The Working Group had also felt that a clearer understanding was required of the recommendation from the Independent Remuneration Panel to remunerate and recognise a role of ‘opposition spokespersons’. This role did not appear in the constitution and if the post was to be identified and remunerated with a special responsibility allowance there should be clarity as to what that responsibility entailed. An initial draft for consideration was set out in Appendix 2 to the report.

The Monitoring Officer informed the Committee that a number of additional changes to the constitution, as outlined in the report, would be submitted to Council for approval at its meeting on 22^nd June 2021.

There was a suggestion that, in view of its link with the IRP recommendation on special responsibility allowances for opposition spokespersons, the basis for the development of an opposition spokesperson role as set out in Appendix 2 should be referred to the Corporate Policy Committee.

Councillor M Asquith suggested an amendment to the public and member engagement protocol issues document in Appendix 1 as follows:

The sentence ‘Chairperson’s power to order public speaking’ be amended to ‘Chairperson’s power to sequence public speakers’.

RESOLVED

That the Committee

1.    agrees the basis of a public and member engagement protocol as set out in Appendix 1 to the report, subject to the amendment suggested by Councillor Asquith;

2.    refers the basis for development of a non-administration group role in a committee, as set out in appendix 2, to the Corporate Policy Committee;

3.    notes that the Monitoring Officer will amend the fees and charges protocol to clarify the compliance with the MTFS;

4.    notes the areas of amendment as set out in the additional changes section of the report; and

5.    notes that phase 2 work will be undertaken by the Constitution Working Group under the committee system.

Before closing the meeting, the Chairman thanked members for their contribution to the work of the Committee, and for their patience over what had been a turbulent period during the pandemic and the change to the committee system. He also thanked the officers for their support.