Agenda and minutes

Apologies were received from Councillor Cantrill.

 

Members are asked to declare at this stage any interests that they may have in any of the following items on the agenda.  If any member is unsure whether or not they should declare an interest on a particular matter, they are requested to seek advice from the Monitoring Officer before the meeting. 

 

No declarations of interest were made.

 

 

To approve the minutes of the meeting held on 15 February 2017

The minutes of the meeting held on 15 February 2017 were approved as a correct record and signed by the Chair.

 

There were no public questions.

 

Gary Clift- Democratic Services Manager

 

Non Key.

The minutes of this agenda item have been split into the following four items:

 

·        17/18/Civa

·        17/18/Civb

·        17/18/Civc

·        17/18/Civd

 

 

 

The Committee considered a paper setting out the proposed Committee allocations by party and the nominations received. The Committee considered the rules on political balance set out in the Local Government and Housing Act 1989 in developing the recommendations set out below.

 

The Arbury by-election on 4 May did not affect proportionality on the Council and the seats allocated in total and across each committee are the same as 2016/17.

 

The Committee noted the nominations.

 

Resolved (unanimously) to:

 

Recommend to Council to agree the number and size of committees, agree to depart from proportionality on Planning Committee, and to note the nominations listed below:

 

Ordinary Committees

 

Community Services Scrutiny Committee 8 ( 5 Labour + 2 Lib Dem+ 1 I/G)

Ratcliffe, Sinnott, Abbott, Barnett, Bird, Gillespie, Austin, O’Connell   Alternates-Gawthrope, Sargeant, Nethsingha

 

Environment Scrutiny Committee 7 (5 Labour + 2 Lib Dem)

Gawthrope, Bird, Ratcliffe, Sargeant, Sheil, Bick, Tunnacliffe   Alternates-Abbott, Sinnott, Adey

 

Housing Scrutiny Committee 8 ( 5 Labour + 2 Lib Dem +1 I/G)

Todd-Jones, Bird, Baigent, Gawthrope, Sheil, Holland, Cantrill, Page-Croft   Alternates-Abbott, Barnett, Tim Moore

 

Strategy and Resources Scrutiny Committee 6 (4 Labour+ 2 Lib Dem)

Barnett, Baigent, Sarris, Sinnott, Bick, Cantrill   Alternates-Abbott, Sargeant, Avery

 

Civic Affairs Committee 6 ( 4 Labour +2 Lib Dem)

McPherson, Benstead, Gawthrope, Robertson   O’Connell, Holt   Alternate-Ratcliffe, Tim Moore

 

 

Employment (Senior Officer) Committee 6 (4 Labour +2 Lib Dem)

Blencowe, Hart, Herbert, Price, Bick,Avery

 

Licensing Committee 12 (8 Labour+ 4 Lib Dem)

Bird Ratcliffe Abbott Benstead Gawthrope McPherson Sinnott Smart   Gehring Adey Tim Moore Pippas   Alternates- Rosy Moore, Holt

 

Planning Committee (NB Council approves departure from proportionality here) 8 (4 Labour+ 3 Lib Dem + 1 I/G)

Smart, Blencowe, Hart, Sarris, Hipkin, Tunnacliffe, Nethsingha, Holt   Alternates- Bird, Page-Croft

 

Cambridge City Joint Area Committee (with County Council) 6 (4 Labour +2  Lib Dem )

Baigent, Bird, Blencowe, Robertson, Tunnacliffe, Adey   Alternates- Sargeant

 

Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority -1 seat

Cllr Herbert, Leader of the Council  + 1 substitute (Cllr Price)

 

Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority Overview and Scrutiny Committee 1 Labour + 1 Lib Dem

Baigent, Cantrill   Alternates-Sargeant, Austin

 

Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Audit and Governance Committee New – 1 + one substitute member

Robertson, Ashton (substitute)

 

Greater Cambridge City Deal Joint Assembly 3 (2 Labour + 1 Lib Dem)

Baigent, Price, Bick

 

Joint Development Control Committee - Cambridge Fringes 6 (4 Labour+ 2 Lib Dem)

Blencowe, Baigent, Bird, Price, Tunnacliffe, Holt   Alternates- Gawthrope,  Martin Smart, Tim Moore

 

 

The Committee received nominations for Chairs and Vice Chairs of Scrutiny and Regulatory Committees.

 

Resolved (unanimously) to:

 

     i.        Agree the nominations for Chairs and Vice Chairs as below:

 

	Chair	Vice Chair
Community Services	Ratcliffe	Sinnott
Environment	Gawthrope	Bird
Housing	Todd-Jones	Bird (nb. Tenant/Leaseholder is Chair of Part 1 of the meeting)
Strategy & Resources	Barnett	Baigent
Civic Affairs	McPherson	Benstead
Employment Appeals Sub	Hart	n/a
Licensing	Bird	Ratcliffe
Planning	Hipkin	Martin Smart
JDCC	Blencowe as Lead Councillor

 

 

 

Resolved (unanimously) to:

 

Recommend that Council confirm the appointment of Mr Sean Brady as the Council’s Independent Person and Mr Robert Bennett as the Council’s Deputy Independent Person for 2017/18.

 

Committee agreed that the changes to Council Procedure Rules introduced in April 2016 had worked well and noted that there had been no feedback from Group Leaders to the contrary.

 

On the proposals in the officer report (paragraphs 4.6-4.9)

 

Length of speeches:  the Committee agreed to be consistent with speaking times for Motion debates ie 3 minutes per councillor.  However, Committee agreed that Ex Cllr/Chair and spokes should be permitted up to 5 minutes.

 

Extraordinary meetings: the Committee agreed that public questions at Extraordinary Meetings of Council should only relate to that item, but did not agree that they should be submitted by 10am the day before.  It should be consistent with other meetings ie. you can ask a question if it is an item on the agenda without prior notice.

 

County Councillors on Area Committees: the Committee agreed the proposal in the report with the clarification that only a city councillor can be a Chair or Vice Chair.

 

Appointment to outside bodies: the Committee agreed with the proposal.  It was clarified that the arrangement would only apply for appointments ‘within Group’.

 

The Committee noted a further proposal concerning the ability for Groups with more than one seat on a Scrutiny Committee to appoint 2 Alternate Members.  The Committee noted that the Group Leader of the Liberal Democrat Group had been notified of this proposal but not in time for nominations to reflect this.  Updates will be included in the Information Pack published the day before the Annual Meeting.

 

Resolved:

 

To recommend to Council the changes to Council as set out below in bold text and “”:

 

 

 

 

Council Procedure Rules

 

6. Appointment Of Alternate Members Of Committees And Sub-Committees
 

6.2 Number

6.2.1 For each committee or sub-committee, the Council (or committees in respect of sub-committees) will appoint one alternate member in respect of each political group represented on that committee or sub-committee, “and two in the case of the major Scrutiny Committees for groups with more than one Committee member,” but shall not appoint an alternate member for a political group which declines to nominate an alternate member.

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21.    Length of speeches

 

Generally

 

21.1  “Except for Executive Councillors, Chairs and spokespersons, who may speak for up to 5 minutes,” no other speech shall subject to the exceptions provided elsewhere in Council Procedure Rules exceed “3 minutes” length (without the consent of the Council given by reason of the exceptional importance of the subject and which consent shall be ascertained by the Mayor either on his/her own initiative or on a motion made which shall be put without amendment or discussion.  Provided that it shall be within the discretion of the Mayor to permit up to a further 3 minutes beyond the time so mentioned without the necessity for any such consent.

 

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PART 4B-ACCESS TO INFORMATION RULES-APPENDIX 2 PUBLIC SPEAKING RIGHTS

 

“Extraordinary Council Meetings – public questions will only be taken on the single item of business for which the extraordinary meeting has been called.”

 

 

 

Part 4EE-AREA COMMITTEE PROCEDURE RULES

4.      Co-opted Members

 

4.1    Each area committee shall invite county councillors “where the clear majority of a County Council Division is within” the area to be co-opted members. “County Councillors may vote on all matters except for any decision relating to city council funding and the election of the Chair and Vice-Chair.” Area committees may appoint such other non-voting co-opted members as they choose. Co-opted members may be appointed either in respect of the whole work of the area committee, or in respect of specific aspects of that work.

 

 

6.1 An area committee shall, at its first meeting of the municipal year, elect “City Councillors as” Chair and Vice Chair……

 

6.1.2 In the absence from any meeting of the Chair and Vice Chair, a “City Councillor as” Chair for that meeting……