Agenda and minutes

Apologies were received from Sean Brady (Independent Person) and Rob Bennett (Deputy Independent Person).

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 Head of Legal Services before the meeting.

No interests were declared.

To approve the minutes of the meeting held on 18 March 2015.

The minute of the meeting held on the 18^th March 2015 were agreed and signed as a correct record.

 

Councillor Hart requested that her previous comments regarding area committee allowances be noted and considered in any future review of the Members Allowance Scheme.

There were no public questions.

The Committee will consider any updates (if required) following the elections on 7 May.

 

Report to follow week commencing 11 May 2015 (if required).

The committee received a report from the Head of Legal Services regarding proposed changes to the Executive portfolios and Scrutiny Committees.

 

Resolved (unanimously):

 

     I.        To note the changes in Executive portfolios with responsibility for public health moving from the Executive Councillor for Environment, Waste and Public Health to the Executive Councillor for Community, Arts and Recreation as set out in Appendix 1 of the Officer’s report.

 

   II.        To recommend to Council the revised scrutiny arrangements set out in Appendix 2 of the Officer’s report.

The rules on political balance set out in the Local Government and Housing Act 1989 will be applied to both scrutiny and regulatory committee composition so that, once the size of committees has been determined, the division of seats among the political groups on the Council will be automatic and the Council must appoint those members which each political group puts forward for its seats.

 

In considering the allocation of committee places to political groups, the Council is legally required to take into account the following principles:

 

1)      That the controlling group should have a majority of seats on each committee.

2)      That the total number of committee places allocated to each political group must be in proportion to the number of members of that group on the Council.

3)      That on each committee the number of places allocated to each political group must be in proportion to the number of members of that group on the Council.

 

The order of precedence of these principles is the order in which they are given - i.e. (1) takes highest priority, then (2) then (3).

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.

 

Councillor Pitt updated the Committee on the Liberal Democrat Group’s nominations.

 

The Committee noted the Minorities Group nominations.

 

The Committee noted the Leaders approval of the following Councillors to the Executive. Opposition Spokes were also noted.

 

The Executive	Opposition Spokes
Leader & Exec Cllr for Strategy & Transformation – Lewis Herbert   Deputy Leader & Exec Cllr for City Centre & Public Places – Carina O’Reilly   Exec Cllr for Finance and Resources – George Owers   Exec Cllr for Housing – Kevin Price   Exec Cllr for Environment & Waste – Peter Roberts   Exec Cllr for Planning Policy & Transport – Kevin Blencowe   Exec Cllr for Communities– Richard Johnson	Councillor Bick     Councillor Austin     Councillor Bick     Councillor Avery   Councillor Pitt     Councillor C Smart     Councillor Reid

 

Councillor Cantrill was noted as the Opposition Spokes for Civic Affairs.

 

The Committee discussed the numbers and proportionately of Strategy and Resources Committee. The numbers would need to increase to 10 should Councillor Hipkin take up the seat the Minorities Group were entitled to with the Liberal Democrats numbers staying at 3. The Head of Legal Services reminded the Committee that Council could agree to Committee size that did not meet proportionality requirements if all Groups agreed to this.

 

Post meeting notes: Councillor Hipkin confirmed that he would like to take a place on the Strategy and Resources Committee.

 

Resolved (unanimously) to:

 

     i.        Recommend Council to agree to the number and size of committees and to note the nominations listed below

 

           SCRUTINY COMMITTEES

 

 

COMMUNITY SERVICES	NOMINATION(S)	CURRENT NUMBERS (1) =Alternate	PROPOSED NAMES OF NOMINATIONS TO THE COMMITTEE
	Labour           LD	5 (1)           3 (1)     8 Total	Sinnott, Ratcliffe, Baigent, Sarris, Bird,   Benstead (Alt)   Austin, Reid,       O’ Connell   Holt (Alt)

 

ENVIRONMENT	NOMINATION(S)	CURRENT NUMBERS (1) =Alternate	PROPOSED NAMES OF NOMINATIONS TO THE COMMITTEE
	Labour         LD       Minorities	6 (1)         3 (1)       1 10 Total	Gawthrope, Perry, Ratcliffe, Robertson,  M Smart, Baigent, Sarris (Alt)   C Smart, Pitt, Gehring Moore (Alt)   Gillespie

 

 

 

 

HOUSING	NOMINATION(S)	CURRENT NUMBERS (1) =Alternate	PROPOSED NAMES OF NOMINATIONS TO THE COMMITTEE
	Labour       LD     Minorities	5 (1)       2 (1)     1 (1)   8 Total	Todd-Jones. Baigent, Ashton, Bird, Sarris Gawthrope (Alt)   Avery, Moore Cantrill (Alt)   Holland

 

 

STRATEGY & RESOURCES	NOMINATION(S)	CURRENT NUMBERS (1) =Alternate	PROPOSED NAMES OF NOMINATIONS TO THE COMMITTEE
	Labour           LD   Minorities	6 (1)           3 (1)   1   10 Total	Robertson, Sinnott, Baigent, Benstead,   M Smart, Sarris Abbott (Alt)   Bick, Holt, Cantrill C Smart (Alt)   Hipkin

 

REGULATORY COMMITTEES

 

PLANNING	NOMINATIONS(S)	CURRENT NUMBERS (1) =Alternate	PROPOSED NAMES OF NOMINATIONS TO THE COMMITTEE
	Labour         LD     Minorities	4 (1)         3 (1)     1 (1)   8 Total	Dryden, Blencowe, Gawtrope, Hart, Bird (Alt)   C Smart, Pippas, Tunnacliffe, Holt (Alt)   Hipkin

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

JOINT DEVELOPMENT CONTROL COMMITTEE	NOMINATIONS	CURRENT NUMBERS (2)= Alternate	PROPOSED NAMES OF NOMINEES TO THE COMMITTEE
	Labour             LD	4 (2)             2 (2)       6 Total	Blencowe, Baigent, Bird, Price,   Gawthrope (Alt) Herbert (Alt)     C Smart, Holt   Moore (Alt)

 

LICENSING	NOMINATIONS	CURRENT NUMBERS (1)= Alternate	PROPOSED NAMES OF NOMINEES TO THE COMMITTEE
	Labour         LD       Minorities	7 (1)             4 (1)         1 (1)   12 Total	Benstead, Bird, Ratcliffe, Gawthrope, McPherson, O’Reilly, Owers   Sinnott (Alt)   Pippas O’ Connell, Bick, Austin   Moore (Alt)   Meftah

 

 

OTHER COMMITTEES

 

CIVIC AFFAIRS	NOMINATIONS	CURRENT NUMBERS (1)= Alternate	PROPOSED CHANGES AND NOMINATIONS
	Labour         LD	4 (1)         2 (1)     6 Total	McPherson, Benstead, Sinnott, Robertson   Ratcliffe (Alt)     Holt, Cantrill   Pitt (Alt)

 

EMPLOYMENT APPEALS SUB	NOMINATIONS		CURRENT NUMBERS (1)= Alternate	PROPOSED CHANGES AND NOMINATIONS
EMPLOYMENT APPEALS SUB	Labour       LD		5       3   8 Total	Price, Gawthrope, Blencowe, Sarris, Bird   Smart, Holt, Moore
COMMITTEE/SUB COMMITTEE	NOMINATIONS	CURRENT NUMBERS (1)= Alternate		PROPOSED CHANGES AND NOMINATIONS
JOINT AREA COMMITTEE (with County Council)	Labour   LD	4     2     6 Total		Blencowe, Smith, Ratcliffe, Robertson   C Smart, Tunnacliffe, (Alt Moore)
COMMITTEE/SUB COMMITTEE	NOMINATIONS	CURRENT NUMBERS (1)= Alternate		PROPOSED CHANGES AND NOMINATIONS
CITY DEAL ASSEMBLY	Labour   LD	2     1		Price Baigent   Bick

 

The Civic Affairs Committee is requested to make nominations for the positions listed below for the consideration of Council on 28 May.

 

Scrutiny Committees

·       Strategy & Resources

·       Community Services

·       Environment

·       Housing Scrutiny (Part 1 Vice Chair is a tenant/leaseholder. Part 2 Vice Chair is a Councillor)

 

Regulatory Committees

·       Civic Affairs

·       Employment Appeals Sub

·       Licensing

·       Planning

·       Joint Development Control Committee (Spokesperson)

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

 

Resolved (unanimously) to:

 

     i.        Note the nominations for Chairs and Vice Chairs of Scrutiny and Regulatory Committees as follows:

 

Committee	Labour Nominations		Liberal Democrat Nominations
	Chair	Vice Chair	Chair	Vice
Community Services	Sinnott	Ratcliffe
Environment	Gawthrope	Perry
Housing	Todd-Jones	Baigent
Strategy & Resources	Robertson	Sinnott
Planning	Dryden	Blencowe
Joint Development Control (City Lead)	Blencowe
Licensing	Benstead	Bird
Civic Affairs	McPherson	Benstead
Employment Appeals Sub	Price
Development Plan Scrutiny Committee	Sarris	Gawthrope

 

The Committee will consider any nominations if put.  The requirements to be satisfied are set out below:

 

1)   No person shall be eligible normally for election as an Honorary Councillor unless s/he has served as a Councillor at least 10 years (or a person who has been Mayor, for 8 years) whether continuously or not.

2)   Application for election as an Honorary Councillor shall be made either by the applicant him/herself or by some member of the Council on his/her behalf. Such application shall be submitted to the Chief Executive for consideration by the Civic Affairs Committee of the Council. It shall be in the discretion of the Civic Affairs Committee to make or withhold a recommendation to the Council. The names of those applicants who are not recommended by the Civic Affairs Committee shall not be recorded in the report of that Committee to the Council.

3)   Election to the position of Honorary Councillor shall be by a resolution of the Council passed on the recommendation of the Civic Affairs Committee by not less than two-thirds of the members present and voting thereon at a meeting of the Council, the summons to which contains special notice that included in the business to be transacted is the election of an Honorary Councillor.

4)   An Honorary Councillor shall be entitled to the following rights and privileges –

a)   In civic processions, Honorary Councillors shall take precedence immediately after serving Councillors and shall have precedence amongst themselves according to the number of years service on the Council.

b)   On request to receive a copy of the Council summons, together with Council and Committee minutes.

c)   At each meeting of the Council to have a seat in a block reserved for the use of Honorary Councillors.

d)   The use, in common with members of the Council, of the Members’ Rooms in the Guildhall.

e)   To be invited, where circumstances permit, to those civic functions to which all members of the Council are invited.

f)    To receive a copy of the Diary and Year Book issued by the Council.

g)   On death, to have a flag flown above the Guildhall at half-mast.

Resolved: (unanimously) to recommend to Council the appointment of the following former Councillors as Honorary Councillors

 

·        Max Boyce

·        Sheila Stuart

·        Julie Smith

 

Resolved (unanimously) to:

 

        i.            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.