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Venue: Committee Room 1 & 2, The Guildhall, Market Square, Cambridge, CB2 3QJ. View directions
Contact: Glenn Burgess Committee Manager
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Apologies for absence Minutes: None |
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Minutes of previous meeting PDF 53 KB Minutes: The minutes of the 21 March 2011 meeting were approved and
signed as a correct record subject to the following amendment: 12/18/civ Prayers at Council Meetings – bullet point
4: Clarification was requested on whether any Mayors had previously
not appointed a Chaplain. Following discussion it was suggested that at least
one previous Mayor had chosen to not appoint a At the request of Councillor Herbert it was agreed
that a follow up agenda item on Prayers at Council Meetings be brought to the
meeting on 27 June 2012. |
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Declarations of Interest 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.
Minutes: None |
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Public Questions Minutes: None |
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Procedural Decisions for the Annual Meeting of the Council A report from the Chief Executive/Head of Legal Services may be required following the city council elections which are being held on the day of this committee’s agenda despatch Minutes: The Committee received a verbal update from the Head of Legal Services on the procedural elements of the Annual Meeting of the Council. |
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Nominations for Leader of the Council The Civic Affairs Committee is asked to consider nominations for the
positions of Leader of the Council and Executive Councillors for the
consideration and approval of Council on 24 May. Minutes: The Committee received two nominations for the Leader of the
Council, Councillor Tim Bick and Councillor Lewis Herbert. Councillor Bick was invited to state, in the event of being
elected Leader, any changes he would make to executive responsibilities.
Councillor Bick said that responsibility for community safety and CCTV would be
moved to the Leader’s portfolio and responsibility for climate change would be
moved to the portfolio of the Executive Councillor for Planning and Sustainable
Transport. Councillor Herbert was invited to comment in a similar manner and
said that he supported the proposed change to executive responsibilities. Recommended that:
i.
In the event of changes to executive responsibilities,
corresponding changes be made to Scrutiny Committee responsibilities |
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Nominations for Committees for the Municipal Year 2012/13 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). Minutes: The Committee considered a paper setting out the proposed
size of committees, the allocations by party and the nominations received. The Committee considered the rules on political balance set
out in the Local Government & Housing Act 1989 in developing the
recommendations set out below. Councillor Boyce proposed and Councillor Rosenstiel seconded
a proposal to change the size of committees. Recommended (by 4 votes to 0):
i.
That Strategy
and Resources Scrutiny Committee, Environment Scrutiny Committee, Community
Services Scrutiny Committee, Housing Management Board and the Planning
Committee to be reduced in size from 9 members to 8.
ii.
That the
Employment Appeals Panel to be increased in size from 9 members to 10.
iii.
That the Labour
Group’s proposal that the one seat allocated to it on the Joint Development
Control Committee and on the Employment Appeals Sub-Committee be allocated
instead to the Independent/Conservative Group (as a departure from the rules on
political proportionality would require Council’s approval, nem. con.)
iv.
To recommend
to Council to agree the size and membership of the committees as follows: Scrutiny
Committees:
Regulatory
Committees:
Licensing Committee will meet to appoint the four sub-committees (of 3
members each) Other
Committees:
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Nominations for Chairs and Vice Chairs of Scrutiny and Regulatory Committees The
Civic Affairs Committee is requested to make nominations for the positions
listed below for the consideration of Council on 24 May. Scrutiny Committees ·
Strategy &
Resources ·
Community
Services ·
Environment ·
Housing Management Board (for either role the holder
need not be a Councillor) Regulatory
Committees ·
Civic Affairs ·
Employment Appeals Sub ·
Licensing ·
Planning ·
Joint Development Control Committee (Spokesperson) Standards Committee - The Civic Affairs Committee is requested to recommend that Council delegate appointment of Chair and Vice Chair to the Standards Committee Minutes: The committee received nominations for Chairs and Vice
Chairs of Scrutiny and Regulatory Committees. Resolved
to note the nominations for Chairs and Vice Chairs of Scrutiny and
Regulatory Committees as follows:
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Nominations for Honorary Councillors Any former member
who had given a long period of service to the City Council should be eligible
for appointment as an Honorary Councillor under the following scheme. 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. Minutes: Recommended: that the Council appoints Councillor
Nimmo-Smith and former Councillor Roman Znajek as Honorary Councillors. |