Agenda item

Report CSD19053

The Constitution Improvement Working Group at its meeting on 21^st January 2019 had made a number of recommendations to amend the Council’s Constitution, including, in particular, changes to the arrangements for questions. A Member did suggest that the proposed new deadline of 10 working days before the meeting for receipt of questions was too early, but it was emphasised that the Working Group’s proposal was that questions specifically on reports on each agenda could be submitted much later - before 5pm on the second working day after the final day on which the agenda had to be published. The existing provision for emergency questions would remain.

The Working Group had considered a request from the LJCC that consideration be given to making a “matters arising” or “matters outstanding” report a compulsory requirement on every agenda and had decided that this was not necessary. Councillor Nicholas Bennett stated that the Working Group had considered this at previous meetings and decided that all meetings should have a matters outstanding report and that he was disappointed that some meetings did not do this. Committee members broadly supported this approach.

A Member commented that in his view it was regrettable that Development Control Committee had reverted to a 7.30pm start time rather than the standard time of 7pm. The Chairman of the Development Control Committee explained that the later start time made it easier for a number of Members who were at work during the day to arrive in time and attend pre-meetings. The clerk confirmed that the standard start time for meetings was indeed 7pm but there remained some flexibility where meetings needed to start at different times.

The report was also being submitted to the Executive on 27^th March 2019 before final decisions would be taken by full Council on 8^th April 2019.

RESOLVED that

(1) Council be recommended to approve the following changes to the Constitution, as proposed by the Constitution Improvement Working Group and as set out in Appendix to the report -

 (A) That the following changes to Council Procedure Rules relating to questions be approved -

·   that public question time be extended to a maximum of 30 minutes, in line with the time allowed for Councillor questions;

·   the deadline for receipt of questions should be 5pm, ten working days before each meeting;

·   that questions specifically on reports on each agenda should be allowed within two working days of the normal publication date of the agenda;

·   that questions be taken at special meetings, but only on the reports on the agenda;

·   members of the public should no longer read their questions at Council meetings;

·  the number of questions allowed be restricted to two per person. 

(The changes to be reviewed after six months of operation.)

(B) That Executive members should not sit on the Audit Sub-Committee.

(C) That the right for a single Councillor to request that an item be placed on an agenda be extended from PDS Committees to all other committees. 

(D) That the Scheme of Delegation to Officers be altered to confirm that where a planning issue is called in by a ward Councillor the delegation to officers is withdrawn.

(2)  That the other matters considered by Constitution Improvement Working Group (paragraph 6 of the report) be noted.

(3)  That the Executive and Council be recommended to include in the Constitution a requirement that all Committees and Sub-committees have a “matters outstanding” report on their agendas.