Agenda item

Report CSD23108

At the Committee’s meeting on 11^th July 2023 a report was presented setting out a new, simplified structure for the Council’s Constitution. The Committee deferred the proposals pending consideration by the Constitution Working Group.  The Working Group had now met and considered the proposals, which were set out in the appendices to the report. This was an exercise to make the Constitution clearer and easier to use; no changes of substance were proposed.

The Chairman of the Constitution Working Group, Councillor Nicholas Bennett, introduced the report and urged the Committee to support the proposals. He proposed one additional change, which was to align the deadlines for submitting requests for statements at full Council meetings to be in line with the deadlines for submission of questions. This would mean that requests for statements would need to be submitted ten working days before the meeting, not three days as at present, and therefore they could be listed in the agenda papers. There would still be provision for requesting urgent statements, even at very short notice.

A Member objected that this change was unnecessary and that as it was proposed at short notice there had not been time for it to be considered by the Constitution Working Group. The Committee voted to support the proposed change to statements.

The Committee agreed a further change to Chapter 1, paragraph 2.3, point 6, to read –

“6. ensure that no one will review or scrutinise a decision in which they have been involved.” 

A Member queried whether Members were always told about the outcome of standards complaints against them. It was confirmed that the process required Members to be informed and asked for comments after a complaint was received, and for them to be provided with the outcome.

RESOLVED that:

(1) The Committee recommends to Council that the new structure and updated contents of the Constitution attached to the report be adopted, including -

(i) the minor amendment in Chapter 1, paragraph 2.3 outlined above; and

(ii) the deadlines for requests for statements be amended to be in line with arrangements for questions.