Issue - meetings

Constitutional Amendment – Cabinet Agendas

 

 

Meeting: 22/06/2022 - Audit and Governance Committee (Item 8)

8 Constitutional Amendment – Cabinet Agendas pdf icon PDF 71 KB

Report of the Executive Director of Corporate Resources and Customer Services

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The Committee considered the report of the Executive Director of Corporate Resources and Customer Services which outlined a request by Councillor Sir Ron Watson that the Constitution to be amended to (i) remove the power of the Leader of the Council to veto formal requests by elected members for items to be included on the Cabinet agenda; (ii) remove the discretion of the Leader to limit the number of such items to be considered per Cabinet meeting, as set out in Chapter 5 paragraph 82 of the Constitution; and (iii) that a criteria for submission be established which would enable elected members to have items placed on the Cabinet agenda provided they fulfil the requirements set out in the criteria.

 

The report recommended that

 

(1)  Council be requested to give approval for:

 

(i)

Chapter 5, paragraph 82 of the Constitution to be amended to remove the power of the Leader to refuse a request from any elected member for an item to be placed on the agenda for the next available meeting of the Cabinet and to remove the discretion of the Leader to limit the number of such items to be considered per Cabinet meeting; and

 

(ii)

the establishment of a criteria for submission to enable elected members to have items placed on the Cabinet agenda provided they fulfil the requirements set out in the criteria; and

 

(2)  subject to approval of (1) above, the Executive Director of Corporate Resources and Customer Services be requested to submit a further report setting out the proposed required criteria for approval of elected member submission of items on Cabinet agendas.

 

Following long debate, the Chair officiated a vote and declared that the recommendations set out in the report be not approved by 6 votes against the recommendations and 2 votes for the recommendations. 

 

 

RESOLVED:  That

 

(1)

the recommendations be not approved; and

 

(2)

in accordance with Rule 96 of the Council and Committee Procedure Rules of the Constitution, it be noted that Councillor Sir Ron Watson voted against the resolution set out in (1) above.