|
BABERGH DISTRICT COUNCIL COUNCIL MEETING
MINUTES OF A MEETING OF THE BABERGH DISTRICT COUNCIL HELD IN THE COUNCIL CHAMBER, COUNCIL OFFICES, CORKS LANE, HADLEIGH ON TUESDAY, 19 APRIL 2011
PRESENT: Mr D L Wood – Chairman
|
Mrs J Antill
Mr N A Bennett
Mr J C Brand
Mr D M Busby
Mr J R B Cave
Mrs S P Clarke
Mr P G Gibson
Mr D G Grutchfield
Mr A J Hinton
Mr P J Holbrook
Mr B D Hurren
Ms J A Jenkins
Mr L S Johnson
Mr P Jones
Mr D H Keane
Mr R E Kemp |
Mr J A B Long
Mrs M O Munson
Mr M Newman
Mr A F D W Osborne
Mr N A Ridley
Mr B Riley
Mr D C Rose
Mr J R A Sayers
Mr R C Smith
Mr C M Spence
Mr R W Thake
Mr A J Ward
Mr G S White
Mr R Whiting
Mrs S M Wigglesworth
Mr L H Young |
The following Members were unable to be present:- Mr C W Arthey, Mr A C Bavington, Mr P K Beer, Mr M P Booth, Mrs S Carpendale, Mr B L Lazenby, Dr M R Miller, Mr C A Roberts, Mr H N Todd and Mr D M Walton.
The proceedings were opened with a short Prayer for those Members who had chosen to participate.
106 - Minutes
107 - Declaration of Interests
108 - Chairman's Announcements
109 - To Receive Notification of Petitions in Accordance with Council Procedure Rule No. 13
110 - Questions from the Public
111 - Questions from Members
112 - Annual Report of Standards Committee
113 - Membership of Committees for New Term of Office
RESOLVED
That the Minutes of the meetings held on 22 February and 18 March 2011 be confirmed and signed as correct records.
None declared.
Events Attended
The Chairman referred to Paper K235 outlining recent events attended by the Chairman and Vice-Chairman of the Council.
Final Council meeting for current term of office
The Chairman referred to this being the final meeting of the current term, prior to the District Council elections on 5 May 2011, and thanked all Members for their contribution during the previous four years. He acknowledged the assistance provided to him by the Vice-Chairman, Personal Assistants, Pat Rockall, Kathryn Saward and other officers, and extended his best wishes to those Members seeking re-election. He also wished the following retiring Members well and referred to their individual contributions:-
Mr J C Brand
Mrs S P Clarke
Mr C M Spence
Mr H N Todd
Mr D M Walton
Pat Rockall, who will be taking early retirement in May then thanked Members for the support they had given her during her time as Chief Executive.
None received.
None received.
None received.
Mrs K Saward, Monitoring Officer, presented the Standards Committee’s Annual Report (Paper K236).
During consideration of this item it was agreed that the Council’s thanks for the work undertaken by the six co-opted Members serving on the Standards Committee be recorded.
RESOLVED
That the Annual Report of the Standards Committee for 2010/11 as set out in Paper K236 be noted.
(i) Proposed arrangements for Appointing Ungrouped Members to Committees, etc.
The Director of Corporate Services reported that at the Annual Meeting on 19 May 2011 the Council will need to appoint Members to serve on Committees and outside bodies/partnerships.
In this connection, as has happened previously, the Council is asked to agree to the draft lists being compiled by the Chairman of the Council who remains in office in that capacity until the Annual Meeting.
RESOLVED
That the following procedures for enabling draft lists of Committee membership to be prepared for consideration at the Annual Meeting be approved as follows:-
5 May 2011 Election Day
6 May 2011 Councillors elected
6 May 2011 Director of Corporate Services to write to Councillors asking them to indicate:
(a) which Committees, Task Groups and Panels etc. they wish to be considered to serve on
(b) nominations for appointment on outside bodies/partnerships
10 May 2011 Latest date for receipt of Members’ preferences and nominations
11 May 2011 Meeting with Group Leaders and Chairman of the Council to agree draft Committee, etc. lists
12 May 2011 Draft Committee etc. lists to be prepared for consideration by Council at the Annual Meeting
12 May 2011 Draft Committee etc. lists to be sent to all Members
19 May 2011 Annual Council Meeting
(ii) Proposed Arrangements for Appointing Members in Political Groupings to Committees etc.
The Director of Corporate Services reported on the arrangements if two or more Members decide following the elections to form themselves into a political group or groups for Committee composition purposes under the Local Government and Housing Act 1989. In this situation those Members who had formed themselves into such a group(s) would not normally be allocated Committee seats in accordance with the arrangements referred to in (i) above.
Members were also informed that the normal procedure for such Members would be that at the Annual Meeting the Council would merely allocate the number of Committee seats for political group(s) according to the formula laid down in the Local Government and Housing Act 1989. This basically provides for Members of a political group to have the appropriate number of seats on Committee in proportion to their membership of the whole Council.
Once the number of Committee seats has been allocated to the group(s), then the group(s) has to be given a period of time of up to 21 days (as provided for in the Act) in which to nominate the Members to serve on those Committees.
However, the leaders of the Conservative, Lib-Dem and Independent Groups have been asked whether they would be agreeable to a much shorter period for submitting nominations (as happened at the time of the last election) as otherwise it would not be possible for any Committee meetings to be held until approximately 4 weeks after the Annual Meeting of the Council on 19 May 2011.
The existing political group leader(s) had indicated that they would agree to submit nominations for Committee seats at an earlier date to enable the business of the Council to be carried out expeditiously.
RESOLVED
(1) That subject to any political group leader(s) agreeing to submit nominations for Committee, Panel and Task Groups at an earlier date to enable the business of the Council to be carried out effectively, the following procedures be approved (but accepting that any political group is able to deliver nominations for allocated seats outside the timetable contained therein should it so wish):-
10 May 2011 Notice of formation of any political group(s) for Committee composition purposes to be delivered to the Director of Corporate Services if these are to take effect from the Annual Council Meeting.
11 May 2011 Meeting with Group Leaders (and Chairman of the Council if appropriate) to agree draft Committee, etc. lists.
19 May 2011 Annual Council Meeting.
(2) That where the Council or any Committee has determined the allocation to different political groups of the seats on a body to which Section 15 of the Local Government and Housing Act 1989 applies, the Director of Corporate Services be delegated the power to make appointments to that body so as to give effect:-
(a) as soon as practicable after the determination, and
(b) if the vacancy subsequently occurs on that body, as soon as practicable after the occurrence of the vacancy
about who is to be appointed to the seats on that body which are allocated to a particular political group as are expressed by that group.
Notes:
1. At the conclusion of the meeting, the Vice-Chairman of the Council thanked the Chairman for the work he had undertaken (including civic and ceremonial functions) during the previous year of his Chairmanship.
2. Mr C M Spence then paid tribute to Mrs Rockall for her contribution to the Council since her appointment as Chief Executive in June 1999, and presented her with a basket of flowers from the Members.
3. Further speeches of appreciation and thanks to Mrs Rockall were made by Mr N A Ridley, Mrs S M Wigglesworth and Mr D L Wood.
The business of the meeting was concluded at 10.12 a.m.
...............................................................
Chairman
|