Agenda item

Amendments to the Constitution - Report of the Constitution Working Group

Purpose

To consider proposals from the Constitution Working Group for

amendments to the Constitution to –

· commence the recruitment process and agree remuneration for up to two independent members on the Audit Committee, and associated amendments to the Constitution;

· Implement a Monitoring Officer Protocol

change the meeting duration for Overview and Scrutiny Committee and Audit Committees to a maximum duration of three hours.

Recommendations

That Council resolves to:

a) approve the recruitment of up to two Independent Members of Audit Committee on the basis of the recruitment pack at annex A;

b) delegate authority to the Director of Governance & Development (Monitoring Officer, and Deputy Chief Executive & S151 Officer, in consultation with the Chair of Audit Committee, to agree three members of Audit Committee to be on the interview panel;

c) approve an annual payment of £1,000.00 to be paid to independent members of Audit Committee;

d) authorises the Director of Governance & Development (Monitoring Officer) to update Part C3: Committee Functions to make the consequential amendments to the Audit Committee’s membership.

d) approve the Monitoring Officer Protocol for inclusion in the Constitution.

f) update Procedure Rule 9 in Part D of the Constitution to read as follows:

“The maximum duration of one sitting of a meeting (excluding any comfort breaks) will be as shown below. When the time limit is reached the current agenda item will be completed in the normal way. Any subsequent business will fall or may be reschedule to a later meeting or the meeting may be adjourned (to conclude on a different date).

Council – four hours*

Cabinet – four hours*

Audit Committee – three hours

Overview and Scrutiny Committee – three hours

Planning and Licensing Committee – no maximum duration

*For Council and Cabinet, at the conclusion of an item of business, after three hours have elapsed, a vote will be taken by a simple majority to continue for the final hour”.

Minutes:

The purpose of this report was to consider proposals from the Constitution Working Group for amendments to the Constitution to:

commence the recruitment process and agree remuneration for up to two independent members on the Audit Committee, and associated amendments to the Constitution;

implement a Monitoring Officer Protocol

change the meeting duration for Overview and Scrutiny Committee and Audit Committees to a maximum duration of three hours.

The Leader of the Council introduced the item and outlined the context for these proposals. The Seconder of the item Councillor Nikki Ind added that as a member of the Constitution Working Group she was satisfied with the proposals going to Council.

Council noted the minor spelling corrections within the report to the recommendations where there were two letter d’s that would be made to the final documents. It was also noted on Page 57 that there was a reference to a ‘borough’ where this should read ‘district’.

Council noted that the Overview and Scrutiny Committee and Audit Committee would need officer support to ensure Members were briefed to complete business within the proposed timings.

Council also noted that some of the meetings may clash with town and parish council meetings which were recognised as being very important for hearing the view of residents. However, it was recognised that the vote that Council was being asked to approve the time limits and that the meeting start times had already been agreed by Council.

RESOLVED: That Council AGREED to

a) APPROVE the recruitment of up to two Independent Members of Audit Committee on the basis of the recruitment pack at annex A;

b) DELEGATE AUTHORITY to the Director of Governance & Development (Monitoring Officer, and Deputy Chief Executive & S151 Officer, in consultation with the Chair of Audit Committee, to agree three members of Audit Committee to be on the interview panel;

c) APPROVE an annual payment of £1,000.00 to be paid to independent members of Audit Committee;

d) AUTHORISE the Director of Governance & Development (Monitoring Officer) to update Part C3: Committee Functions to make the consequential amendments to the Audit Committee’s membership.

e) APPROVE the Monitoring Officer Protocol for inclusion in the Constitution.