Agenda item

9.1

It was formally moved by Councillor Peter Rippon, and formally seconded by Councillor Michelle Cook, that:-

(a)        the issues relating to Full Council meetings, as outlined in the report circulated with the agenda for this meeting, be noted;

(b)        a Member Working Group be established, comprising representatives of all political groups on the Council, to plan and prepare (i) (A) the implementation of changes relating to the issues outlined at paragraphs 5.2 and 5.3 of the report with effect from the meeting of Council in September 2017 and (B) the review and evaluation of those changes and (ii) proposals relating to a wider review of democratic engagement to be conducted over the coming Municipal Year;

(c)        the Member Working Group be required to submit an interim report to the meeting of Council in July 2017;

(d)        authority be delegated to the Director of Legal and Governance, in consultation with the Member Working Group, to make any necessary changes to the Council’s Constitution and Procedural Rules; and

(e)        subject to the outcome of the work of the Member Working Group, (i) ordinary meetings of Full Council in the Municipal Year 2017/18 be held in the Town Hall at 2.00 p.m. on the first Wednesday in every month except March, May and August (when no ordinary meeting will be held), and in April 2018 (when the meeting will be held instead on Wednesday 28^th March 2018 in order to avoid a clash with the Easter Bank Holidays that will be held in the first week of April), and that the provisional date of 7 June 2017 be not confirmed in view of the General Election on 8 June 2017 and the meeting falling within the PERP (Pre-Election Rules on Publicity) period, and, accordingly, the meetings be held on the following dates:-

5th July 2017; 6th September 2017; 4th October 2017; 1st November 2017; 6th December 2017; 3rd January 2018; 7th February 2018; and 28th March 2018; plus the provisional dates of 6th June 2018 and 4th July 2018 in the Municipal Year 2018/19;

            (ii) the special meeting of the Council for the purposes of approving a Revenue Budget and Capital Programme and setting the Council Tax for the Financial Year 2018/19 be held on Wednesday, 7th March2018 at 2.00 p.m. in the Town Hall;

            (iii) the annual general meeting of the Council in 2018 be held on Wednesday, 16th May 2018 at 11.30 a.m. in the Town Hall; and

            (iv) further to Council Procedure Rule 10.2, the formula for the order in which Notices of Motion shall be listed on the Council Summons in the Municipal Year 2017/18 shall be as follows:-

July 2017 - Labour/Labour/LibDem/Labour/Labour/LibDem/Green/UKIP, repeated

September - LibDem/Labour/Labour/LibDem/Labour/Labour/Green/UKIP, repeated

October - UKIP/Labour/Labour/LibDem/Labour/Labour/LibDem/Green, repeated

November - Labour/Labour/LibDem/Labour/Labour/LibDem/Green/UKIP, repeated

December - LibDem/Labour/Labour/LibDem/Labour/Labour/Green/UKIP, repeated

February 2018 - Labour/Labour/LibDem/Labour/Labour/LibDem/Green/UKIP, repeated

April (28 March) - Labour/Labour/LibDem/Labour/Labour/LibDem/Green/UKIP, repeated.

9.2

Whereupon it was moved by Councillor Shaffaq Mohammed, and seconded by Councillor Sue Alston, as an amendment, that the Motion now submitted be amended by the deletion of paragraph (d) and the addition of a new paragraph (d) as follows:-

(d) the final recommendations by the Member Working Group be brought back to a meeting of Full Council for approval before any changes are made to the Council’s Constitution and Procedural Rules.

9.3

On being put to the vote, the amendment was negatived.

9.4

It was then formally moved by Councillor Douglas Johnson, and formally seconded by Councillor Robert Murphy, as an amendment, that the Motion now submitted be amended by the deletion of paragraph (d) and the re-lettering of paragraph (e) as a new paragraph (d).

9.5

On being put to the vote, the amendment was negatived.

9.6

The original Motion was then put to the vote and carried as follows:-

RESOLVED: That:-

(a)        the issues relating to Full Council meetings, as outlined in the report circulated with the agenda for this meeting, be noted;

(b)        a Member Working Group be established, comprising representatives of all political groups on the Council, to plan and prepare (i) (A) the implementation of changes relating to the issues outlined at paragraphs 5.2 and 5.3 of the report with effect from the meeting of Council in September 2017 and (B) the review and evaluation of those changes and (ii) proposals relating to a wider review of democratic engagement to be conducted over the coming Municipal Year;

(c)        the Member Working Group be required to submit an interim report to the meeting of Council in July 2017;

(d)        authority be delegated to the Director of Legal and Governance, in consultation with the Member Working Group, to make any necessary changes to the Council’s Constitution and Procedural Rules; and

(e)        subject to the outcome of the work of the Member Working Group, (i) ordinary meetings of Full Council in the Municipal Year 2017/18 be held in the Town Hall at 2.00 p.m. on the first Wednesday in every month except March, May and August (when no ordinary meeting will be held), and in April 2018 (when the meeting will be held instead on Wednesday 28^th March 2018 in order to avoid a clash with the Easter Bank Holidays that will be held in the first week of April), and that the provisional date of 7 June 2017 be not confirmed in view of the General Election on 8 June 2017 and the meeting falling within the PERP (Pre-Election Rules on Publicity) period, and, accordingly, the meetings be held on the following dates:-

5th July 2017; 6th September 2017; 4th October 2017; 1st November 2017; 6th December 2017; 3rd January 2018; 7th February 2018; and 28th March 2018; plus the provisional dates of 6th June 2018 and 4th July 2018 in the Municipal Year 2018/19

            (ii) the special meeting of the Council for the purposes of approving a Revenue Budget and Capital Programme and setting the Council Tax for the Financial Year 2018/19 be held on Wednesday, 7th March2018 at 2.00 p.m. in the Town Hall;

            (iii) the annual general meeting of the Council in 2018 be held on Wednesday, 16th May 2018 at 11.30 a.m. in the Town Hall; and

            (iv) further to Council Procedure Rule 10.2, the formula for the order in which Notices of Motion shall be listed on the Council Summons in the Municipal Year 2017/18 shall be as follows:-

July 2017 - Labour/Labour/LibDem/Labour/Labour/LibDem/Green/UKIP, repeated

September - LibDem/Labour/Labour/LibDem/Labour/Labour/Green/UKIP, repeated

October - UKIP/Labour/Labour/LibDem/Labour/Labour/LibDem/Green, repeated

November - Labour/Labour/LibDem/Labour/Labour/LibDem/Green/UKIP, repeated

December - LibDem/Labour/Labour/LibDem/Labour/Labour/Green/UKIP, repeated

February 2018 - Labour/Labour/LibDem/Labour/Labour/LibDem/Green/UKIP, repeated

April (28 March) - Labour/Labour/LibDem/Labour/Labour/LibDem/Green/UKIP, repeated.

9.6.1

(NOTE: Councillors Andy Nash, Bob Pullin, Richard Shaw, Douglas Johnson, Robert Murphy, Adam Hanrahan, Joe Otten, Colin Ross, Martin Smith, Roger Davison, Shaffaq Mohammed, Sue Alston, Andrew Sangar, Cliff Woodcraft, Ian Auckland, Sue Auckland, Steve Ayris, Gail Smith, Alison Teal, David Baker, Penny Baker, Jack Clarkson and Keith Davis voted for paragraphs (a), (b), (c) and (e) of the Motion and voted against paragraph (d) of the Motion, and asked for this to be recorded.)