Agenda item

RESOLVED:  On the Motion of Councillor Julie Dore, seconded by Councillor Pat Midgley, that this Council:-

(a)      approves the changes to the following Parts of the Constitution, as set out in the report of the Chief Executive now submitted, and its appendices:-

(i)        Part 2  - Articles 6, 11 and 12;

(ii)       Part 3 – Responsibility for Functions;

(iii)      Part 4 – Council Procedure Rules;

(iv)      Part 4 – Scrutiny Procedure Rules;

(v)       Part 5 - Code of Conduct for Council Members and Officers in respect of Planning Matters;

(vi)      Part 5 - Guidance Note on General Procedures at Planning and Highways Committee meetings;

(vii)     Part 5  - Guidance Note to Chairs on Disruption of Planning and Highways Committees by Members of the Public;

(viii)    Part 5 - Monitoring Officer Protocol;

(ix)      Part 5 – Members’ Code of Conduct; and

(x)       Part 7 - Management Structure and Proper Officers;

(b)      agrees that the changes now approved in relation to the operation of the Council meetings be implemented with immediate effect and applied for the remainder of this Council meeting;

(c)       gives authority to the Monitoring Officer or his/her Deputy to grant dispensations in accordance with Section 33 of the Localism Act 2011, as detailed in Section 3.9 of the report, and Article 12 of the Constitution be amended accordingly;

(d)      regrets that under the current arrangements of a 40 minute time limit per motion the time for back bench members to participate in the debates is extremely limited;

(e)      welcomes proposals to remove the 40 minute time limit meaning that important issues can be given more time for consideration and local ward councillors will have a greater opportunity to engage in debates, representing their constituents on important issues;

(f)        acknowledges that the constitution has always stated that order of motions should reflect the political balance of the Council and acknowledges it is necessary to change the sequence of motions following the reduction in Liberal Democrat councillors following the 2012 local elections, with the current balance being Labour 60, Lib Dems 22, Green 2;

(g)      welcomes the proposals of the present Administration to give the opposition groups the first motion at three of the eight meetings, nearly half of the meetings, which no other administration has ever done; and

(h)       supports these constitutional changes which will give more opportunities for local members to engage in debate and publically represent their constituents who have elected them.

(NOTE: 1. Councillors Jillian Creasy and Robert Murphy voted for paragraphs (a) to (c) and (f), against paragraphs (d), (e) and (h) and abstained on paragraph (g) of the above Motion and asked for this to be recorded.

2. Councillor Julie Dore exercised a right of reply prior to the above Motion being put to the vote.)