Issue - meetings

The Assembly received this report introduced by Councillor Ogungbose, Cabinet Member for Central Services. 

In presenting the report the Cabinet Member thanked the members of the Public Accounts and Audit Select Committee for the work they had carried out in their consideration of the Constitution.

(i)  The Assembly considered the proposed main changes to the new Constitution detailed in section 2 of the report, taking into account the views of PAASC both in relation to the main changes and other aspects put forward by that Committee as detailed;

(ii)  The Assembly agreed In the light of (i) above,to adopt the new Constitution as presented to the last meeting subject to the following amendments:

(a)  That the merger of the ‘Leader’s Questions’ and ‘General Questions’ processes into a single ‘Questions With Notice’ process also make provision for supplementary questions to be asked in the following terms: “After the initial answer, the Councillor who submitted the question may ask one supplementary question arising directly out of the initial question or answer, without notice, and the person who answered the initial question shall respond to the supplementary question wherever possible.  There shall be no further debate on the issue.”

(b)  To confirm the creation of a Licensing Sub-Committee to determine applications, with a membership of three to be made up of Members of the Board, while noting the overriding provision within the Licensing and Regulatory Board’s terms of reference which enable the full Board to consider any matter delegated to the Sub-Committee or officers.

(c)  That the appointment of non-Cabinet Councillors to the various JNC Panels should be the responsibility of the Assembly as part of its general responsibilities in respect of Member appointments, and that the appointment arrangements be amended so that a pool of four non-Cabinet Councillors are appointed for the respective Panels and the Chief Executive, in consultation with the Leader of the Council, is authorised to appoint the two non-Cabinet Councillors from the pool to sit on each panel. 

(d)  That the business at ordinary meetings of the Assembly be amended to include “Receive the minutes of the meetings of JNC committees, sub-committees and panels”.

(e)  That the terms of reference of the JNC Salaries and Conditions Panel be amended to include “… to consider and make final decisions in relation to senior management (JNC) structures / reorganisations” and that the corresponding amendments be made to the Officer Scheme of Delegation; and

(iii)  to authorise the Monitoring Officer to make any consequential amendments prior to the publication of the document, the provisions of which will come into effect at 12 noon on Wednesday, 26 November 2014.