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Agenda item

Appointment of Members to the Council's Committees, including Substitute Members.

Purpose:

To establish the Council’s Committees for the 2023/24 municipal year and appoint members to committees and working groups:

?       To establish the Council Committees as defined in Part 3 of the Council’s Constitution, for the Civic Year 2023/24.

?       To establish the allocation of seats to political groups based on political proportionality;

?       To appoint members to Council Committees for the Civic Year 2023/24;

?       To make appointments to the positions of Chair and Vice Chair of Council Committees for the Civic Year 2023/24.

?       To agree that Committee meetings held in Committee Room 1 will be “live-streamed” using the Council’s new webcasting system.

?       To agree to a joint meeting of the Climate and Environment Overview & Scrutiny Committee and Economic and Social Overview and Scrutiny Committee being held on 8 June 2023 at 4.00pm to consider the West Eynsham Area Masterplan.

?       To re-establish the Constitution Working Group and request that it considers options for the structure of the Council’s Overview and Scrutiny Committees.

 

Recommendation:

That Council Resolves to:

  1. AGREE to establish the Council’s Committees as defined in Part 3 of the Council’s Constitution, for the Civic Year 2023/24;
  2. DETERMINE that, in accordance with Section 15 of the Local Government and Housing Act 1989 (“the Act”), the Council shall continue to apply the political balance provisions under the Act to committees as shown in Annex A (to follow).     
  3. APPOINT Councillors to serve on the Council’s Committees and working groups as set out in Annex B (to follow) for the Civic Year 2023/24;
  4. APPOINT Chair and Vice-Chair for the Council’s Committees and working groups as shown in Annex B (to follow) for the Civic Year 2023/24;
  5. NOTE the arrangements for substitutions set out in part 4 of the report;
  6. AGREE that meetings held in Committee Room 1 will be live streamed to the Council’s website for public viewing;
  7. AGREE that a joint meeting of the Economic and Social, and Climate & Environment Overview and Scrutiny Committees, take place on Thursday 8 June 2023 at 4.00pm, to consider the West Eynsham Area Masterplan.
  8. REQUEST that the Constitution Working Group considers options for the structure of the Council’s Overview and Scrutiny Committees and reports back to a future meeting of Council.

Minutes:

Councillor Andy Graham, Leader of the Council, introduced the report which established the Council Committees as defined in Part 3 of the Council’s Constitution, for the Civic Year 2023/2024, established the allocation of seats to political groups based on political proportionality, appointed members to Council Committees for the Civic Year 2023/2024, made appointments to the positions of Chair and Vice Chair of Council Committees for the Civic Year 2023/2024, proposed that Committee meetings held in Committee Room 1 will be “livestreamed” using the Council’s new webcasting system, agreed to a joint meeting of the Climate and Environment Overview & Scrutiny Committee and Economic and Social Overview and Scrutiny Committee being held on 8 June 2023 at 4.00pm to consider the West Eynsham Area Masterplan, and re-established the Constitution Working Group and sought a request that it considers options for the structure of the Council’s Overview and Scrutiny Committees.

 

The Leader guided Council through the recommendations listed within the report, and paid particular attention to political proportionality to the Council’s Committees, and updated Council that Councillor Elizabeth Poskitt was proposed to represent the Council on the Oxfordshire Joint Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee (rather than Councillor Joy Aitman as stated in the paperwork), and that Councillor Liz Leffman would not be serving on the Economic and Social Overview and Scrutiny Committee as stated in the paperwork. The Leader also highlighted a recommendation referring to the Constitution Working group, and the exploration of the structure of the Council’s Overview and Scrutiny Committees. The Leader confirmed that the outcome of this work would be reported to Council at a future meeting.

 

Councillor Andrew Beaney rose to query the frequency of Overview and Scrutiny Committee meetings, restrictions on Committee Membership, and how the proposed Joint Scrutiny Committee of Climate and Environment and Economic & Social would be chaired.

The Business Manager for Democratic Services and Interim Monitoring Officer responded stating that a Chair for the extraordinary joint meeting would be appointed at the start of that meeting for that meeting only. The Interim Monitoring Officer further stated that the restrictions on membership of the Standards Sub-Committee were covered in a report tothe next Audit and Governance Committee, and that the frequency of meetings of the Council’s Overview & Scrutiny Committees would be referred to the Council’s Constitution Working Group for consideration.

 

Councillor Andy Graham proposed that Council agree to the recommendations as listed in the agenda report. This was seconded by Councillor Duncan Enright, was put to a vote, and was unanimously agreed by Council.

 

Council Resolved to:

1. Agree to establish the Council’s Committees as defined in Part 3 of the Council’s Constitution, for the Civic Year 2023/2024;

2. Determine that, in accordance with Section 15 of the Local Government and Housing Act 1989 (“the Act”), the Council shall continue to apply the political balance provisions under the Act to committees as shown in Annex A;

3. Appoint Councillors to serve on the Council’s Committees and working groups as set out in Annex B for a term of office expiring at the next Annual Meeting of the Council, with Councillor Leffman removed from the membership of the Economic and Social Overview and Scrutiny Committee and Councillor Poskitt replacing Councillor Aitman as the Council’s representative on the Oxfordshire Joint Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee;

4. Appoint Chairs and Vice-Chairs to the Council’s Committees and working groups as shown in Annex B;

5. Note the arrangements for substitutions, as set out in part 4 of the agenda report;

6. Agree that meetings held in Committee Room 1 will be live streamed to the Council’s website for public viewing;

7. Agree that a joint meeting of the Economic and Social, and Climate & Environment Overview and Scrutiny Committees will take place on Thursday 8 June 2023 at 4.00pm, to consider the West Eynsham Area Masterplan.

8. Request that the Constitution Working Group considers options for the structure of the Council’s Overview and Scrutiny Committees and reports back to a future meeting of Council.

Supporting documents:

 

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