Agenda item

Allocation to follow.

It is recommended:

(a)     that the Council approve the allocation of seats on Committees and other Council Bodies as shown on the schedule;

(b)     that Members be appointed to Committees in accordance with the names notified to the Chief Executive by each of the Political Groups represented on the Council, to give effect to the approved allocation of seats  in (a) above;

(c)     that Members also be appointed to Working Groups and other Internal Bodies in accordance with the names notified  to the  Chief Executive by each of the Political Groups represented on the Council, to give effect to the approved allocation of seats in (a) above;

(d)     that the Chief Executive be authorised to make changes to membership of Committees, Working Groups and other Internal Bodies as may be notified to him from time to time by the relevant Political Group to which those seats have been allocated by the Council;

The Council had before it Tables setting out the proposed allocation of seats on Committees and other Council bodies.

Arising thereon:-

Appointment of Committees and Allocation of Seats on Committees and other Council Bodies

The Chairman MOVED THAT,

(a)          the Tables be approved with regard to the allocation of seats on Committees and other bodies;

Councillor Mrs N Woollatt then put forward an Amendment seconded by Councillor A Wilce:

Section 15(4) and (5) Local Government and Housing Act 1989? provides for the following principles to apply to the appointment of seats to on committees and sub-committees. Broadly, the allocations should be in politically balanced as far as reasonably practicable:-

(a) All the seats on a committee/sub-committee or a joint body must not be allocated to the same political group.

(b) Any political group which has a majority on the full Council must be allocated the majority of seats on each committee, sub-committee and relevant joint body.

(c) Subject to the two principles in (a) and (b) above the number of seats, in total, for all the ordinary committees allocated to each political group must bear the same proportion to each group's proportion on the full Council.

(d) Subject to the three principles in (a) to (c) above, the number of seats on each committee, sub-committee and relevant joint body must be allocated to each political group in proportion to the political group's membership of the Council.”

I am concerned that the rounding on the political balance figures for the total committee seats has been rounded in a way that has resulted in the loss of 1 committee seats for the Greens and a gain of 1 committee seat for the Conservatives. In the interests of fairness and a wish to see this council as a whole politically balanced I suggest the following:

Amendment to 8 (a)

That the Council approve the allocation of seats on Committees and other Council Bodies as shown on the attached document headed 'Corrected Calculation of Committee Seat Allocations May 2019' (see attached) with the Conservative Group to subsequently agree which seat they would like to lose to the Greens.

The Chairman MOVED to suspend Procedure Rule 16(b) of the Council Procedure Rules to allow the Amendment to be heard:  Procedure Rule 16 (b) requires that: (in the case of an Amendment (other than an Amendment moved in accordance with Rule 15), notice in writing of the Amendment shall have been delivered to the office of the Chief Executive of the District Council by no later than 9.30am on the day before the day of the meeting and a copy of it shall be circulated to each Member of the District Council by the Chief Executive at the commencement of the meeting at which it is to be discussed).

Following discussion and further amendment the final wording of the Amendment moved was “that the Council approve the allocation of seats on Committees and other Council Bodies as shown on the attached document headed 'Corrected Calculation of Committee Seat Allocations May 2019' (see attached) with the Conservative Group agreeing to lose a place on the Community Policy Development Group, to the Greens”.

Upon a vote being taken, the AMENDMENT (as amended) was declared to have been CARRIED.

The Chairman MOVED THAT,

(b)       Members be appointed to Committees in accordance with the names notified to the Chief Executive by each of the Political Groups represented on the Council, to give effect to the approved allocation of seats as determined in (a) above;

Upon a vote being taken, the MOTION was declared to have been CARRIED.

The Chairman MOVED THAT,

(c)        Members also be appointed to Working Groups and other Internal Bodies in accordance with the names notified to the Chief Executive by each of the Political Groups represented on the Council, to give effect to the approved allocation of seats as determined in (a) above;

Upon a vote being taken, the MOTION was declared to have been CARRIED.

The Chairman MOVED THAT,

(d)       the Chief Executive be authorised to give effect to such changes to membership of Committees, Working Groups and other internal bodies as may be notified to him from time to time by the relevant Political Group to which those seats have been allocated by the Council.

Upon a vote being taken, the MOTION was declared to have been CARRIED.