Committees can make decisions balanced with a Call In Procedure (as per the current Cabinet System), so that decisions made at Committee could take effect after a agreed number of days if not called in. The Scrutiny and Audit and Risk Committees could merge to form a new Oversight Committee with the Chair not being from the ruling party. Key decisions taken by Full Council where rules could be set (e.g. expenditure/saving One Hundred Thousand Pounds), Policy decisions and that Committees should be restricted to spending their own Budget within rules.
The Labour group were proposing the establishment of the following Committees :-
The regulatory Committees of Planning and Licensing would continue as at present. As previously stated it was proposed to have an over size Committee combining Audit and Risk and Scrutiny Committees.
Partnership/Outside Bodies
Councillor Wainwright raised the issue of how do we work with our Partners to hold them to account. He suggested Partnerships should be married to Committee so for example Preservation Trust would come under the Economic development Committee.
Contracts
Councillor Wainwright reported on the issue of how do we manage Contracts and set Award Contracts. Monitoring could be carried out at corresponding Committee however awarding contracts cuts across Finance and Service so both may have a role . he raised the issue of a joint Service and Finance Meeting as and when needed.
Councillor Wainwright also stated that all Committees should be subject to the Widdecombe Process where by all Committees would be politicly balanced and he also suggested that the Chairs of the agreed Committees should be divided amongst the Political Groups on the Council.
The Chairman suggested that the Officers should come back with a recommendation with regard to the suggested Committees as outlined above, fully costed up.
The Chief Executive Officer asked the Committee to agree Key Principles in respect of a Committee Form of Governance and the Committee agreed that 3 Key Principles would be :-
- To align the Committees in accordance with the Borough Councils Corporate Plan.
- Oversight through a Policy and Resources/General Purposes Committee.
- Determination of how Chairs are appointed.
- The Policy/General Purposes Committee should have responsibility for the strategic direction of the Council.
Councillor Myers commented that in his opinion there should be a maximum of five Committees with an overall Policy Committee. He also suggested that representatives form each political groups should come up with their own proposals for a Committee Structure to determine if there is common ground amongst all the political groups.
David Johnson confirmed that it would be possible to establish a Call In System of Committee decisions that have been made. With regard to Chairs of Committees he suggested that this may have to written specifically into the revised Constitution.
The Governance Committee agreed that all political groups should formulate their own proposals for a Committee Structure.
As a result of the discussions at the meeting, Mr Cade stated that he understood the wishes of Members were as follows :-
- That there should be a Policy/General Purposes Committee established
- Committees need to align to the Corporate Plan
- Retention of the current regulatory Committees (i.e.. Development Control, Licensing, Audit and Risk)
- To determine the role of an Oversight/Audit Committee
- Certain decisions could be referred upwards to either a Policy Committee or Council, if the Committee thought it appropriate.
- Policy Committee could have a level of delegation to be agreed
- Committees to spend within their own Budgets
- Public Consultation to be coordinated by Full Council, protocol by Policy and Resources/General Purposes Committee.
- Council will set the scheme of delegation.
- Urgent decisions to be carried out by Group Leaders.
- Retention of the Public Speaking Protocols as at present.
- The protocol for setting up Working Groups to be left to the Policy and Resources Committee to determine.
With regard to the frequency of Committee Meetings, the Governance Committee generally of the opinion that it seemed most appropriate for this to be based on a six weekly cycle of meetings. With regard to Membership of Committee it was generally agreed that numbers on Committees should be no greater than 13 as at present.
The issue of delegated powers to Officers would also need to be reviewed.
In response to a question from Councillor Thirtle, David Johnson confirmed that the revised and amended Constitution would be completed in time for the Committee System adoption in May 2016. David Johnson also referred to the establishment of a Independent Review Panel that had been set up by North Norfolk District Council to consider Members allowances and it was suggested that this panel be asked if they would be willing to consider Members allowances on behalf of Great Yarmouth Borough Council. The Governance Committee agreed that Council at its meeting on the 26th January should be asked to agree to the establishment of an Independent Review Panel on the lines detailed above.