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The Committee considered the Deputy Monitoring Officer's report on the proposals for a Committee structure following discussions at the last meeting. In discussing the proposals, Members gave consideration to the proposal to have separate Housing and Neighbourhoods Committee and Members agreed that the functions of the Committee should be combined and that the Committee should be known as the Housing and Neighbourhoods Committee. The Committee confirmed that the Committee Structure would be as follows :-
Council
Policy and Resources Committee
Economic Development Committee
Environment Committee
Housing and Neighbourhoods Committee
Members also agreed to the following regulatory Committees :-
Appeals Committee
Licensing Committee
Development Control Committee
Audit and Risk Committee
Standards Committee
Members were reminded that under the present Constitution there was a Housing Appeals Committee and Members agreed that the functions of that Committee could be incorporated within the Housing and Neighbourhoods Committees role.
The Committee then considered in detail the proposed Terms of Reference for each of the main Committees detailed above as follows :-
a) Council
Agree proposed Terms of reference with the deletion of the Crime and Disorder Reduction Strategy and to the amendment of the receiving of minutes of Committees acting under delegated powers for question and comments and add after being signed off by the Committee. The Committee also agreed that a decision list of all decisions taken by Committees and Officers should be published on a monthly basis and circulated to all Members.
b) Policy and Resources Committee
Agree to proposed Terms of Reference subject to :-
- The need to have a write off policy
- The need to tidy up the strategy wording in order to fitin with the corporate plan
- The need for a commissioning framework
- Agree to the establishment of a Joint Consultative Committee 5 Members (politically balanced)
- Outside Bodies preparation of a proforma for circulation to Members in order that the Outside Bodies can be reviewed at the next meeting to determine which outside bodies can be retained or deleted. Also acknowledge that appointments should be subject to the political balance rules in the Local Government and Housing Act 1989 and regulations made under that act. The Interim Chief Executive Officer suggested that appointments to outside bodies could be deferred to Group Leaders for determination.
c) Economic Development Committee
Agree to proposed Terms of Reference subject to the following :-
- Add in responsibility for Arts and Cultural Strategy and Sport and Leisure Strategy.
- Reference should be made to Economic Growth
d) Environment Committee
Agree Terms of Reference subject to the following :-
- Include Health and Safety under Environmental Protection and Improvement
- Removal of permitted development rights through Article 4 Direction should be a Development Control Committee responsibility.
- Functions of the Council relating to complaints regarding high hedges contained in part 8 of the Anti Social Behaviour Act 2003 should be a Development Control Committee responsibility.
- Developing and adopting policies and procedures in accordance with the Councils Health and Wellbeing Strategies should be moved to the Housing and Neighbourhoods Committee.
- Add duties of the local authority under the Coastal Protection Legislation.
- Members agreed that Health and Safety generally should be a Policy and Resources Committee function.
e) Housing and Neighbourhoods Committee
Agree Terms of Reference subject to :-
- External relations and public relations should be moved to the Policy and Resources Committee
- Add Community Assets to this Committees responsibilities
- Delete Safeguarding Children and Young Persons
f) Committee Cycle and Size of Committees
The Cabinet Secretary asked the Committee to confirm their wishes in respect of the frequency of Committee meetings and also the number of Members to sit on each of the Committees.
Members agreed the following :-
1) That the Committees should meet on a six weekly cycle and that this be reviewed after six months
2) That Council meetings will meet every 8 weeks and that this be reviewed after six months.
3) The numbers of Members to sit on the Main Committees will be 13 Members (politically balanced)
4) The Area Committees for Yarmouth and Gorleston will be retained
5) The timings of meeting will be a 6:30pm start and Council will commence at 7pm (Members agreed that they would give further consideration to the possibility of the Policy and Resources Committee meeting during the day and also whether the timings of the main Committees could commence at 6pm rather than 6:30pm.)