Decision details

129.1  The Council considered a number of constitutional matters in the light of a report by the Governance Committee (pages 35 to 56). These included the continuance of the Fire & Rescue Service Scrutiny Committee, the term of office of members of the Independent Remuneration Panel, the governance of the Property Joint Venture Partnership, matters relating to the Pension Advisory Board and the Pensions Committee, the description of urgent and short notice decisions in Standing Orders and technical proposals relating to stopping up orders for rights of way.

129.2  Resolved –

(1)        That the continuation of the arrangements for scrutiny of the Fire and Rescue Service be approved;

(2)        That the term of office for members of the Independent Remuneration Panel, as set out in Part 3, Appendix 13 of the Council’s Constitution, be amended from a maximum of two four-year terms to a maximum of three four-year terms;

(3)        That the proposed changes to Appendix 3 and the new Appendix 22 of Part 3 of the Constitution, as set out at Appendix 1 to the report, be approved;

(4)        That the Leader be recommended to add the role of the Cabinet Member for Finance and Property in the governance arrangements to the list of portfolio responsibilities in Part 3, Appendix 2 of the Constitution, as set out at Appendix 2 to the report;

(5)        That that Part 3, Appendices 7 and 19 of the Council’s Constitution be amended, as set out at Appendix 3 to the report, to state that no person may be a Board member and also a member of the Pensions Committee;

(6)        That the constitution of the Pensions Committee in Part 3, Appendix 7, be amended, as set out at Appendix 3 to the report, to show that the Cabinet Member with responsibility for the Finance portfolio is ex-officio Chairman of the Pensions Committee;

(7)        That the Leader be recommended to amend the portfolio responsibilities of the Cabinet Member for Finance and Property in Part 3, Appendix 2, as set out at Appendix 2 to the report;

(8)        That Part 4, Section 1 of the Constitution be amended with new wording on urgent and short notice decisions and removal of references to the Executive Decision Database, as set out at Appendix 4 to the report; and

(9)        That the changes to Part 3, Appendix 4 of the Council’s Constitution relating to stopping up order applications, as set out at Appendix 5 to the report, be approved.