Decision details

23.1     The Committee considered a report by the Director of Law and Assurance (copy appended to the signed minutes) which recommended that the Council be asked to agree that the Scheme of Delegation in the Constitution be amended to state that no person may be a Pension Advisory Board member and also a member of the Pensions Committee. This is to avoid any conflict of interest as the Board provides scrutiny of the work of the Pensions Committee and of the Council’s role as scheme administrator.

23.2     The Cabinet Member with responsibility for the Finance portfolio has always been treated as ex-officio Chairman of the Pensions Committee since the introduction of political management changes in the year 2000. The opportunity is also taken in the report to set out this long-standing convention in the constitution of the Pensions Committee.

23.3     A minor amendment to recommendation (1) was agreed.

23.4     Resolved – That the County Council on 14 October 2022 be recommended:

(1)        That that Part 3, Appendices 7 and 19 of the Council’s Constitution be amended to state that no person may be a Board member and also a member of the Pensions Committee or vice versa;

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

(3)        That the Leader be recommended to clarify the nature of the portfolio responsibilities of the Cabinet Member for Finance and Property in Part 3, Appendix 2, in the suggested text in paragraph 2.5 of the report.