Issue - meetings

Report by the Director of Law and Assurance.

The report provides a context for proposals to change governance arrangements for both executive and scrutiny functions. The Committee is asked to consider a number of changes to how decisions are taken by Cabinet and how the Forward Plan of key decisions will be used. Changes are also proposed to meet the need for more effective scrutiny (these include the recommendations of the Scrutiny Review Panel).

31.1     The Committee considered a report by the Director of Law and Assurance (copy appended to the signed minutes) which provided a context for proposals to change governance arrangements for both executive and scrutiny functions. The Committee was asked to consider a number of changes to how decisions are taken by Cabinet and how the Forward Plan of key decisions will be used. Changes were also proposed to meet the need for more effective scrutiny (these included the recommendations of the Scrutiny Review Panel).

31.2     The Director of Law and Assurance introduced the report and explained that the proposals for change were as a result of concerns expressed about corporate governance in the Commissioner’s findings following the Ofsted inspection into Children’s Services plus the HMI report into the Fire & Rescue Service.  The proposals also took into account the Government’s refreshed guidance on scrutiny which had been examined by the Scrutiny Review Panel whose report was attached at Appendix 2 to the report.  There had also been a health check by the Centre for Public Scrutiny which had been carried out following the Ofsted inspection.

31.3     The Director of Law and Assurance commented that there was one matter in which the recommendations differed and that was in relation to scrutiny of the Fire & Rescue Service.  In his view, the Panel’s recommendation that a separate committee should be established would not achieve the stated objectives and would not be in the interests of effective scrutiny.

31.4     Mrs Purnell, as Chairman of the Scrutiny Review Panel, introduced the Panel’s report and ran through the recommendations.  In relation to scrutiny of the Fire & Rescue Service she said the Panel was of the view that a separate committee would achieve better scrutiny by giving members an increased knowledge of the service. In the Panel’s view this would be harder to achieve with a large committee dealing with a wider portfolio.

31.5     Members considered the recommendations in relation to the executive as set out in Appendix 1 to the report.  The proposals were broadly welcomed but there were requests for the time limits in paragraphs 9 and 10, in relation to contributions by Select Committee chairmen and minority group leaders, to be increased to five minutes.

31.6     The Leader commented that having a time limit was important in order to be able to manage the business on the agenda.  He reminded the Committee that members had other opportunities to seek clarity about or raise an issue on matters to be discussed at Cabinet (advance notice of which would be via the Forward Plan) including speaking directly to Cabinet Members.  The changes proposed were about Cabinet individually and collectively making decisions in a transparent way.

31.7     After discussion it was agreed that the time limits should be recommended for increase to five minutes in each instance.

31.8     It was requested that any member should be able to make a request to the Leader, as chairman of the meeting, to attend and speak at the meeting, as was  ...  view the full minutes text for item 31