Issue - meetings

Proposed Minor Changes to Council Procedures

Meeting: 20/01/2020 - Governance Committee (Item 41)

41 Proposed Minor Changes to Council Procedures pdf icon PDF 95 KB

Report by the Director of Law and Assurance.

 

The Committee is asked to consider two minor changes to Council procedures, namely the method by which a Cabinet Member provides his or her response to a motion to the public and the deadline for the submission of written questions for reply at County Council meetings.

 

Minutes:

41.1     The Committee considered a report by the Director of Law and Assurance (copy appended to the signed minutes) which recommended minor changes to Standing Orders relating to County Council meetings.

 

41.2     The Director of Law and Assurance introduced the report, advising that it was recommended that the method by which a Cabinet Member provides his or her response to a motion to the public be changed from a formal decision to a report to be published in the Bulletin. In response to the increasing pressure in the organisation, he proposed that the deadline for the submission of written questions for reply at County Council meetings be moved earlier by one working day, usually 9.00 a.m. on the Friday before a Council meeting.

 

41.3     The Committee was supportive of changing the response to the motion process but discussed the impact of changing the deadline for written questions. It was agreed that 12.00 noon on the Friday before Council would have less of an impact on members be recommended.

 

41.4     Resolved –

 

(1)        That County Council on 14 February 2020 be recommended to change Standing Order 2.53(b) so that the Cabinet Member’s response to a motion referral be published in the Bulletin rather than via an executive decision.

 

(2)        That County Council on 14 February 2020 be recommended to change Standing Order 2.39 to change the written question deadline to 12.00 noon on the fifth working day before the meeting.