Agenda and minutes

To note the appointment at the Annual Meeting of the Council on 12 May 2005 (subject to confirmation of that decision) of a Chair of this Committee for the Municipal Year 2005-06 (or now to make an appointment).

RESOLVED:  To note the appointment under the provisions of Council Procedure Rule 1.1 (xii) at the Annual Council Meeting, held on 12 May 2005 of Councillor Jean Lammiman as Chair of the Committee for the Municipal Year 2005/06.

To note the attendance at this meeting of any duly appointed Reserve Members.

Reserve Members may attend meetings:-

(i)                 to take the place of an ordinary Member for whom they are a reserve;

(ii)               where the ordinary Member will be absent for the whole of the meeting; and

(iii)             after notifying the Chair at the start of the meeting.

(Note:  The Members and Reserve Members of the Committee for 2005/06 are as appointed by the Annual Council Meeting of 12 May 2005).

RESOLVED:  To note the attendance of the following duly appointed Reserve Members:-

To appoint (subject to confirmation of the Committee’s membership) a Vice?Chair of the Committee for the Municipal Year 2005/06.

(Note:  The Labour Group has nominated Councillor Gate  to this office). 

RESOLVED:  To appoint Councillor Gate as Vice-Chair of the Committee for the Municipal Year 2005/06.

To receive any declarations of personal or prejudicial interests arising from business to be transacted at this meeting, from all Members present .

RESOLVED:  To note that no declarations of interests were made in relation to the business on the agenda.

To consider whether any of the items listed on the agenda should be considered with the press and public excluded on the grounds that it is thought likely, in view of the nature of the business to be transacted, that there would be disclosure of confidential information in breach of an obligation of confidence or of exempt information as defined in the Local Government (Access to Information) Act 1985.

RESOLVED:  That all items on the agenda be considered with the press and public present.

To defer the signing of the Minutes of the Committee’s meeting held on 26 April 2005, until the next ordinary meeting.

RESOLVED:  That the minutes of the meeting held on 26 April 2005 be deferred until the next ordinary meeting of the Committee.

To consider the establishment of and appointment of Members to Sub Committees of this Committee for the Municipal Year 2005/06, including the appointment of Chairs under Overview and Scrutiny Committee Procedure Rule 11.2..

[Note:  The proposed memberships of the Sub Committees relevant to this Committee and the nominees proposed as Chairs are set out in the appendices].

[NOTE:  Members are asked to note that subsidiary body memberships must be determined in accordance with the Local Government and Housing Act 1989 and regulations made thereunder.

Therefore, whilst the Committee has to confirm the membership of its Panels to comply with the Local Government Act 1972, the actual nominations of named Councillors are decided by each group, from within the membership of that group.

It is not open to the Committee to seek to change or to delay the nominations duly made by a group.  It is only if there is a failure to make a nomination or to act in due time that the Committee may seek to consider the matter further].

Further to the nominations now submitted by the political Groups in relation to this Committee’s Sub-Committee memberships and the proposed appointments as Chairs of the Sub-Committees, as then considered, it was,

RESOLVED:  That the Scrutiny Sub-Committees be established for the Municipal Year 2005/06 with the memberships and Chairs as detailed in the appendix to these Minutes.

The Chair agreed to accept an item of Any Other Urgent Business in the above matter. 

A Member raised the issue of rights of Members of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee to have access generally to reports held by the Executive.  In particular this related to a confidential report commissioned from Mr Max Caller.  Following a brief discussion, it was

RESOLVED:  That (1) this issue be deferred to the Committee’s ordinary July meeting to enable the receipt of an officer report regarding both the general constitutional rights of access afforded Members and also in relation to the specific confidential report;

(2)  a Special meeting of the Committee be called on this matter, if required by the urgency associated with the particular report;

(3)  the Monitoring Officer be requested to attend the meeting(s).