This motion is under consideration by the Constitution Working Party and the recommendations will follow.
“This council tasks the Head of Paid Service to update and amend the constitution to reflect the following:
Leader
• The Annual Council Meeting will appoint a Councillor to be the Leader of the Council for the Municipal Year
• The Annual Council Meeting will also appoint the Leader to be a member of the Policy & Resources Committee and to act as its Chairman
• The Leader will:
• be the Chairman of the Policy & Resources Committee;
• provide overall strategic vision and direction to the council;
• coordinate the work of the council’s committees;
• work closely with the Head of Paid Service to ensure member priorities are delivered;
• act externally as the council’s main political representative;
• and be the council’s main spokesman in the media
Deputy Leader
• The Annual Council Meeting will appoint a Councillor to be the Deputy Leader of the Council
• The Annual Council Meeting will also appoint the Deputy Leader to be a member of the Policy & Resources Committee and to act as its Vice Chairman
• The Deputy Leader will:
• be Vice Chairman of the Policy & Resources Committee;
• work closely with and support the Leader;
• act and speak on the Leader’s behalf at meetings and in the media when required to do so
Lead Members
• The Leader and Deputy Leader will serve as Lead Members, each with a Lead Portfolio
• The Annual Council Meeting will appoint up to three other Lead Members, each with a Lead Portfolio relating to areas of council policy, for the Municipal Year
• The Annual Council Meeting will agree the portfolio areas for each Lead Member and appoint the Lead Members to be members of the Policy & Resources Committee
• Lead Members will:
• provide political oversight and leadership of their portfolio area;
• provide collective oversight and leadership of the authority;
• act as a public spokesman for their portfolio area;
• present relevant reports, as required, to the Policy & Resources Committee and Council;
• and be answerable to the Policy & Resources Committee and Council for service performance in their portfolio areas
• The “Administration” of the Council, therefore, comprises the Leader, Deputy Leader and Lead Members, who are drawn from all, or part of, the controlling group’s or controlling coalition’s membership of the Policy & Resources Committee
Member Champions
• Subject to the ongoing review into Member Champions, the Annual Council Meeting may appoint Member Champions responsible for promoting general themes in a non-partisan manner.
Committees
The council will continue to operate under non-executive arrangements i.e. ‘the committee system’, with no individual member wielding executive power.
It will have the following committees:
• Policy & Resources Committee with power to establish an Appeals Sub-Committee and an Appointments Sub-Committee
• Overview & Scrutiny Committee
• Planning Committee
• Licensing Committee with power to establish a Licensing Sub-Committee
• Audit, Governance & Standards Committee to carry out the Audit Committee and Corporate Governance Standards Committee functions currently exercised by the Overview & Scrutiny Committee
The size of committees shall be determined each year by Annual Council.
Members may be appointed to the membership of on one or more committees of the council, except members of Policy & Resources Committee cannot sit on Overview & Scrutiny Committee, and vice versa.
Accountability
• The Leader will continue to present a written report to each Full Council
• In addition to questions on notice to the Chairman, Leader and Committee Chairmen currently allowed, members may also ask a question on notice to a Lead Member on an issue relating to their Lead Portfolio
The changes should come into effect as of the Annual Meeting of Council 2020, when council will appoint a Chairman, Vice Chairman, Leader, Deputy Leader, Lead Members, Committee Chairmen, Committee Vice Chairmen and (if required) Member Champions, and allocate members to committees in accordance with political proportionality.”