Agenda item

The proposed memberships of the respective Committees will be circulated prior to the meeting.

The Council considered a report to enable it to appoint its Committees and Sub-Committees for the 2022/23 Municipal Year, including the allocation of seats in accordance with political balance requirements.

The report also recommended amendments to the constitution regarding the governance of committees and sub-committees, namely:

·      the transfer of ‘crime & disorder’ and ‘Community Safety Partnership’ matters from the Audit & Scrutiny Committee to the Community Services Committee;

·      changes to the delegation arrangements for the Chief Officer Sub-Committee and associated amendments to the Pay Policy Statement;

·      changes to Standing Orders 21 and 22 regarding substitute arrangements for Sub-Committees. 

          R E S O L V E D – that:

A.           the Council’s Committees for 2022/23, and the number of seats allocated to each Committee, be as per Appendix A;

B.           notwithstanding the discretion provided to Committees to appoint further Sub-Committees, those shown at Appendix B, including the number of seats allocated to each, be agreed;

C.        the following amendments be made to the scheme of delegation to Committees (Part E of the Council’s constitution) so that responsibility for crime & disorder and community safety matters is transferred from the Audit & Scrutiny Committee to the Community Services Committee:

                     Audit & Scrutiny Committee – text to be deleted (shown by strikethroughs)

Terms of Reference

(xi)       Calling upon representatives of outside organisations to present information about services which have a significant impact upon local residents including measures to minimise crime & disorder delivered via the Community Safety Partnership.

(xii)      Exercise the Council’s scrutiny and review functions in relation to local crime and disorder matters and act as the local Crime & Disorder Committee.

Powers to recommend 

(iii)       Matters with significant budgetary and/or policy implications arising from presentations by representatives of outside organisations about services which have a significant impact upon local residents, including measures to minimise crime & disorder delivered via the Community Safety Partnership.

Community Services Committee – text to be added

   Terms of Reference

A(viii)     Exercise the Council’s scrutiny and review functions in relation to local crime and disorder matters and act as the local Crime & Disorder Committee

                        Powers to resolve

(ix)         Measures to reduce crime & disorder and to promote community safety, including those delivered via the local Community Safety Partnership;

D.        the delegation arrangements regarding the Chief Officer Sub-Committee (Part E of the Constitution / matters relating to the Strategy & Resources Committee / Section 4) be amended as follows:

(i)      the current section 4.2 (which defines the membership of the Sub-Committee for 2021/22) be deleted on the basis that the membership is, in any event, determined as part of the committee meetings immediately following Annual Council and does not need to be replicated and updated each year within the Constitution

                     (ii)      the following clauses be added to the Sub-Committee’s terms of                      reference:

·           to determine discretionary payments to Officers on senior management grades (SM1 and above) in addition to which they are contractually entitled; and

·           to consider and determine proposals to grant early retirement with no actuarial reduction in pension to officers on senior management grades (SM1 and above);

E.        arising from D (ii) above, paragraphs 8.2 and 8.3 of the Pay Policy Statement be amended as follows:

“8.2        Discretionary payments made to Officers on senior management grades (SM1 and above) in addition to which they are contractually entitled must be authorised by the Strategy and Resources Committee Chief Officer Sub-Committee.

8.3         TDC Management of Organisational Change and Retirement Policies set out how we will calculate any payments made to support early retirement in the efficiency of the service. Where it is proposed to grant early retirement with no actuarial reduction in the pension payable in respect of a person on a senior management grade, this must be authorised by the Strategy and Resources Committee Chief Officer Sub-Committee. Staff on all other grades must be authorised by the Chief Executive.”

F.    Standing Orders 21 and 22 be amended as follows to reflect current practice regarding the appointment of substitute members to Sub-Committees:

                   Standing Order 21 – Sub-Committees

(3)     Political Group Leaders may, from time to time, change their principal Members (including substitutes) in respect of the Sub-Committee seats allocated to their Groups by submitting written notice to the Chief Executive or nominated representative. Such changes will become effective for the next meeting of the respective Sub-Committee, provided that the required notice is received at least seven clear working days prior to the meeting in question.

Standing Order 22 – Committees and Sub-Committees – Substitutes and Quorum

(1)     Every Political Group may appoint a substitute Member for each Committee and Sub-Committee by submitting written notice to the Chief Executive or nominated representative. Such appointments, or changes to existing appointments, will become effective for the next meeting of the respective Committee or Sub-Committee, provided that the required notice is received at least 7 clear working days prior to the meeting in question.

(2)     Committees may allow for more than one substitute to be appointed (by Political Groups) to their Sub-Committees, including arrangements where a principal Member can be replaced, at any time prior to a meeting, by any Councillor serving on the parent Committee or any Councillor from the wider Council membership if deemed appropriate.

(existing clauses (2) and (3) to be renumbered (3) and (4)).