Agenda and draft minutes

Venue: Town Hall, Main Road, Romford

Contact: Debra Marlow tel: 01708 433091  e-mail:  debra.marlow@onesource.co.uk

Items
No. Item

4.

DISCLOSURE OF INTERESTS

Members are invited to disclose any interest in any of the items on the agenda at this point of the meeting. 

 

Members may still disclose any interest in any item at any time prior to the consideration of the matter.

Minutes:

There were no disclosures of interest.

5.

MINUTES pdf icon PDF 189 KB

To approve as a correct record the minutes of the Committee held on Thursday 20th July, 2017, and to authorise the Chairman to sign them.

Minutes:

The minutes of the meeting of the committee held on 20 July 2017 were agreed as a correct record subject to the amendment of the attendance record which failed to register Councillor Lawrence Webb as being present. The Chairman subsequently signed the minutes.

6.

CONSTITUTION UPDATE pdf icon PDF 226 KB

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The report notified Members of amendments arising from changes in the management and departmental structures and functions.  The report also proposed minor variations to the arrangement of the Members’ Code of Conduct to make the requirements clearer, and updated Members on proposed steps to be taken by the Monitoring Officer to assist members in understanding their obligations under the Code. It was reported that further reports on proposed changes would be presented to the Committee during the course of the year.

 

The Committee:

 

1.    Noted the updates to the Constitution outlined in this report

 

2.    Agreed that the proposed changes to the Councillor Code of Conduct be recommended to Council.

 

The vote for the resolution was approved by 12 votes to 1. Councillor Durant voted against the resolution.

7.

CHANGES TO THE STAFF EMPLOYMENT PROCEDURE RULES pdf icon PDF 184 KB

The Committee will be asked to make decisions as detailed in the report as follows:

 

1.     Amendments to the Chief Officer Appointments Process to reflect non-permanent appointments.

2.     Amendments to the process for making appointments to Chief Officer posts as a consequence of a senior management restructure or realignment

3.     Proposed change of terminology

Additional documents:

Minutes:

Members were informed that responsibility for the permanent appointment of senior officers who fall under the JNC for Chief Officers’ term and conditions of employment (i.e. Directors, Assistant Directors and Heads of Service) is delegated to the Appointment Sub-Committee under the Councils Constitution – Part 3 – Responsibility for Functions, Section 1.2 – Functions delegated to general council committees.

 

It was explained however that the Constitution is silent on where responsibility resides for non-permanent appointments (i.e. interim, temporary or fixed term) to these posts. Following the recent changes to the reformed intermediaries legislation (known as IR35) it became necessary to cover two key senior posts at very short notice on a fixed term contract basis. Due to the urgency of the situation, the Chief Executive sought the permission of the Appointment Sub-Committee members to make these fixed term appointments (of 12 months) without the need for an Appointment Sub-Committee Panel.

 

It was noted that no objections to this proposal had been received from members so the two fixed term appointments (of 12 months) were made to the Head of Communications and Section 151 Officer posts.

 

The report identified that there could be occasions where non-permanent appointments to this level of post may be necessary. Therefore, Part 3, Section 1.2 of the Councils Constitution should be amended to clarify the responsibility for non-permanent appointments.

 

In addition, it was proposed that the process for making appointments to Chief Officer posts as a consequence of a senior management restructure or realignment be reviewed and amended to ensure that it remains fit for purpose.

 

Finally, it was proposed that the terminology used in Part 3, Section 1.2 of the Council’s Constitution be simplified and standardised so that job titles such as Director, Assistant Director and Head of Service are replaced with the generic terms of Chief/Deputy Chief Officer and/or officers that fall under the JNC for Chief Officers term and conditions of employment. This will result in fewer amendments as a result of job tittle changes in the future.

 

The Committee:

 

1.    Agreed to the proposals set out in paragraphs 7-9 of this report for non-permanent appointments to senior posts that fall under the JNC for Chief Officers’ term and conditions of employment..

 

2.    Agreed to the changes proposed set out in paragraphs 12-15 of this report to the process for making appointments to Chief Officer posts as a consequence of a senior management restructure or realignment and that the policy set out in Appendix 2 of the report be amended as appropriate.

 

3.   Agreed to the amendment in terminology used in Part 3, Section 1.2 of the Councils Constitution and the Staff Employment Procedure Rules in Part 4 of the Constitution to replace job titles such as Director, Assistant Director and Head of Service with the generic terms of Chief/Deputy Chief Officer and/or officers that fall under the JNC for Chief Officers terms and conditions of employment.

 

4.   Agreed that the constitutional changes in recommendations 1 and 3 above be reported to Council  ...  view the full minutes text for item 7.

8.

OVERVIEW & SCRUTINY REVIEW - CROSS PARTY REVIEW GROUP TERMS OF REFERENCE pdf icon PDF 158 KB

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The report stated that at its meeting on 14 June 2017, Council approved a motion for the creation of a cross party review group to consider recommending changes to the current overview & scrutiny arrangements. The report before Members proposed the terms of reference for that review group.

 

The Committee agreed the terms of reference for the cross party review group subject to the removal of co-opted members. It was agreed that Councillor Michael White would be Chairman of the review.

9.

APPOINTMENTS TO OTHER ORGANISATIONS, 2017/18 pdf icon PDF 87 KB

Minutes:

The report explained that the Council makes appointments to a large number of other organisations, some statutory, others voluntary. In the case of the Hornchurch Housing Trust, the Council appoints a number of nominative trustees for four year terms of office expiring in sequence over each four year period.

 

It was reported that Mr Ivor Cameron had resigned from the Trust on 24 July 2017 after many years service,  owing to ill health. A successor needed to be appointed for the remainder of the term of office, expiring in February 2018.

 

Nominations were received and seconded for the appointment of Councillors Joshua Chapman and Ray Morgon.

 

After a vote, the Committee RESOLVED to appoint Councillor Joshua Chapman as a nominative trustee of the Hornchurch Housing Trust.

 

Councillor Chapman received 7 votes (from Councillors Davis, Wallace, Ramsey, White, Dervish, Barrett and Wise). Councillor Morgon received 6 votes (from Councillors Morgon, Matthews, Mugglestone, Webb, Durant and Darvill).