Agenda item

To consider a report of the Governance Committee - attached.

For many years, 30 minutes has been available at Council meetings for questions about the business of the Council and matters affecting the borough.  Members, having given notice of their main question and received the initial answer could then ask without notice a supplementary question.  The number of questions put down for answer was invariably over 20 and often near 30, but it was now rare for more than nine or 10 questions to be answered.  As well as the number of questions, the complexity of many meant that a considerable amount of research has to be undertaken in a patently short period as questions currently have to be submitted six working days before the Council meeting.

The reduction in the size of the officer structure together with the number and complexity of questions was resulting in the answers being completed very close to the Council meeting and often required Cabinet Members to consider the draft replies at very short notice.

To address this problem, the Governance Committee suggested that the notice period for the deposit of questions should be extended to 11 working days before the Council meeting.  This would enable answers to be prepared in a comprehensive manner, including sufficient time for Cabinet Members to include their input into the final replies.

The Mayor would still be able to permit the asking of an urgent question where a matter of importance had arisen after the normal closing date for questions.  In order that more questions could be answered orally, the Committee had also suggested that the number of questions be limited to a maximum of 15. There would be no time limit.

It was also proposed that once the 15 questions have been submitted any subsequent questions would be treated as member enquiries and would receive a written response in the normal manner.

There were already provisions in the Council Procedure Rules to ensure a fair distribution of questions.  These provisions would be retained.

An amendment to the report by the Residents’ Group that the recommendation of the Governance Committee be amended to read:

1.    Rule 10.2 (i) of the Council Procedure Rules (Notice of Questions) be amended to read:

“they have given 11 clear days’ notice in writing to the Proper Officer signed by the Member or by the Group Leader on behalf of that Member”

and the timetable in the Appendix to the Rules be amended accordingly.

2.    That there are no further changes to the existing arrangements

was LOST by 29 votes to 19 (see division 3). 

The motion by the Administration that the recommendations of the Governance Committee be approved was CARRIED by 28 votes to 4 (see division 4) and it was RESOLVED without division that:

1.               Rule 10.2(i) of the Council Procedure Rules (Notice of Questions) be amended to read:

“They have given 11 clear days’ notice in writing to the Proper Officer signed by the Member or by the Group Leader on behalf of that Member”

and the timetable in the Appendix to the Rules be amended accordingly.

2.            That rule 10.6 of the Council Procedure Rules (Time for Questions) be amended to read:

“Number of Questions

A maximum of 15 questions can be submitted for a Council meeting all of which together with any supplementary questions under rule 10.5 will receive an oral reply at the meeting.  Any questions in excess of the maximum number that are submitted will be treated as a Member enquiry and receive a written response.”