Agenda and minutes

Venue: Town Hall, Main Road, Romford

Contact: Anthony Clements tel: 01708 433065  e-mail:  anthony.clements@onesource.co.uk

Media

Items
No. Item

13.

APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE & SUBSTITUTE MEMBERS

(If any) – receive.

Minutes:

Apologies were received from Councillors Joshua Chapman (Ray Best substituting) and Gillian Ford (Gerry O’Sullivan substituting).

14.

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.

15.

MINUTES pdf icon PDF 289 KB

To approve as a correct record the minutes of the meetings of the Committee held on 22 June 2022 and 10 August 2022 (attached) and to authorise the Chairman to sign them.

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The minutes of the meetings held on 22 June and 10 August were before the Committee for approval. It was noted that Councillors G Ford and Morgon were present at the meeting held on 22 June.

 

The minutes of both meetings were otherwise agreed as a correct record.

16.

OUTSIDE BODIES pdf icon PDF 332 KB

Report to follow.

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The Committee agreed to adopt the new procedure for appointments to Outside Bodies, as set out in the report. Appendix 1 to these Minutes lists the Non Executive appointments that were agreed at Governance Committee and subsequently at Council on 7th September 2022.

 

It was agreed that details of the remaining vacancies should be circulated to all Councillors. In the event that more than one Member expressed interest in being appointed, the organisation would be invited to select the most suitable candidate. It was hoped that in this way, expertise and experience could be more closely matched with the role and purpose of the organisation.

 

The Committee agreed that several organisations should be removed from the list of formal Council appointments to Outside Bodies (attached as Appendix 2 to these minutes). It was noted that these organisations could still benefit from Councillor involvement and officers would continue to circulate details of any representation that was required. However, future nominations would not need to be ratified by Governance Committee and, in the unlikely event that it is required, Councillors sitting on these organisations would not be able to avail themselves of indemnity insurance cover. In addition to the organisations listed, officers were asked to clarify the position with the Havering Theatre Trust and Romford Combined Charities, to establish whether or not the Constitutions and Terms of Reference for these two bodies would allow for appointments to be made independently of the Council process.

 

17.

CONSTITUTION REVIEW pdf icon PDF 267 KB

Report to follow.

Additional documents:

Minutes:

A report presented to the committee a number of changes to the Constitution made by the Monitoring Officer under her powers as well as a series of other changes that would require the approval of full Council. The report also recommended that a cross party working group be established to undertake a full review of the Constitution.

 

It was noted that the proposed Constitution wording re the People Overview and Scrutiny Sub-Committee would need amending slightly at paragraph 4.4 as it was not mandatory that members of the Sub-Committee would automatically become members of the Corporate Parenting Panel.

 

It was hoped to complete any review of the Constitution by the end of the municipal year and periodic reviews of the Constitution would follow after that point. It was felt that this would give an opportunity to modernise the Constitution and make it clearer.

 

It was AGREED:

 

1.    That the changes made by the Monitoring Officer in Appendix 1 to the report be noted.

2.    That the proposed changes to the Constitution as shown in appendix 2 of the report be approved and recommended to Full Council.

3.    That a cross party working group (“the Constitution Review Working Group”) be established with a membership as recommended in paragraph 1.5 of the report, to undertake a full review of the Constitution.

 

 

18.

EXCLUSION OF THE PUBLIC

To consider whether the public should now be excluded from the remainder of the meeting on the grounds that it is likely that, in view of the nature of the business to be transacted or the nature of the proceedings, if members of the public were present during these items there would be disclosure to them of exempt information within the meaning of paragraph 1 of Schedule 12A to the Local Government Act 1972; and, if it is decided to exclude the public on these grounds, the Sub-Committee to resolve accordingly on the motion of the Chairman.

Minutes:

It was agreed that the public should be excluded from the remainder of the meeting on the grounds that it was likely that, in view of the business to be transacted or the nature of the proceedings, if members of the public were present during these items there would be disclosure to them of exempt information within the meaning of paragraph 1 of Schedule 12A to the Local Government Act 1972.

19.

APPOINTMENT OF DEPUTY DIRECTOR LEGAL AND GOVERNANCE pdf icon PDF 257 KB

Report attached (appendix not available to press or public).

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The Committee noted further information it had requested about the appointment process for the Deputy Director – Legal and Governance position.