Decision details

To consider the annual review of the Council’s Constitution.

The Deputy Monitoring Officer outlined the changes proposed following a review of the Council’s Constitution which had highlighted the need for various technical amendments to be made to ensure that it remained appropriate and relevant as the main tool by which the Council managed its business and was kept up to date with changing legislation.

The Committee discussed the changes with the Deputy Monitoring Officer and proposed some amendments to the Planning Code in respect of: clarifying ‘planning reasons’ by the addition of the word ‘material’; and including a procedure at Committee for situations where a member of the Planning Committee has ‘Called-in’ an application.

The Committee also raised with officers a number of minor typographical errors and consistency issues which occurred throughout the Constitution.

Resolved to recommend Cabinet:

 (i)        to agree changes to the delegations of all executive functions;

(ii)        to recommend the proposed changes to non-executive functions to            Council;

(iii)       to recommend the revised Constitution to Council for approval, subject to:

1.         amendments to the Planning Code (Part 5d):

a.         to include the word ‘material’ before every reference to ‘planning reasons’ and

b.         to include a new paragraph 20.(i) which reads –

‘Where the councillor who ‘Called-in’ an application is a member of the Planning Committee, that councillor will be given 3 minutes to speak following the public speakers and may then speak again as a member of the Committee during its debate on the item.’; and

2.         corrections to typographical and consistency errors throughout the document; and

(iv)       to recommend Council to agree to delegate to the Monitoring Officer, consequential changes to the Scheme of Delegations to Officers (part 3d) following the appointments of Group Heads.