To receive questions in accordance with the provisions of Council Procedure Rules 12.2 and 12.4 which require a Member to give at least 3 working days’ notice, in writing, of the question to the Chief Executive.
Minutes:
The Mayor advised that 5 questions had been received by the Chief Executive in accordance with Council Procedure Rules, as follows:
(1) Councillor Brookes to Councillor Leyshon regarding visitor parking permits.
(2) Councillor Peter Williamson to Councillor Blamire regarding a report on the Personnel Committee agenda of 3 April 3018.
(3) Councillor Peter Williamson to Councillor Blamire regarding costs to the Council as a result of the decision to end the discussions with British Land.
(4) Councillor Hamilton-Cox to Councillor Hanson regarding the Centre for Local Economic Strategies.
(5) Councillor Hamilton-Cox to Councillor Hanson regarding the district’s annual housing target.
It was noted that Councillor Leyshon, who could not be present at the meeting, would provide a written response to Councillor Brookes.
Councillor Peter Williamson withdrew his question regarding costs to the Council as a result of the decision to end the discussions with British Land as this issue had been addressed during the report about the Canal Corridor (minute 134 refers). He asked Councillor Blamire the question regarding the Personnel Committee agenda, as follows:
‘At the meeting of the Personnel Committee on 3 April 2018, it was stated on the report about interims on the published agenda that ‘This report has been approved by the Monitoring Officer’.
Can the Leader of the Council outline the circumstances surrounding that statement i.e. did Mr Brown (the Monitoring Officer appointed at our last Council meeting on 28 February 2018) in fact endorse that agenda item as Monitoring Officer and approve the inclusion of those comments?’
Councillor Blamire replied:
“The Monitoring Officer considered his role and advised the report author by email that the report should be further considered by the Deputy Monitoring Officer. Unfortunately a misunderstanding arose and the final version of the report was not provided to the Deputy Monitoring Officer.
The report provided for delegation only to the Chief Executive and not to any interim officer. The error was therefore of a minor, non-material nature.
To ensure good governance the report was resubmitted to Personnel Committee on 10 April 2018, having been further considered by the S.151 Officer and the Deputy Monitoring Officer.”
Councillor Peter Williamson said the point that concerned him was not about personalities, but that the Monitoring Officer presumably had a pecuniary interest, as an interim member of staff, and had decided it was not appropriate to him to comment. Councillor Blamire had said the report was not passed to the Deputy Monitoring Officer, who was a council employee. The HR Manager, who had prepared the report, was himself an agency worker and would also perhaps have had a pecuniary interest in the matter. Was that correct?
Councillor Blamire said that there had a misunderstanding, and the report, which should have gone to the Deputy Monitoring Officer was not provided to her. So to ensure good governance, it was further considered by the Personnel Committee on 10 April 2018 with comments from the Deputy Monitoring Officer and the Section 151 Officer, correcting the misunderstanding.
Councillor Hamilton-Cox agreed to accept written answers to his questions to Councillor Hanson and asked that these be circulated to all Councillors.