Agenda item

To consider the report of the Chief Executive.

The next report on the agenda set out the calculation in accordance with the provisions of Section 15 of the Local Government and Housing Act 1989 and Part 4 of the Local Government (Committees and Political Groups) Regulations 1990, which had been carried out using the method of calculation agreed by Council on 10 April 2019.

It was moved by Councillor Lewis and seconded by Councillor Wood:

“That Council Procedure Rule 18.1 be suspended for the following item of business.”

It was noted that a motion to suspend a Council Procedure Rule could be moved without notice. Council Procedure Rule 18.1 related to the requirement to have a notice of motion, signed by at least 15 Councillors, in order to rescind a decision made at a meeting of Council within the past six months.

In response to further questions, Councillor Lewis explained that the decision to be rescinded was the decision, taken at the last Council meeting on 10 April 2019, to adopt a local method for calculation of political balance using a 60 seat grouping of all standing committees except the overview and scrutiny bodies and the ad hoc Chief Executive Recruitment Committee. Instead, the rules set out in s. 15(5) of the Local Government and Housing Act 1989 would be used to achieve the required balance across all standing committees, this being the default position when no local method is used.

Debate followed on the proposal, which would give 78 seats to 60 Councillors (the full calculation is appended to the minutes). It would require Labour to pass across two seats; the MBI and Green Groups to pass across one seat each. From the four seats passed across, the Conservative and Liberal Democrat Groups would gain two seats each.

Councillor Geoff Knight requested a recorded vote in accordance with the requirements of Council Procedure Rule 19.4.

Before the vote was taken, there was further debate. Councillor Heath asked for written legal advice on the issue. The Monitoring Officer gave advice verbally and agreed to follow this up in writing.

At the conclusion of the debate, the Mayor called for a recorded vote.

The votes were recorded as follows:

For the motion

Councillors Bannon, Biddulph, Black, Brookes, Bryning, Carrington, Clifford, Dant, Dowding, Frea, Greenwell, Hamilton-Cox, Hanson, Hartley, Caroline Jackson, King, Lewis, Mills, Mumford, O’Dwyer-Henry, Parr, Penny, Pritchard, Redfern, Reynolds, Robinson, Sinclair, Stubbins, Thornberry, Whitaker, Whitehead, Wood and Young (33).

Against the motion

Anderson, Anderton, Austen-Baker, Boyd-Power, Barber, Budden, Cleet, Dennison, Duggan, Evans, Firth, Goodwin, Greenall, Guilding, Heath, Joan Jackson, Jenkins, Geoff Knight, Sarah Knight, Matthews, Smith, Stubbins, Whitworth and Yates (24).

There were no abstentions.

With 33 voting for the motion and 24 against, the Mayor declared the motion carried.

Resolved:

(1)          That Council Procedure Rule 18.1 be suspended to rescind the decision, taken at the last Council meeting on 10 April 2019, to adopt a local method for calculation of political balance using a 60 seat grouping of all standing committees except the overview and scrutiny bodies and the ad hoc Chief Executive Recruitment Committee.

(2)          That Rules A-E, set out in s. 15(5) of the Local Government and Housing Act 1989, be used to achieve the required balance across the 78 committee places on all standing committees. (The calculation is appended to the minutes).