Appendix 6 - Other Committee Procedure Rules

 

1               Application

                

1.1           Unless specifically prescribed within this Constitution, these Committee Procedure Rules will apply to Committees, Sub- Committees and Boards, Task Groups and Meetings specified in this Constitution.

                

2               Powers and Duties

 

2.1           The powers and duties of the relevant Committee, Board, Sub- Committee, Task Group and Meeting are set out or referred to in the Council’s Constitution.

 

3               Minutes

 

3.1           All Minutes will be produced in accordance with the Protocol on the Production and Content of Minutes of Meetings Appendix 28 of this Constitution.

 

3.2           All minutes of all bodies which require confirmation by Council will be recorded and reported to the next ordinary meeting of the Council.

 

3.3           Copies of the Minutes of all bodies requiring confirmation will be submitted to Members on the day on which the notice convening the meeting is sent to Members.  In cases where the date of a meeting is so late in the cycle that the minutes are not available to be included in the published Council Summons, they will be sent to Members as soon as practicable.  The meetings to which this applies will be specified on the notice convening the meeting.

 

 

 

 

4               Quorum

 

4.1           Except where it may legally be authorised or ordered by the Council or is specifically referenced within this Constitution the following will apply:

 

a)   The Joint Standards Committee and any sub-committee of the Joint Standards Committee will not transact any business unless at least four and at least three Members are present respectively and, if Parish Council business is being transacted, a Parish Council Member is present.

 

b)   The Licensing Committees, any Sub-Committees, and Working Groups specified in the Council’s Constitution will not transact any business unless at least three Members are present.

 

c)   Corporate Services, Climate Change and Scrutiny Management Committee and Scrutiny Committees (including Ad-Hoc) will not transact any business unless at least four and three Members are present respectively.

 

d)   Any other Committee of the Council, including Planning Committee A and Planning Committee B will not transact any business unless at least four Members are present.

 

5               Special Meetings and Agenda Items

 

5.1           A special meeting of any of the Committee in question may be called at any time, either by the Chair or at the written request of at least one third of its membership.  The conduct of business at a special meeting will be in accordance with Section 100 of the Local Government Act 1972.

 

 

 

 

6               Rules of Debate

 

                 The rules of debate for Council, as set out in in the Council Procedure for Ordinary Meetings at Rule B12, will apply with the following exceptions:

 

General

 

6.1           Members are not required to stand to speak.

 

Voting

 

6.2           Voting at a meeting will be by show of hands.  Any Member may require their vote to be recorded in the minutes.

 

6.3           In the event of any vote being equally divided the Chair of any meeting of a committee will have a second or casting vote.

 

6.4           Details of all motions and amendments that are lost will be duly recorded in the published minutes of the meeting.

Motions and Amendments to Motions

 

6.5            Notice is not required of motions.

 

6.6            Motions must concern an item of business on the agenda.

 

6.7            In order to be admissible, motions and amendments to motions must be moved by one Member and seconded by another before they are discussed or put to the meeting.

 
Speaking Rights

 

6.8                At meetings the following speaking rights shall apply. 

 

6.9                All public meetings will have a standing item on the agenda regarding public participation.  Members of the public may register to speak on an item on the agenda or an issue within the meeting’s remit, in accordance with the Public Participation protocol at Appendix 8 of this constitution.  Speakers will have a maximum of 3 minutes to speak.  There is no public right of reply following the decision of the meeting.

 

6.10         The promotion of public participation shall be publicised generally, in correspondence with applicants and the public, and on all relevant agendas.

 

                 Substitutes (see also Article 7 of this Constitution)

 

6.11         The Council may appoint named substitutes for Member bodies as follows:-

 

(a)             For Planning Committee A and Planning Committee B up to four named substitutes shall be allowed for each of the political Groups.  For other Member bodies up to three named substitutes shall be allowed for each political Group.  Substitutes do not have to be appointed from within the same political group.  Independent Councillors may also be appointed to act as named substitutes for other Independent Councillors within this rule.

 

(b)             Any Member of the Executive may substitute for another Member of the Executive who is (either individually or as part of a Committee of the Executive) unavailable.

 

(c)             Where no named substitute is available a political group may instruct the Chief Operating Officer or the Monitoring Officer to replace for the duration of a particular meeting, an existing Member with another substitute identified by the political group provided always that this provision will not apply to Licensing and Regulatory Committee or Joint Standards Committee or any Sub-Committees thereof.

 

(d)             The Council may appoint a Member of the Executive as the Deputy Executive Leader who will act for the Executive Leader in their absence or unavailability.

 

6.12         If a meeting which is attended by a substitute is adjourned, then the substitute will have the right to attend on the adjourned date in place of the original Member.  If the substitute is unable to attend, then the original Member or another named substitute may attend.

 

 

7              Agenda Setting

 

7.1           Is it worth including here that “Unless otherwise prescribed by the constitution,  Agenda Setting meetings will be established between the Chair and Vice Chair of the Meeting in question with the relevant supporting Chief Officer and Democratic Services Officer.

 

 

8               Publication of Agendas

 

8.1           Unless otherwise prescribed by this Constitution, all Agenda’s will be published in accordance with the legislative requirements and the Access to Information Rules at Appendix 7 of this Constitution.

 

9              Access to Information

 

9.1           The Access to Information Rules at Appendix 7 of this Constitution will apply to all Meetings prescribed by this Constitution.