Meeting:              Full Council

Meeting Date:      18 September 2025

Report of:            Director of Governance and Monitoring Officer

Portfolio of:         Executive Leader – Councillor Claire Douglas


Decision Report: Constitutional Changes – Updated Contract Procedure Rules and Planning Committee Changes

 

Summary

 

1.           To provide updated Contract Procedure Rules, and proposed constitutional changes to the Planning Committees, to Council for approval.


Contract Procedure Rules

 

2.           As members will be aware, the recently-implemented Procurement Act 2003 changed how the Council undertakes procurement exercises.  The changes introduced by the 2003 Act gave rise to necessary changes in the Council’s Contract Procedure Rules.

 

3.           As the amendments relate to statutory changes, the Director of Finance has delegated authority in the following terms:

 

“To undertake any revisions or amendments to the Financial Procedure Rules including the Contract Procedure Rules as required as a consequence of amendments or variations to legislation, or the implementation of new legislation. Such amendments to be retrospectively approved by Council” (Appendix 1, Paragraph 16k, page 42, of the Constitution).

 

4.           Council is therefore asked to retrospectively approve the changes.

 

Planning Committee Changes

 

5.           As members will no doubt be aware, Central Government has indicated that it is considering a national delegation scheme for planning, in order to improve planning performance; whilst there is currently no sign of when such changes will be introduced, they are a strong indication of the direction of travel for planning committees, and it is therefore appropriate to consider a revised structure and operating model for the Council’s planning committees, to more closely align to this direction of travel.  These changes will also serve to ensure more efficient and effective decision-making in the planning service.

 

6.           To that end, the following changes are proposed:

 

·                    Planning Committee B will be abolished;

·                    Planning Committee A will be renamed Planning Committee;

·                    The Scheme of Delegation for planning will be amended, so that the only applications considered by Planning Committee are:

o        Outline planning applications for 40 dwellings or more;

o        Full detailed applications for residential development of 40 dwellings or more;

o        All applications for development submitted by or on behalf of Councillors or Chief Officers;

o        All applications for development submitted by or on behalf of The Council, for its own major planning applications;

o        Any called-in applications accepted by the Chair in conjunction with the Vice Chair in accordance with the new procedure; and

o        Any application that is deemed necessary to be considered by the Committee by Director for Planning, Chief Planner or Chair of Planning Committee;

·                    All remaining applications will be delegated; and

·                    Public participation would be in accordance with the rules adopted by Planning Committee.

 

7.           The proposed amendments were debated at Audit and Governance Committee on 3 September 2025 and were endorsed by a vote of the committee (4-3 in favour). 

 

8.           They are therefore commended to Council for approval, to take effect from 1 October 2025.  It is also important to note that an additional call-in period of 14 calendar days, from that operational date of 1 October 2025, will be allowed for ward members to call in applications which will be impacted by the changes, after which the agreed call-in arrangements outlined at Annex 2 will take effect.

 

9.           Should the proposed amendments be approved, there will be a consequent adjustment to the political balance calculations for the Council, shown at Annex 3.  Members will note that the deletion of Planning Committee B does not change the political balance for the remainder of the Council’s committees.

 

Implications

 

Financial – There would be a small saving arising from the loss of one SRA for the Chair of Planning Committee B.

 

Human Resources (HR) – None directly arising from this report.

 

Equalities – None directly arising from this report.

 

Legal – None directly arising from this report.

 

Crime and Disorder, Information Technology and Property – None directly arising from this report.

 

Recommendations

 

10.        It is recommended that Council:

a.           Retrospectively approve the amended Contract procedure Rules, attached as Annex 1;

b.           Approve the proposed changes to Planning Committees, including any associated amendments to the Scheme of Delegation, attached as Annex 2, with effect from 1 October 2025;

c.           Approve the revised political balance calculations, attached as Annex 3; and

d.           Delegate authority to the Director of Governance to make the necessary amendments to Article 13, Appendix 1, and Appendix 8 of the Constitution to reflect the changes contained in Annex 2.


Reasons for the Recommendation

 

11.        To update the Constitution in respect of legislative changes to procurement, and to ensure more efficient and effective decision-making in the planning service.

 

 

Author and Chief Officer responsible for the report:

 

Bryn Roberts, Director of Governance and Monitoring Officer

 

 

Report Approved

X

Date

9 September 2025

 

 

 

 

 

Wards Affected:  List wards or tick box to indicate all

All

X

 

For further information please contact the author of the report


Background Papers:

·        None

 

Annexes:

·        Annex 1 – Revised Contract Procedure Rules

·        Annex 2 – Planning Application Call-In Arrangements

·        Annex 3 – Revised Political Balance