Agenda and minutes

At this point Members are asked to declare any personal or prejudicial interests they may have in the business on this agenda.

Members were invited to declare at this point in the meeting any personal or prejudicial interests they might have in the business on the agenda.  No interests were declared.

At this point in the meeting, any member of the public who has registered to address the Council, or to ask a Member of the Council a question, on a matter directly relevant to the business of the Council or the City, may do so. 

The deadline for registering is 5:00pm on Wednesday, 8 December 2010.

The Lord Mayor reported that there had been no registrations to speak at the meeting under the Council’s Public Participation Scheme.

To consider a report of the Assistant Director of Governance and ICT recommending approval of changes to the Council’s governance arrangements, to come into operation on 8^th May 2011.

Cllr Waller moved, and Cllr Runciman seconded, the recommendations set out in the report of the Monitoring Officer at pages 1-4 of the Council papers, as follows:

“That the following changes in the Council’s governance arrangements, to come into operation on 8^th May 2011, be approved:

• That the Council’s Executive form should be the ‘new style’ Leader and Cabinet Executive (England).
• That the Council should have the power to remove the Leader by way of resolution by a simple majority.
• That the ‘local choice’ functions should be discharged as set out in the Constitution in force at the date of the election.
• That the councillor who holds the office of Leader of the City of York Council who is in office on 8^th May 2011 should remain in office until the annual meeting of Council provided that he remains a councillor.
• That the scheme of responsibility for the City of York Council’s executive functions listed in the Council’s Constitution in force at the date of the election should remain in force until such time as the Leader appointed at the annual meeting directs otherwise
• That the Monitoring Officer be requested to bring forward the necessary amendments to the Constitution of the Council to a meeting of Council prior to the end of the Municipal Year.”¹

Cllr Alexander then moved, and Cllr Boyce seconded, an amendment to the above recommendations, as follows:

 “At the end of the 4^th bullet point, after ‘remains a councillor’, insert:

‘, subject to no new initiatives being started, no new expenditure being authorised by the Executive Leader and that there is recognition that former councillors cannot remain as Executive Members beyond the expiry of their term of office three days after the election.  Should a new majority be formed from the May 2011 elections, their authority will be formally recognised at the earliest juncture.’”

On being put to the vote, the amendment was declared LOST.

The original recommendations were then put to the vote and declared CARRIED and it was

RESOLVED: That the recommendations contained in the report of the Monitoring Officer, as set out above, be approved.