Issue - meetings

The following Notice of Motion had been submitted by Councillor Ali:

“The democratic system works best with checks and balances and distributed decision making as opposed to centralized and single source authority. As such it’s important that the chairs of the over sight panels including but not limited to Victoria Square and Sheerwater are elected by the councillors who are the members of the respective panel and shall as a recommendation not be the relevant portfolio holders. This serves democratic practices best.

Following the approval of this motion immediate election for the chairs of the oversight panels shall be held for the current year (irrespective of any past decisions) and there after every year follow the same pattern as the rest of the committees of the council for election of the chair.

This shall apply to existing and future panels.

In view of the recent meeting of Victoria Square, I request that this motion be determined by the full council now and not referred to the executive.”

Councillor Ali asked for the motion to be debated as originally moved and the recommendation by the Executive therefore fell.  Councillor Ali spoke in support of the motion before the matter was debated by the Council.

In accordance with Standing Order 10.8, the names of Members voting for and against the recommendation were recorded.

In favour:                                Councillors M Ali, T Aziz, A-M Barker, J Bond, G Chrystie, W Forster, D Hughes, R Leach, L Lyons, L Morales and J Sanderson.

Total in favour:                       11

Against:                                  Councillors S Ashall, A Azad, D Bittleston, G Cundy, K Davis, G Elson, D Harlow, K Howard, S Hussain, I Johnson, C Kemp, N Martin, C Rana and M Whitehand.

Total against:                         14

Present not voting:                 None

The motion was therefore lost by 11 votes in favour to 14 votes against.

RESOLVED

          That the Motion be not supported.

Adjournment

Following the determination of the Notice of Motion, the Mayor adjourned the meeting for a ten minute comfort break.

It was formally recorded that Councillor Johnson had earlier advised the Mayor that he would not be returning to the meeting following the Adjournment.  Councillor Bond and Councillor Chrystie did not return following the Adjournment and had not given the Mayor prior notice of their intentions.

Reporting Person – Corporate Management Group

At its meeting on 25 July 2019, the Council referred the following Notice of Motion to the Executive.

Councillor M Ali

“The democratic system works best with checks and balances and distributed decision making as opposed to centralized and single source authority.  As such it’s important that the chairs of the over sight panels including but not limited to Victoria Square and Sheerwater are elected by the councillors who are the members of the respective panel and shall as a recommendation not be the relevant portfolio holders.  This serves democratic practices best.

Following the approval of this motion immediate election for the chairs of the oversight panels shall be held for the current year (irrespective of any past decisions) and there after every year follow the same pattern as the rest of the committees of the council for election of the chair.

This shall apply to existing and future panels.

In view of the recent meeting of Victoria Square, I request that this motion be determined by the full council now and not referred to the executive.”

Councillor Ali attended the meeting and spoke in support of the Motion.  The Executive was of the view that Chairmen of Oversight Panels should continue to be elected by the Members of the respective oversight panel.  It was not considered appropriate for there to be a standing recommendation that Portfolio Holders were not elected as Chairmen of Oversight Panels as Panel Members should be free to elect the Member considered to be best suited to act as Chairman.

RECOMMENDED to Council

That the Motion be not supported.