To note that the term of office for the Mayor was extended at the Annual Meeting held on 25 November 2020 and that Councillor Laurence Walsh has been elected to serve as the Mayor and Chair of Council for the 2021/22 Municipal Year and that Mrs. Rachel Walsh was appointed as his Mayoress.

RESOLVED: That the Council notes that the term of office for the Mayor was extended at the Annual Meeting held on 25 November 2020 and that Councillor Laurence Walsh has been elected to serve as the Mayor and Chair of Council for the 2021/22 Municipal Year and that Mrs. Rachel Walsh was appointed as his Mayoress.

To note that the term of office for the Deputy Mayor was extended at the Annual Meeting held on 25 November 2020 and that Councillor Chris Boyes has been elected to serve as the Deputy Mayor and Vice-Chair of Council for the 2021/22 Municipal Year and that Mrs. Pamela Boyes was appointed as his Deputy Mayoress.

RESOLVED: That the Council notes that the term of office for the Deputy Mayor was extended at the Annual Meeting held on 25 November 2020 and that Councillor Chris Boyes has been elected to serve as the Deputy Mayor and Vice-Chair of Council for the 2021/22 Municipal Year and that Mrs. Pamela Boyes was appointed as his Deputy Mayoress.

To approve as a correct record the Minutes of the Meeting of the Council held on 24 March 2021 for signature by the Mayor as Chair of the Council.

That the Minutes of the Meeting of the Council held on 24 March 2021, be approved as a correct record and signed by the Chair.

To receive a report of the Returning Officer on the results of the Poll held on 6 May 2021 for the respective wards of the Borough.

The Returning Officer submitted a report on the results of the Poll held on 6 May 2021 for the respective wards of the Borough.

The Mayor congratulated all those who were successfully elected and welcomed Councillors Jill Axford, Ged Carter, Daniel Chalkin, Shona Gilbert, Waseem Hassan, Sarah Haughey, Sue Maitand and Mussadak Mirza to their first Council Meeting and Councillors Louise Dagnall, Dolores O’Sullivan and Michael Whetton who were returning to the Council having served as Members in the past.

RESOLVED:  That the list of newly elected Members and their Terms of Office be noted.

To note the Leader of the Council’s continuing term of office and note that the Leader will appoint the membership of the Cabinet and a Deputy Leader.

The Corporate Director of Governance and Community Strategy submitted a report concerning the Leader of the Council’s term of office and advising on the appointment of the Executive and a Deputy Leader.

        RESOLVED –

(1)       That the Council notes that Councillor Andrew Western continues as the Leader of the Council for a fixed term of office to the first Annual Meeting of the Council after his normal day of retirement as a councillor in 2023.

(2)       That the Council notes that the Leader of Council determines that the Executive shall comprise himself plus 9 Councillors.

(3)       That the Council notes that the Leader of the Council appoints the membership of the Executive and a Deputy Leader for the 2021/22 municipal year, as follows:

(4)       That the Corporate Director of Governance and Community Strategy be authorised to make any amendments necessary to the Constitution as a result of these arrangements.

To note the membership of the Shadow Executive.

          RESOLVED: That the membership of the Shadow Executive for the 2021/22 Municipal Year, as set out below, be noted:

To receive a report on the Committees of the Council, their composition, membership and terms of reference for the 2021/22 Municipal Year.

The Corporate Director of Governance and Community Strategy submitted a report inviting the Council to agree the Committees of the Council, their size, political composition, membership and terms of reference for the 2021/22 Municipal Year.

In accordance with the provisions of the Local Government and Housing Act 1989, the Chief Executive had been notified of the following political groups on the Council:

Labour Group                                   -    40 Members

Conservative Group                         -    17 Members

Liberal Democrats Group                 -     3 Members

Green Party Group                          -     3 Members

The regulations provided for the composition of Committees to be in accordance with the political balance of the 63 Members of the Council.

          RESOLVED –

(1)       That the composition of the various standing Committees, as set out in Appendix 1 to the report, be approved.

(2)       That the Terms of Reference for each Committee, as set out in Appendix 2 to the report, be approved.

(3)       That Council approves the membership of Committees for the 2021/22 Municipal Year, as set out below, including the appointment of each Committee Chair (CH) and Vice-Chair (V-CH) and notes the nominated Opposition Spokesperson (OS), where appropriate:

ACCOUNTS AND AUDIT COMMITTEE

NON-VOTING CO-OPTEE (1) – Mrs. Jeannie Platt

EMPLOYMENT COMMITTEE

LICENSING COMMITTEE

PLANNING DEVELOPMENT CONTROL COMMITTEE

STANDARDS COMMITTEE

Non-Voting Co-optees (5)

2 Parish Representatives:      Mr. A. Rudden and 1 vacancy

3 Independent Members:       Mr. D. Goodman, Mr. C. Griffiths and

                                               Mr. R. Brown

Independent Persons of the Hearing Panel (2)

(under Section 28 of the Localism Act 2011):         Ms. N. Jackson and

                                                                                Mr. M. Whiting

SCRUTINY COMMITTEE

To receive a report on Council appointments to outside and independent bodies for the 2021/22 Municipal Year.

The Chief Executive submitted a report proposing the appointment of representatives to outside and independent bodies relating to the service areas and functions of the Council for the 2021/22 Municipal Year.

The report also requested the Council to note the representatives on those outside and independent bodies whose activities relate to Executive functions which had been confirmed by the Leader of the Council. 

        RESOLVED –

(1)       That approval be given to the appointment of representatives to those outside and independent bodies set out in Appendix 1 to the report.

(2)       That the Council notes the representatives appointed by the Leader of the Council to those outside, independent and Executive bodies set out in Appendix 2 to the report.

(3)       That the Chief Executive, in consultation with the relevant Group Leader(s), be delegated authority to appoint members to any outside body vacancy that remains or arises after this Annual Meeting and to any other bodies to which the Council is required to make appointments (and when such appointments specifically relate to Council functions, to report back to Council on any changes or new appointments so made).

(4)       That the persons named in Appendix 3, to the report, be authorised to sit on the Statutory School Appeals Committee for the 2021/22 Municipal Year and that the Corporate Director of Governance and Community Strategy be delegated authority to make changes to this list and to set up School Admission Appeals Committees including the appointment of Chairs.

To confirm the timetable of Council and Committee meetings for the 2021/22 Municipal Year and note that, with the return to a normal meeting programme, the previous arrangements in relation to the extension of the six month rule will no longer apply.

RESOLVED –

(1)       That the timetable of Council and Committee meetings for the 2021/22 Municipal Year be approved.

(2)       That Council notes that, with the return to a normal meeting programme, the previous arrangements in relation to the extension of the six month attendance rule will no longer apply.

To approve the following arrangements for dealing with delegated decisions and urgent action:

(a) Delegated Decisions

That where, under the approved scheme of delegation, decisions may be taken by Officers in consultation with non-Executive Members then in the absence of any specific arrangements having been made, the Officer shall consult the appropriate Chair, Vice-Chair and Opposition Spokesperson.

(b) Urgent Action

That, in situations which require emergency action the Chief Executive or the appropriate Officer, in consultation with the Chair and Vice-Chair of the

Committee concerned and the Opposition Spokesperson where appropriate (or their respective nominees), be authorised to deal from this date until the

Annual Meeting of the Council in 2022, with any matters of urgency or any other matter that cannot conveniently be deferred to the next ordinary meeting of the Committee, subject to later report for information, to the

Committee in question.

          RESOLVED –

(1)    That where, under the approved Scheme of Delegation, decisions may be taken by officers in consultation with non-Executive Members, then in the absence of any specific arrangements having been made, the officer shall consult the appropriate Chair, Vice-Chair and Opposition Spokesperson.

(2)    That, in situations which require emergency action, the Chief Executive or the appropriate officer, in consultation with the Chair and Vice-Chair of the Committee concerned and the Opposition Spokesperson where appropriate (or their respective nominees), be authorised to deal from this date until the Annual Meeting of the Council in 2022, with any matters of urgency or any other matter that cannot conveniently be deferred to the next ordinary meeting of the Committee, subject to later report, for information, to the Committee in question.

The Corporate Director of Governance and Community Strategy and Monitoring Officer submitted a report confirming the arrangements for the delegation of Council (non-Executive) and Executive functions and seeking to amend the Constitution of the Council to incorporate these arrangements if necessary.

RESOLVED –

(1)       That Council notes that Executive functions not covered by the Officers’ Scheme of Delegation are delegated by the Leader of the Council as follows:

(a)       functions are delegated to all individual Executive Members in accordance with the Executive Members’ Scheme of Delegation, as set out in Part 3 of the Constitution;

(b)       all other functions are delegated to the Executive.

(2)       That the Scheme of Delegation to Officers, as set out in Part 3 of the Constitution, be approved.

(3)       That the Corporate Director of Governance and Community Strategy be authorized, if necessary, to amend the Constitution of the Council in accordance with and as a consequence of this report and other decisions made by Council at this Annual Meeting.

(4)       That Council notes that further changes may be required to the Officer Scheme of Delegation during the year and that the Corporate Director of Governance and Community Strategy be authorised to amend the Constitution following consultation with the Leader and Chief Executive.

The Corporate Director of Governance and Community Strategy submitted a report advising on a review of the Council’s Constitution in respect of Human Resources’ procedures and detailing the amendments recommended as a result of the review.

RESOLVED: That the Constitutional amendments outlined in the report relating to the Standing Orders in relation to the appointment of Political Assistants and also to the provisions relating to political neutrality and Politically Restricted Posts in the Employees’ Code of Conduct, be approved.

To consider a report of the Corporate Director of Governance and Community Strategy.

In accordance with the Local Authorities (Executive Arrangements) (Meetings and Access to Information) (England) Regulations 2012, the Corporate Director of Governance and Community Strategy submitted a report detailing Executive Key Decisions which had been taken under Special Urgency provisions set out in Regulation 11, since the previous Annual Meeting held on 25 November 2020.

RESOLVED: That the content of the report be noted.