Issue - meetings

            The Chairman, Councillor Mrs Yeates, will present the Minutes from the Constitution Working Party meeting held on 29 June 2020.  There are recommendations at:

o   Minute 5 [Proposed Constitutional Update to Part 6 – Other Procedure Rules – Section 6 – Standing Orders Relating to Purchasing, Procurement, Contracts and Disposals – to view the Officer’s report and Appendix  – please click on this link – Report and Appendix showing amendments

o   Minute 6 [Virtual Meeting Procedure Rules] – to view the Officer’s report and Appendix – please click on this link - Report and Appendix showing amendments

o   Minute 7 – Constitutional Review – There are no reports to view as this was a verbal update – the Appendix 1 that requires Full Council approval is attached to the Minutes from this meeting

            The Chairman, Councillor Mrs Yeates, presented the Minutes from the meeting of the Constitution Working Party held on 29 June 2020.

            Councillor Mrs Yeates alerted Members to the first set of recommendations at Minute 5 [Proposed Constitutional Update to Part 6 – Other Procedure Rules – Section 6 – Standing Orders Relating to Purchasing, Procurement, Contracts and Disposals] which she duly proposed.  The recommendations were then seconded by Councillor Mrs Gregory.

            In considering the recommendations, a request was made that all references to the EU in the Constitution would be updated.  An assurance was made that the ongoing review of the Constitution would action this request.

            The Council

                        RESOLVED – That

(1)  the proposed changes to the Constitution at Part 6 Procedure Rules (Other) Section 6 Purchasing, Procurement, Contracts and Disposals as set out in Appendix 1, to be attached to the minutes to be approved;

(2)  Part 4 (Officer Scheme of Delegation) Section 3 (Group Heads) paragraph 2.1 of the Constitution is updated to allow the Group Head of Corporate Support to approve the use of Framework Agreements and Dynamic Purchasing Systems (DPS); and

(3)  The interim Monitoring Officer be authorised to make any further consequential changes to the Constitution.

            Councillor Mrs Yeates then alerted Members to the next set of recommendations at Minute 6 [Virtual Meeting Procedure Rules] which sought approval to make further adjustments to amend the virtual meeting procedure rules to allow for public participation at Full Council and Cabinet meetings and meetings of the Development Control Committee. The recommendations also proposed changes to the substitution arrangements for meetings. The recommendations were seconded by Councillor Mrs Gregory.

            In considering the recommendations, a request was made to introduce Public Question Time for the Bognor Regis and Littlehampton Regeneration Sub-Committees as it had been understood that that this was forming part of the review of the Constitution.  This request was proposed by Councillor Brooks and was then seconded by Councillor English.

            In debating this proposal, it was outlined that currently in the Constitution, Public Question Time only applied to the Cabinet and Full Council and so this proposal should not be treated as an amendment. As it was a complete change to current policy, it was suggested that the request be considered by the Constitution Working Party as it formed a complete change to the Public Question Time Rules already in place.  This statement was supported by the Interim Monitoring Officer.  Having received, this advice, Councillor Brooks confirmed that he was happy to withdraw the proposal as long as the matter be reviewed by the Constitution Working Party.

            As part of the continuing debate, several Points of Order were put forward and further questions asked. 

            The Council

                        RESOLVED

The following changes be made to the Council’s virtual meeting procedure rules at Section 5 of the Constitution as follows:

(1)  Rule 10 – Substitution – Rule 10.1 being amended to 10.00 am on the day of the meeting for all meetings;

(2)  Rule 12 – Public Question Time –  ...  view the full minutes text for item 83