Minutes:
The Chairman, Councillor Mrs Yeates, presented the Minutes from the meeting of the Constitution Working Party held on 12 October 2020.
Councillor Mrs Yeates alerted Members to the first of a series of recommendations at Minute 19 [Proposed Constitutional Changes – Update of Standing Orders Relating to Financial Procedures] which she formally proposed. The recommendations were then seconded by Councillor Bennett.
In debating these recommendations, Councillor Roberts raised concerns in relation to Recommendation (2) which was seeking authority for the Monitoring Officer to make any further consequential amendments. It was his view that all amendments to the Constitution needed to be approved by Full Council and so he proposed an amendment to Recommendation (2) that such consequential amendments be considered by Full Council. This amendment was seconded by Councillor Dendle.
Debate on this amendment then took place and the Interim Monitoring Officer was asked to provide advice. He confirmed that Recommendation (2) was a standard mechanism used to make very trivial or dominimes changes to the Constitution, these were often changes to Officer names; changing paragraph numbers or page numbers.
This advice was not accepted by Councillor Roberts who stated that he could still not accept such changes being made by an Officer without Full Council approval.
Following further debate, Councillor Oppler proposed that “the question now be put” and this was seconded by Councillor Dixon.
Following further long debate, the Chairman proposed a short adjournment.
Following further Points of Order raised and Points of Clarification, and having received advice from the Interim Monitoring Officer, the Chairman requested that the vote on the amendment to Recommendation (2) take place.
On this amendment being put to the vote, it was declared LOST.
The Chairman then confirmed that she was adjourning the meeting until Thursday, 26 November 2020 at 6.00 pm. That meeting would consider the remaining items on the agenda published for 11 November 2020.
(The meeting concluded at 11.07 pm).