Meeting documents

To receive PowerPoint presentation and verbal update

Full Council Meeting Procedures – for information and reference, please see attached relevant extracts from: -

a)    Somerset County Council – pages 57 – 67;

b)    Buckinghamshire Council – pages – 69 – 92; and

c)    Wiltshire Council – pages 93 – 120.

The Committee considered a presentation from the Council’s Monitoring Officer and Strategic Manager – Governance and Democratic Services, Scott Wooldridge, which outlined the approach and options to developing the section on Full Council Procedures within the new Constitution for the new Somerset Council.

The following points were highlighted:

·         Councillors queried if the boundary review reduced the number of councillors, would mean the quorum for Full Council meetings would be changed.

·         Councillors suggested that the time limit for councillors to speak could be changed from 5 minutes to 3 minutes.  The reason behind the suggestion, was that Full Council should be for endorsement only and so councillors should be able to say all that they needed to within a 3-minute timeframe.

·         Concern was raised for those councillors who were opposition spokespersons, as they might need longer than 3 minutes.

·         Councillors agreed that further clarification was required on the terms ‘motions’ and ‘requisitioned items’.

·         Councillors agreed that advance warning was needed for submission of amendments.

·         Councillors queried whether the constitution detailed what items would need to go to Full Council.

The Monitoring Officer advised that those details would be included in the section of the constitution for Full Council Functions.

·         Councillors queried how members would be held accountable with their attendance at meetings.

The Monitoring Officer advised that he could include a report at the Annual Council Meeting (AGM) that detailed councillors’ attendance records.

·         Councillors suggested that substitutes could be appointed at the AGM within the Committee Composition report.  That would ensure that all the relevant councillors received training for certain committees.  The leader of each group could then monitor attendance.

·         Councillors suggested that the unitary councillor job role could be attached as an appendix.