The report outlines the requirements for appointments to committees and other Council bodies, including political proportionality.  Nominations from Group Leaders will be circulated separately.

(Attached – pages 79 to 93)

The Council received and considered a report of the Monitoring Officer outlining the requirements for Member appointments to Committees and other Council bodies, including taking account of political proportionality.

As a supplement to the report, Members had received the nominations for membership of Committees and for Chairmanships and Vice-Chairmanship of Committees for 2010/11 from the Group Leaders, an update on the overall number of seats to which the Groups were making appointments, particularly relating to the General Purposes Committee, and amendments to the intended size and membership of the Corporate Parenting Panel for 2010/11.

The revised recommendations 1 – 4 relating to the appointments as set out in the supplementary paper dated 20 April 2010 were moved en bloc and were duly seconded.

During debate Councillor Peter Snelling indicated that he considered as a matter of principle, that at least one chairman of an overview and scrutiny committee should be drawn from an opposition political Group.  Given that this was not the case, he felt it appropriate to resign his position as Chairman of the Development Strategy Task Force.  Members urged him to reconsider his position.

RESOLVED

1.      that the Council confirms for the municipal year 2010/11:-

(a)    the structure, size and terms of reference of the committees, sub-committees and joint committees set out in sections D1 of the Constitution (the Overview and Scrutiny Committees as amended, set out in Appendix D to the report), E2 and J2;

(b)    the allocation of seats and substitutes to these and other bodies as listed in Appendix A to the submitted report, in accordance with the political balance rules where they apply, subject to:-

(i)              the revised allocation of seats on General Purposes Committee as show below:-

(ii)               the adjustment of the “Total” line (“Ordinary Committees”) (Proportional) to read:-

(iii)             The correction of the number of seats for Corporate Parenting Panel to read:-

2.      that the appointment of individual Members and substitutes to committees and other bodies in accordance with nominations submitted by the political groups, as set out in Appendix B to the supplementary report, be approved;

3.      that the appointment of Chairman and Vice-Chairmen of committees for the municipal year 2010/11  as set out in Appendix C to the supplementary report, be approved;

4.      that it be noted that the following persons have been appointed to the Children’s Services Overview and Scrutiny Committee as co-opted members with voting rights on education matters until 31 March 2013:-

(a)         Mr Doug Landman, Parent Governor Representative;

(b)        Ms Heather Copley, Parent Governor Representative;

(c)         Mr Ben Sear, Parent Governor Representative;

(d)        Mrs Frances Image, Roman Catholic Diocesan Representative;

and

(e)         Jon Reynolds, Anglican Diocesan Representative.

[Note:  A comprehensive list of appointments is attached at Appendix A to these Minutes.]