Issue - meetings

The Civic Affairs Committee at the meeting on 23 March 2017 agreed to RECOMMENDED TO COUNCIL:

That Standing Order 11.4 in the Constitution be amended to allow Members to ask questions at Council without giving notice within a maximum period of 30 minutes.

Council APPROVED the recommendation of the Civic Affairs Committee that Council Standing Order 11.4 in Part 4 of the Council’s Constitution be amended to allow Members to ask questions at Council without giving notice, within a maximum period of 30 minutes.

Councillor Sue Ellington Chairman of the Civic Affairs Committee proposed that Council amend Standing Order 11.4 in Part 4 of the Council’s Constitution to allow Members to ask questions at Council without giving notice, within a maximum period of 30 minutes.  This had been recommended by the Committee at its meeting on 23^rd March 2017.  The proposal was seconded by Councillor Bridget Smith. 

Council unanimously AGREED that Council Standing Order 11.4 in Part 4 of the Council’s Constitution be amended to allow Members to ask questions at Council without giving notice, within a maximum period of 30 minutes.

The Civic Affairs Committee

RECOMMENDED TO COUNCIL

That Standing Order 11.4 in the Constitution be amended to allow members to ask questions at Council without giving notice within a maximum period of 30 minutes.

The Senior Democratic Services Officer introduced this report, which invited the Committee to make a recommendation to Council on whether members should be able to continue to ask questions at Council without notice within a maximum period of 30 minutes.

The Committee supported the current arrangements because:

·         it allowed councillors to ask questions on events that had occurred after the agenda had been published

·         it was working well as councillors tended to get responses to their questions at the meeting instead of being told to wait for a written response

·         the 30 minute time limit ensured that councillors were succinct when asking and answering questions

The Civic Affairs Committee unanimously

RECOMMENDED TO COUNCIL

That Standing Order 11.4 in the Constitution be amended to allow members to ask questions at Council without giving notice within a maximum period of 30 minutes.

The Civic Affairs Committee RECOMMENDED to Council the extension of the trial of the provision for Members to ask questions at meetings of the Council without the requirement to provide notice, for a further period of six months.

The Civic Affairs Committee considered a report which set out the outcome of a six month trial to introduce a provision at meetings of the Council for Members to ask questions without the requirement to provide notice of the question.

Graham Watts, Democratic Services Team Leader, presented the report and highlighted that two ordinary meetings of Council had been held since the trial had commenced, during which time one question without notice had been asked.

The Civic Affairs Committee unanimously RECOMMENDED to Council the extension of the trial of the provision for Members to ask questions at meetings of the Council without the requirement to provide notice, for a further period of six months.