Agenda item

Changes to the Constitution

To consider a report containing revisions regarding length of Members’ Question Time at Council, Health and Wellbeing Board Partnership Groups, Individual Executive Member Decisions, Executive Member Portfolios, Responsibility for Local Choice Functions, Officers' Code of Conduct, Officer Employment Procedure Rules and Delegated Powers Relating to Staffing Matters.

 

RECOMMENDATION:  That Council agree the following changes to the Constitution as recommended by the Constitution Review Working Group:

 

1)        that Rule 4.2.10.8 Length of [Member] Question Time be amended as follows:

 

‘The time allotted to questions submitted under Notice, including those relating to urgent issues, shall not exceed twenty 30 minutes for Full Council meetings and 20 minutes for all other committees.  Any questions not answered within the allotted time shall be the subject of a written reply within seven working days to the questioner and the reply shall be recorded in the Minutes of the Meeting.’

 

2)        that Rule 4.4.44 Health and Wellbeing Board Partnership Groups be amended as follows:

 

d)         Wokingham Integrated Partnership

 

3)        that Rule 5.5.1 List of items delegated to Individual Executive Members be amended as follows:

 

            d)         Writing off of irrecoverable amounts above £20,000 £25,000’

 

4)        that Rule 5.2.12.24 Executive Member for Finance and Corporate Resources be amended as follows:

 

‘To act as the primary press spokesman on all matters relating to the whole of the Finance, 21st Century Council, Internal Services and        Human and Corporate Resources portfolio (including aspects that are delegated to the Deputy Executive Member for Finance and Corporate      Resources).’

 

5)        that Rule 11.2 Responsibility for Local Choice Functions be amended to reflect the appointment of the Assistant Director Governance as the Council’s Data Protection Officer.

 

6)        that Sections 11.4 Officers' Code of Conduct, 11.5 Officer Employment Procedure Rules and 11.6 Delegated Powers Relating to Staffing       Matters be amended as set out in Appendix 1 of the report.

 

Minutes:

The Council considered a report regarding proposed changes to the Constitution as recommended by the Constitution Review Working Group, as set out on Agenda pages 87 to 108.

 

It was proposed by Chris Bowring and seconded by Chris Smith that the recommendations set out in the report be approved. 

 

During Councillor Bowring’s proposal speech he requested Council consider an additional recommendation, as set out below, which whilst referred to in the report had not been included in the recommendations in error, 

 

7)         that Rule 8.1.1 l) i) be amended as follows

l)       Applications where the Ward Member(s), or consultations where the affected Ward Member(s), wish(es) the item to be ‘listed’. This is conditional in that the listing must: -

 

i)       Be in writing and within 28 21 days of the notification letter;

 

Some Members expressed concern regarding the proposal to reduce the number of days that Ward Members had to list a planning application.  It was clarified that the Town and Parish Councils had been informed of the proposals and could request an extension if required.  In addition the new system, which was due to go live in mid August, would facilitate the process.

 

The additional recommendation 7) was agreed by Council.

 

Upon being put to the vote it was:

RESOLVED:  That Council agree the following changes to the Constitution as recommended by the Constitution Review Working Group:

 

1)        that Rule 4.2.10.8 Length of [Member] Question Time be amended as follows:

 

‘The time allotted to questions submitted under Notice, including those relating to urgent issues, shall not exceed twenty 30 minutes for Full Council meetings and 20 minutes for all other committees.  Any questions not answered within the allotted time shall be the subject of a written reply within seven working days to the questioner and the reply shall be recorded in the Minutes of the Meeting.’

 

2)        that Rule 4.4.44 Health and Wellbeing Board Partnership Groups be amended as follows:

 

d)         Wokingham Integrated Partnership

 

3)        that Rule 5.5.1 List of items delegated to Individual Executive Members be amended as follows:

 

            d)         Writing off of irrecoverable amounts above £20,000 £25,000’

 

4)        that Rule 5.2.12.24 Executive Member for Finance and Corporate Resources be amended as follows:

 

‘To act as the primary press spokesman on all matters relating to the whole of the Finance, 21st Century Council, Internal Services and Human and Corporate Resources portfolio (including aspects that are delegated to the Deputy Executive Member for Finance and Corporate Resources).’

 

5)         that Rule 11.2 Responsibility for Local Choice Functions be amended to reflect the appointment of the Assistant Director Governance as the Council’s Data Protection Officer.

 

6)         that Sections 11.4 Officers' Code of Conduct, 11.5 Officer Employment Procedure Rules and 11.6 Delegated Powers Relating to Staffing Matters be amended as set out in Appendix 1 of the report.

 

7)         that Rule 8.1.1 l) i) be amended as follows

l)       Applications where the Ward Member(s), or consultations where the affected Ward Member(s), wish(es) the item to be ‘listed’. This is conditional in that the listing must: -

 

i)       Be in writing and within 28 21 days of the notification letter;

 

Supporting documents: