1) MOTION 569 - (COUNCILLOR A WILCE – 8 FEBRUARY 2021)
The following motion had been referred to the Standards Committee for consideration and report:
That this Council resolves to ask the Standards Committee to review Rule 14.4 (Automatic Reference to Committee) and to recommend whether this Council should either:
a) completely remove rule 14.4 or
b) amend the rule to re-enable the Member putting a Motion forward, and the Member seconding that Motion, to speak to that Motion (and for any further discussion to take place on that Motion that the Chairman may see fit), before that Motion shall stand referred to a Committee or
c) make no changes
The Standards Committee at its meeting on 7 July considered the Motion and following discussion it was:
RECOMMENDED to Council that option (b) be supported in part to enable the Member putting a Motion forward, and the Member seconding that Motion, to speak to that Motion, before that Motion shall stand referred to a Committee and that Procedure Rule 14.4 be reworded as follows:
If the subject matter of any Motion, of which notice has been duly given comes within the province of the Cabinet, Committee or Policy Development Group, it shall, upon being formally moved and seconded (with those moving and seconding the motion being invited to speak at this point) stand referred to the Cabinet, Committee or Policy Development Group as the Chairman may determine for consideration and report unless an alternative proposition is put forward and is accepted; and that the mover (or in his absence, the seconder) of the Motion should be invited to the meeting of the Cabinet, Committee or Policy Development Group to amplify the Motion, but without any right to vote except as a member of such Committee. Provided that the Chairman may if he considers it convenient and conducive to the despatch of business allow the Motion to be dealt with at the meeting, at which it is brought forward.
(2) MOTION 570 (COUNCILLOR A WILCE - 8 FEBRUARY 2021)
This motion was been passed from Council to the Standards Committee for consideration and report:
That, to improve local planning consultation processes and to regularise current Planning Committee practises, this Council resolves to amend Rule 27.5 as follows:
After (Appendix J to the Constitution), is inserted: in addition, the Chair will also permit the following to speak for no more than 3 minutes, without prior notice being required:
1 Adjacent Ward Members
2 Any Member having previously submitted a comment to that application that permission to speak being limited solely to the raising of material planning considerations relating directly their Ward, or else to any relevant planning policy or plan appertaining to this Council.
So as to read:
27.5 Any Councillor may attend any meeting of a committee of the Council and may speak on any agenda item for that meeting. However, in relation to the Planning Committee, the right to speak on a planning application, enforcement item, or other report relating to a particular ward of the Council shall be limited to the rights of a Ward Member to speak as set out in paragraphs 9.2 and 9.3 of the Protocol of Good Practice for Councillors Dealing in Planning Matters (Appendix J to the Constitution); in addition, the Chairman will also permit the following to speak for no more than 3 minutes, without prior notice being required:
1 Adjacent Ward members
2 Any Member having previously submitted a comment to that Application that permission to speak being limited solely to the raising of material planning considerations relating to directly their Ward, or else to any relevant planning policy or plan appertaining to this Council.
The Standards Committee at its meeting on 7 July considered the Motion and following discussion it was:
RECOMMENDED to Council that Motion 570 not be supported.
Minutes:
1) MOTION 569 - (COUNCILLOR A WILCE – 8 FEBRUARY 2021)
The following motion had been referred to the Standards Committee for consideration and report:
That this Council resolves to ask the Standards Committee to review Rule 14.4 (Automatic Reference to Committee) and to recommend whether this Council should either:
a) completely remove rule 14.4 or
b) amend the rule to re-enable the Member putting a Motion forward, and the Member seconding that Motion, to speak to that Motion (and for any further discussion to take place on that Motion that the Chairman may see fit), before that Motion shall stand referred to a Committee or
c) make no changes
The Standards Committee at its meeting on 7 July considered the Motion and following discussion it was:
RECOMMENDED to Council that option (b) be supported in part to enable the Member putting a Motion forward, and the Member seconding that Motion, to speak to that Motion, before that Motion shall stand referred to a Committee and that Procedure Rule 14.4 be reworded as follows:
If the subject matter of any Motion, of which notice has been duly given comes within the province of the Cabinet, Committee or Policy Development Group, it shall, upon being formally moved and seconded (with those moving and seconding the motion being invited to speak at this point) stand referred to the Cabinet, Committee or Policy Development Group as the Chairman may determine for consideration and report unless an alternative proposition is put forward and is accepted; and that the mover (or in his absence, the seconder) of the Motion should be invited to the meeting of the Cabinet, Committee or Policy Development Group to amplify the Motion, but without any right to vote except as a member of such Committee. Provided that the Chairman may if he considers it convenient and conducive to the despatch of business allow the Motion to be dealt with at the meeting, at which it is brought forward.
Following discussion and upon a vote being taken the MOTION (Option B as recommended by the Standards Committee) was declared to have been CARRIED.
(2) MOTION 570 (COUNCILLOR A WILCE - 8 FEBRUARY 2021)
This motion had been passed from Council to the Standards Committee for consideration and report:
That, to improve local planning consultation processes and to regularise current Planning Committee practises, this Council resolves to amend Rule 27.5 as follows:
After (Appendix J to the Constitution), is inserted: in addition, the Chair will also permit the following to speak for no more than 3 minutes, without prior notice being required:
1 Adjacent Ward Members
2 Any Member having previously submitted a comment to that application that permission to speak being limited solely to the raising of material planning considerations relating directly their Ward, or else to any relevant planning policy or plan appertaining to this Council.
So as to read:
27.5 Any Councillor may attend any meeting of a committee of the Council and may speak on any agenda item for that meeting. However, in relation to the Planning Committee, the right to speak on a planning application, enforcement item, or other report relating to a particular ward of the Council shall be limited to the rights of a Ward Member to speak as set out in paragraphs 9.2 and 9.3 of the Protocol of Good Practice for Councillors Dealing in Planning Matters (Appendix J to the Constitution); in addition, the Chairman will also permit the following to speak for no more than 3 minutes, without prior notice being required:
1 Adjacent Ward members
2 Any Member having previously submitted a comment to that Application that permission to speak being limited solely to the raising of material planning considerations relating to directly their Ward, or else to any relevant planning policy or plan appertaining to this Council.
The Standards Committee at its meeting on 7 July considered the Motion and following discussion it was:
RECOMMENDED to Council that Motion 570 not be supported.
Councillor A Wilce requested that in line with Procedure Rule 16.5 he wished to alter the motion by the insertion of a line in a final paragraph as set out below:
1 Adjacent Ward members
2 Any Member having previously submitted a comment to that Application
that permission to speak being limited solely to the raising of material planning considerations relating to directly their Ward, or else to any relevant planning policy or plan appertaining to this Council.
This was AGREED.
Consideration was given to:
· The need to continue to rely on the Chairman’s discretion allowing adjacent Ward members to speak to planning applications should that application impact on their ward.
· Whether Appendix J to the Constitution should be amended so that the procedures were clear and that members were treated in a fair and consistent way
· If notice was given of a request to speak, the Chairman of the Planning Committee would consider this.
· The impact on the length of the meeting should a number of members (particularly if the application was in a town) did request to speak.
Upon a vote being taken the MOTION was declared to have FAILED.