Agenda and minutes

To note the appointment of Mr C Simkins in place of Mr J P McInroy

The Committee notedthe appointment of Mr C Simkins in place of Mr J P McInroy.

RESOLVED that the Minutes of the meeting held on 27 February 2020 are correctly recorded and that they be signed by the Chairman.

(1)          The General Counsel gave a power point presentation.  Its content can be viewed in the electronic agenda papers for this meeting on the KCC website.

(2)       The General Counsel introduced his report by setting out the current remit of the Committee.  He said that it was under-utilised, due to its limited role. This led to many of its scheduled meetings being cancelled. 

(3)       The General Counsel then said that there were many significant internal governance discussions that could and should take place in an open and formal environment. Selection and Member Services Committee was the natural forum for these to be held.  He then gave examples of matters that the Committee’s remit could well be extended to.  These were:-

            (a)       Internal democratic processes during the COVID 19 pandemic. 

            (b)       To what extent should the County Council revert to holding physical meetings and what potential advantages would there be in continuing with virtual meetings in the future?  For which committees (if any) would a virtual format be the most appropriate? 

            (c)        Communications with Government.  The County Council was very well placed to offer advice to the Government in response to consultation on possible future plans for local democracy.  The Committee had an appropriate role in considering and recommending its content.

            (d)       Member Grants were a significant political and financial commitment made by the County Council.  The General Counsel said that he could advise on the legality of the process whenever the legislation was clear. The Committee’s role would be to develop the County Council’s own guidelines in respect of what it considered to be appropriate use of this facility.  This guidance should be supplemented by advice on the regulations on grants for Highways projects where Members had expressed concerns that confusing and contradictory advice was given by different officers.   

            (e)       The Government was expected to grant County Councils new statutory powers, particularly in the area of Public Health.  The democratic arrangements for oversight of such changes would need to be carefully considered. 

            (f)        Preparations for the new Council in 2021 needed to be considered.  Doing so in an open forum would be very useful for anyone seeking election.  The matters for discussion under this heading would include the closedown period for the present Council as well as the post-election period.

            (g)       The General Counsel spoke in greater detail about facilities following the election.  This included the allocation of accommodation and equipment such as computer software. 

            (h)        The issue of Member Development was of great importance.  The County Council needed to take an informed decision on whether training should be mandatory in the light of the increased legal risks as Members’ roles became more complicated.  The Committee should receive and discuss regular reports from the Informal Member Development Group (which might be replaced by a Sub-Committee) on induction training and the areas where specialised training was needed.  

            (i)          The question of the appropriate type and use of technology was one which the Committee should address.  This related to the  ...  view the full minutes text for item 9.

RESOLVED that the Selection Panel for Members of the Member Remuneration Panel be made up of 1 Honorary Alderman nominated by the Liberal Democrat Group and 2 from the Conservative Group.