Agenda and minutes

The Mayor to report apologies for absence.

Apologies for absence were received from Cllrs Michael Higgins, Phoebe Sullivan, Liz Townsend, Philip Townsend and Graham White.

To receive from Members, declarations of interest in relation to any items included on the agenda for this meeting in accordance with the Waverley Code of Local Government Conduct.

There were no declarations of interests in relation to matters on the agenda.

To consider the recommendations from the Standards and General Purposes Committee on proposed changes to the size, composition and terms of reference of Waverley Borough Council’s committees.

The Standards and General Purposes Committee will be meeting at 4pm on 7 June 2023 to consider a report on the proposals put forward at the Annual Council meeting on 23 May regarding the size, composition and terms of reference of Waverley Borough Council’s committees.

The report being considered by the Standards and General Purposes Committee is attached for information.

16.1     The Mayor reported that the Standards & General Purposes Committee had met earlier, at 4pm, to consider proposals for changes to the size, composition and terms of reference of Waverley Borough Council’s committees. This had followed the debate at the Annual Council meeting. The report considered by the Standards & General Purposes Committee had been circulated to all Members with the Council agenda.

16.2     The recommendations of the Standards & General Purposes Committee had now been tabled for all Members (attached to the Minutes). The Mayor called a short adjournment to ensure that all Members had had time to read the recommendations that Council was about to debate. When the meeting resumed, the Mayor invited Cllr Andy MacLeod, Chair of the Standard & General Purposes Committee to make a report to Council Members and to move the recommendations of the Committee.

16.3     Cllr MacLeod reported that there had been a good debate at the Standards & General Purposes Committee, at which a number of non-committee Members had made representations.

16.4     The Committee had unanimously agreed the proposals to re-name the Audit Committee to the Audit & Risk Committee, and to reduce the size of that committee and the Standards & General Purposes Committee and the Licensing & Regulatory Committee (recommendations 1 – 4 on the tabled paper).

16.5     Cllr MacLeod reported that the Committee had listened carefully to representations from Members regarding the planning committee arrangements, and had debated the proposals thoroughly. The contentious issues were the number of committees and whether they should be area-based; and whether ward councillors should be able to participate in the determination of planning applications in their own ward, as voting committee members.

16.5     The Committee eventually voted 6 to 2 in favour of recommending to Council that there should be one planning committee of 15 members; and by the same margin that ward councillors should be excluded from participating as a committee member on determining planning applications in their ward. They would still be able to make representations to the committee under Procedure Rule 23.2 but would be free to be pre-determined on the application if they wished.

16.6     Cllr MacLeod concluded by confirming that the Standards & General Purposes Committee had been unanimous on the remaining recommendations: that Executive members be barred from serving on the planning committee; that any appropriately trained Member may sit as a substitute on the committee; that there be a review after 12-months of the performance and effectiveness of the planning committee; and that the Standards & General Purposes Committee review the delegations to the Executive Head of Planning Development and the planning committee procedure rules to ensure that they supported the new planning committee in carrying out its role effectively.

16.7     Cllr John Robini seconded the recommendations of the Standards & General Purposes Committee as moved by Cllr MacLeod.

16.8     Cllr Hyman noted that the agenda for the meeting of the Western Planning Committee on 14 June had been published the previous day, and questioned whether that would be valid, and whether the membership could be  ...  view the full minutes text for item CNL16/23