Agenda and draft minutes

To confirm the Minutes of the meeting which took place on 8 January 2024. (to be laid on the table 30 minutes before the meeting commences).

The Committee agreed that the minutes of the meeting on 8 Januray 2024 were a complete and accurate record.

To receive from Members, declarations of interests 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 interests declared.

The Chairman to respond to any written questions received from Members of the public in accordance with Procedure Rule 10.

The deadline for receipt of questions is Thursday 28 March 2024 at 5pm.

There were no question from members of the public.

The Chairman to respond to any written questions received from Members in accordance with Procedure Rule 11.

The deadline for receipt of questions is Thursday 28 March 2024 at 5pm.

There were no questions from Members.

Standards and General Purposes Committee to receive the recommendation from the Joint Constitutions Review Group.

(Report to follow)

The Committee received a report which recommended a new proposed set of Council Procedure Rules to be adopted into the Waverley Borough Council and Guildford Borough Council Constitutions.

The Committee discussed the proposed Council Procedure Rules at Appendix 1 and proposed the following amendments:

a)    Procedure Rule 2.3 – The Committee voiced apprehension about the Monitoring Officer presiding over the election of the new mayor for the reason that meetings of the Council should always be chaired by a Councillor. The Committee suggested adding wording from Rule 8 to ensure a non-Executive Councillor will preside at the election of the Mayor. The Democratic Services Manager noted the proposed amendment.

b)    Procedure Rule 2.4.1 – The Committee suggested that ‘Wishes of the Political Parties’ is amended to ‘group leaders’ to ensure that such decisions are taken by the leader of the political group, on behalf of the group. It was clarified by the DSM in response to Members that the wishes of political groups could only be expressed through the group leader in accordance with regulations, and no additional wording was necessary. The Committee were satisfied with the response.

c)     Procedure Rule 4.2 – The Committee noted that the list of business does not include business deferred from previous meetings and proposed that wording should be added to clause (vi) to refer back to 3.2(x) i.e. to dispose of any remaining business from the previous Council meeting.

d)    Clause 15.6 – Cllr John Ward commented on the clause and suggested that the Mayor should be allowed to use his discretion to allow a Member to speak again if it would be useful. A clause to allow the discretion of the Mayor should be incorporated. The DSM explained that the Monitoring Officer has advised that there are plenty of opportunities for Members to speak adequately and the point behind this clause is to encourage Members to speak once. The Committee were satisfied with the response.
Clause 15.13 – Cllr Michael Goodridge referred to the clause and noted that the papers considered at the JCRG included a clause 15.12 & 15.13 (Closure Motions). The clauses have not been included in the papers sent to this Committee. The DSM noted this point and agreed to consult with the Monitoring Officer about the inclusion of Closure Motions in the Council Procedure Rules.

e)    Procedure Rule 25.4 – Some Members raised concerns about the proposal for the Leader to be able to attend and speak at any Committee meeting. Cllr Michael Goodridge noted concerns about this prospect at Overview and Scrutiny meetings, as it opens up the possibility of extensive debate or pressure on the Chair. The Committee understood that the Leader should be able to attend and speak for clarification and informative purposes, but requested that the word ‘once’ be added to clause to limit speaking time.

Proposed amendments to the Council Procedure Rules;

a) rule 2.3 – adding words from rule 8 to ensure a non-executive Councillor will preside at the election of the Mayor  ...  view the full minutes text for item SGP17/23

To consider the following recommendation on the motion of the Chairman:

Recommendation

That, pursuant to Procedure Rule 20 and in accordance with Section 100A(4) of the Local Government Act 1972, the Committee agrees:

(1)  that the public be excluded from the meeting during consideration of the following matter on the grounds that it is likely, in view of the nature of the business to be transacted or the nature of the proceedings, that if members of the public were present during the item, there would be disclosure to them of exempt information (as defined by Section 100I of the Act) of the description specified in Paragraph X of the revised Part 1 of Schedule 12A to the Local Government Act 1972; and

(2)  that the public interest in maintaining the exemption outweighs the public interest in disclosing the information.

There were no items of business to consider in exempt session.