Meeting documents

General Purposes Committee
Monday, 3 February 2014

general purposes committee

MINUTES of the Meeting held in the Council Chamber, Swale House, East Street, Sittingbourne on Monday 3 February 2014 from 7:00 pm to 8:07 pm.

Present: Councillor Bowles (Chairman), Councillor Gerry Lewin (Vice-Chairman), Councillors Derek Conway, Mike Haywood, David Simmons, Adam Tolhurst, Mike Whiting, Ted Wilcox (substitute for Councillor Mike Cosgrove) and Steve Worrall.

Officers Present: Katherine Bescoby, Donna Price and Mark Radford.

Also In Attendance: Councillor Sylvia Bennett.

Apologies: Councillor Mike Cosgrove.

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minutes

The Minutes of the Meeting held on 28 February 2013 (Minute Nos. 598 - 601) were taken as read, approved and signed by the Chairman as a correct record.

 
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declarations of interest

No interests were declared.

 
 

part a minutes for confirmation

 
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constitution review

The Committee discussed the proposals that were set out in the working papers to the report. This included the casting vote procedure; Rural Forum; treatment of quasi-judicial matters; review of Overview and Scrutiny; and delegations to the Head of Planning.

In respect of the Rural Forum, there was discussion about the purpose of the Forum: to be a consultative Forum with no decision making powers; and so it was proposed that all co-opted members should have a vote.

In respect of the treatment of quasi-judicial matters, there was some discussion about the proposal, and it was considered that policy setting should remain a function of the full Council.

In respect of the Review of Overview and Scrutiny, there was some discussion about the way in which the proposals had been developed; and the terms of reference of the proposed Policy Development and Review Committee, in particular the way in which Members of the Committee raised items for the agenda. It was confirmed that the role of the Scrutiny Committee had not changed and it was as required by law. The proposed Policy Development and Review Committee would provide valuable input in the development of future policies.

In respect of the delegations to the Head of Planning, the Cabinet Member for Finance explained the purpose of the proposals as outlined in the papers, which had been discussed with the Chairman of the Planning Committee and officers. Some minor amendments were suggested to no.14 to read….(following consultation with the Chairman or Vice-Chairman of the Planning Committee and the relevant Ward Member(s)).

RECOMMENDED:
(1) That the wording in Part 4.1 Council Procedure Rules Paragraph 19(5) be amended to read: “If there are equal numbers of votes for and against, the Chairman will have a second or casting vote, regardless of whether he has used his first vote. There will be no restriction on how the Chairman chooses to exercise a casting vote.”
(2) That the wording in Part 3.3.3 and Part 2 – Article 10, be amended to reflect that co-opted representatives from the following organisations on the Rural Forum will also have voting rights: Kent County Council, Swale National Farmers Union (3 representatives), Diocese of Canterbury, SEESwale, Action with Communities in Rural Kent, Greening the Gateway Kent and Medway, Council for the Protection of Rural England, and Kent Rural Police Force.
(3) That the current terms of reference of the General Licensing Committee be amended as follows:
Item 1: to review and make decisions in accordance with Council policy in licensing matters under the Miscellaneous Provisions Act 1982 Schedule 3 (Sex Establishments) and Miscellaneous Provisions Act 1982 Schedule 4 (Street Trading) and the statement of principles.
Item 7: to make decisions on matters relating to the Council's responsibilities in respect of Hackney Carriage and Private Hire Vehicles and Drivers.
(4) That the new Scrutiny and Policy Review and Development Committees be established, to replace the existing Scrutiny and Policy Overview Committees.
(5) That the revised Call-in procedure be agreed, and the Call-in form be noted.
(6) That the proposed updates to the Delegations to the Head of Planning be agreed, subject to the minor amendments suggested at the meeting.
 
 

part b minutes for information

 
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polling place and district review

The Committee considered the report which advised of the need to undertake a review of the polling places and districts, and set out proposals for a scheme based on the new Borough ward boundaries that would take effect in May 2015.

The Chairman thanked Officers for the ward maps, and reminded the Committee that it was being asked to agree the scheme for consultation purposes.

There was some discussion about the number of polling stations in each ward, and the Democratic and Electoral Services Manager referred to the maximum number of voters at each station as set by the Electoral Commission (2500) and the need for separate polling districts for parishes or parish wards. It was suggested that there should be an additional polling station in the Sheerness Ward at Vincent Court, which was agreed by the Committee.

Members of the Committee also gave feedback on the content of proposals for Chalkwell and Homewood Wards which the Democratic and Electoral Services Manager agreed to amend for the consultation.

RESOLVED:

(1) That the polling districts and places, as set out in Appendix I, and subject to the above amendments, be agreed for the purposes of the consultation.
 
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urgent item: qualifications on the consent to nomination

The Chairman advised that he had accepted the inclusion of this item as an urgent item, which had been referred to the Committee by the full Council. The Director of Corporate Services outlined the report which set out the legislation regarding qualifications to stand as a candidate.

There was discussion about the potential for Councillors to just attend Council meetings every six months to remain qualified, and it was agreed that a letter would be sent to the appropriate Government department asking for a review of the legislation.

RESOLVED:

(1) That a letter be sent to the Department of Communities and Local Government, copied to the Local Government Association and the Electoral Commission, to ask for a review of this legislation.
 
All Minutes are draft until agreed at the next meeting of the Committee/Panel

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