Issue - meetings

To consider a report of the Executive Councillor (Governance & Support Services)

The report summarises the key issues arising from the recently published Local Authorities (Executive Arrangements) (Meetings and Access to Information) (England) Regulations 2012 which were laid before Parliament on 15 August and came into effect on 10 September 2012. These regulations clarify and extend the circumstances in which local authority executive decision making processes are to be open to the public. The proposed changes to the Constitution are set out in the appendices to the report.

The Executive is invited to:

·         support the principal of the publication of Key Decisions in a Forward Plan and agree that the Plan be published on or around the first of the month covering a period beginning two months following the date of publication, to ensure compliance with the 28 clear days’ notice requirement for both Key Decisions and the intention to hold a meeting of the Executive in private;

·         agree  to delegate authority to the Monitoring Officer to prepare, in consultation with the Leader of the Council, a response to any representations received to a notice of the intention to hold a meeting of the Executive in private; and

·         recommend that the Council Meeting adopt the amendments to the Constitution as detailed in the appendices.

Officer Contact: Craig Ainsworth, 0161 474 3204, Craig.ainsworth@stockport.gov.uk

The Executive Councillor (Governance & Corporate Services) submitted a report (copies of which had been circulated) inviting the Executive Meeting to consider proposed changes to the Council’s Constitution arising from the requirements of the Local Authorities (Executive Arrangements) (Meetings and Access to Information) (England) Regulations 2012.

RESOLVED – That

·         the principal of the publication of notice to take Key Decisions in a Forward Plan be supported and that the plan be published on or around the first of the month to cover a period beginning two months following the date of publication to ensure compliance with the 28 clear days’ notice requirement for both Key Decisions and the intention to hold a meeting of the Executive in the private;

·         authority to prepare a response to any representations received to a notice of the intention to hold a meeting of the Executive in private be delegated to the Monitoring Officer in consultation with the Leader of the Council; and

·         the Council Meeting be recommended to adopt the amendments to the Constitution as detailed in the appendices to the report.

To consider a report of the Democratic Services Manager.

This report summarises the key issues arising from the recently published Local Authorities (Executive Arrangements) (Meetings and Access to Information) (England) Regulations 2012 which were laid before Parliament on 15 August and came into effect on 10 September 2012. These regulations clarify and extend the circumstances in which local authority executive decision making processes are to be open to the public. There are a number of areas where the regulations require amendments to current practice and will necessitate changes to the Council’s Constitution. There are also a number of areas where there is likely to be a significant impact on current practice and which will present a challenge to ensure compliance with the new regulations.

The proposed changes to the Constitution are set out in the appendices to the report.

The Working Party is invited to consider the report and the proposed changes to the Constitution as detailed in the appendices and to recommend that the Council Meeting adopt the amendments.

The Democratic Services Manager submitted a report (copies of which had been circulated) summarising the key issued arising from the recently published Local Authorities (Executive Arrangements) (Meetings and Access to Information) (England) Regulations 2012 which were laid before Parliament on 15 August and came into effect on 10 September 2012. The regulations clarified and extended the circumstances in which local authority executive decision making processes were to be open to the public. There were a number of areas where the regulations required amendments to current practice and would necessitate changes to the Council’s Constitution. There were also a number of areas where there was likely to be a significant impact on current practice and which would present a challenge to ensure compliance with the new regulations.

The following comments were made/issues raised:-

•           Whether there were financial thresholds for the publication of Officer decisions.

•           What arrangements the Council was putting in place for the publication of Officer decisions.

•           The implication for Democratic Services of the new arrangements and whether additional resources were required to administer them.

RESOLVED – (1) That the Council Meeting be recommended to adopt the amendments to the Constitution as detailed in the appendices to the report.

(2) That the arrangements for implementing the regulations be examined in a year’s time in the light of experience.

(3) That Members of the Working Party be advised of the contact details of the Deputy Monitoring Officer and that she be invited to attend the next meeting of the Working Party.

(4) That the Working Party’s best wishes be conveyed to Barry Khan, Monitoring Officer, on the birth of his son.