Issue - meetings

To consider a report of the Strategic Head of Service & Monitoring Officer (Legal and Democratic Governance).

The Scrutiny Co-ordination Committee has requested a report that reviews the implementation of a reduction in the business programme from 9 cycles to 6 cycles per municipal year which was agreed by the Council Meeting on 16 January 2020.

The Scrutiny Co-ordination Committee is recommended to consider the report and to make recommendations as it considers appropriate.

Officer Contact: Vicki Bates on 0161 474 3219 or email: vicki.bates@stockport.gov.uk

The Strategic Head of Service & Monitoring Officer (Legal and Democratic Governance) submitted a report (copies of which had been circulated) providing a review of the impact of the reduction in the business

programme during 2020/21 from nine cycles to six cycles of committees per municipal year as agreed by the Council Meeting on 16 January 2020.

Councillor John McGahan had also been invited to attend the meeting to contribute to the discussion on this item.

The following comments were made/ issues raised:-

·         There had been fewer meetings, however, there had been a consequent increase in the length of individual meetings.

·         A number of extraordinary meetings had been held during the course of the year to deal with Greater Manchester related business that could not be accommodated within the existing business programme.

·         It was noted that the Scrutiny Co-ordination Committee had previously requested that items of businesses should not routinely be submitted to more than one scrutiny committee.

·         The reduction in the number of cycles of committee within the business programme for 2020/21 had been achieved by ‘lifting’ cycles out of the already approved nine-cycle business programme which had resulted in an uneven distribution of meetings throughout the year. 

·         It was commented that the revised distribution of meetings had worked well during 2020/21.

·         The use of remote meeting technology had facilitated participation by external partners that might otherwise have been difficult or not happened.

·         Consideration should be given to the use of hybrid meeting technology and the physical infrastructure and staffing resource needed to support this.

·         A judgement was awaited on a recent case taken before the High Court to seek a declaration that remote meetings were not prohibited by the Local Government Act 1972.

·         Remote meetings had been very successful in achieving the continued transaction of business by the Council and had been beneficial for officers and members with caring responsibilities.

·         There was a case for continuing to use remote meeting solutions for certain categories of meetings.

·         Although the number of cycles of committees had been reduced, Scrutiny Chairs had used their powers to call for additional extraordinary meetings to consider specific issues.

·         It was noted that the position of the Conservative Group was that they would wish to revert to nine cycles of committees.

RESOLVED – (1) That the proposed arrangements for the scheduling of the Business Programme for 2021/22 on the basis of six cycles of meetings per year be endorsed.

(2) That the Statutory Scrutiny Officer and the Strategic Head of Service & Monitoring Officer (Legal and Democratic Governance) be requested to ensure that items of business where only scheduled for a single scrutiny committee except in those very limited and exceptional circumstances where an item needed to be considered by more than one committee.

(3) That it be recommended that the continued use of remote meeting technology for certain categories of meetings, where permissible under the law, should be permitted by the Council and be at the discretion of the committee concerned.

(4) That the Statutory Scrutiny Officer and the Strategic Head of Service & Monitoring Officer (Legal and Democratic Governance) be recommended to advise the Greater Manchester Combined Authority of this Council’s approved business programme and that such items of business that required this Authority’s approval should be submitted in alignment with that rather than necessitating additional extraordinary meetings.