Agenda item

To consider a report in relation to the appointment/nomination of representatives to serve on a variety of organisations/partnerships.

(Executive Councillor: Cllr G J Bull)

i.  Appoints to the organisations and partnerships referred to in Appendix 1 of the submitted report for the period 2018 - 2022;

ii.  Agrees to not appoint to those organisations and partnerships as indicated in Appendix 1 of the submitted report;

iii.  Considered the comments/recommendations of the Overview and Scrutiny Panels contained in paragraph 3.1 of the submitted report;

iv.  Request that appointed Members report on an annual basis, in writing, to the relevant Overview and Scrutiny Panel; and

v.  In the event that changes or new appointments are required to the District Council’s representation during the course of the four year term, the Corporate Team Manager be delegated, after consultation with the Leader or Deputy Executive Leader, to nominate and authorise alternative representatives as necessary.

The Cabinet gave consideration to a report by the Democratic Services Officer (a copy of which is appended in the Minute Book) regarding the Council’s representation on a variety of organisations/partnerships.

It was explained that this had previously been reviewed annually. However, given that all District, Town and Parish Council seats in Huntingdonshire were contested at the same time this year, it was proposed that representation would normally only be reviewed within the four year period between elections where there was a change of circumstances, a Member resigned, or there was a vacancy on a body.  This would further provide the organisations/partnerships to which the Council appointed to a degree of certainty as to the representative.

In the event that a change or new appointment was required to the District Council’s representation during the course of the four year term, it was proposed that delegation be given to the Corporate Team Manager, after consultation with the Deputy Executive Leader, to nominate and authorise alternative representatives as necessary.

To improve the monitoring of how the organisations and partnerships contributed to the Council and its Corporate Objectives, the Cabinet agreed in 2016 that appointed Members should be required to report on a quarterly basis, in writing, to the relevant Overview and Scrutiny Panel. Due to the varied responses to requests for this information, in 2017 the Cabinet resolved at the request of the Overview and Scrutiny Panels, that appointed Members be required to report on an annual basis, on the understanding that Members provide updates should any significant issues occur.  It was proposed that the annual reporting to the Overview and Scrutiny Panels continued.  However, there remained some difficulties in obtaining this information which was reflected in the comments of the Overview and Scrutiny Panel as contained within the submitted report.

Listed in Appendix 1 to the submitted report were those organisations/partnerships to which it was proposed that the Council appointed representatives to.  Those that the Cabinet were requested to no longer appoint to were indicated as ‘Do Not Appoint’ within the Appendix.

It was agreed by the Cabinet that in the event that changes or new appointments were required to the District Council’s representation during the course of the four year term, that consultation would be with either the Executive Leader or Deputy Executive Leader, to nominate and authorise alternative representatives as necessary.

Having considered the schedule of organisations/partnerships, the Cabinet

RESOLVED

i.  To appoint to the organisations and partnerships referred to in Appendix 1 of the submitted report for the period 2018 - 2022;

ii.  Agrees to not appoint to those organisations and partnerships as indicated in Appendix 1 of the submitted report;

iii.  Considered the comments/recommendations of the Overview and Scrutiny Panels contained in paragraph 3.1 of the submitted report;

iv.  Request that appointed Members report on an annual basis, in writing, to the relevant Overview and Scrutiny Panel; and

v.  In the event that changes or new appointments are required to the District Council’s representation during the course of the four year term, the Corporate Team Manager be delegated, after consultation with the Executive Leader or Deputy Executive Leader, to nominate and authorise alternative representatives as necessary.