To consider the appointment of Chairs and Vice-Chairs of Committees and Panels if required.
Minutes:
At 9:27pm the meeting resumed.
It was stated that the Chair in post when this item was added to the Agenda agreed to this item being added to the Agenda after the Agenda's publication as a matter of urgency by reason of special circumstances. Those special circumstances being that Officers were alerted by Members, following publication of the Agenda, the concern of deadlock on Council Committees when appointing their Chairs and Vice-Chairs. Pursuant to Article 4.2(e) of the Constitution, Council has the power to agree and/or amend the terms of reference for committees and panels, decide on their composition and make appointments to them. The Chair in post considered it conducive to the conduct of business of the Council, through its Committees and Panels, to have any such deadlock resolved at the earliest opportunity, being at this Annual Council meeting.
It was noted that during the Annual Meeting of Committees five Chair and Vice-Chair posts remained unfilled.
Chair of Employment Committee
Councillor L Davenport-Ray proposed and Councillor S Smith seconded the nomination of Councillor A Blackwell as Chair of the Employment Committee for the Municipal Year 2026/27.
Councillor P Simpson proposed and Councillor R Martin seconded the nomination of Councillor D McIlwain as Chair of the Employment Committee for the Municipal Year 2026/27.
Having been duly proposed and seconded, the proposal to appoint Councillor A Blackwell as Chair of the Employment Committee was put to the vote upon which the vote was declared to be TIED.
Upon the Chair’s casting vote, it was
RESOLVED
that Councillor A Blackwell be appointed Chair of the Employment Committee for the ensuing Municipal Year.
Vice-Chair of Employment Committee
Councillor A Blackwell proposed and Councillor L Dewey-Beckett seconded the nomination of Councillor S Smith as Vice-Chair of the Employment Committee for the Municipal Year 2026/27.
Councillor D McIlwain proposed and Councillor M Beuttell seconded the nomination of Councillor P Simpson as Vice-Chair of the Employment Committee for the Municipal Year 2026/27.
Having been duly proposed and seconded, the proposal to appoint Councillor P Simpson as Vice-Chair of the Employment Committee was put to the vote upon which the vote was declared to be LOST.
Having been duly proposed and seconded, the proposal to appoint Councillor S Smith as Vice-Chair of the Employment Committee was put to the vote upon which it was
RESOLVED
that Councillor S Smith be appointed Vice-Chair of the Employment Committee for the ensuing Municipal Year.
Chair of Overview and Scrutiny Panel (Performance and Growth)
Councillor L Ascroft proposed and Councillor W Smith seconded the nomination of Councillor A Wood as Chair of the Overview and Scrutiny Panel (Performance and Growth) for the Municipal Year 2026/27.
Councillor R Coogan proposed and Councillor R Ioannides seconded the nomination of Councillor H Tobias as Chair of the Overview and Scrutiny Panel (Performance and Growth) for the Municipal Year 2026/27.
Having been duly proposed and seconded, the proposal to appoint Councillor H Tobias as Chair of the Overview and Scrutiny (Performance and Growth) Panel was put to the vote upon which the vote was declared to be LOST.
Having been duly proposed and seconded, the proposal to appoint Councillor A Wood as Chair of the Overview and Scrutiny Panel (Performance and Growth) was put to the vote upon which the vote was declared to be TIED.
Upon the Chair’s casting vote, it was
RESOLVED
that Councillor A Wood be appointed Chair of the Overview and Scrutiny Panel (Performance and Growth) for the ensuing Municipal Year.
Vice-Chair of Overview and Scrutiny Panel (Performance and Growth)
Councillor A Wood proposed and Councillor A Blackwell seconded the nomination of Councillor L Ascroft as Vice-Chair of the Overview and Scrutiny Panel (Performance and Growth) for the Municipal Year 2026/27.
Councillor I Gardener proposed and Councillor R Tomlinson seconded the nomination of Councillor S Cawley as Vice-Chair of the Overview and Scrutiny Panel (Performance and Growth) for the Municipal Year 2026/27.
Having been duly proposed and seconded, the proposal to appoint Councillor L Ascroft as Vice-Chair of the Overview and Scrutiny (Performance and Growth) Panel was put to the vote upon which the vote was declared to be TIED.
Upon the Chair’s casting vote, it was
RESOLVED
that Councillor L Ascroft be appointed Vice-Chair of the Overview and Scrutiny Panel (Performance and Growth) for the ensuing Municipal Year.
Vice-Chair of Overview and Scrutiny Panel (Environment, Communities and Partnerships)
Councillor M Young proposed and Councillor S Claffey seconded the nomination of Councillor M Burke as Vice-Chair of the Overview and Scrutiny Panel (Environment, Communities and Partnerships) for the Municipal Year 2026/27.
Councillor S Bywater proposed and Councillor C Lowe seconded the nomination of Councillor T Alban as Vice-Chair of the Overview and Scrutiny Panel (Environment, Communities and Partnerships) for the Municipal Year 2026/27.
Councillor R Martin addressed the Chamber stating that allowing a Conservative Chair of an Overview and Scrutiny Panel would be a great opportunity for the Joint Administration to fulfil their promise of cross party working. Councillor P Hodgson-Jones stressed the importance of scrutiny to the organisation and noted that it required experience of local government in order to have a deep understanding and ability to contribute to what makes the Council efficient. He observed this would be a way of showing true democracy and the best outcome for the Council.
Councillor B Mickelburgh suggested that previous to the Joint Administration, there had always been a single party administration and that there had not been Chairs from opposition parties in the past, he gave his support to the proposal for Councillor Burke to be appointed as Chair. Councillor Conboy encouraged the Members of the Panel work collaboratively to encourage proper scrutiny for the benefit of the Council regardless of the party of the Chair.
Having been duly proposed and seconded, the proposal to appoint Councillor T Alban as Vice-Chair of the Overview and Scrutiny Panel (Environment, Communities and Partnerships) was put to the vote upon which the vote was declared to be TIED.
Upon the Chair’s casting vote, it was
RESOLVED
that Councillor T Alban be appointed Chair of the Overview and Scrutiny Panel (Environment, Communities and Partnerships) for the ensuing Municipal Year.
At 9:50pm the meeting was closed.