GovComm Agenda 2014-09-08

CANTERBURY CITY COUNCIL

GOVERNANCE COMMISSION

MEETING TO BE HELD ON MONDAY, 8 SEPTEMBER 2014

AT 7.30 PM IN THE GUILDHALL, WESTGATE, CANTERBURY

Distribution Independent Chairman: Chris Gay Councillors: Councillor Baker, Councillor S Cook, Councillor Cragg, Councillor Dixey,

Councillor Doyle, Councillor Fitter, Councillor Gilbey, Councillor Howes, Councillor Perkins and Councillor Wratten

Officers: Matthew Archer, Mark Ellender and Charlotte Hammersley

A G E N D A

Page (s)

1 Apologies for absence

2 Public speakers

If any members of the public wish to speak at the meeting please contact Democratic Services on 01227 862 594 before the meeting.

3 Terms of Reference

2 4

TO NOTE

4 Outline Commission methodology

5

TO CONSIDER

5 Committee structures operated by councils that have adopted the committee system since 2012

6 - 20

FOR INFORMATION

6 Previous City Council committee structure and current Executive structure

21 22

FOR INFORMATION

Document Pack

1

Developing a Committee System for Canterbury City Council

Commission Draft Terms of Reference

1. Purpose

At its meeting on 24 July 2014, Full Council passed a resolution committing the city council

to a committee system of governance for a period five years from the date of the

resolution. The committee system of governance will be implemented at the Annual

Council meeting in May 2015.

The purpose of this Commission is to design a committee system for recommendation to

Council that will deliver the business and democratic needs of the city council from the

Annual Council meeting in May 2015.

2. Chairmanship Chris Gay has been appointed the Independent Chair of the Commission.

The objective will be for the Commission to make recommendations to Council on the

new Committee System arrangements, but if necessary, final decisions regarding the

recommendations will be taken by the Chair in order to demonstrate that the

Commissions recommendations is as independent of political bias as possible. Majority

or minority recommendations may also be made by Panel Members in addition to those

made by the Chair, although there would be a presumption against that.

Final decisions regarding other matters relating to the Commission including the

methodology followed and the format and venue of meetings will be taken by the Chair,

having consulted the other members of the Commission.

3. Membership

The Commission will comprise the independent Chair, and the members of the councils

Political Management Member Panel (Councillors: Baker, Simon Cook, Cragg, Dixey, Doyle,

Fitter, Gilbey, Howes, Perkins and Wratten).

In a similar way to scrutiny review, maintaining the same membership throughout is

important. Therefore to ensure consistency, once underway, substitutions may not be

made at meetings of the Commission. Therefore if there are any potential issues on

attendance for any Member, it would be prudent to make a substitution at the outset.

4. Project Team

The Commission will be supported by a project team comprising the Chief Executive,

Monitoring Officer and Senior Strategy and Improvement Officer.

Agenda Item 3 Page 2

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5. Commission Tasks

- To identify the number and names of individual committees and how will they relate

to the other committees of the council.

- To identify the broad roles, responsibilities of those committees.

- To identify whether, and to what extent, each committee will have power to take

decisions on matters within their area of responsibility.

- To identify whether there will be an overview and scrutiny committee, and if not, how

the councils limited statutory scrutiny duties will be met.

- To identify whether there will be a mechanism for matters decided by a committee to

be referred to the Full Council or any other committee for reconsideration.

- To consider where there are perceived difficulties with public consultation and

engagement, how, if at all, this can be addressed within the new committee system

arrangements.

- To consider the schemes of delegations both from council to committees and from

committees to officers.

- To consider how the committee system will demonstrate accountability of decisions

taken.

- To review the potential costs associated with the committee system arrangements.

6. Output sought

A report to Council which sets out the arrangements for a committee system which this

Council can recommend to the next Council elected in May 2015. The next Council may

then, depending upon the circumstances, adopt it or modify it, within the envelope of the

adopted system of governance.

7. Outcome sought

A Committee system that delivers the business and democratic needs of the city council.

8. Proposed Commission timetable

Task Timetable

Full Council Resolution to change to a Committee

System of Governance

24 July 2014

Commission develop the Committee System

arrangements

August October

Commission recommend proposals for new

Committee System arrangements to Full Council.

27 November 2014 (or earlier dates if it

can be managed)

Proposed new arrangements published From 27 November onwards

Constitutional changes made by officers to reflect

new arrangements

December to February

Constitutional changes submitted to Political February/March

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Management Member Panel

Annual Council meeting 2015 Implementation of new arrangements

Page 4

Monday 8 September 2015

Governance Commission: Outline methodology

Now the decision to move to a Committee system has been taken, this Commission

will need to develop a model for how it will operate and pass it to the new Council in

2015. The Commissions mode of operation will broadly follow that of a scrutiny

review with contributing witnesses, research and analysis and the production of a

final report. The work of the Commission will need to be completed this calendar

year in order to allow time for constitutional changes to be made and for the new

model to be advertised in advance of the Annual Council meeting.

In order to complete the tasks set out in the Terms of Reference for the review it is

suggested that the Commission hold approximately five meetings as follows:

Meeting Task

1 - Note Terms of Reference

- Desktop research of committee systems operated by other

local authorities.

- Previous Canterbury Committee System and current

Executive system.

2 Meeting with organisations, groups or individuals wishing to

give a view to inform the development of the Committee

System model. How the session will operate will be dependent

on the number of people that indicate they would like to

participate. Representatives from the Local Government

Association or Centre for Public Scrutiny could also be invited to

attend the session. Organisations and groups would be asked to

send a representative to speak on their behalf. A press release

inviting members of the public to contribute to the work of the

Commission has been made.

3/4 Develop the Committee model with consideration given to

specific subject areas including financial controls, how the

committees will interact, overview and scrutiny, schemes of

delegation, the committee structure and any anticipated cost

implications.

5 Consideration of report for recommendation to Full Council.

There above is not an exhaustive list of tasks and additional considerations may

come up during the course of the Commission which will need to be incorporated as

appropriate.

Agenda Item 4Page 5

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Governance models operated by local authorities that have adopted the Committee System since May 2012

This paper provides a summary of local authorities that have adopted a committee system of governance. Based on the information provided

by officers in other councils, it is apparent that most councils have a combination of policy/service area committees, regulatory committees

and external partnership boards. Public engagement or area forums have been retained by some unitary councils but are not evident at a

district level. The majority of councils have retained limited or no scrutiny functions with the exception of their statutory duties, whereas some

councils have incorporated scrutiny work within the individual committees.

District and County councils

Council Type

Main Committees

(( ) = number of meetings per

year)

Overview and Scrutiny Committee Financial implications

Cambridgeshire County

Audit and Accounts (6)

Children and Young People (11)

Constitution and Ethics (6)

Economy and Environment (11)

General Purposes (12)

Health (12)

Highways and Community

Infrastructure (11)

Planning (10)

No. Only the statutory scrutiny

functions are exercised by individual

committees:

- Health scrutiny by the Health

Committee

- Crime and disorder by

Cambridgeshire and Peterborough

Police And Crime Panel

- Flood risk management by the

Economy and Environment

Committee

Newark and

Sherwood District

Audit and Accounts (5)

Economic Development (5)

General Purposes (4)

Homes and Communities (5)

Joint Economic Prosperity (3)

Leisure and Environment (5)

Licensing (4)

Planning (12)

Policy (7)

The Council does not have dedicated

Overview and Scrutiny Committees

but applies overview and scrutiny

principles in the work of the

Economic Development, Leisure &

Environment and Homes &

Communities Committees.

No additional cost other than

officer time implementing the new

system which has not been

recorded. There was a slight

reduction in terms of Members

Special Responsibility Allowances.

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Standards (2)

Norfolk

County

Adult Social Care (8)

Audit (4)

Children's Services (8)

Communities (8)

Environment, Development and

Transport (8)

Economic Development Sub-

Committee (7)

Planning (9)

Policy and Resources (9)

Standards (2)


functions are exercised by individual

committees:

- Health scrutiny by the Health

Overview and Scrutiny Committee

- Crime and disorder by Police and

Crime Panel


Environment, Transport and

Development Committee

No significant increase in cost.

Member Allowances were changed

to reflect the new structure.

Nottinghamshire

County Council County

Adult Social Care and Health (11)

Audit (5)

Children and Young People (8)

Community Safety (7)

Culture (8)

Economic Development (10)

Environment and Sustainability

(8)

Finance and Property (11)

Planning and Licensing (11)

Policy (10)

Public Health (8)

Transport and Highways (11)

The Policy Committee and each of

the 'policy area' committees

undertake scrutiny roles with regard

to policy development and ensuring

that new and existing council

policies are implemented, operated

and reviewed appropriately.

There is a Joint City/County Health

Scrutiny Committee and the Health

Scrutiny Committee.

Stroud District

Audit and Standards (10)

Community Services and

Licensing (6)

Development Control (13)

Environment (5)

Housing (5)

Strategy and Resources (5)

Housing Forum (5)

Community Services and Licensing

has a broad portfolio including

health and well-being and crime and

disorder scrutiny.

Since the adoption of the

committee system there has been a

reduction in Democratic Services

resources.

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Unitary and London boroughs

Council Type Main Committees Overview and Scrutiny Committee Financial implications

Brighton and

Hove Unitary

Audit & Standards

Children & Young People

Economic Development & Culture

Environment, Transport &

Sustainability

Housing

Licensing

Planning

Policy & Resources

1) Overview and Scrutiny, and

2) The Health and Wellbeing

Overview and Scrutiny

An initial budget increase of 45k

was set to implement the

committee system with the

intention that would be reduced as

the system settled in. The change

to a committee system has

increased democratic services

workload and budgetary pressures,

officer workload (increased

briefings and cross-party working in

a minority administration) and

public participation.

Hartlepool Unitary

Adult Services

Audit and Governance

Childrens Services

Neighbourhood Services

Regeneration Services

Planning

Finance and Policy

Licensing

The Audit and Governance

Committee is responsible for

conducting reviews that fall under

the remit of its scrutiny

responsibilities.

Reading Unitary

Adult Social Care, Childrens Services

& Education

Audit and Governance

Health & Wellbeing Board

Housing, Neighbourhoods & Leisure

The overview and scrutiny

functions are exercised by the

individual committees.

Initially there was concern that it

would require more officer time

generally to support the committee

system but it hasnt in reality. The

Councillors were keen to ensure

Page 8

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Licensing Applications

Personnel

Planning Applications

Policy

Standards

Strategic Environment, Planning &

Transport

that there were no more meetings

as a result of the change to the

committee system and by and large

this has been achieved.

South

Gloucestershire Unitary

Adults and Housing

Appointments & Employment Panel

Audit and Accounts

Children & Young People

Communities

Planning, Transportation and

Strategic Environment

Health & Wellbeing Board

Licensing

Regulatory

Policy and Resources

Standards Committee Membership

Panel


functions are exercised by

individual committees:

- Health scrutiny by the Public

Health and Health Scrutiny

Committee

- Crime and disorder by

Communities Committee


Communities Committee.

London

Borough of

Sutton

London

borough

Adult Social Services and Health

Appeals

Children, Family and Education

Environment and Neighbourhood

Health and Wellbeing Board

Housing, Economy and Business

Pension

Planning and Licensing

Scrutiny and Audit

Standards

Strategy and Resources

1) Scrutiny Committee, and

2) Audit Committee

The transition in this respect was

relatively seamless. There was no

added cost in the new structure. In

fact there was a saving on member

allowances due to a reduction in

SRA payments

London

Borough of

Barnet

London

borough

Appeals

Audit

Constitution, Ethics & Probity

Only a Health Overview and

Scrutiny Committee along with

statutory requirements.

Page 9

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General Functions

Group Leaders

Health Overview and Scrutiny

Housing

Licensing

Pension Fun

Planning

Policy and Resources Committee

Remuneration

Kingston upon

Thames

London

borough

Audit Committee

Health Overview

Neighbourhood

Standards

Strategic

Licensing Committee

Scrutiny Panel

Policy and Finance Committee

1) Health Overview and Scrutiny

Panel, and

2) Joint Health Overview and

Scrutiny Committee

The Executive arrangements at RBK

were never deeply embedded, for

example Neighbourhood

Committees continued to exercise

considerable powers and few

Scrutiny Committees were

introduced. The Officer structure

and Scheme of Member Allowances

always reflected this and as a

consequence the cost implications

of the transition were broadly

neutral.

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Structure charts

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Full Council

(50)

City Council committee

system structure 2001

Highways

Partnership

Joint Board

(12)

Housing Appeals

Sub

(6)

Community

Services

Committee

(22)

Housing and

Community Sub

(11)

Leisure, Culture

& Environment

Sub (11)

Licensing Sub

(11)

Executive Sub

(11)

Executive Sub

(8)

Executive Sub

(8)

Review Sub

(8)

Central

Services Sub

(8)

Development

Control Sub

(19)

Economic &

Strategic

Planning Sub

(11)

Property &

Engineering

Sub

(8)

Policy

Committee

(22)

Development &

Planning

Committee

(22)

Working Groups

(commissioned

by each service

committee)

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Agenda3 Terms of Reference4 Outline Commission methodology5 Committee structures operated by councils that have adopted the committee system since 20126 Previous City Council committee structure and current Executive structure

Documents

GovComm Agenda 2014-09-08