Agenda and minutes

Venue: Council Chamber, Council Offices, Cecil Street, Margate, Kent. View directions

Contact: James Clapson 

Items
No. Item

1.

Apologies for Absence

Minutes:

Apologies were received from Councillors; Braidwood, Constantine, Crittenden, Day, Hart, Paul Moore, Ovenden and Scott.

2.

Declarations of Interest pdf icon PDF 87 KB

To receive any declarations of interest.  Members are advised to consider the advice contained within the Declaration of Interest advice attached to this Agenda.  If a Member declares an interest, they should complete the Declaration of Interest Form 

Minutes:

There were no declarations of interest.

3.

Changes to the Constitution - Standing Orders In Relation To Staff pdf icon PDF 253 KB

Additional documents:

Minutes:

It was proposed by the Chairman and seconded by Vice-Chairman that the recommendations as shown in the report be agreed, namely:

 

a)  to extend the terms of reference of the General Purposes Committee, as set out in Annex 1;

b)  to appoint a Disciplinary Appeals Committee and agree its terms of reference, as set out in Annex 1, and agree the Committee should comprise five Members of the Council appointed on a politically proportionate basis;

c)  to appoint an Independent Persons Panel, agree its terms of reference, as set out in Annex 1, and agree that it should comprise three Independent Persons;

d)  to agree to pay a fee to Independent Persons appointed to the Independent Persons Panel equal to the agreed rate paid in respect of their role in advising Council on Councillor Conduct issues;

e)  to amend the Employment Rules, as set out in Annex 2;

f)  to delegate to the Committee Services Manager authority to invite and appoint members to serve on the Independent Persons Panel as set out in paragraph 5 of the report;

g)  to delegate to the Chief Executive (in consultation with the Chairman of the General Purposes Committee) the authority to suspend the S.151 Officer or the Monitoring Officer in cases of urgency, as set out in paragraph 9.

 

 

Councillor Everitt proposed an amendment, seconded Councillor Campbell as follows:

 

“Council expresses its dissatisfaction with the process set out at paragraph 5.1 in the report and advises CRWP that it is unable to support it;

 

That the related paragraph in the first box of the flow chart forming annex three is deleted;

 

That CRWP bring forward a lawful and practical alternative proposal for sifting allegations against the statutory officers that does not involve the statutory officers being the decision-makers in that process.”

 

Members agreed to hold a recorded vote on whether to accept the amendment. The Monitoring Officer conducted the recorded vote:

 

17 Members voted in favour: Councillors Albon, Ara, Campbell, Currie, Duckworth, Everitt, Farrance, Green, Gregory, Hopkinson, Huxley, Keen, Pat Moore, Rawf, Scobie, Whitehead and Yates.

 

31 Members voted against: Councillors Ashbee, Bailey, Bambridge, J Bayford, R Bayford, Boyd, Coleman-Cooke, Dennis, Dexter, Fellows, Game, Garner, Kup, Parsons, L Piper, S Piper, Potts, Pugh, Rogers, Roper, Rusiecki, D Saunders, M Saunders, Savage, Shrubb, Stevens, Taylor, Tomlinson, Towning, Wing and Wright.

 

No Members abstained from voting on the motion.

 

The amendment was lost.

 

Members then voted on the original motion; that the recommendations as shown in the report be agreed.  Following the vote, the Chairman announced that the motion was unanimously lost.