Agenda item

Amendments Council Procedure Rules Regarding Frequency of Questions

Minutes:

Nick Hughes, Committee Services Manager, presented the report on amendments to council procedure rule regarding frequency of questions making the following key points:

·  This item had been to the committee before, going to full Council and then being referred back to the Constitutional Review Committee for further consideration.

·  There were two options given in the report for Councillors to consider.

·  Option 1 - is to simply re-submit the same recommendation that were previously considered by Council namely:

“To amend paragraph 13.5 of Part 4, Rules of Procedure in the Council’s constitution to read:

“The Chief Executive will reject a question if it:.......

is substantially the same as a question which has been validly received or put at a meeting of the Council in the past six months by either a Councillor or a member of the public;

To amend paragraph 14.6 of Part 4, Rules of Procedure in the Council’s constitution to read:

“A question shall not be:.........

substantially the same as a question which has been validly received put at a meeting of the Council in the past six months by either a Councillor or a member of the public;

·  Option 2 - a change could be made to allow the relevant Cabinet Member to amalgamate their answers. This would allow for the public to continue to ask any questions they like (within the existing rules), but only one answer given.

·  These options were designed to prevent Councillors and members of the public from submitting the same question in a period of 6 months.

 

During the discussion of the item it was noted that: 

 

·  Option 1 was considered restrictive to back bench councillors.

·  Support for the second option was given, this would ensure that supplementary questions were still allowed.

·  Incidents whereby similar questions had been asked were isolated.

·  Amalgamating answers was a better way forward.

·  A 6 month period was considered too long, things could change within this period.

·  The council should encourage members of the public to take part in council meetings and also attend these meetings.

 

It was proposed by Councillor Yates, seconded by Councillor Austin that an amended version be put to council namely:

 

“ Amalgamated Answers to Questions When very similar questions on the same subject are received by Democratic Services for the same meeting, a Cabinet Member may amalgamate the answers and so provide a single answer to multiple questions. Before doing so the Cabinet Member should seek the approval of the Chief Executive to do so. If multiple questions are asked and none of the members of the public attend the meeting, cabinet members, at their discretion, have the right to read out the answer to that question.”

 

It was proposed by Councillor Crittenden, seconded by Councillor Pugh and members agreed on option 2 with the amendment: that the Constitutional Review Committee recommend to Council that a new paragraph 13.8 be added to the constitution:

 

“ Amalgamated Answers to Questions When very similar questions on the same subject are received by Democratic Services for the same meeting, a Cabinet Member may amalgamate the answers and so provide a single answer to multiple questions. Before doing so the Cabinet Member should seek the approval of the Chief Executive to do so. If multiple questions are asked and none of the members of the public attend the meeting, cabinet members, at their discretion, have the right to read out the answer to that question.”

Supporting documents: