Issue - meetings

This report suggests amendments to the Constitution to limit the duration of Council meetings.

This item of business was included on the agenda for the Council meeting held on 8 October 2020. At that meeting the Portfolio Holder for Business Management, Councillor Turpin, supported by the Leader of the Council, Councillor Jarrett, proposed the recommendations set out in the report.  As the proposals recommend changes to the Council Rules relating to the duration of Council meetings, the matter was taken forward without discussion for debate at this Council meeting, in accordance with Council Rule 16.2.

Discussion:

This report proposed some suggested amendments to the Constitution to limit the duration of Council meetings. The item of business had been included on the agenda for the Council meeting held on 8 October 2020. At that meeting the Portfolio Holder for Business Management, Councillor Turpin, supported by the Leader of the Council, Councillor Jarrett had proposed the recommendations set out in the report. As the proposals recommended changes to the Council Rules relating to the duration of Council meetings, the matter had been taken forward without discussion for debate at this Council meeting, in accordance with Council Rule 16.2.

The report set out a number of options under consideration in order to limit the duration of Council meetings. These included a guillotine provision in the Constitution for bringing proceedings to a close at a given time; re-arranging the agenda; limiting reports that are for noting or limit speakers on such items; Limiting the number of reports for decision; Limiting the time of debating reports; Reducing the time for questions; Limiting the number of motions debated at a meeting and; limiting the time for motions to be debated.

The report recommended that one of these options, in relation limiting the number of motions, be agreed by the Council, as set out in the recommendation.

The Portfolio Holder for Business Management, Councillor Rupert Turpin, supported by Councillor Etheridge, proposed the recommendations set out in the report.

Councillor Maple, supported by Councillor Mahil, proposed the following amendment:

“Delete 10.1 and 10.2 and replace with:

10.1. Council notes that the length of meeting and the number of motions do not have a direct correlation with many meetings having more than one motion from a political group finishing by 23:00.  This can be seen in the analysis table from 2010 to 2020:

This report suggests amendments to the Constitution to limit the duration of Council meetings.

Discussion

This report suggested amendments to the Constitution to limit the duration of Council meetings. The amendments had been proposed following the Full Council meeting in July 2020 which had lasted just over seven hours. Commentary from both members of the public watching and Members of the Council was that the meeting had been too long for it to be an efficient democratic process that could be accessed by those wishing to observe.

The report proposed that Council agree to amend the Constitution to limit the duration of Council meetings, by presuming that reports for noting are agreed without debate or limited to 15 minutes where notice of a request to debate is given and to limit the number of motions per formally constituted political group to one per Council meeting.

The Portfolio Holder for Business Management, Councillor Rupert Turpin, supported by the Leader of the Council, Councillor Jarrett proposed the recommendations set out in the report.

In accordance with Paragraph 16.2 (Amendment to Council Rules) of Part 1, Chapter 4 of the Council’s Constitution, the recommendations set out in the report would be taken forward for debate at the next ordinary meeting of the Council.