Issue - meetings

Background:

This report provided details of the new mandatory and discretionary Test and Trace Isolation Payments Schemes funded by the Government to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic, to which the Leader’s approval, under urgency provisions, was sought.

The report explained that local authorities were required to implement the new schemes by 12 October 2020 at the latest. Eligible individuals who had been notified on or after 28 September 2020 that they had to self-isolate would be able to make backdated claims where necessary. Detailed information in relation to the schemes was set out at section 3 and Appendices 1 and 2 of the report.

The report noted that the urgency provisions were set out in the Constitution (paragraph 3.2 of Part 3 (Responsibility for Cabinet functions) of Chapter 3 (Responsibility for Functions) of the Constitution). The Chairman of the Business Support Overview and Scrutiny Committee agreed that the taking of these decisions were urgent and could not be reasonably deferred until the next Cabinet meeting on 20 October 2020, in accordance with Section 11 (Cases of special urgency) of the Local Authorities (Executive Arrangements)(Meetings and Access to Information)(England) Regulations 2012 and Rule 17 (Special Urgency) of the Access to Information Rules (Part 2 of Chapter 4 in the Constitution).

Additionally, and in line with rule 15.11 of Chapter 4, Part 5 of the Constitution, call-in could be waived where any delay likely to be caused by the call-in process would seriously prejudice the Council’s or the Public’s interests. The Chairman of the Business Support Overview and Scrutiny Committee agreed that the decisions proposed were reasonable in all the circumstances and to them being treated as a matter of urgency and to waive call-in.

The report noted that furthermore, it was proposed that the Chief Executive uses the urgency provisions as set out in paragraph 4.1 of the Employee Delegation Scheme (including consultation with the Leader of the Council and the Leader of the Labour Group) to add the scheme to the Council’s Revenue Budget. The use of these urgency provisions would be reported to Full Council on 21 January 2021 for information.