Issue - meetings

Background:

This report sought authority from the Cabinet to make an agreement with the Kent and Medway Fire and Rescue Authority (KMFRA) to place Medway Council’s Chief Legal Officer (CLO) at the disposal of KMFRA to assume the role of Monitoring Officer (MO) at KMFRA.

The current Monitoring Officer arrangement for KMFRA was due to end on 31 March 2021. The Chief Legal Officer and MO was satisfied that the contract negotiated price of £7,000 was reasonable to cover the MO duties. The appointment of Medway Council’s Monitoring Officer with effect from 1 April 2021 had been approved by KMFRA members on 23 February 2021.

The report noted that 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. On this occasion it was proposed that the call-in period be waived as the agreement was due to come into effect on 1 April 2021. The Chairman of the Business Support Overview and Scrutiny Committee had 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.

Reasons:

To enable KMFRA to fulfil their statutory requirement to appoint a Monitoring Officer and to provide an income to Medway Council.