Agenda item

(a)       The Chairman will move that Council receives and notes the minutes of Cabinet and the various Committees of the Council as listed in the  Minutes Book enclosed separately.

(b)       Chairmen of Committees other than Cabinet and Scrutiny Select Committees will be given a brief opportunity to make any important announcements concerning the work of their respective committees. Cabinet and Scrutiny Select Committees are dealt with under items 10 and 11 respectively.

(c )       Councillors will be given the opportunity to raise questions on points of information or clarification.

a.                  The Chairman moved that Council receives and noted the minutes of the following meetings and this was duly seconded by Councillor de Rhe-Philipe.

Cabinet                                                          - 15/12/09, 26/01/10 and 11/02/10

Environment Select Committee                  - 12/01/10

Health and Adult Social Care                      - 14/01/10

Select Committee

Overview and Scrutiny Management          - 21/01/10

and Resources Select Committee 

Children’s Services Select                          - 28/01/10

Committee

Special Joint Overview and Scrutiny          - 16/02/10

Committee    

Eastern Area Planning Committee - 17/12/09 and 14/01/10

Northern Area Planning Committee            - 14/12/09 and 03/02/10

Southern Area Planning Committee           - 10/12/09 and 28/01/10

Western Area Planning Committee            - 27/01/10

Audit Committee                                           - 09/12/09

Licensing Committee                                   - 15/12/09

Officer Appointments Committee               - 14/12/09 and 15/01/10

Standards Committee                                  - 03/02/10

Strategic Planning Committee                    - 16/12/09 and 20/01/10

Resolved:

That the above mentioned minutes be received and noted.

b.                  The Chairman invited questions from Councillors on points of information or clarification on the above mentioned minutes and gave Chairmen of those meetings the opportunity to make any important announcements on the work for their respective meetings.

The following questions were raised:

Environment Select Committee – 12 January 2010

Minute No. 44 – Waste Scrutiny Task Group Final Report

The Cabinet member for Waste, Property and Environment was asked if he would now be accepting the minority party report and did he accept all of its recommendations. Cllr Oldrieve sought information on the cost of the scrutiny exercise.

Cllr Toby Sturgis explained that he did not accept all of the recommendations. He further added that given the various policies proposed by the different political parties nationally, it would be prudent to await the outcome of the forthcoming General Election. Cllr Osborn undertook to ask the relevant officers to provide Cllr Oldrieve on the cost of the scrutiny exercise.

Strategic Planning Committee – 20 January 2010

Application No. S/2009/1527 – Amesbury: New visitor centre and associated works

Cllr Andrew Davis took the opportunity to thank Councillors for the manner in which they determined this important application. He also took the opportunity to welcome Andrew Kerr, the recently appointed Chief Executive to this his first meeting of Council.

Standards Committee – 3 February 2010

Minute No. 11 – Register of Members’ Interests

On behalf of the Chairman of the Standards Committee, Cllr Clark presented and moved the recommendations of the Standards Committee concerning the online publication of the Register of Members’ Interests.  It was emphasised that this would be on an opt-in basis and that Councillors’ interest details would only be published online if Councillors expressly agreed to it.

The report considered by the Standards Committee in arriving at its recommendation was presented as background information. The report stated that the Council’s external auditors, as part of the Use of Resources element of the Comprehensive Area Assessment, had recommended the Council to give serious consideration to making the Register available online. This was to provide greater transparency and public accountability.

A discussion ensued during which concerns were expressed by some Councillors on making such information readily available online. An alternate view by some Councillors was that the on-line publication of the Register of Interests should be mandatory upon all Councillors. A proposition to this effect as an amendment was not accepted by the Chairman on the advice of the Monitoring Officer given that in law there was no compulsion in this matter.

The Leader of the Council agreed with the proposal on the basis that Councillors were in public office and sought assurances that information would be updated promptly and details would be removed once a Councillor was no longer in office.

Resolved:

That the following recommendations of the Standards Committee dated 3 February 2010 be adopted:

(a)  That members and co-opted members of Wiltshire Council may opt into the online publication of their entries in the statutory Register of Members’ Interests.

(b)  That the online version of the Register be redacted to remove copies of signatures.