Agenda item

a)    Appointment of committees and review of allocation of seats on Committees to political groups;

 

b)    Appointment of Members to Committees, Area Boards, and to the Dorset and Wiltshire Fire Authority and any other bodies;

 

c)    Appointment of Chairmen and Vice-Chairmen of Committees.

The Chairman drew attention to the allocations report included in the Summons and the composite appointments motion included in the Agenda Supplement. It was noted that a proposal for allocation of seats on committees to individual Members in accordance with the proposed schedule of committee places had been circulated to all Members. This had been prepared following discussion with Group Leaders and would be attached with the minutes.

 

Cllr Richard Clewer, Leader of the Council, proposed the composite appointments motion. This was seconded by Cllr Laura Mayes.

 

Group Leaders were provided opportunity to make any final changes within the proposed schedule of committee places, to update the circulated allocations.

The item was then opened to general debate.

 

Cllr Edward Kirk proposed an amendment, seconded by Cllr Ernie Clark. At present he was a Member of the Western Area Planning Committee. Following his leaving the Conservative Group he now sat as an ungrouped Member, and the proposed schedule removed him from that Committee as the seat had been previously and was now allocated to the Conservative Group. He proposed that the schedule be amended to retain the committee place he currently occupied. The effect of the amendment would be the Conservative Group would lose an allocated seat on the Committee.

 

Group Leaders were provided opportunity to comment. Cllr Richard Clewer, Leader of the Council, confirmed he did not accept the amendment as part of the composite motion. Cllr Ian Thorn, Leader of the Liberal Democrat Group, had no comment. Cllr Ernie Clark, Leader of the Independent Group wondered whether the amendment would impact overall political balance but noted that planning committees did not in any case decide matters politically. Cllr Ricky Rogers, Leader of the Labour Group, expressed support for the amendment.

 

In debate comments in support of the amendment included supporting the integrity of the ungrouped member, and that the council had in the past allocated seats on committees to ungrouped members and though the two places which had been so reserved had not been accepted accommodation could be made within acceptable limits.

 

A comment in opposition to the amendment was the view that the council had a legal duty to give effect the views of group leaders as it applied to appointment onto committees.

 

At conclusion of the discussion Cllr Kirk criticised what he saw as his removal from the committee.

 

To conclude the debate as mover of the original motion Cllr Richard Clewer noted that Cllr Kirk had been offered two committee places on a proportional basis in accordance with previous practice, which Cllr Kirk had chosen not to accept, and that there were many others who wished to sit on the Western Area Planning Committee.

 

There was then a vote on the amendment. A recorded vote having been requested by the requisite number of Members, the result was as follows:

 

Votes for the amendment (36)

Votes against the amendment (47)

Votes in abstention (4)

 

Details of the recorded vote are attached to these minutes.

 

There being no further comments in debate, the meeting proceeded to vote on the original composite appointments motion, and it was,

 

Resolved:

 

The Council:

a)    Noted the report and the legal requirements.

b)   Re-appointed the following committees with the terms of reference as set out in the Constitution:

·         Strategic Planning Committee

·         Area Planning Committees: Northern, Eastern, Southern, Western

·         Licensing Committee

·         Overview and Scrutiny Management Committee

·         Children’s Select Committee

·         Environment Select Committee

·         Health Select Committee

·         Standards Committee

·         Audit and Governance Committee

·         Staffing Policy Committee

·         Officer Appointments Committee

·         Electoral Review Committee

·         Appeals Committee

·         Wiltshire Police and Crime Panel (joint with Swindon Borough Council)

·         Wiltshire Pension Fund Committee (joint with Swindon Borough Council)

·         Health and Wellbeing Board

 

c)    Reappointed those Area Boards, as set out at Item 9a Appendix 1 of the report presented and within the Constitution, to comprise the Unitary Members for that area.

 

d)   Reappointed the Local Pension Board established under the Public Service Pensions Act 2013 and consequent amendments to the Local Government Pension Scheme Regulations 2013. 

 

e)    Appointed members to the Dorset and Wiltshire Fire Authority, in accordance with the guidance set out in this report.   

 

f)     Delegated the appointment to Outside Bodies (other than those appointed by Leader of the Council or Area Boards) to the Director, Legal and Governance, in consultation with Group Leaders

 

g)   Approved a scheme of committee places which sets out the number of seats available to members of the Council and to political groups as at Item 9a Appendix 3

 

h)   Appointed Members to serve on those committees in accordance with the agreed scheme of allocations, until the next occasion membership is reviewed under the provisions of the Local Government & Housing Act 1989 as attached to the minutes.

i)     Appointed substitute members (to a maximum of four per group) to the committees referred to in (b) above.

 

j)     Appointed those Members representing electoral divisions to their respective Area Boards as set out at Item 9b Appendix 1.

 

k)    Noted that the following persons remain appointed as non-voting co-opted members of the Standards Committee for the remainder of the council term:

 

·         Gordon Ball

·         Kathy Barnes

·         Joanne Cetti

·         Julie Phillips

 

l)     Noted that the following persons remain appointed as Independent Persons for the remainder of the council term:

·         Tony Drew

·         John McAllister

·         Patricia Bunch

m)Noted the following non-elected members of the Children’s Select Committee, with any vacancies able to be filled by the Committee:

 

Non-Elected Voting Members	Representing
Vacancy	Church of England
Dr Mike Thompson	Clifton Diocese Roman Catholic Church
Vacancy	Parent Governor (Secondary- maintained)
Vacancy	Parent Governor (Secondary – academy)
Vacancy	Parent Governor (Special Educational Needs)
Vacancy	Parent Governor (Primary)
Non-Elected Non-Voting Members	Representing
Maisy Humphrey (Sub Declan Kiely)	School, Children and Young People representatives
Nikki Barnett	Further Education Representative
Sarah Busby	Secondary Schools Head teacher Representative
Catriona Williamson	Primary School Head teacher Representative
John Hawkins	School Teacher Representative

n)   Noted following co-opted members of the Wiltshire Pension Fund Committee:

Name	Representing
(to be confirmed – currently Cllr Vijay Manro)	Swindon Borough Councillor (as determined by Swindon Borough Council)
(to be confirmed – currently Cllr Kevin Small)	Swindon Borough Councillor (as determined by Swindon Borough Council)
Jodie Smart (new ratification)	Employer Representative
Claire Anthony	Employer Representative
Stuart Dark	Scheme Member Observer- appointed by Unison
Mike Pankiewicz	Scheme Member Observer- appointed by Unison

 

o)   Noted the membership of the Local Pension Board under the Public Service Pensions Act 2013 until the expiry of the 4 year term council term, or from their first appointment.

Name	Representing
Mark Spilsbury	Independent Chairman
Karle Read	Scheme Member Representative
Marlene Corbey	Scheme Member Representative
Mike Pankiewicz	Scheme Member Representative
Paul Smith	Employer Member Representative
Laura Fisher	Employer Member Representative
James Nicholson	Employer Member Representative

 

p)   Noted the following co-opted or other members of the Police and Crime Panel:

 

Name	Representing
To be confirmed – previously Cllr Stanka Adamcova	Swindon Borough Council (as determined by Swindon Borough Council)
To be confirmed – currently Cllr Abdul Amin	Swindon Borough Council (as determined by Swindon Borough Council)
To be confirmed – currently Cllr Sudhi Sri Nukana	Swindon Borough Council (as determined by Swindon Borough Council)
To be confirmed – currently Cllr Vijay Manro	Swindon Borough Council (as determined by Swindon Borough Council)
Louisa Ahmeti	Independent co-optee
Louise Williams	Independent co-optee

 

q)   Appointed the following 6 members to serve as Council representatives on the Dorset and Wiltshire Fire Authority:

 

Conservative (4)	Liberal Democrat (2)	Independent (0)	Labour (0)
Cllr Pip Ridout	Paul Sample JP
Cllr Dan Cave	Brian Dalton
Cllr Paul Oatway
Cllr Kelvin Nash

r)    To appoint Chairmen and Vice-Chairmen of the following meetings:

Committee	Chairman	Vice-Chairman
Strategic Planning Committee	Howard Greenman	Christopher Newbury
Northern AreaPlanning Committee	Chuck Berry	Howard Greenman
Eastern AreaPlanning Committee	Philip Whitehead	Paul Oatway
Southern AreaPlanning Committee	Andrew Oliver	Sven Hocking
Western AreaPlanning Committee	Christopher Newbury	Bill Parks
Licensing Committee	PeterHutton	Allison Bucknell
StandardsCommittee	PaulOatway QPM	Allison Bucknell
Audit and GovernanceCommittee	Iain Wallis	Stuart Wheeler
Staffing Policy Committee	Stuart Wheeler	Allison Bucknell
Officer Appointments Committee	Richard Clewer	Laura Mayes
Wiltshire Pension Fund Committee	Richard Britton	Committee Appointment
Health and Wellbeing Board(Chairmanonly)	Richard Clewer	NA

 

s)   To note that the Overview and Scrutiny Management Committee, Children’s Select Committee, Environment Select Committee, Health Select Committee, the Police and Crime Panel, Electoral Review Committee, and the Area Boards will be asked to elect their respective Chairmen and Vice-Chairmen at their first meeting following the annual meeting of council. The Wiltshire Pension Fund Committee will be asked to elect their Vice-Chairman at the first meeting following the annual meeting of council.

 

t)    To note that the Appeals Committee does not meet as a formal committee and so no Chairman or Vice-Chairman will be appointed. However, three members who have undergone appropriate training are drawn from its membership to form Appeal Sub-Committees to consider and determine various types of appeals. Each Sub-Committee when convened will elect its own chairman.