Agenda item

a)    To note minutes of the meeting of the Focus Group on the Constitution held on 12 March 2013 and consider the recommended changes to the following documents of the Constitution:

I.      Protocol 2 – Councillor/Officer Relations (Appendix A – Pages 21-30) 

II.    Protocol 3 – Guidance to Members on Outside Bodies (Appendix B – Pages 31-54)

III.   Protocol 4 – Planning Code of Good Practice (Appendix C – Pages 55-68)

IV.  Protocol 12 – Code of Conduct (Appendix D – Pages 69-72)

b)    To recommend Council to adopt the revised documents as agreed by the Committee

The Committee noted the minutes of the Focus Group on the Constitution meeting held on 12 March 2013 and debated the suggested changes to Protocols 2, 3, 4 and 12 of the Constitution, as detailed in the agenda pack.

For Protocol 2, Councillor-Officer Relations, the suggested changes were accepted, subject to amendments in paragraph 9.1, 15.1 and the retention of paragraph 15.5

For Protocol 3, Guidance to Members on Outside Bodies, the Committee agreed the revised document, subject to amendments to paragraph 15 to provide an explanation of the meaning ‘dual-hatted’ members, paragraphs 17 and 18, and 22.

For Protocol 4, Planning Code of Good Practice, the Committee agreed the changes as set out in the document attached to the report, subject to revisions to paragraphs 5.3 and 6 to be drafted by the Monitoring Officer to bring these paragraphs in line with the rest of the document.

For Protocol 12, Code of Conduct, the Committee noted the suggested changes and deferred a decision until concluding discussion of the item under Minute 34 below.

In relation to Protocols 2, 3 and 4 the Committee, therefore,

Resolved:

To recommend Council to adopt the revised documents as attached to these minutes.