Agenda and minutes

Venue: Committee Room 1 - Civic Centre, St Peter's Square, Wolverhampton WV1 1SH

Contact: Kirsty Tuffin  01902 552873 or Email:  kirsty.tuffin@wolverhampton.gov.uk

Items
No. Item

1.

Apologies (If any)

Minutes:

Apologies were received from Councillor Celia Hibbert, Councillor Sandra Samuels, Councillor Stephen Simkins.

2.

Declarations of interests

Minutes:

There were no declarations of interest.

3.

Minutes of the previous meeting pdf icon PDF 305 KB

Minutes:

That the minutes from the previous meeting on 19 February 2020 be approved as a correct record.

4.

Modernising the Political Structure

[To receive a presentation on Modernising the Political Structure.]

Minutes:

Councillor Ian Brookfield, Leader of the Council and Tim Johnson, Chief Executive, presented a presentation on Modernising the Political Structure. The presentation outlined the proposed changes to the political structure to help improve Councillor involvement and influence. The Committee were advised that a comprehensive review of the Scrutiny Structure had taken place and some significant changes were being proposed. It was proposed that six Cabinet Advisory Groups be introduced and the terms of reference for these groups would be determined by the Leader. It was envisaged that each Cabinet Advisory Group would have 3-4 members appointed with the opportunity for other Councillors to be invited to attend.

 

Following concerns of Councillor attendance, it was agreed that an attendee list be considered at Governance Committee meetings to assess if attendance improved once the new changes had been implemented. It was agreed that a Frequently Asked Questions document be developed on the proposed governance changes and the full recommendation for Full Council be included in the document.

 

Following discussion of Special allowances (SIA’s) for Councillors, David Pattison, Director of Governance, advised the Committee that a report would be going to the Independent Remuneration Panel on 3 March 2020 and a report from the Panel would be presented at the next Governance Committee. It was agreed that a further update be provided at the next Governance Committee meeting due to take place on Thursday 19 March prior to the report going to Full Council.

 

Resolved:

  1. That the presentation on Modernising the Political Structure be noted.
  2. That it be agreed that an attendee list be presented to a future Governance Committee to assess if attendance improved once the new changes had been implemented.
  3.  That it be agreed that a Frequently Asked Questions document be developed and the full recommendation for Full Council be included in the document.
  4. That it be agreed that the recommendations from the Independent Remuneration Panel be presented at the next Governance Committee.

 That it be agreed that a further update be provided at the next Governance Committee meeting due to take place on Thursday 19 March prior to the report going to Full Council.