Agenda item

To consider the report of the Head of Legal & Democratic Services (attached).

The Council was informed that the Governance Working Group had considered whether to introduce an Independent Representative on the Audit, Standards and Risk Committee, including whether this role should chair the committee. Having discussed the matter, the Working Group had recognised that the recent introduction of public questions at all committees would provide a route to inform and challenge committees, therefore meeting the aims of introducing independent oversight and scrutiny by a different method.

Members were advised that the Working Group had reviewed the procedures for making decisions using Urgent Action. Having noted historical use of this function, it had agreed to recommend that the statutory officers should need to countersign any decisions made using Urgent Action. A number of other clarifications would be made, including that a statutory officer’s deputy was authorised to act in their absence and similarly the deputy Mayor or Vice-Chair or acts in the absence of the Mayor or Chair.

RESOLVED that

(i)     the Governance Working Group’s decision not to progress with introducing arrangements for appointing an Independent Representative on the Audit, Standards & Risk Committee be noted; and

(ii)   the provisions for making Urgent Action decisions at Part 3, Section B of the Constitution be updated as set out at Annex A to this report, be agreed.