Agenda and draft minutes

RESOLVED that the minutes of the meeting held on 10 November 2021 be confirmed and signed by the Chair as a correct record.

Please note that, in accordance with the Members' Code of Conduct, when declaring interests members must disclose the existence and nature of the interest, and whether it is a disclosable pecuniary interest (DPI) or personal and/or pecuniary.

No declarations of interest were received.

The Democratic Services and Elections Manager presented the draft Induction Programme for newly elected councillors in 2024 and sought any comments or feedback on any of the documents.

The Committee, particularly those recently newly elected councillors onto the council, talked highly of the induction pack in terms of his content and level of detail.  It was also commented that long-standing councillors would benefit of sight of some of the documents.  Furthermore the Democratic Services and Elections Manager confirmed the Personal Safety for Councillors guide was circulated six monthly and that other key documents would be shared with all councillors.

During discussion, the following points be noted:

·         In addition to the buddying system for newly elected councillors with Democratic Services, each political group should consider introducing its own buddying system to ensure newly elected councillors had an experienced councillor to ask questions of;

·         Sessions on Councillor Casework and Council Procedure Rules should be introduced, with refresher sessions six months into the Council term.

RESOLVED

That the draft Induction Programme and Pack for 2024 be approved.

Consideration was given to the forward work programme of the Committee.  The Committee acknowledged that a large part of its remit was in relation to the standards and conduct by elected and co-opted members, with meetings of the Hearing Sub-Committee being convened as and when required.  However, the Committee’s remit also encompassed developing effective proposals to improve democratic engagement.

The Committee therefore suggested it explored what work was being carried out by the Council to engage with local schools.  Furthermore it was highlighted that the Community Leadership Scrutiny Committee had recently done a piece of work on this topic and therefore this should be considered the starting point.  It was also highlighted that the Civic Team carried out engagement with schools so the Committee may wish to speak to the Civic Manager.

RESOLVED

That the Committee reviews what work was being carried out by the Council to engage with local schools.