Agenda and minutes

The Chair admitted the following late item to the Agenda:

·  Appointment of Local Authority Governor to Swallow Hill Academy.

To disclose or draw attention to any disclosable pecuniary interests for the purposes of Section 31 of the Localism Act 2011 and paragraphs 13-16 of the Members’ Code of Conduct. 

Councillor Hardy declared a disclosable pecuniary interest in the late Agenda item to appoint a Local Authority Governor to Swallow Hill Academy as his wife is currently employed at Swallow Hill.  Minute No. 8 refers.

Apologies for absence were submitted on behalf of Councillors C Campbell, A Lamb, K Mitchell and E Nash.

Councillors G Hyde, C Townsley and N Walshaw were in attendance as substitutes.

To approve as a correct record the minutes of the meeting held on 22^nd January 2013

RESOLVED – That the minutes of the meeting held on 22 January 2013 be confirmed as a correct record.

To consider the joint report of the Assistant Chief Executive(Customers and Communities) and Director of Children’s Services fFollowing the Review of Area Working last year Executive Board agreed a number of recommendations to strengthen, develop and embed locality working across the city.  One recommendation was for Member Management Committee to review the mechanism for appointing elected members to children’s services clusters and in particular to consider whether these should become area committee appointments.

The report of the Assistant Chief Executive (Customer and Communities)/Director of Children’s Services referred to the Review of Area Working following which Executive Board had agreed a number of recommendations to strengthen, develop and embed locality working across the city. One recommendation was for Member Management Committee to review the mechanism for appointing Elected members to Children’s Services Clusters and in particular to consider whether these should become Area Committee appointments.

Heather Pinches, Executive Officer (Performance Management) presented the report.

The main issue highlighted from the report was the suggestion that Area Committees make appointments to Children’s Services Clusters as part of the process to establish more formal links between Area Committees and the clusters.

RESOLVED – That the nomination of Elected Member representatives to the local Children’s Services Cluster partnerships be re-designated as Community and Local engagement and delegated to Area Committees from the 2013/14 municipal year.

To receive and consider a report of the Children’s Services Directorate requesting the appointment of two elected members to the Complex Needs Partnership Board.

The report of the Governance and Partnership Service, Children’s Services sought Elected Member representatives for the Complex Needs Partnership Board (CNPB) which is a sub-group of the Children’s Trust Board.

Jacki Claxton-Ruddock, Complex Needs Area Lead, Children’s Services presented the report.

It was reported that Councillor Blake (Executive Member for Children’s Services) currently sat on the Complex Needs Partnership Board and it was proposed, as the CNPB had a remit for 0-25 year olds, that Councillor Ogilvie Executive Member for Adult Social Care should also sit on the Board.

RESOLVED –

a)  That, in accordance with the Appointments to Outside Bodies Procedure Rules, the Complex Needs Partnership Board be categorised in the Strategic and Key Partnerships category.

b)  That Councillor J Blake and A Ogilvie be appointed to the Complex Needs Partnership Board.

To receive a report from the Head of Facilities seeking seek views on changes to members mail despatch service.

The report of the Head of Facilities informed Members of the review of Members’ mail despatch provision as part of the Budget Plus proposals.  The report set out a number of proposed changes to the service which if accepted would help the service to deliver an improved but more cost effective despatch service.

Les Reed, Head of Facilities presented the report.

Members were informed of the proposed revised changes to the despatch service which would deliver savings via the use of revised van deliveries and use of postal services.

Members discussed the options included in the report and alternative options.

RESOLVED – That the proposed changes as outlined in the report be implemented on a trial basis for 6 months with effect from 1 July 2013.

(Councillor A Khan declared a disclosable pecuniary interest due to his employment with the Royal Mail and left the meeting during the discussion and decision making on this item)

The report of the Governor Support Service, Children’s Services sought the nomination of a Local Authority governor for Swallow Hill Academy.

Kathryn Wilkinson, Senior Governor Support Officer presented the report.

It was reported that Swallow Hill would convert to an academy on 1 July 2013 and their articles of association specified a place for a Local Authority governor.  The Academy was situated within the Armley Ward.

RESOLVED

(a)  That in accordance with the Appointments to Outside Bodies Procedure Rules, Swallow Hill Academy be designated as a Strategic and Key Partnership;

(b)  That a Local Authority Governor be nominated for Swallow Hill Academy as a representative of the Administration;

(c)  That the Chief whip be authorised to appoint to the vacancy in accordance with the Appointment to Outside Bodies Procedure Rules.

(Councillor J Hardy left the meeting during the discussion and decision making on this item due to his earlier declaration of a disclosable pecuniary interest)

The Chief Officer Democratic and Central Services submitted a report setting out the background and provides information on the proposal to webcast Council meetings and provides information on two trial webcasts which have taken place.

The purpose of the report is to seek Member Management Committee comments and views prior to referring the matter to General Purposes Committee for a decision on whether Council meetings should be webcast on a more regular basis.

The report of the Chief Officer, Democratic and Central Services set out the background and provided information on the proposal to webcast Council meetings and provided information on the two trial webcasts which had taken place.  The report also sought Members comments and views prior to referring the matter to General Purposes Committee for a decision on whether Council meetings should be webcast on a more regular basis.

John Kearsley, Chief Officer, Democratic and Central Services presented the report.

In response to Members’ comments and questions, the following issues were discussed:

·  Viewing figures for the trial webcasts both live and after the event.  There had not been any publicity regarding these trial webcasts and it would be aimed to carry out some publicity and advertising prior to any future webcasts.

·  Provision for carrying out webcasts of other meetings in other meeting rooms.

·  Development of a ‘fair use’ protocol to prevent misuse of any recordings.

·  Budgetary provision was available to webcast meetings of full Council for the 2013/14 municipal year.

The Committee was of the view that the two webcasts had been well received by Members and the public and that it provided opportunity for better public engagement and the potential to improve awareness of local democracy in general.  The Committee was supportive of the proposals to webcast Council meetings for the 2013/14 municipal year, but not other Committee Rooms at this point in time.

RESOLVED – That the Member Management Committee views and comments be submitted to General Purposes committee prior to determination as to whether full Council meetings should be webcast during the 2013/14 municipal year.

To receive and consider a report from the Chief Officer (Democratic and Central Services) outlining the Member Management Committee’s role in relation to Elected Member Appointments to Outside Bodies and asking the Committee to agree a schedule detailing the organisations that the Council will continue to make an appointment to, and agree nominations to the organisations which fall to the Committee to make an appointment.

The report of the Chief Officer, Democratic and Central Services outlined the Member Management Committee’s role in relation to Elected Member appointments to Outside Bodies and asked the committee to:

·  Agree a schedule detailing those organisations that the Council will continue to make an appointment to; and

·  Agree the nominations to those organisations which fall to the Committee to make an appointment to.

Kevin Tomkinson, Principal Governance Officer presented the report.

Members were informed that group whips could fill any vacant positions or alter existing appointments relating to their groups via Delegated Decision and notification for any nominees was requested from Group Whips.  Attention was also brought to the following issues in the report:

·  Groundwork Leeds – Members were asked to consider nominating one of the Council’s appointed representatives as the Member who would cast any vote on behalf of the Council and a Member who could act in their absence.

·  Swillington Educational Charity – The Council had received a request from Swillington Educational Charity to appoint Councillor Dobson to their organisation.

RESOLVED –

(1)  That the appointment to Outside Bodies Procedure Rules be noted.

(2)  That the schedule at Appendix 2 detailing those organisations that the Council will continue to make an appointment to be approved.

(3)  That the nominations to those organisations which fall to the Committee to make an appointment to be approved.

(4)  That the relevant whip be authorised to appoint to vacancies in

(5)  accordance with the Appointment to Outside Bodies Procedure Rules

(6)  That the casting vote on the Groundwork Board be allocated to a

(7)  Member of the Labour Group to be determined by the Chief Whip.

(8)  That the Swillington Educational Charity be designated in the Community and Local Engagement Category in Accordance with the Appointment to Outside Bodies Procedure Rules and delegated to the relevant Area Committee to make the appointment.

(9)  That the change of appointments since the last meeting of the Committee as detailed under paragraph 3.8 of the report be noted.

The next meeting is scheduled for Tuesday 12^th November 2013 at 4pm.

Tuesday, 12 November 2013 at 4.00 p.m.