Agenda and minutes

To consider any appeals in accordance with Procedure Rule 15,2 of the Access to Information Procedure Rules. (in the event of an Appeal the press and public will be excluded)

(*In accordance with Procedure Rule 15.2, written notice of an appeal must be received by the Head of Governance Services at least 24 hours before the meeting.)

There were no appeals against refusal of inspection of documents.

There were no resolutions to exclude the public.

There were no late items submitted to the agenda for consideration. However, an updated version of Appendix 2 to Item 8 was circulated to Members and published on the Council’s website in advance of the meeting.

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. 

There were no declarations of interest.

Councillor H Bithell submitted her apologies to the meeting, and Councillor J Dowson was in attendance as substitute.

To approve as a correct record the minutes of the meeting held on Friday 28^th June 2019.

The minutes of the meeting held on 28^th June 2019 were approved as a correct record.

To consider the report of the Head of Digital Change that provides an overview of the revised proposals for the Digital & Information Service (DIS) offer to Elected Members.

The Head of Digital Change that provides an overview of the revised proposals for the Digital & Information Service (DIS) offer for Elected Members.

The following were in attendance:

-  Girish Solanki, Head of Digital Change

-  Daniel Lees, Business Partner, DIS

The Head of Digital Change introduced the report, and provided an update on the previous IT offer, the impact of the pandemic on requirements, and the ‘digital first’ approach to the revised offer of hybrid devices to be gradually rolled-out as Members’ current devices reach ‘end of life’.

Members discussed a number of matters, including:

·  Hybrid devices. Members were supportive of the roll-out of a single hybrid device, and requested that a demonstration of a device be provided at a future meeting.

·  Software upgrades. Members requested that officers take a more targeted approach to reminders regarding software updates and provide Group Whips with lists of Members who have missed installation deadlines.

·  Disposal of old devices. In recognition of the barriers to access to devices for families in Leeds highlighted throughout the pandemic, Members sought clarity on the contract for disposal in place for old council devices and whether they could be provided to families in need locally. Representatives in attendance agreed to contact suppliers to discuss other options.

·  Printing. Members noted and supported the ambition to move to paper-free but recognised that in the few circumstances that printing is required, the most efficient and sustainable option would be to print from a personal printer when working from home, and requested that the security restrictions that prevent this be addressed.

·  Adobe pro. In response to a query, Members were advised that licences for Adobe programmes will be reviewed, in recognition of the increase in PDF use for official documents that require editing.

RESOLVED –

a)  That proposals set out in the report around the provision of a new Digital offering be agreed.

b)  That the contents of the report, along with Members comments, be noted.

To consider the report of the Head of Democratic Services that outlines the Member Management Committee’s role in relation to Elected Member appointments to Outside Bodies and seeks agreement to a schedule detailing those organisations that the Council will continue to make an appointment to; and agreement of the nominations to those organisations which fall to this Committee to make an appointment to.

The Head of Democratic Services submitted a report that outlined the Member Management Committee’s role in relation to Elected Member appointments to Outside Bodies and seeks agreement to a schedule detailing those organisations that the Council will continue to make an appointment to; and agreement of the nominations to those organisations which fall to this Committee to make an appointment to.

Following despatch of the agenda for the meeting, several nominations had been submitted and an updated schedule of appointments was provided for the Committee to consider.

The Senior Governance and Scrutiny Officer, Helen Gray, introduced the report, advising of the process set out in the Outside Bodies Procedure Rules which the Committee follows when making appointments.

After some discussion, Members agreed to delegate the appointment of the one new “Community and Local Engagement” position on the Leeds Bradford Airport Joint Consultative Committee to the Inner North West Community Committee.

The Chair also advised that Councillor E Taylor had been nominated to the previous vacancy on the Learning Disability Partnership.

RESOLVED –

a)  That the process set out in the Outside Bodies Procedure Rules which this Committee follows when making appointments, attached at Appendix 1 be noted;

b)  That the information contained in paragraphs 10 and 12 relating to organisations that no longer require Member representation and organisation name changes be noted;

c)  That the current position with regards to new and existing Outside Bodies which required appointments since the last MMC and were confirmed through the delegated decision process as outlined in paragraph 18 (Morley Town Deal Board; Groundwork Yorkshire, Lord

Mayors Appeal Fund, Local Government Association and the Leeds Culture Trust Board) be noted;

d)  That the appointment to the new “Community and Local Engagement” position on the Leeds Bradford Airport Joint Consultative Committee be delegated to the Inner North West Community Committee;

e)  That the current position in relation to Elected Member appointments to Outside Bodies and ‘Other Bodies’ detailed in Appendix 2 be noted;

f)  That the schedule at Appendix 3 be approved and appointments delegated to these organisations to the Community Committees;

g)  That the Insurance and Indemnities document, attached at Appendix 4, be noted, and the approach suggested in paragraph 19 to disseminate this information to all Members of Council be approved.