Issue - meetings

Report by Director for Law & Governance and Monitoring Officer (CC10).

Cabinet agreed on 4 June 2018 to enter into a joint working arrangement with Cherwell District Council.  These arrangements are governed by a formal “Section113 Agreement”. 

Section 113 of the Local Government Act 1972 enables local authorities to enter into agreements with one another for the placing at the disposal of each other their respective officers for carrying out their respective functions. The Section 113 Agreement establishes a structure to enable proposals for joint working to be approved with the necessary Member oversight.  

The Section 113 Agreement envisages that the two Councils will establish “such joint committees to facilitate joint appointments working as agreed by the two councils”.

It is proposed that Council appoint two such Joint Committees as follows:

·      Joint Personnel Committee – to take decisions on certain staffing matters arising from and necessary for implementing, the shared service approach;

·      Joint Appeals Committee – to hear and determine staffing appeals arising from the shared service proposals.

Council is RECOMMENDED to:

(a)             establish a Joint Personnel Committee and a Joint Appeals Committee;

(b)             delegate to the Audit and Governance Committee the decision to approve the final Terms of Reference of both of the Joint Committees;

(c)             ask the Director of Law and Governance to exercise his delegated authority to give effect to the wishes of Group Leaders and to make appointments to these Joint Committees; and

(d)             ask the Monitoring Officer to exercise his delegated authority to make the necessary and consequential changes to the Constitution to reflect these decisions.

Recommendations agreed by 56 votes to 1.

Cabinet agreed on 4 June 2018 to enter into a joint working arrangement with Cherwell District Council.  The arrangements were governed by a formal “Section113 Agreement”.  Section 113 of the Local Government Act 1972 enabled local authorities to enter into agreements with one another for the placing at the disposal of each other their respective officers for carrying out their respective functions. The Section 113 Agreement established a structure to enable proposals for joint working to be approved with the necessary Member oversight.  

Council had before it a report which sought approval to appoint two Joint Committees:

·      Joint Personnel Committee – to take decisions on certain staffing matters arising from and necessary for implementing, the shared service approach;

·      Joint Appeals Committee – to hear and determine staffing appeals arising from the shared service proposals.

Councillor Ian Corkin moved and Councillor Ian Hudspeth seconded that the recommendations set out in the report and on the face of the Agenda be approved.

Following debate, the motion was put to the vote and was carried by 56 votes to 1.

RESOLVED: (56 votes to 1)  to:

(a)             establish a Joint Personnel Committee and a Joint Appeals Committee;

(b)             delegate to the Audit and Governance Committee the decision to approve the final Terms of Reference of both of the Joint Committees;

(c)             ask the Director of Law and Governance to exercise his delegated authority to give effect to the wishes of Group Leaders and to make appointments to these Joint Committees; and

(d)             ask the Monitoring Officer to exercise his delegated authority to make the necessary and consequential changes to the Constitution to reflect these decisions.