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ITEM CC9(c) - ANNEX 1

COUNTY COUNCIL – 17 MAY 2005

POLITICAL BALANCE ON COMMITTEES

Local Government & Housing Act 1989 - Political Proportionality

General Description of the Rules

For most local authority committees and sub-committees and certain other bodies the 1989 Act requires the Council to allocate seats to political groups in accordance with the groups' proportionate strength on the Council as a whole.

This requirement applies only where political groups have been set up, but where it does apply the allocation to committees has to be reviewed annually and in certain other circumstances, eg where the political balance has been affected by some event such as a new member joining a group following a by-election.

A committee must review the allocation of seats on its sub-committees following any change in the committee’s membership as a result of a 1989 Act review.

The Allocation

The allocation process depends on the proportionate strengths of the political groups and the nature of the committee, sub-committee or other body concerned. The following rules apply …

• Where there is a political group with a majority of the members of the Council that group is entitled to a majority of the seats on all committees and sub-committees.
• For committees, each political group is entitled to its proportion of the total number of seats on all the committees added together; subject to that allocation each group is entitled to its proportion of the number of seats on each individual committee.
• For sub-committees and some other bodies, each political group is entitled to its proportion of the number of seats on each individual sub-committee or other body regardless of the total number of seats involved.
• The allocations of seats to political groups are rounded up or down to the nearest whole number. Where the allocations leave a seat or seats unfilled on a committee, sub-committee or other body those seats must be allocated to any independent members of the Council.

Except where a "no dissent" alternative as described below is adopted, application of these principles, "so far as reasonably practicable", is mandatory. Once the allocations have been agreed under this procedure, the appointment of individual members must then be made in accordance with the wishes of the respective groups.

Alternatives where "No Dissent"

The requirement to allocate seats according to political groups’ proportionate strengths can be overridden by some other arrangement, either in relation to all committees, sub-committees and other bodies or in relation to any individual committee, sub-committee or other body, provided that no councillor votes against the alternative arrangement when it is proposed.

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