ITEM CC9(b)COUNTY COUNCIL – 16 JUNE 2009POLITICAL BALANCE ON COMMITTEESReport by the Assistant Head of Legal & Democratic Services
1. The Council is required by the Local Government & Housing Act 1989 to review the political balance on its committees on an annual basis. A note is attached (Annex 1) (download as .doc file) which summarises how the rules operate.
2. A schedule is attached (Annex 2) (download as .doc file) showing the initial arithmetical product of the rules for the Council’s committees. The figures in brackets show the adjustments which are necessary to achieve the balance across and within committees to comply with the rules.
3. In summary the changes necessary are:
(a) To obtain balance across the scrutiny committees, the Liberal Democrat, Labour, and Green Groups have 2, 1 and 1 additional seats respectively. There is a remaining unfilled seat; and
(b) To obtain balance across the other committees of the Council and overall, the Conservative Group must lose one place and this ‘unfilled’ seat must be offered to the Green Group, together with either the remaining unfilled seat from the scrutiny committees or the remaining unfilled seat from the balance across other committees.
The seat that then remains unfilled must be offered to the independent member.
4. Please note also that there is a question mark over the allocation to which the Council is entitled on the Thames Valley Police Authority Appointments Committee, the constitution of which requires overall political balance across its whole membership: this may result in the adjustment of both the numbers and the political balance of each member authority’s representation. The allocation shown in Annex 2 should be viewed in this light.
5. A further schedule (Annex 3) (download as .doc file) will be circulated separately showing the group nominations which have been received, together with the names of co-opted members where relevant. These nominations will be put forward on the basis of the adjusted memberships of the respective bodies explained in the preceding paragraphs.
RECOMMENDATIONS
6. The Council is RECOMMENDED:
(a) to confirm the political balance on committees shown in Annex 2 to the report;
(b) to appoint to committees the councillors and co-opted members shown in Annex 3.
A. R. Cloke Assistant Head of Legal & Democratic Services
Background Papers: Nil
Contact Officers: Sue Whitehead, Committee Services Manger Tel: 01865 810262
June 2009
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