Issue - meetings

3.20 p.m.

Report by Director of Law & Governance and Monitoring Officer

The purpose of the Working Group is to make recommendations to this Committee on potential changes to the Constitution. The Committee endorsed an outline approach which envisaged the Committee receiving a draft, revised version of the Constitution in March 2022.  The Committee did however affirm that achieving a Constitution that is fit for purpose and understandable by the public, members and officers was the key consideration.

The Constitution Working Group has met twice and it has become apparent that the timescale in which to produce an updated Constitution that is fit for purpose and understandable is not achievable within the initial anticipated timescale. 

The Constitution Working Group, therefore, ask the Committee to extend the deadline for the review until July 2022

The Committee is RECOMMENDED:

(a)          To note the progress made to date with the Constitution Review; and

(b)          To note the concerns of the Constitution Review Working Group around delivery of a new Constitution by the end of March 2022 and to extend that deadline until 31 July 2022.

The Audit & Governance Committee was RECOMMENDED to note –

a)    The progress made to date with the Constitution Review; and

b)    The concerns of the Constitution Review Working Group around delivery of a new Constitution by the end of March 2022 and to extend that deadline until 31 July 2022.

Recommendations agreed.

The Committee considered a report by the Director of Law and Governance and Monitoring Officer updating the Committee on the Review of the Council’s Constitution, and the work of the Constitution Review Working Group.

It was recommended that the Committee note the –

(a)  Progress made to date with the Constitution Review;

(b)  Concerns of the Constitution Review Working Group around delivery of a new Constitution by the end of March 2022; and

(c)   The proposal to extend the deadline [for delivery of a new Constitution] until 31 July 2022.

Anita Bradley, Director of Law and Governance, presented the report.

In the subsequent discussion, the following points were raised.

(a)  There were statutory provisions relating to local authority constitutions. However, it was proposed that the constitution should reflect the local authority and, therefore, officers were consulting with Members of the Constitution Review Working Group on the appropriate style and content for Oxfordshire County Council’s Constitution. In so doing, Members were being shown several examples of local authority constitutions.

(b)  To resolve any anomalies and inconsistencies that might emerge because of the drafting process, Ms Bradley proposed that she be give delegated authority to resolve any anomalies and inconsistencies.

RESOLVED: To –

(a)  Approve the report’s recommendations; and

(b)  The proposal that the Director of Law & Governance be granted the necessary delegated authority to reconcile any anomalies and contradictions that might arise because of redrafting the Council’s constitution.