Venue: The Committee Rooms, City Hall, The City of Lincoln Council
Contact: Katie Storr Democratic and Elections Team Manager
No. | Item |
---|---|
Welcome Minutes: This being the inaugural meeting of the District Joint Committee, Ian Knowles, Chief Executive of West Lindsey District Council, the secretariat authority for the Joint Committee, presided over agenda items 1 and 2. Welcomes were extended and round table introductions made.
|
|
Apologies for Absence Minutes: There were no apologies for absence, with all Members present.
|
|
To Elect a Chairman of the District Joint Committee and Motion to Vary the Order of the Agenda Minutes: Nominations were sought for the position of Chairman.
In response, a Member proposed that a temporary Chair be elected in the first instance, outlining his rationale.
The proposal was duly seconded, with the seconder sharing the rationale previously put forward and expanding further.
Other Members did not share the rationale and were of the view it was important that District Joint Committee got itself to a position where it could have the strongest voice possible in what was the biggest constitutional change of an era.
Following some discussion consensus was reached that a temporary Chairman would be appointed in the first instance.
A further proposal was made that agenda item 8 be taken prior to agenda items 2 and 3 again with a general consensus being reached.
On that basis it was
RESOLVED that a temporary Chairman be appointed in the first instance and the order of the agenda be varied to allow agenda item 8 to be taken prior to agenda items 2 and 3.
|
|
Appointment of a Temporary Chairman Minutes: Given the views expressed and consensus reached, nominations for the position of temporary Chairman were sought.
Nominations were received for Councillor Richard Wright and Councillor Anne Dorrian, with both duly seconded. Given the two nominations Officers outlined the voting mechanism.
Members sought to understand the mechanism for a recorded vote and were referred to Standing Order Rule 5.6, noting that the majority of Members (4) would need to support the request.
Several Members expressed dissatisfaction at the threshold which had been set. However, it was noted that each District Council had now signed off the Standing Orders. A Members right to request their individual vote be recorded in the minutes remained and could be used if those Members so wished.
On being put to the vote, with four votes for Councillor Wright and three votes for Councillor Dorrian, it was: -
RESOLVED that Councillor Richard Wright be appointed temporary Chairman.
Note: Councillors Ashley Baxter, Trevor Young and Anne Dorrian requested that their vote against the above decision be recorded in the minutes.
Councillor Richard Wright resumed the Chair from this point in the meeting.
|
|
To Nominate two additional representatives from the District Joint Committee for Devolution to be the District Councils' representative at meetings of the Greater Lincolnshire Combined County Authority (GLCCA) Minutes: Given the earlier decision to vary the order of the agenda, nominations for the four positions available were sought.
The first proposal made and seconded was that representation should be formed as follows: one Labour Councillor, one Conservative Councillor, one Liberal Democrat Councillor, and one Independent Councillor.
The point was made by more than one member, that each authority had agreed for their member to represent their authority, not a political group or party.
The second proposal made and seconded was that representation should be formed as follows: the City of Lincoln Council, North Kesteven District Council, South Holland District Council and East Lindsey District Council.
With each proposer offering their rationale, heated debate ensued, resulting in warnings around conduct being issued.
With a very clear difference of opinion, further political exchanges and personal comments were made, again some Members were warned about their conduct, and reminded of the Chairman’s powers in the standing orders.
With their being no consensus, Members requested the meeting move to the vote. Officers confirmed that the motions needed to be voted on in the order they were made.
On being put to the vote, Motion one (one Labour Councillor, one Conservative Councillor, one Liberal Democrat Councillor, and one Independent Councillor) was declared LOST, with three Councillors voting in favour and four against.
Note: Councillors Ashley Baxter, Anne Dorrian and Trevor Young requested their votes for the above decision be recorded in the minutes.
Motion two (representatives from the City of Lincoln Council, North Kesteven District Council, South Holland District Council and East Lindsey District Council) was then put to the vote. With four votes for and three against, the motion was declared CARRIED.
On that basis it was: -
RESOLVED that Councillor Richard Wright (NKDC), Councillor Naomi Tweddle (CofL), Councillor Craig Leyland (ELDC), and Councillor Nick Worth (SHDC) be nominated as the District Council’s representatives at meetings of the Greater Lincolnshire Combined County Authority (GLCCA) (subject to the District Joint Committee being accepted as a nominating body by the GLCCA).
Note: Councillors Ashley Baxter, Anne Dorrian and Trevor Young requested their votes against the above decision be recorded in the minutes.
Note: Councillor Anne Dorrian left the meeting at this point.
|
|
To Elect a Chairman of the District Joint Committee Minutes: Having agreed the four representatives, nominations were sought for a permanent Chairman of the District Joint Committee.
Councillor Richard Wright was proposed and seconded.
The Committee were reminded that only nominations for one of the four members appointed under the previous agenda item were valid, in line with the Committee’s Standing Orders.
With no further valid nominations, on being put to the vote, it was: -
RESOLVED that Councillor Richard Wright be elected as Chairman of the District Joint Committee (subject to the District Joint Committee be accepted as a nominating body by the GLCCA).
Note: Councillors Ashley Baxter and Trevor Young requested that their abstention from the vote above be recorded in the minutes
Councillor Richard Wright remained in the Chair for the remainder of the meeting.
|
|
To Elect a Vice-Chairman of the District Joint Committee Minutes: Councillor Naomi Tweddle was proposed for the position of Vice-Chairman. The proposal was duly seconded and with no further nominations, on being put to the vote it was: -
RESOLVED that (subject to the District Joint Committee being accepted as a nominating body by the GLLCA) Councillor Naomi Tweddle be elected Vice-Chairman of the District Joint Committee.
Note: Councillors Trevor Young and Ashley Baxter requested that their votes against the above decision be recorded in the minutes.
|
|
Members' Declarations of Interest Members may make any declarations of interest at this point but may also make them at any point during the meeting.
Minutes: There were no declarations of interest made.
|
|
Standing Orders and Terms of Reference for the District Joint Committee To receive and note the documents agreed by all Constituent Bodies.
Additional documents: Minutes: The Committee received and were asked to note both the Standing Orders and Terms of Reference for the District Joint Committee. Both documents had now been approved by each of the District Councils, through their own governance sign offs, with each Councils’ Monitoring Officer having approval, from their respective Council, to make any minor or housekeeping amendments required in the future, as agreed by the Joint Committee.
The Committee were advised that a small adjustment was required at paragraphs 2.1 and 2.2 of the Standing Orders, where the words “bi-annually” (twice per year) had been included but should in fact read “biennial” (every two years), which had been the original intention.
The Committee were advised that Monitoring Officers would make the house-keeping amendment post the meeting.
On that basis, and with no requirement for a vote, the Terms of Reference and the Standing Orders for the District Joint Committee, including the point of clarity to be made, detailed above, were NOTED.
|
|
Public Participation To agree a public participation scheme for future meetings. Draft attached for consideration.
Minutes: Given meetings of the District Joint Committee were open to the public and the public would have a right to both attend and participate in the meetings, a first draft version of a public participation scheme had been prepared for consideration.
Debate ensued with their being a view that the draft scheme, as presented, was too District Council service focussed. The Scheme needed to detail more clearly the role of the District Joint Committee and the matters it was responsible for. Members also noted a number of typographical errors and sentences which could be made clearer.
Officers acknowledged and were accepting of the points raised, and undertook to re-draft the Participation Scheme, for consideration at the next meeting. The revised draft would be circulated between meetings, to allow Members to feedback on the re-draft, prior to the Scheme being formally submitted to the Committee for approval and adoption.
RESOLVED that:
(a) approval of the Public Participation Scheme be DEFERRED until the next meeting; and
(b) a revised Scheme be drafted, taking on board the points raised, and circulated between meetings for comment.
|
|
Rotation of Appointments To consider and agree a rotation pattern for the four representatives on the Greater Lincolnshire Combined County Authority (GLCCA).
Minutes: In relation to the four seats afforded to District Joint Committee Members on the GLCCA, it had been suggested that the Committee could seek to agree a rotation pattern of appointments for future years.
Two examples of how rotation may work had been shared with Members.
Given there were still a number of points to be clarified, as referred to earlier in the meeting and the fact that there may be alternative rotation patterns Members wished to consider, it was suggested the item be deferred to a future meeting and further work be undertaken.
RESOLVED that the matter be DEFERRED to a future meeting and further work be undertaken to identify further possible rotation patterns.
|
|
District Joint Committee Administration To agree future arrangements for the administration of the District Joint Committee
Minutes: West Lindsey District Council had acted as Secretariat for Inaugural Meeting, given the appointments made earlier in the meeting, the Leader of West Lindsey District Council was of the view that the future administration should be undertaken by one of those authorities which had an appointed member on the GLCCA.
Noting the view expressed, the Chairman suggested North Kesteven District Council would act as Secretariat for the first year. The Committee indicated their consensus to the proposal made, and on that basis: -
RESOLVED that North Kesteven District Council be appointed Secretariat to the District Joint Committee for a one-year period, with the costs of undertaking the role being monitored during the period.
|
|
To Make Appointments to Committees and Panels of the GLCCA Four Places on the GLCCA Economy Advisory Panel Four Places on the GLCCA Business and Infrastructure Board Four Places on the GLCCA Skills and Employment Board
To note future appointments will need to be made on the following at a time when the GLCCA have advised of the political makeup.
4 places on the Overview and Scrutiny Committee (politically balanced across the whole GLCCA geography) 4 places on the Audit Committee (politically balanced across the whole GLCCA geography)
Minutes: It was noted that District Councils would be afforded seats on a number of Boards of the GLCCA. These being, the Business and infrastructure Board, the Skills and Employment Board and the Transport Board. No places were available on the Economy Advisory Panel which had been stated in the agenda erroneously.
Members outlined a number of points of clarity they would wish to have before making any appointments to Boards, including each Board’s term of reference and how they interacted with one another and the Combined County Authority Board. Members required a greater understanding of how the information would follow between the two and back to the District Joint Committee.
Noting that the Boards would not meet prior to May 2025, the Chairman proposed that the appointments be deferred to a future meeting and a report setting out the clarity requested be brought to the next meeting. Committee Members indicated consensus to the proposal, and on that basis: -
RESOLVED that the appointments to the Boards of the GLCCA be deferred to a future meeting; and a report addressing the points of clarity requested, as detailed above, be submitted to the next meeting. |
|
Forward Planning Discussion To identify business for the next meeting.
Minutes: The Committee had a short discussion regarding what would need to be included on future agendas.
As a result, the following items were AGREED: -
· All matters deferred from this meeting including an update and clarity around appointments to Boards of the GLCCA;
· An update from those Chief Executives on Officer Working Groups i.e. Business and Infrastructure (AA)
· A report back from the first meeting of the GLCCA (at an appropriate time)
· A Discussion regarding the strategy/tactics for District reps appointed to the GLCCA
· To formally receive and accept the proposal that this Committee be a nominating body.
|
|
Proposed Schedule of Dates/Times Venues for Future Meetings Based on a five weekly meeting cycle · Thursday 30 January, 2.30 pm, Guildhall Gainsborough. · Thursday 6 March, 2.30pm venue to be confirmed (proposed Sleaford or Horncastle) · Tuesday 8 April 2.30pm venue to be confirmed (proposed Sleaford or Horncastle)
Minutes: Whilst a number of proposed dates (based on five weekly meeting cycle) and venues and had been included in the agenda, given the change in secretariat, it was AGREED that a further set of revised dates/venues be circulated for consideration.
As such the date of the next meeting, and the normal meeting frequency were to be confirmed.
|
|
Closing Remarks Minutes: The Chairman addressed the Committee and he understood the District’s had found themselves in an in-perfect situation. The Constitution of the GLCCA gave little credence to the District Councils, as such it was incumbent on the Committee that they worked collectively and did the best for residents through collaboration.
He asked that this fact remain in the forefront of minds as the District Joint Committee became more established.
|