Issue - meetings

In accordance with Section 15(1)(b) of the Local Government and Housing Act 1989, the Council must review the representation of political groups on committees at the annual meeting each year or as soon as practicable thereafter.  For this purpose, “committees” includes the Council’s Overview & Scrutiny Panels but excludes the Cabinet. 

The Act prescribes, amongst other things, that –

(a)       the majority of seats on committees must be allocated to the majority political group;  and

(b)       subject to (a) above, the number of seats on committees allocated to each political group must bear the same proportion as the total of the membership of that group to the membership of the authority.

These provisions need not be applied if a different position is agreed without any member of the authority voting against.

Following the ordinary election of Councillors on 7 May 2015, the political proportionality on the Council is:

Conservative:    58

Liberal Democrat:   2

There are 101 Committee/Panel places to which appointments should be made under the principles of proportionality. Of these, 98 should be allocated to the Conservative Group and 3 to the Liberal Democrat Group.

Recommendations for the appointment of members to Committees and Panels to comply with the principles of proportionality will be circulated later for consideration under item 10 of this agenda.

RECOMMENDED:

That appointments be made to committees and panels in accordance with the principles for the allocation of seats to political parties as set out in Section 15 of the Local Government and Housing Act 1989, except in those cases where it is decided, without any member voting against, not to apply the principles of proportionality.

The recommendation was agreed.

RESOLVED:

That appointments be made to committees and panels in accordance with the principles for the allocation of seats to political groups as set out in Section 15 of the Local Government and Housing Act 1989, except in those cases where it is decided, without any member voting against, not to apply the principles of proportionality.