CAMBRIDGE CITY COUNCIL          

 

 

NOTICE OF THE ANNUAL MEETING OF THE COUNCIL - 23 May 2002

 

 

Dear Councillor,

 

A meeting of the Cambridge City Council will be held in the Council Chamber of the Guildhall on Thursday 23 May 2002 at 11.00am and I hereby summon you to attend.

 

Dated 17 May 2002

 

 

Yours faithfully

 

ROB HAMMOND

 

Chief Executive

 

 

 

1.         TO ELECT A MAYOR FOR THE MUNICIPAL YEAR 2002/2003

 

2.         TO ELECT A DEPUTY MAYOR FOR THE MUNICIPAL YEAR 2002/2003

 

3.         TO APPROVE AS A CORRECT RECORD THE MINUTES  OF THE MEETING OF THE COUNCIL HELD ON 25 APRIL 2002

 

4.         TO NOTE THE RETURNING OFFICER=S REPORT THAT THE FOLLOWING HAVE BEEN ELECTED TO THE OFFICE OF COUNCILLOR:

 

Abbey                         Caroline Julie Hart

Arbury                         Michael John Todd-Jones

Castle                         John David Cyril White

Cherry Hinton             Graham Charles Stuart

Coleridge                   Elizabeth Ruth Bagnall

East Chesterton        Jennifer Anne Bailey

King=s Hedges          Maria Elizabeth Rose Bell

Market                        Joye Elizabeth Rosenstiel

Newnham                   Sian Tudor Reid

Petersfield                 Kevin Wayne Blencowe

Queen Edith=s            Amanda Joan Taylor and Alan Reginald Harold Baker

Romsey                      Catherine Helen Lindsay Smart

Trumpington               Judith Elizabeth Pinnington

West Chesterton       Michael Ian Nimmo-Smith

 

5.         TO NOTE THE APPOINTMENT OF THE MAYOR=S CHAPLAIN FOR THE ENSUING YEAR

6.         TO NOTE THE APPOINTMENT OF THE MAYOR=S CADET FOR THE ENSUING YEAR

 

7.         TO PASS A RESOLUTION OF THANKS TO THE OUTGOING MAYOR AND MAYORESS

 

8.         MAYOR=S ANNOUNCEMENTS

 

9.         TO ELECT FROM AMONG THE MEMBERS OF THE COUNCIL FOUR BAILIFFS OF THE CITY FOR THE MUNICIPAL YEAR 2002/2003

 

(There will be a break for lunch for three quarters of an hour.)

 

10.       TO CONSIDER THE RECOMMENDATIONS GIVEN IN THE ADOPTION MINUTES (PART 1) OF THE CITY BOARD MEETING OF 7 MAY 2002     

 

11.       TO ADOPT THE COUNCIL’S NEW CONSTITUTION

 

The proposed Constitution is enclosed for members separately with this summons.

 

The Constitution follows proposals agreed by the Council in July 2001.  An earlier draft was approved, subject to some changes and additions, at the Council meeting on 24 April 2002.  The final draft does not differ substantially from that approved at the last meeting.  The main changes are the incorporation of a scheme of officer delegation and changes to reflect the changes and additions required by the Council.  The scheme of delegations does not depart significantly from the previous scheme.  The officers propose to ask scrutiny and regulatory committees to look more closely at aspects of the scheme of delegations either in the June/July committee cycle or in the following cycle.

 

            Council is recommended to:

 

            1.         Adopt the new Constitution and the executive arrangements it contains, in compliance with the requirements of Part II of the Local Government Act, 2000.

 

            2.         Confirm the delegation of powers to officers set out in the Constitution in respect of all functions which are not the responsibility of the Executive.

 

            (Background papers:

 

            DTLR Constitutional Guidance and Model Constitution

            Report to City Board on 16 April 2002: “New Constitution for the City Council”

 

To inspect these papers contact Simon Pugh, Head of Legal and Democratic Services, tel: (01223) 457401

 

12.       TO CONSIDER THE RECOMMENDATIONS GIVEN IN THE ADOPTION MINUTES (PART 2) OF THE CITY BOARD MEETING OF 7 MAY 2002     

 

13.       TO ADOPT A NEW SCHEME OF MEMBERS’ ALLOWANCES

           

            The Council is asked to consider the attached report of the Independent Remuneration Panel and the proposed amendment by the Liberal Democrat Group.

 

14.       ANNUAL STATEMENT

 

Group Leaders will each have the opportunity to speak for not more than 15 minutes on their group=s priorities for action and objectives for the forthcoming municipal year in the following order:

 

Councillor Howarth

Councillor Bagnall

Councillor Stuart

 

The Annual Statement of the Liberal Democrat Group is appended to this summons.

 

15.       ADOPTION OF ANNUAL POLICIES AND PRIORITIES

 

The scheme for Annual Statements provides that the Statement of the Leader of the largest group on the Council shall be deemed to be a motion for adoption. It may therefore be debated and amendments proposed after which it shall be put to the vote and, if carried, shall be adopted as Council policy for the municipal year. The Council will therefore consider the Annual Statement of the Liberal Democrat Group as a motion for adoption.

 

If the adopted Annual Statement contains proposals which fall outside the Council’s budgetary or policy framework, the proposals shall not be acted upon until there has been a report to the relevant scrutiny committee(s) and executive councillor(s) in the normal way and approval at a subsequent meeting of the Council.

           

16.       TO MAKE APPOINTMENTS TO WORKING PARTIES AND OUTSIDE BODIES

 

            The Council will be requested to appoint to the working parties and outside bodies listed below.  Nominations will be circulated at the meeting.

 

Addenbrookes/City/South Cambridgshire Joint Working Group

Cambridgeshire Councils Association

Chief Officer Appraisal Working Party

City Centre Management  Consultative Forum

City/Anglia Polytechnic University Forum

City/University of Cambridge Forum

Development Plan Steering Group

East of England Local Government Conference

E-Government Working Party

Environment & Strategic Forum (with County Council)

Equalities Panel

Health Scrutiny (with County Council)

Housing Management Board

Housing Performance Management Panel

Joint Staff Employer Forum

Local Strategic Partnership

Office Accommodation Working Party

Sustainable City Executive

 

17.       PUBLIC QUESTION TIME

 

18.       TO DEAL WITH ORAL QUESTIONS

 

If members wish to ask questions they should inform the Chief Executive in writing by noon of the day preceding the day of the meeting of the full text of the question to be asked. A list of questions will be circulated at the meeting, with the order having been determined by the Mayor drawing names at random.

 

19.       TO CONSIDER THE FOLLOWING NOTICES OF MOTION, NOTICE OF WHICH HAS BEEN GIVEN BY:

 

(a)       Councillors Bagnall, Durrant, Bradnack

 

In light of consistent evidence that all-postal ballots bring about significantly increased electoral turnout, this Council requests officers to bring a report to the next meeting of the Civic Affairs Committee on the possibility of holding an all-postal ballot for Cambridge in the City Council elections in May 2003.

 

(b)       Councillor Currie

 

This Council endorses the importance of the highest probity for all councillors. However, it is concerned that the Model Code of Conduct, which councils are required to adopt, is deficient in several ways, combining over-prescription with vagueness and uncertainty.

 

The Council is, firstly, concerned at the wide-ranging requirement to declare interests of relatives and friends.  The definition of a “relative” is extensive and the status of a “friend” uncertain.  It is unlikely that councillors will have sufficient knowledge of the interests of relatives and friends to comply fully with the requirement.  This is likely to lead to complaints about inadvertent breaches of the Code, and an innocent lack of knowledge could well be construed as concealment.

 

Secondly, the Code requires registration of membership of a long and ill-defined list of bodies, including all charitable bodies and bodies whose “principal purposes include the influence of public opinion”.  This requirement is unduly onerous and would be better addressed by way of oral disclosure at meetings when interests arise.  Again, inadvertent and innocent breaches of the Code are likely.

 

Thirdly, the obligation to report all breaches of the Code to the Standards Board is too prescriptive, precluding local or informal resolution of innocent or minor breaches of the Code.

 

This Council is concerned that these defects in the Code provide much scope for trivial, malicious and vexatious complaints to the Standards Board.  Complaints about even innocent breaches of the Code could cause considerable worry to councillors and damage to their reputations.  Responding to complaints could also oblige councillors to incur legal and other expenses in defending themselves against allegations.

 

The Council therefore:

 

1. Urges the Department of Transport, Local Government and The Regions, and the Standards Board to take account of these concerns in any revision of the Model Code;

 

2. Urges the Standards Board to deal promptly with allegations of breach of the Code, informing those accused without delay and making maximum use of discretion to refer complaints to Standards Committees for local resolution; and

 

3. Asks the Local Government Association to explore ways, and issue advice on, how best individual councillors can be protected from incurring a financial burden in defending themselves against allegations which may well turn out to be ill-founded.

 

20.       TO NOTE THE RECORD OF MEMBERS’ ATTENDANCES AT COMMITTEE, SUB-COMMITTEE AND WORKING PARTY MEETINGS DURING 2001/2002

 

            To be circulated at the meeting.

 

 

 

 

 

THE NEXT MEETING OF THE COUNCIL IS SCHEDULED FOR THURSDAY 25 JULY 2002 AT 6.00PM.