CAMBRIDGE CITY COUNCIL
To: Councillors Adey, Boyce, Durrant, Hart,
C
Rosenstiel (Chair), R Smith, Stebbings, Ward
Alternate:
Reid
Placed on public deposit
on Friday 4 June.
CIVIC AFFAIRS COMMITTEE
Date: Monday 14 June 2004
Time: 6.00pm
Place:
Committee Room 1, The Guildhall
Contact:
Gary Clift
Direct
Dial: (01223)
457011
AGENDA
1 MINUTES
To confirm the minutes
of the meetings held on 5 May 2004.
2 APOLOGIES
FOR ABSENCE
3 DECLARATIONS
OF INTEREST
Members are asked to declare at this stage any
interests which they may have in any of the following items on the agenda. If
any member is unsure whether or not they should declare an interest on a
particular matter, they are requested to seek advice from the Head of Legal and
Democratic Services before the meeting.
4 PUBLIC
QUESTION TIME – see
below for detail of the scheme and other public information.
5 REVIEW OF DECISION MAKING & SCRUTINY
A report
to Strategy Scrutiny Committee on 19 July will propose that the Council reviews
its decision making and scrutiny functions and how it should be undertaken. To
facilitate this, it is recommended that the Annual Meeting of the Council
appoints a small working party of members with the following Terms of
Reference:
‘To make
recommendations to the Strategy Scrutiny Committee and Civic Affairs Committee
on changes to the decision making and scrutiny functions of the Council and
associated changes to the Council’s Constitution.’
The
membership of the Working Party should be based on a 3:2:1 split, which has
been the recent convention employed for such purposes.
6 NOMINATIONS FOR LEADER OF
THE COUNCIL AND EXECUTIVE COUNCILLORS
The Council will be required to elect a Leader and an Executive,
currently of five Executive Councillors comprising:
Deputy
Leader (also with responsibility for City Centre Development, Procurement and
Strategic IT)
Executive
Councillor for Commercial & Human Resources
Executive
Councillor for Community Development & Leisure
Executive
Councillor for Environment
Executive
Councillor for Housing & Health.
The
Civic Affairs Committee is requested to recommend nominations for the positions
of Leader and Executive Councillors for the consideration of Council on 24th
June.
For decision
7 NOMINATIONS FOR COMMITTEES FOR THE
MUNICIPAL YEAR 2004/05
Members are reminded that the rules on
political balance set out in the Local Government and Housing Act 1989 will be
applied to both scrutiny and regulatory committee composition so that, once the
size of committees has been determined, the division of seats among the groups
will be automatic and the Council must
appoint those members which each group puts forward for its seats.
In considering the
allocation of committee places to
political groups, the Council is legally required to take into account the
following principles:
(1) that
the controlling group should have a majority of seats on each committee
(2) that
the total number of committee
places allocated to each political
group must be in proportion to the number of members of that group on the
Council.
(3) that on
each committee the number of places allocated to each political group must be
in proportion to the number of members of that group on the Council.
The order of precedence
of these principles is the order in which they are given - ie (1) takes highest
priority, then (2) then (3).
(i) Scrutiny Committees
The table below lists the Scrutiny Committees which are
to be appointed by Council. The current numbers column refers to the current
size of the committee for illustrative purposes. No member of the Executive may sit on the Scrutiny Committees.
The Civic Affairs Committee is requested to make
proposals to Council on the size of the Scrutiny Committees and make
nominations to each.
SCRUTINY COMMITTEE |
NOMINATION(S) |
CURRENT NUMBERS
|
|
STRATEGY |
Liberal
Democrats Labour
Conservative |
6 3 1 = 10
Total |
|
CITY
CENTRE DEVELOPMENT |
Liberal
Democrats Labour Conservative |
4 2 0 = 6
Total |
|
COMMERCIAL
& HUMAN RESOURCES |
Liberal
Democrats Labour Conservative |
6 3 1 = 10
Total |
|
COMMUNITY
DEVELOPMENT & LEISURE |
Liberal
Democrats Labour Conservative |
6 3 1 = 10
Total |
|
ENVIRONMENT |
Liberal
Democrats Labour Conservative |
6 3 1 = 10
Total |
|
HOUSING
& HEALTH |
Liberal
Democrats Labour Conservative |
6 4 0 = 10
Total |
|
STRATEGIC
IT |
Liberal
Democrats Labour Conservative |
4 2 0 = 6
Total |
(ii) Regulatory Committees/Joint
Committee
The table below lists the Regulatory Committees/Joint Committee which are to be appointed by, and/or nominated to, Council on 24 June.
The Civic Affairs Committee is requested to make
proposals to Council on the size of the Regulatory Committees and to make
nominations. Members are asked to note
the comments under Licensing and Homelessness Appeals Committees.
COMMITTEE/SUB
COMMITTEE
|
NOMINATIONS
|
CURRENT NUMBERS
|
|
PLANNING |
Liberal
Democrat Labour Conservative |
6 4 0 = 10
Total |
|
**New -
LICENSING (This
committee will deal with applications under the 2003 Act as agreed at Council
on 20 May). |
Liberal
Democrat Labour Conservative |
= 15
Total Nb – 5 of the 15 members to join from the ‘first
appointed day’ (currently January 05). |
|
LICENSING
‘old regime’ (Taxi Licensing Sub comprises any three from this Committee) |
Liberal
Democrat Labour Conservative |
4 2 0 = 6
Total |
|
CIVIC
AFFAIRS |
Liberal
Democrat Labour Conservative |
5 3 0 = 8 Total |
|
EMPLOYMENT
APPEALS SUB |
Liberal
Democrat Labour Conservative |
4 2 0 =6 Total |
|
HOMELESSNESS
APPEALS Note - The Executive Councillor for Housing
& Health has agreed that the review of appeals be outsourced in early
autumn making the need for an Appeals Committee redundant. The Civic Affairs Committee will be
requested to recommend changes to the Council’s Constitution accordingly at
its 31 August meeting. |
|
Any
three members of the Housing and Health Scrutiny Committee |
|
STANDARDS
COMMITTEE |
Liberal
Democrat Labour Conservative |
3 2 1 = 6
Total (there are 2 external members
who wish to be re-appointed). |
|
CAMBRIDGE
ENVIRONMENT & TRANSPORT AREA JOINT |
Liberal
Democrat Labour Conservative |
4 2 0 = 6
Total |
(iii) AREA COMMITTEES – The Committee is requested to recommend that Council appoint four Area Committees (East, North, South, West/Central) with membership made up of those members representing a ward within the relevant Area Committee.
For decision
9. NOMINATIONS FOR CHAIRS
AND VICE CHAIRS OF SCRUTINY & REGULATORY COMMITTEES
The Civic Affairs Committee is requested to make
nominations for the positions listed below for the consideration of Council on
24 June.
Strategy
City Centre Development
Commercial & Human Resources
Community Development & Leisure
Environment
Housing & Health
Strategic IT
Chairs and
Vice-Chairs of Regulatory Committees
Civic Affairs
Employment Appeals Sub
Homelessness Appeals
Licensing
Licensing (old regime)
Taxi Licensing Sub
Planning
Standards
Chairs and Vice-Chairs of Area Committees
For
decision
Information for the public
You are welcome to attend this meeting as an observer.
o0o
You can ask questions on an issue included on the agenda, or on an
issue which is within this committee’s powers. If you wish to ask a question
related to an agenda
item contact the committee officer (listed above under ‘contact’) before the meeting starts. If you wish to ask a question on a matter
not included on this agenda, please contact the committee officer by 10.00am
the working day before the meeting.
Further details concerning the
right to speak at committee can be obtained from the committee section.
o0o
In the event of the fire alarm sounding (which is a continuous ringing sound), you should pick up your
possessions and leave the building by the route you came in. Once clear of the
building, you should assemble on the pavement opposite the main entrance to the
Guildhall and await further instructions. If your escape route or the assembly area is unsafe, you will be
directed to safe areas by a member of Cambridge City Council staff.
The next meeting of Civic Affairs
Committee is scheduled
for
Tuesday 31st August at 6pm.