Agenda item - Annual Review and Re-appointment of Cabinet Working Parties, Joint Committee/Panels and Other Groups

Report No: CAB/SE/16/022

Portfolio Holder: John Griffiths

Lead Officers: Karen Points and Steven Boyle

RESOLVED:

That:

(1) the Grant Working Party continues to operate in accordance with its Terms of Reference, as detailed in Appendix A of Report No: CAB/SE/16/022.

(2)

(a) The Sustainable Development Working Party continues to operate at the present time in accordance with its current Terms of Reference, as detailed in Appendix B to Report No: CAB/SE/16/022; and

(b) the future direction of the Sustainable Development Working Party, as outlined in Section 1.2.8 of Report No: CAB/SE/16/022, be noted.

(3)

(a) The West Suffolk Joint Growth Steering Group, West Suffolk Joint Emergency Planning Panel, West Suffolk Joint Health and Safety Panel and the West Suffolk Joint Staff Consultative Panel continue to operate in accordance with their current Terms of Reference contained in Appendices C, D, E and F to Report No: CAB/SE/16/022 respectively; and

(b) meetings of the Joint Panels set out in Section 1.3.4 of Report No: CAB/SE/16/022, continue to be scheduled as and when required but with regard to the discussion outlined in Section 1.3.5.

(4)

(a) The interim Service Manager (Legal and Democratic Services) be given delegated authority to re-appoint or appoint as applicable, Members and substitute Members to the Working Parties, Joint Panels and Steering Group for 2016/2017, as set out in Sections 1.2.1 and 1.3.1 on the nominations from the Group Leaders; and

(b) such re-appointments/appointments be made on the basis of political balance requirements, where applicable and identified in Report No: CAB/SE/16/022.

(5) The interim Service Manager (Legal and Democratic Services) be given delegated authority to re-appoint or appoint as applicable, one full Cabinet Member and two substitute Cabinet Members to the Anglia Revenues and Benefits Partnership Joint Committee for 2016/2017, on the nomination of the Leader of the Council.

(6)

(a) The Cabinet’s existing informal Working Groups be retained or disbanded as indicated in Section 1.6.2 of Report No: CAB/SE/16/022; and

(b) provided that resources are available to support them, further informal task-and-finish working groups continue to be established to consider specific issues as required throughout 2016/2017.

(7) The Members stated in Section 1.7.2 of Report No: CAB/SE/16/022 be re-appointed as observers to the respective outside bodies listed, and to NOTE the Leader or ex-officio appointments to the project or partnership groups listed in Section 1.7.3 and 1.7.4.

The Cabinet considered Report No: CAB/SE/16/022, which presented the annual review and re-appointment of Cabinet Working Parties, Joint Committee/Panels and Other Groups: 2016/2017.

Councillor Griffiths, Leader of the Council, drew relevant issues to the attention of the Cabinet, including that the Cabinet was required to review the membership and Terms of Reference of its Working Parties, Joint Committees/Panels and Other Groups for 2016/2017.

The existing Terms of Reference for the relevant bodies were attached as Appendix A to F inclusive.

No changes were recommended to the majority of the existing arrangements, with the exception of a proposal to disband the West Suffolk Joint Diversity Working Party. St Edmundsbury Borough and Forest Heath District Councils were now in a position across the West Suffolk organisation where, instead of diversity and equality being considered in isolation, it was now mainstreamed into the way in which the Councils worked and was reported to Members through the Annual Report.

Together with the other recommendations contained in the report, the Cabinet supported this proposal.

Appointments and re-appointments of Members to the various bodies would be made under delegated authority on the basis of political balance requirements, where applicable.