Agenda and draft minutes

11.1     RESOLVED – that the minutes of the previous meeting of the Committee held on 14 July 2020 be confirmed and signed as a correct record.

Notification of items which the Chair considers to be urgent and proposes to take at the appropriate part of the agenda. Any members who wish to raise urgent items are asked, wherever possible, to notify the Chair before the start of the meeting. In so doing, they must state the special circumstances which they consider justify the matter being considered urgent.

12.1     It was agreed that a report on a review a report regarding a review of temporary measures in relation to Council meetings agreed by the County Council in May 2020, that had previously been circulated would be considered under item 11 as an urgent item. The reason for urgency is to allow for this matter to be reported to the County Council at its meeting in October 2020.

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Report by Director of Communities, Economy and Transport

13.1     The Committee considered a report by the Director of Communities, Economy and Transport on the customer experience annual report.

13.2     The Committee RESOLVED to:

(1)  note the progress of the Customer Experience Board in the implementation of a series of measures to improve customer experience;

(2)  note the number and nature of complaints made to the Council in 2019/20; and

(3)  note the contents of the Local Government & Social Care Ombudsman’s annual letter to the Chief Executive.

Report by Assistant Chief Executive

14.1     The Committee considered a report by the Assistant Chief Executive regarding a Notice of Motion in relation to virtual meetings.

14.2     Following comments from Councillor Godfrey Daniel, Councillor Field agreed to amend the Notice of Motion to read:

Since lockdown remote working has been shown to be a very effective way for the Council to conduct its business. Without specific permission from the Government to continue in this way we shall have to revert to face to face meetings after the next County Council elections. 

This Council resolves to ask Central Government to change the rules to enable Local Authorities to make their own decisions as to whether to hold virtual and/or physical meetings from May 2021.

14.2     The Committee RESOLVED (by 3 votes to 2) to recommend the County Council to reject the Notice of Motion

Report by Assistant Chief Executive

15.1     The Committee considered a report by the Assistant Chief Executive on the annual review of the Corporate Governance Framework for 2019/20 together with an addendum providing  a commentary on the steps the Authority took in response to the Covid19 pandemic.

15.2     The Committee RESOLVED to:

1)         approve the action plan for 2020/21;

2)         note that actions identified to enhance governance arrangements are reflected in Business Plans and that implementation will be monitored throughout the year;

3)         confirm that Members are satisfied with the level of assurance provided to them through this report and the Council’s governance framework and processes;

4)         agreed that the addition proposed by the Audit Committee as set out in paragraph 1.6 should be included in the Business Services actions at Annex A to the Annual Governance Statement;

5)         identify any significant governance issues that should be included in the Council’s Annual Governance Statement; and

6)         approve the Annual Governance Statement (including the addendum) for signature by the Leader and the Chief Executive and publication within the Statement of Accounts

Report by the Chief Operating Officer

16.1     The Committee considered a report by the Chief Operating Officer on the appointment of a member to the Pension Board.

16.2     The Committee RESOLVED to appoint Councillor Tom Druitt as a member of the Pension Board for a term of 3 years.

Report by Assistant Chief Executive

17.1     The Committee considered a report by the Assistant Chief Executive regarding the appointment of a councillors as a Council representative on the Corporate Programme Advisory Group of the Institutional Investors Group on Climate Change.

17.2     The Committee RESOLVED to appoint Councillor Fox as the Council’s representative on the Corporate Programme Advisory Group of the Institutional Investors Group on Climate Change for the period to 11 May 2021.

Report by the Chief Operating Officer

18.1     The Committee considered a report by the Chief Operating Officer regarding the pay offer to LMG managers for 2020/21.

18.2     The Committee RESOLVED to agree the pay offer to LMG Managers for the financial year 2020/21 as being 2.75%, in line with the national (NJC) award

19.1     The Committee considered a report by the Assistant Chief Executive regarding a review of temporary measures in relation to Council meetings agreed by the County Council in May 2020 as a result of Covid-19 disruption.

19.2     The Committee RESOLVED to recommend the County Council to:

            1) agree to the continuation of the measures previously agreed by Council and set out in paragraph 1.2 of the report; and

            2) review these measures at the July 2021 meeting of the Council or as soon as practicable thereafter