Issue - meetings

To consider a recommendation from the Audit & Governance Committee.

In proposing the recommendations of the Audit and Governance Committee on 8 July 2024, the Chair, Cllr G Suttle reported that recommendation 3 should read “2024” not 2025. 

The recommendations were seconded by Cllr S Flower.

Decision

(a)           That the Officer Scheme of Delegation, be amended, in the Constitution to change the process for determining which planning applications are referred to the planning committees (as shown in Appendix 1 of the report).

(b)           That the Protocol for Members and Officers on Planning Procedures in the Constitution, be amended, at paragraph 8.2 (as set out in Appendix 1 of the report).

(c)           That any Officer Scheme of Delegation Change take effect on 25 July 2024.

(d)           That the Constitution be amended to rename Licensing Committee as the Licensing and Gambling Acts Committee, creating a separate General Licensing Committee and substituting Articles 8.28 and 8.29 of the Constitution with new Articles 8.28 – 8.31 (as set out in Appendix 2 of the report).

(e)           That the Chair, Vice-Chair and other Members of the Licensing and Gambling Acts Committee also be appointed to the General Licencing Committee.

(f)            That sub-committees of the two licensing committees will be formed as and when needed from the membership of the relevant licensing committee.

To receive a report by Jonathan Mair, Director Legal and Democratic.

The Director of Legal and Democratic Services and Monitoring Officer presented the report to consider the proposed amendments to the Officer Scheme of Delegation for referring planning applications to the planning committees.  Also, to recommend to full council the renaming of the Licensing Committee as the Licensing and Gambling Acts Committee and create a separate General Licensing Committee with the same members.

The Head of Planning addressed the committee with regard to recommendation 2 within the report and the potential increase in applications that would go to the planning committees.  It was suggested and supported by the Director of Legal and Democratic Services and Monitoring Officer that this recommendation was excluded and taken away for further thought.

Members made comments regarding the aging aspects of local plans, the cost implications of additional pressure on committees and officer time and were in agreement to set recommendation 2 aside.  It was felt that the number of trivial applications on council land that came to committee was a waste of resources.

Cllr Flower put forward a proposal that the recommendations (with the exception of no. 2), be recommended to Full Council subject to the deletion of “in consultation with the relevant ward members” (P172 of the agenda) as this was duplication.

 Recommendation:

1. That Full Council is asked to amend the Officer Scheme of Delegation in the Constitution to change the process for determining which planning applications are referred to the planning committees (as shown with tracked changes in Appendix 1);  

2. That Full Council is asked to amend the Protocol for Members and Officers on Planning Procedures in the Constitution by amending paragraph 8.2 as set out Appendix 1;
 

3. That any changes to the Officer Scheme of Delegation take effect on 25 July 2024;

4. That Full Council agrees to amend the Constitution by renaming the Licensing Committee as the Licensing and Gambling Acts Committee, creating a separate General Licensing Committee and substituting Articles 8.28 and 8.29 of the Constitution with new Articles 8.28-8.31 as set out in Appendix 2;
 

5. That the Chair, Vice-Chair and other Members of the Licensing and Gambling Acts Committee are also appointed to the General Licensing Committee;

6. That sub-committees of the two licensing committees can be formed as and when needed from the membership of the relevant licensing committee.