To appoint Members to the vacant seats on three committees.

To appoint Members to vacant committee seats in accordance with the wishes of political groups as follows:

·       Cllr Latif to Audit and Governance Committee

·       Cllr Lygo to General Purposes Licensing Committee

·       Cllr Smowton to Standards Committee

Following the formation of the Independent Group, Council on 26 July 2021 was required by regulations to review the political balance on committees and to allocate three seats to that group; on Audit and Governance Committee, General Purposes Licensing Committee and Standards Committee. The Independent Group had indicated to the Proper Officer that it did not intend to nominate members to those seats and no nominations were received.

Regulations provide that where a political group fails to express its wishes in relation to a seat that has been allocated to it within three weeks of the allocation being made, the authority may make such appointment to that seat as they think fit.

Council on 26 July agreed that if the Independent Group failed to nominate to the three seats allocated to it those seats would be appointed to on the basis of the allocations agreed at the Annual Council meeting on 19 May 2021 i.e. the seats on Audit and Governance Committee and General Purposes Licensing Committee to be re-allocated to Labour Group and the seat on Standards Committee to be re-allocated to the Liberal Democrat Group.

Political groups have nominated members to the vacant seats. 

To leave the seats vacant until the next meeting of Council – not preferred as committee meetings were scheduled to take place before the next Council meeting.

Susan Sale, Head of Law and Governance