Decision Maker: Chief Executive Officer
Decision status: Recommendations Approved
Is Key decision?: Yes
Is subject to call in?: No
That meetings of the full Council and such
other committees as the Chief Executive Officer may from time to
time and in consultation with the Assistant Chief Executive (Legal
and Democratic Services) and the Democratic Services and Scrutiny
Manager think appropriate, be held virtually during the Covid-19
pandemic period until 7th May 2021 (the expiry of the current
regulations permitting the holding of virtual committee meetings
during the pandemic period).
*PLEASE NOTE This decision was originally
published on or near the date of the decision and so call in no
longer applies. It has been re-published as part of the change in
committee management system that we use.*
Decision taken by Richard Flinton, Chief Executive Officer, under
his emergency delegated powers.
Under his delegated decision making powers in the Officers’
Delegation Scheme in the Council’s Constitution, the Chief
Executive Officer has power, in cases of emergency, to take any
decision which could be taken by the Council, the Executive or a
committee.
On 7 April 2020, the Chief Executive Officer agreed (Decision
record 2020/CEO Emergency Powers/14), amongst other things, that
subject to the successful adoption of a technological solution that
enables the requirements laid out in the relevant regulations to be
complied with, virtual meetings be introduced for the following
committees (where the business either relates to the work being
done by the Council in response to the Coronavirus pandemic or
where a decision cannot be deferred for a compelling reason):
Executive; Planning and Regulatory functions; Audit; and a
sub-committee of the Pension Fund Committee. Only the Executive to
meet as scheduled. The Planning and Regulatory Functions committee
to meet as required to deal with urgent planning applications,
Audit Committee would similarly only meet if required to make an
urgent decision and Pension Fund Committee would form a sub-group
to make decisions relating to changes in investment performance.
All other formal, public committee meetings would be postponed
until September 2020.
Given the success of the operation of the virtual formal meetings
so far undertaken within the Council it is recommended that the
virtual meetings’ regime previously agreed by the Chief
Executive Officer be extended so that meetings of the full Council
and such other committees as the Chief Executive Officer may from
time to time and in consultation with the Assistant Chief Executive
(Legal and Democratic Services) and the Democratic Services and
Scrutiny Manager think appropriate, be held virtually during the
Covid-19 pandemic period until 7th May 2021 (the expiry of the
current regulations permitting the holding of virtual committee
meetings during the pandemic period).
Publication date: 28/04/2021
Date of decision: 09/07/2020