Decision details
Formal Meetings of the Authority’s Committees
Decision Maker: Chief Executive Officer
Decision status: Recommendations Approved
Is Key decision?: Yes
Is subject to call in?: Yes
Decision:
The Chief Executive Officer considered the
report presented at the informal meeting of Executive members held
on 13 July 2021. Having taken account of the options detailed in
section 5.7 of the report and the comments made by Executive
Members, he resolved for the reasons set out below in this decision
record to propose to full Council using his emergency delegated
powers that:
i. Remote access, live broadcast informal meetings be continued
with any formal decisions required by those committees subsequently
being taken by the Chief Executive Officer under his emergency
delegated powers, taking into account the views of the committee
Members and all relevant information;
ii. The continued use of remote access, live broadcast informal
meetings be reviewed in September 2021, to include giving further
consideration to the benefits of remote working e.g. carbon
reduction, financial savings and greater public participation, with
a report to full Council in November 2021;
iii. The meeting of the County Council on 17 November 2021 be held
as a remote access, live broadcast informal meeting;
iv. continue to be delegated to the Chief Executive Officer, in
consultation with the Leader, to make any decisions necessary to
enable virtual meetings for members to continue and to determine
which committee meetings should be held virtually (as informal
meetings) and which should be held physically (as formal meetings).
This to be reviewed in September 2021;
iv. Full Council to give its agreement that not attending a
physical meeting in person for a 6 month period (as opposed to
continuing to attend virtual informal meetings) will not disqualify
a county councillor under the automatic vacation of office
provisions set out in section 85 of the Local Government Act
1972.
By whom: Richard Flinton, Chief Executive Officer, under his
emergency delegated powers and after consultation with the
Executive Members
Reasons for the decision:
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.
Following on from the expiry of the Local Authorities and Police
and Crime Panels (Coronavirus) (Flexibility of Local Authority and
Police and Crime Panel Meetings) (England and Wales) Regulations
2020 (“the 2020 Regulations”), which allowed for
committee meetings to be held remotely, the County Council resolved
at its meeting on 5 May 2021 that, for the present time, in light
of the continuing Covid-19 pandemic circumstances, remote
live-broadcast committee meetings should continue (as informal
meetings of the Committee Members), with any formal decisions
required being taken by the Chief Executive Officer under his
emergency decision making powers and after consultation with other
Officers and Members as appropriate and after taking into account
any views of the relevant Committee Members. This approach will be
reviewed by full Council at its July meeting.
The Chief Executive Officer took all relevant information into
account in exercising his emergency delegated powers in this
matter, including considering the views of the members of the
Executive.
The reasons for the decision in this matter are detailed in the
attached report (the report will be attached to the online decision
record)
Alternative options considered:
The alternative options considered are
detailed in the attached report (the report will be attached to the
online decision record)
Publication date: 15/07/2021
Date of decision: 13/07/2021
Effective from: 23/07/2021