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Council minutes, agendas and reports

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