Agenda and draft minutes

Apoligies were received from Councillor L Lewis, S Davies and W L Tomlinson.

None.

To confirm the minutes of the previous meeting held on 31 October 2025.

RESOLVED – that the minutes of the previous meeting held on 31 October 2025 be confirmed as a correct record and signed by the Chair.

To consider updates to the Council's Constitution.

The Head of Registrars, Public Protection, Legal & Democracy presented the Constitution Update Report to Members. The Committee were advised that a significant programme of work had been undertaken to review and update the Council’s Constitution, reflecting both legislative requirements and the need to modernise structure, improve clarity, and support effective governance. 

Members heard that the Constitution governed how the Council operated and set out who was responsible for decision-making. It was noted that the Monitoring Officer retained statutory responsibility for ensuring the Constitution remained current, and that periodic review was essential to maintain accuracy and usability. 

The Head of Registrars, Public Protection, Legal & Democracy outlined that the proposed amendments were highlighted in yellow throughout Appendix A. The main proposals included clarifying that the Speaker acts on behalf of the Mayor in accordance with legislative wording, adding additional wording to ensure consistency between questions and motions, and to provide that where there were multiple questions received on substantially the same subject matter for a meeting, that only the first received would be taken forward. Members were informed that any correspondence related to motions or questions received by the proper officer would be confirmed by a notification of receipt. The Head of Registrars, Public Protection, Legal & Democracy clarified further, stating that should the proper officer be out of the office, their automatic replies would include instructions on where correspondence should be sent, and that confirmation of receipt was still to be expected from the subsequent officer.  

The Committee were advised that another proposed amendment was for a new time limit of two hours be introduced for Full Council meetings. This was to be extendable by a further thirty minutes through a motion approved by a majority vote if Councillors deemed it appropriate. Members were asked to note that when Officers reviewed best practice nationally, this limit was a common inclusion in Council Constitutions, and also in the practices of Parish and Town Council located across the Borough.  

?During the discussion Members agreed that codifying the processes related to duplicate questions and motions, as well as a formal acknowledgement of receipt was logical. The Committee questioned the time limit of two hours and how it would be applied in practice, should it occur during an ongoing debate. The Head of Registrars, Public Protection, Legal & Democracy clarified that it would be at the Speakers discretion, but it would be expected that there would be a conclusion to the matter that was in progress, and that this would include rights of reply and any votes that needed to occur.  

RESOLVED - that the Committee recommends that Full Councils adopt the revised and updated Constitution.  

The Committee received a report outlining the key objectives, timelines, and deliverables required to support the successful delivery of the Member Learning & Development Programme. 

At its meeting on 8 October 2025, the Committee agreed that a working group was to be established to undertake a detailed review of the existing programme. The purpose of the working group was to consider areas of strength and weakness within the current provision and to develop recommendations for the future programme, which were to be presented to the Committee in April 2026. 

Members were advised that it was anticipated the working group would hold a minimum of two meetings, with proposed dates originally scheduled for January and February. Owing to the deferral of the meeting, these dates may require adjustment from those previously noted in the report. The Member Support Officer noted that all dates had been selected with a view to minimise clashes with Parish and Town Council commitments and other Council committee meetings. 

The Committee heard that the working group would consist of Members of the Committee, with all meetings to take place via Microsoft Teams. It was noted that while a loose agenda would be set for each meeting, discussions would be Member led and meetings would not be formally minuted; however, officers would note key discussion points to inform a report for consideration at a future meeting of the Committee. 

The Member Support Officer advised the Committee that during the first session, Members would be asked to review each module of the current induction programme, assessing its suitability and effectiveness. Members would also be invited to propose any additional modules and consider whether existing modules remained necessary. The second session would focus on planning for the initial induction period, including arrangements for election night, essential registration days, and the directorates’ fayre. If required, a third session would be held to conclude ongoing discussions and finalise the recommendations to be presented at the next formal meeting of the Committee. 

Members noted the update and agreed that the proposed approach was sensible.