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Number of committees, membership, and terms of reference

1. At the annual meeting of the full Authority, it will resolve:

1.1 What committees and sub-committees will be appointed.

1.2 Who the chairs and vice-chairs will be.

1.3 What the committee terms of reference are.

2. It may also resolve on the appointment of independent persons, non-voting members, advisers, or other persons that may contribute to the work of a committee, on a permanent or temporary basis to any committee or sub-committee. It may also delegate that resolution to the committee itself.

3. The terms of reference for each committee shall make it explicit in what matters the committee has the power to make a final decision, which would be binding on the full Authority, and in what matters it may only make a recommendation to the full Authority. It shall however be open to any committee to submit a matter to the Authority for decision, even if the matter falls within the delegated powers of the committee.

Political balance

4. Section 15 of the Local Government and Housing Act 1989 (“the 1989 Act”) requires the Authority to allocate seats on its various committees according to political balance rules.

5. The principles to be followed are set out in full in s.15(4) of the 1989 Act but in summary:

5.1 Not all the seats on the body should be allocated to the same political group.

5.2 A political group must comprise at least two members.

5.3 If one political group has an overall majority of the seats on the Authority, that group must have a majority of the seats on each committee.

5.4 So far as reasonably practicable and subject to (5.3) above, the total number of seats allocated to each political group across all committees shall be proportionate to the total number of seats that political group has on the Authority.

5.5 Subject to (5.3) and (5.4) above, the number of seats on each committee will be allocated to political groups in the same proportion as each group’s seats on the full Authority.

Committee reports

6. Committees shall submit minutes of their meetings to the next scheduled meeting of the full Authority. Members of the Authority may ask questions regarding any matter contained in the report minutes of a committee. Unless the minutes contain specific recommendations for decision by the Authority, they shall be regarded as being submitted for the information of the Authority only.

7. The adoption of the recommendations of a committee shall be moved by the Chair of the committee, or in the absence of the Chair by the Vice-Chair, or in the absence of both, by the person presiding at the Authority's meeting, and shall be seconded. The Authority may disapprove, amend or refer back for further consideration any recommendation of a committee relating to a matter for decision by the Authority.

8. Subject to the agreement of the Chair of the committee, a member of the Authority who is not a member of that committee and so not entitled to speak at a committee or sub-committee, shall be entitled to do so but not to vote at a meeting of the committee or sub-committee.

9. The quorum of any committee shall be set out in the terms of reference for that committee.

10. In the event of any meeting being inquorate, it shall stand temporarily adjourned for 30 minutes and if, thereafter, there is still not a quorum the meeting shall stand finally adjourned. At the point of adjournment, or subsequently, the Chair may agree arrangements for the meeting to be reconvened.

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