Agenda item

The Council is asked to consider and approve:

(a)       the review of the political balance of the Council;

(b)       the allocation of seats on Committees to each political group;

(c)        the appointment of Councillors to Committees

(d)       the appointments to Outside Bodies as a result of the review of the political balance.

The Leader of the Council presented a report, a copy of which had been circulated to each Member and a copy of which appears as Appendix 'A' to these Minutes in the Minute Book. She referred to the recommendation from the Audit and Governance Committee adopted by the Council on 9 June 2020 “that there should be an expectation that all Councillors will sit on at least one Committee or Panel of the Council”.  The Leader also commented on the representatives on outside bodies and the proposal that there would be a review in due course

The Leader moved, seconded by Councillor Margaret Phipps, the recommendations as set out in the report subject to recommendation (c) being amended to reflect the allocation of seats to the non- aligned councillors in table 3 being altered to read as follows

Table 3

The following amendment was moved by Councillor Drew Mellor seconded by Councillor Philip Broadhead:

(b) the allocation of seats to each political as set out in the revised Table 2 below, be approved

Table 2

Councillor Mellor explained that the above proposal would result in moving one Conservative seat from Licensing Committee to Children’s Services Overview and Scrutiny Committee with Bournemouth Independent and Greens relinquishing a seat on Children’s Services Overview and Scrutiny Committee and taking up a position on Licensing Committee. He reported that the proposal provided the opportunity for a strong opposition with increased membership to take a lead in the scrutiny function.  Members considered and commented on the implications of the proposed amendment.

Members voted on the above amendment:

Voting: For – 36, Against – 38, Abstentions – 1

The amendment was lost.

Members then voted on the original motion which was unanimously agreed. 

Councillor May Haines reported that she would be replacing Councillor Mohan Iyengar as a representative on the Dorset Police and Crime Panel.

RESOLVED that:

(a) the revised political balance of the Council, as set out in Table 1 to the report, be approved;

(b) the allocation of seats to each political group, as set out in Table 2 to the report, be approved;

(c) the appointment of Councillors to Committees and Boards taking into account the membership, as detailed in Table 3 and the revised proposals for the non-aligned Members as detailed above, the nominations submitted by political groups and subject to the Council’s consideration of the approved recommendation from the Audit and Governance Committee on 23 January 2020 – “that there should be an expectation that all Councillors will sit on at least one Committee or Panel of the Council”, be approved;

(d) the appointment of Councillors to the other bodies, as detailed in paragraphs 6-8 as a result of the revised political balance of the Council, be approved subject to the change on the Dorset Police and Crime Panel as detailed above.