Issue - meetings

To consider the report of the Head of Legal, Equalities and Democratic Services

The recommended Officer Scheme of Delegation was proposed by Councillor R. Hollingworth and seconded by Councillor Mrs. M. A. Sherrey JP.

Councillor P. M. McDonald raised the following issues with regard to the proposed delegations:

• Page16 Tree Preservation Officers – How would these be advertised?

The Monitoring Officer subsequently advised that there was no requirement to advertise but that the person affected would be notified.

• Page 22 Calling-in Procedure for Planning Committee – He drew attention to typing errors in the paragraph numbers and proposed an amendment that only a Ward Member should be able to call in an application in their Ward.

• Page 26 Community Safety – There was no mention that Ward Members would be consulted and this should be amended.

• Page 32 Outside Bodies – The Monitoring Officer should act in consultation with the Leader of the Council.

• Page 35 Concessionary Travel Scheme – This delegation should be deleted as this was now a County matter.

• Page 40 Housing Waiting Lists etc – These delegations seemed to be operational not strategic and should be withdrawn.

§         Page 73 Write Off of Irrecoverable Debts – He did not support the delegations and felt that all write-offs should be looked at by the Overview and Scrutiny Board.

The amendments proposed by Councillor P. M. McDonald were seconded by Councillor C. J. Bloore.

In response, Councillor R. Hollingworth indicated that he agreed with the above comments up to page 40 but was unsure with regard to the Housing related delegations. The Chief Executive advised that the Council set the housing strategy which Bromsgrove District Housing Trust implemented and therefore the delegations were still relevant. With regard to Write-Off of Debts, Councillor Hollingworth undertook for a report to be submitted to the next meeting of the Council.

The outstanding amendment proposed by Councillor P. M. McDonald and seconded by Councillor C. J. Bloore that only a Ward Member should be able to call in an application in their Ward was put to the vote and declared by the Chairman to be CARRIED.

The report recommendation, as amended above, was then put to the vote, whereupon it was

RESOLVED  that the Scheme of Delegation attached as Appendix 1 to the report be approved subject to the following:

(a)                the Calling-in Procedure for Planning Committee be amended to specify that only a Ward Member shall be able to call in an application in their Ward;

(b)                any necessary amendments to reflect the comments and undertakings given by the Leader as referred to in the preamble above.