ORGANISATION SCRUTINY COMMITTEE

     RECORD OF SPECIAL MEETING HELD ON 3^RD DECEMBER 2007

Present:

Councillor A C Johnson; Chair

Councillors W T Beard, J A Beech, D H D Charlesworth, H W Curran, R E Dodd, B Evans, K Healey, Z S Krizanac, J Lewis, A Moran and D J Straine-Francis

In Attendance:

Paul Ancell                           Chief Executive

Jennifer Cross                       Executive Director (Treasury & Corporate Support)

Carol Jones                           Democratic Services Officer

32        DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST

Councillor A Moran declared a personal interest in the proceedings on the basis of his County Council membership. 

No other Member made any declaration of interest in any item of business on the agenda.

33        WHIPPING DECLARATIONS

In accordance with Paragraph 18 of the Performance and Overview Procedure Rules, Members were invited to declare in respect of items where the whip had been applied. Councillor J A Beech declared on the basis that the Group Whip had requested his attendance at the meeting and Councillor K Healey declared on the basis that he had been instructed to vote according to the political group decision.

34        REVIEW OF BOARD DECISION NO. 80 – APPEAL CONTRIBUTION -

            FUTURE UNITARY STRUCTURES FOR LOCAL GOVERNMENT

34.1     In accordance with paragraph 14 of the Performance and Overview Procedure Rules (now known as “Scrutiny Committees”) a notice had been received from Councillors W T Beard, H W Curran, B Evans and S Z Krizanac, who considered that Decision No. 80 (Appeal Contribution – Future Unitary Structures for Local Government) should be reviewed.

34.2    Stated Reasons for Call-In

The stated reasons for the call-in were –

(i)         The Decision is outside Council policy

(ii)        It is outside budget fixed by Council; and

(iii)       It is of particularly high local significance or public interest.

34.3    The following documents were submitted for consideration by the Committee.

>         Extract from Statement of Decisions, 15^th November 2007 (ie Board Decision No. 80). 

>        Report considered by the Board at its meeting on 15^th November 2007. Members noted that this was the report as submitted to Board;  a supplementary report had also been considered at the Board meeting and a copy of that supplementary report was now submitted.

>        Copies of appropriate pages from the Procedure Rules in the Council’s Constitution -

Paragraph 11     Call-In and Reference Back 

Paragraph 14     Call-In and Review of Executive Decisions

It was noted that Paragraph 14 (b) had been amended at Council on 1^st November 2006 (Minute No. 113) to extend the period within which a review of Decisions could be undertaken by Scrutiny Committees;  the period had been extended from six to ten working days.

34.4    The Committee then adopted the two-stage process used on previous occasions by the Scrutiny Committees which had exercised their right to call-in a decision of the Executive.

            Stage 1 invited the full Committee to determine whether it wished to consider the matter further.

34.5    Decision to Review

AGREED:

(a) That the Committee decline to consider the matter future; and

(b) That Decision No. 80 (Appeal Contribution – Future Unitary Structures for Local Government) be accepted.

………………………………………………Chair