At Full Council this morning various proposals were placed before Members, by the Democratic Processes Panel, in relation to the rationalisation of the current committee structure in order to enable swifter more resilient decision-making and prevent the duplication of work following the Council's recent reshaping.
Principal alterations saw the amalgamation of the Children’s Trust Board and Children and Young Person's Committee to create a Children's Committee (consisting of 10 Members), and the amalgamation of the Transport Committee and General Purposes Committee to create a Transport, Economic Development and Infrastructure Committee (consisting of 14 Members including the Chairman of Planning, and the Chairman of Community Services).
The largest debate on the proposed amendments centred on the inclusion of the Standards Committee into a wider Audit, Finance and Scrutiny Committee as opposed to a standalone Committee. Votes were tied at 6 apiece for the Standards Committee's retention, with Chairman of Council Amanda Martin using her casting vote in accordance with Standing Orders. In relation to her decision Councillor Martin said, 'It is important that we continue to review committee structures to ensure that they run efficiently with productive and impartial debate. My use of a casting vote in this instance reflects the significance I attach to ensuring that the Council can be as effective as possible in the future.'
Members subsequently voted in favour of a wider Audit, Finance and Scrutiny Committee, which will now include the Council's standards function, and which will replace the existing Policy and Resources Committee.
The composition of all other committees remains unchanged.