To receive a report from the Director of Finance Resources and Customer Services detailing the outcome of a review into the structure and operation of Council meetings and proposing a range of amendments to the Council Procedure Rules. (Report No.17) (Non-Key)
Members are asked to note that the proposed amendments were referred on to Council for consideration by the Member and Democratic Services Group (21 April 2016).
Minutes:
Councillor Simon moved and Councillor Taylor seconded the report (Report No: 17) from the Director of Finance, Resources and Customer Services detailing the outcome of a review into the structure and operation of Council meetings and proposing a range of amendments to the Council procedure rules.
NOTED
1. That the proposed amendments to the Council Procedure Rules had been referred on to Council for consideration, by the Member and Democratic Services Group, at their meeting on 21 April 2016.
2. That the aim of the proposed changes was to speed up the proceedings and to enable members to get through more of the business on the council agenda. The changes included: timing agendas, limiting the number of questions, shortening the speeches, changing the procedure for amendments, providing an opportunity for a supplementary question on an urgent question, overall to sharpen up debate.
3. Limiting the number of questions would reduce costs and the amount of time spent by officers on providing the responses.
4. Whilst agreeing with the suggestions initially discussed including for dealing with questions, the Opposition Group did not agree with the current proposals and were concerned about what they saw as restrictions on the democratic process including the limits being put forward on the number of questions allowed, the ability to displace the position of opposition business and the restrictions on alternative recommendations.
5. The Opposition view that the rights of back benchers to ask questions should not be curtailed and the ability to question the administration on behalf of the residents of Enfield should not be limited. Other neighbouring authorities such as Barnet had no restrictions.
6. The Opposition acknowledgement that something needed to be done to encourage more members of the public to attend meetings and to enable business to be transacted in the allocated time, but felt these changes were not the answer.
7. The majority party view that introducing these changes would allow more time to be spent discussing other reports on issues such as education and housing, matters of more importance to the Council.
8. Councillor Simon’s summing up that there was a need for timed agendas as shown by the progress made on the evening. He assured the Opposition that there were no plans to change the 45 minutes allocated to opposition business, that amendments would be , but at the end of the debate, and that time limits on speeches would allow more speeches and more time for more speakers to have their say. In future, if the changes did not work they could be amended.
In accordance with the council procedure rule 17.5 the vote was recorded as follows:
For: 36
Councillor Abdul Abdullahi
Councillor Daniel Anderson
Councillor Ali Bakir
Councillor Dinah Barry
Councillor Chris Bond
Councillor Yasemin Brett
Councillor Alev Cazimoglu
Councillor Nesil Cazimoglu
Councillor Bambos Charalambous
Councillor Katherine Chibah
Councillor Guney Dogan
Councillor Christiana During
Councillor Sarah Doyle
Councillor Pat Ekechi
Councillor Nesimi Erbil
Councillor Turgut Esendagli
Councillor Krystle Fonyonga
Councillor Achilleas Georgiou
Councillor Alessandro Georgiou
Councillor Christine Hamilton
Councillor Suna Hurman
Councillor Jansev Jemal
Councillor Doris Jiagge
Councillor Nneka Keazor
Councillor Adeline Kepez
Councillor Dino Lemonides
Councillor Derek Levy
Councillor Mary Maguire
Councillor Don McGowan
Councillor Ayfer Orhan
Councillor Ahmet Oykener
Councillor Vicki Pite
Councillor Alan Sitkin
Councillor Andrew Stafford
Councillor Claire Stewart
Councillor Doug Taylor
Against: 21
Councillor Erin Celebi
Councillor Lee Chamberlain
Councillor Jason Charalambous
Councillor Lee David Sanders
Councillor Dogan Delman
Councillor Nick Dines
Councillor Peter Fallart
Councillor Alessandro Georgiou
Councillor Elaine Hayward
Councillor Robert Hayward
Councillor Ertan Hurer
Councillor Eric Jukes
Councillor Joanne Laban
Councillor Andy Milne
Councillor Terry Neville
Councillor Anne Marie Pearce
Councillor Daniel Pearce
Councillor Michael Rye
Councillor Edward Smith
Councillor Jim Steven
Councillor Glynis Vince
Abstentions: 0
AGREED: to formally approve, for inclusion as part of the Constitution, the changes proposed to the Council Procedure Rules (CPRs), as set out in Appendix 1 of the report to apply from the next (July 2016) Council meeting onwards.
Supporting documents: