Agenda item

Proposer – Councillor Kitching

Seconder – Councillor Hunt

This Council believes that:

i)             The ability of members to ask questions at Full Council meetings is essential for openness, engagement and transparency. It allows Cabinet members to respond to submitted written questions in a public forum.

ii)            The members’ questions facility has become popular and well used in recent years, with both ruling and opposition group members using it to ask questions of Cabinet members at Full Council meetings

iii)           This has led to the session frequently over-running the allotted 30-minute time limit and being cut short.

iv)           When the session is cut short it is frustrating for members whose questions are missed, for Cabinet members who do not have the opportunity to respond and for officers who have spent time and effort in preparing responses.

Therefore, this council calls for:

v)            The current 30-minute time limit on members’ questions at Full Council to be extended to 1 hour.

vi)           The Chief Executive to make the relevant constitutional changes to facilitate this.

Notice of Motion submitted in accordance with Standing Order No 6.

Moved by Councillor Kitching – Seconded by Councillor Hunt

This Council believes that:

i)             The ability of members to ask questions at Full Council meetings is essential for openness, engagement and transparency. It allows Cabinet members to respond to submitted written questions in a public forum.

ii)            The members’ questions facility has become popular and well used in recent years, with both ruling and opposition group members using it to ask questions of Cabinet members at Full Council meetings

iii)           This has led to the session frequently over-running the allotted 30-minute time limit and being cut short.

iv)           When the session is cut short it is frustrating for members whose questions are missed, for Cabinet members who do not have the opportunity to respond and for officers who have spent time and effort in preparing responses.

Therefore, this council calls for:

v)            The current 30-minute time limit on members’ questions at Full Council to be extended to 1 hour.

vi)           The Chief Executive to make the relevant constitutional changes to facilitate this.

An amendment was submitted in accordance with Standing Order No 8.

Moved by Councillor Sir Steve Houghton CBE – Seconded by Councillor Andrews BEM

This Council believes that:

i)             The ability of members to ask questions at Full Council meetings is essential for openness, engagement and transparency. It allows Cabinet members to respond to submitted written questions in a public forum.

ii)            The members’ questions facility has become popular and well used in recent years, with both ruling and opposition group members using it to ask questions of Cabinet members at Full Council meetings

iii)           This has led to the session frequently over-running the allotted 30-minute time limit and being cut short.

iv)           When the session is cut short it is frustrating for members whose questions are missed, for Cabinet members who do not have the opportunity to respond and for officers who have spent time and effort in preparing responses.

Therefore, this council calls for:

v)            In order to further enhance an already excellent governance model and to strengthen accessibility, questions for full Council and their responses will be placed on the Council website immediately after the meeting.

vi)           The Chief Executive to make the relevant constitutional changes to facilitate this.

Upon being put to the vote, the amendment was won.

The amendment was then put as the Substantive Motion and was:

Moved by Councillor Sir Steve Houghton CBE – Seconded by Councillor Andrews BEM; and

RESOLVED:

(i)            That in order to further enhance an already excellent governance model and to strengthen accessibility, questions for full Council and their responses be placed on the Council website immediately after the meeting; and

(ii)          That the Chief Executive make the relevant constitutional changes to facilitate this.