Issue - meetings
Councillor Call for Action (CCfA) Proposals
Meeting: 23/11/2020 - Overview & Scrutiny Committee (Item 7)
7 Councillor Call for Action Guide PDF 319 KB
The Committee to receive a presentation on the Councillor Call for Action (CCfA) Proposals.
In addition, an advanced copy of the report for consideration by General Purpose Committee on 8th December 2019 in attached.
Additional documents:
Minutes:
The Committee received and noted a presentation from Adam Boey Senior Strategy & Policy Manager on a report regarding the Councillor Call for Action guidance which is to go to the Council’s General Purposes Committee on 8th December, together with draft guidance intended to improve clarity and processes around Councillors being able to raise local matters of concern, where all other avenues have been exhausted. The main points of the discussion on this report are outlined as follows:
The Committee noted that:
- The CCfA guide has been developed as part of the strengthening local democracy framework. It allows Councillors to raise issues or matters of local concern and affecting their ward for consideration by OSC. The Localism Act 2011 broadens this so that councillors can refer matters which are not restricted to local government.
- A CCfA can be used to tackle problems on a neighbourhood or ward specific level which has been unable to resolve through normal channels e.g. corporate complaints, petitions, Member’s Enquiries, Freedom of Information (FOI) requests and mediation. It is at the discretion of each councillor as to what issues they wish to raise for a potential review through the CCfA. However, councillors must demonstrate that other methods of resolution have been exhausted first. A CCfA request should not be considered as merely ‘scrutiny process’ it should be viewed as a whole council approach, that can assist councillors to resolve issues on behalf of their constituents.
- There is some circumstance where a CCfA will not be dealt with under this scheme as specified by the limitations of a CCfA; or any other circumstances which, in the opinion of the Statutory Scrutiny Officer would mean the CCfA would be better dealt with using a different Council procedure.
- Depending on the nature of the request once it has been considered a report will be produced together with a set of recommendations and those responsible for implementing the recommendations to a relevant service area will provide an update report as necessary to the Committee.
The Chair then Moved, and it was:
RESOLVED that:
In general, the Committee welcomed this work and the embedding of the Councillor Call for Action in the constitution, and the guidance for Members and officers.