Issue - meetings
APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE
Meeting: 03/12/2013 - Overview & Scrutiny Committee (Item 1)
APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE
To receive any apologies for absence.
Minutes:
Apologies for absence were received on behalf of:
· Councillor Amy Whitelock-Gibbs (Scrutiny Lead Member for Children’s Schools & Families).
· Councillor Stephanie Eaton (Scrutiny Lead Member for Resources).
· Dr Phillip Rice (Co-opted Member - Church of England Diocese Representative).
· Mayor Lutfur Rahman.
· Councillor Ohid Ahmed (Deputy Mayor).
· Councillor Alibor Choudhury (Cabinet Member for Resources).
· Councillor Rabina Khan (Cabinet Member for Housing).
· Aman Dalvi (Corporate Director Development and Renewal) for whom Ann Sutcliffe (Service Head Strategic Property, Development & Renewal) andJackie Odunoye (Service Head Strategy Regeneration & Sustainability, Development & Renewal) were deputising.
· Memory Kampiyawo (Co-opted Member – Parent Governor Representative) would be leaving the meeting early to attend another engagement.
The Chair informed OSC members that: -
· Cabinet Members with portfolio for items on the agenda had given apologies for absence due to other commitments/ annual leave, despite notice being given well in advance of the meeting that attendance was required by the OSC. The OSC was therefore unable to fulfil its constitutional function of undertaking full and appropriate scrutiny, by asking them questions/ holding them to account for decisions made by the Executive. Officers were only able to provide factual information and could not answer questions about the political rationale for decisions taken.
· One Cabinet member had indicated that he would be happy to attend a special OSC meeting on an alternative date to discuss Watts Grove Depot and the Mayor’s Car. His regular past attendance at OSC, when requested, was appreciated; however this suggestion was absolutely unacceptable. How would it be perceived if the OSC Chair said he was unable to attend Cabinet to fulfil his role and could a special Cabinet meeting be arranged to accommodate this?
· The OSC meeting dates were set will in advance and if the OSC required Cabinet Members to be present to allow for appropriate scrutiny, they should attend. All the dates should be diarised and this would prevent most reasons for non-attendance occurring. Therefore with OSC agreement he intended to ask Cabinet members to diarise all future OSC meetings as a formal invitation from OSC, that they should assume their attendance was required until told otherwise, and that they treat this commitment as their priority engagement should they be asked to attend.
Clarification was sought and given as to the constitutional provisions for the OSC to require the attendance of Members and Officers at OSC meetings, the provisions for addressing non-attendance in such instances and whether case law existed on this matter. OSC could require attendance of both, and non-attendance in such instances may be a matter for the Council’s standards framework, if there was misconduct. Officers were unaware of any pertinent case law but could look into this at the request of the OSC.
The Chair Moved and it was:-
Resolved
That the apologies for absence be received and noted.
Action by:
Angus Taylor (Principal Committee Officer, Democratic Services, CE’s)