Apologies for absence were received on behalf of:

·       Councillor Denise Jones

·       Mike Smith

There were no Declarations of Disclosable Pecuniary Interests.

To confirm as a correct record of the proceedings the unrestricted minutes of the ordinary meeting of the Freedom of the Borough Ad Hoc Panel held on 15 April 2021.

DECISION

1.    That the minutes of the meeting held on 15 April 2021 be approved subject to the addition of Mike Smith to the list of attendees.

The Chair welcomed members to the meeting and handed over to Matthew Mannion, Head of Democratic Services, to administratively run the meeting and introduce the report.

Matthew Mannion, Head of Democratic Services, presented a report on the Freedom of the Borough nomination process and form, including venue and award proposals.

Co-opted Members
The Panel confirmed the appointment of Leslie Morgan OBE DL as an additional co-opted Member.

Nomination Process and form
Timetable
The Panel reviewed the updated timetable reflecting comments from the previous meeting and discussed concerns around the uncertainties of the pandemic in late autumn/winter, and that delays could result in the process being impacted by Purdah.  

The view was taken that it should be brought forward to September.  The actual date will depend upon the number of nominations and how complicated the process is to agree on which ones to propose.  It was unlikely that the process will be completed in time for early September, a late September/early October ceremony was being considered.  This may also be influenced by the availability of the chosen venue.

The panel agreed they would like the ceremony to be held separately from the September Full Council meeting.

Process and Publicity
Panel agreed they wanted much more publicity than the last time the process was run and would also like the advert and nomination form to be advertised in BME print and electronic media.  They also commented that they should take responsibility as community leaders to get the advert to community networks and grassroots organisations who have connections and will know people who should be nominated, to ensure we receive a diverse round of nominations.

The advert was discussed, and it was felt that it needed to be more exciting and community based, making it clear that the council is actively seeking nominations from communities that haven’t received a Freedom of the Borough nomination. 

Nomination Form

The panel considered the nomination form and thought some of the context from the advert could be brought into it around the sort of people we are seeking nominations for, and to make sure we have a good cross section.

The issue of flexibility around the deadline was raised, with observations that the summer period can be quiet.

There was a discussion about providing assistance in completing the form to ensure people can articulate clearly the outstanding contribution made by the person they are nominating.  It was felt this could lead to a very high number of nominations being received and high expectations in the community, which would result in disappointment when it becomes clear that very few awards were being given out.

The Panel agreed that nominators could approach organisations for help to clearly set out the achievements of the person they are nominating, but also that it should be made clear in the advert how rare the awards are and that very few are given out.

Venue

Panel confirmed they wish to hold the ceremony away from the Council Chamber.  It was mentioned that other  ...  view the full minutes text for item 4.1

Nil items.