To approve as a correct record the public minutes of General Services Committee meeting held on 10 July 2024.

The public and exempt minutes of the General Services Committee held on the 12 March 2024 were approved as a correct record.

To receive additional items that the Chair is of the opinion should be considered as a matter of urgency, in accordance with Section 100B (4) (b) of the Local Government Act 1972.

There were no urgent items of business.

There were no declarations of interest.

The Localism Act 2011 required the Council to publish an Annual Pay Policy Statement, which had to be approved in advance of the financial year to which it applied.

The following members spoke on this item - Councillors Morris Cook, Worrall, Jefferies and Muldowney. The following comments were made:

-            Questioned the rules on acting up payments and when that payment would apply.

-            Whether there was an Acting Up Policy and if so could this be shared with members.

-            Clarification sought on Pay Banding scales.

-            Questioned whether proposals had been discussed with Trade Unions at this stage.

-            Confirmed that any changes made to policy would be brought back to the General Services Committee.

-            Confirmed that salary increases were based on a performance assessment.

-            Members requested the PDR review come to committee for consultation.

-            Requested the names of the membership of the Restructuring and Resourcing Panel be shared with members.

-            Noted the new grade structure for senior managers with grades determined through the use of the local government association's chief officer job evaluation scheme was being used.

-            Noted the job evaluation scheme referred to should help to contribute to the reducing equal pay risks by justifying the grade of each position.

Actions:

-       Provide copies of the Acting Up Policy – HR.

-       Provide names of the Restructuring and Resourcing Panel - HR.

-      Add PDR review to work programme – Democratic Services.

The Government had stated its intention to modernise democratic engagement, raise standards and widen the range of candidates standing for council by removing unnecessary barriers. A consultation paper had been published and would run until 19 December 2024. Views were sought on the practical implications of the proposals, from individual elected members, members of the public and council bodies. The report set out the questions of the consultation to enable the committee, as the committee responsible for constitutional affairs, to debate the principles.

The following members spoke on this item - Councillors Muldowney, Morris Cook, L Watson, Coxshall, Worrall, Jefferies and Speight. The following comments were made:

-       Individual survey had already been completed.

-       Felt important that all views should be heard.

-       Specific circumstances where hybrid meetings could be held.

-       Concerns on proxy voting especially at planning and licensing committees.

-       Should leave individual local authorities to have the final say in terms of policy of what they want to have in their own local organisation.

-       Members strongly opposed.

-       Exceptional circumstances could be considered such as medical treatment.

-       It was essential that face to face meetings were held especially full council, cabinet and overview and scrutiny.

-       Agreed member training could continue as hybrid sessions.

-       Shocked by the consultation.

-       Members were elected to attend in person meetings.

-       Was not functional and diminished the role of councillors.

-       The council did not have the technology to support this currently.

-       Exceptional circumstances where people could join on-line and proxy voting.

-       Not a straight no from one member.

-       Proxy voting restrictions would need to be very tight.

-       Could this prevent the 6-month rule being breached if a member was unable to physically attend a meeting.

-       Could prevent openness and transparency.

-       Questioned how this would increase diversity, facilities would be made as appropriate.

-       Hybrid meetings would impair relationships between members.

-       Fear that it could be used to manage councillors rather than improving the working of the council.

-       There potentially needed to be provisions in place for an emergency meeting and reference to the proceedings could be made within the constitution.

-       Agreed to individual and group responses rather than a collective response.

-       Members voted and approved recommendation 1.1 only.

RESOLVED

For the reasons set out in the report, the Committee is recommended to consider the consultation paper on remote meetings and proxy voting at Appendix 1 and:

1.    Agreed the committee wished to submit a consultation response on behalf of the council on either a. The overall proposals on either remote meetings or proxy voting b. On any or all of the specific questions in the consultation paper.

At 7.26pm the meeting went into exempt session.

At 7.33pm the meeting reconvened in public session.

A recording of this meeting can be viewed from the following link:

Thurrock Council - General Services Committee, 03/12/2024