The Governance and Business Committee of Walsall Council met on Monday, 24 June 2024, to discuss several key issues, including a review of the council's constitution and amendments to the Officer Employment Procedure Rules. The committee approved the delegation of authority to the Head of Legal and Democratic Services for administrative amendments to the constitution and revised the definition of a key decision to reflect a value of £500,000.

Review of Constitution

The Head of Legal and Democratic Services presented a written report reviewing the council's constitution. The report recommended amendments to ensure consistency in titles and descriptions and to keep policy documents up to date. The constitution is crucial for the governance process as it translates legislative authority into processes and procedures.

Members discussed the proposal to raise the significant figure from £200,000 to £500,000 for key decisions. Officers explained that this change would streamline decision-making processes and reduce the number of key decisions requiring extensive review. The committee resolved to recommend to the council that:

• The Head of Legal and Democratic Services be given delegated authority to make administrative amendments to the constitution when required.
• The revised definition of a key decision to include the word significant reflecting a value of £500,000 be approved.
• An amendment to the Officer Employment Procedure Rules be made, deleting the requirement for notification to all Cabinet Members of a proposal from the Employment Committee to make an offer of employment to a prospective Chief Officer.
• The Head of Legal and Democratic Services be given delegated authority to make all necessary consequential amendments to the Officer Employment Procedure Rules.

Minutes of Previous Meetings

The committee approved the minutes of the meeting held on 15 January 2024, and noted the minutes of the Employment Relations Forum held on 23 February 2024.

For more details, you can refer to the 2024 03 18 - Governance and Business Minutes.