Open Council Network - Nottinghamshire

Notts council to revise meeting rules, officer advice.

This week in Nottinghamshire:

The Standards and Governance Committee convened to discuss amendments to the council's constitution, focusing on standing orders, committee procedures, and the roles of statutory governance officers¹.

Standards and Governance Committee - Tuesday 08 April 2025

The Standards and Governance Committee convened to discuss and approve amendments to the council's constitution. The amendments focused on standing orders², committee procedures, and the roles of statutory governance officers. Councillor Kirsty L Jones, Chair of the Committee, proposed changes to the amendments, which were agreed upon. The committee also agreed to continue the Constitution Advisory Panel for the municipal year 2025/26.

A report was presented by Laura Wilson, Senior Governance Officer, outlining the Constitution Advisory Panel's review of Council Standing Orders and Committee Procedures, as well as the role of Statutory Governance Officers. The aim was to ensure the constitution remains fit for purpose. The committee was asked to recommend to the council approval of amendments to Article 12 - Standing Orders and Committee Procedures and Article 5 – Officers.

Councillor Jones proposed changes to the amendments to Article 12:

12.39 Rights of Statutory Governance Officers: Removing the words and verbal from the provision that the Monitoring Officer, Chief Finance Officer and Head of Paid Service have a right to provide written and verbal advice to the council. Councillor Jones argued that advice should be in writing to ensure clarity and prevent public discussion from officers, as councillors are responsible for presenting decisions to the public.
12.70 Attendance by councillors: Removing the words and reported to Council on an annual basis from the provision that attendance by councillors at meetings of committees to which they have been appointed is published on the council’s website and reported to council on an annual basis. Councillor Jones stated that this information is already available on the council website, and removing the additional reporting requirement would avoid unduly highlighting councillors with absences, such as those with caring responsibilities or disabilities, thus ensuring the diversity of councillors represents the diversity of the city.
12.104 Rights of Statutory Governance Officers: Removing the words and verbal from the provision that the Monitoring Officer, Chief Finance Officer and Head of Paid Service have a right to provide written and verbal advice to a committee, for the same reasons as in 12.39.

The committee voted to:

Agree to the proposed changes to the amendments.
Recommend to the council approval of a revised Article 12 – Standing Orders and Committee Procedures, as amended.
Recommend to the council approval of amendments to Article 5 – Officers.
Agree that the Constitution Advisory Panel will continue to meet in the municipal year 2025/26.

The minutes of the meeting held on 11 December 2024 were confirmed as a true record and signed by Councillor Jones.

Statutory Governance Officers are senior council officers who have specific legal responsibilities, such as the Monitoring Officer, Chief Finance Officer and Head of Paid Service. ↩
Standing orders are the written rules governing the conduct of meetings. ↩

Nottinghamshire Council Weekly: Bridge Estate budget approved

The Nottinghamshire council has held 4 meetings in the last week.

The East Midlands Shared Services Joint Committee met on Monday 24 June 2024 to discuss the organisation’s annual report for 2023-24 and financial performance. The committee approved both reports. The committee also discussed the proposed audit plan for 2024-25.

The Trusts and Charities Committee met on the same day to discuss the Bridge Estate Trust's finances. The Bridge Estate is a charitable trust which owns and manages a portfolio of properties in Nottingham. The Committee approved the Trust's budget for 2024/25, as well as its financial accounts for 2022/23. The Committee also agreed to review the process by which the Trust distributes funds to Nottingham City Council.

The Licensing Panel meeting scheduled for Tuesday 25 June 2024 was cancelled.

The Schools Forum meeting scheduled for Tuesday 25 June 2024 was also cancelled.

The Audit Committee met on Friday 28 June 2024 to discuss the Statement of Accounts for 2019/20 to 2023/24, the Annual Governance Statement 2023/24, a Combined 2019/20, 2020/21, 2021/22 and 2022/23 Value For Money report, the Financial Improvement Plan, and the Audit Committee Improvement Plan. The Committee noted the reports on the Statement of Accounts, the Combined Value For Money report, and the Financial Improvement Plan. They approved the Audit Committee Improvement Plan.

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Notts council to revise meeting rules, officer advice.

Standards and Governance Committee - Tuesday 08 April 2025

Nottinghamshire Council Weekly: Bridge Estate budget approved

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