The General Purposes Committee of Wandsworth Council met on Wednesday 29th June 2011, approving the closure of the Wilna Road Adolescent Resource Centre and recommending changes to the council's Standing Orders to allow for webcasting of meetings. The committee also approved recommendations regarding Freedom of the Borough, sub-committee appointments, council meeting dates, members' allowances, staff sickness absence, and departmental management structures.

Closure of Wilna Road Adolescent Resource Centre

The committee approved the closure of the Wilna Road Adolescent Resource Centre¹ by a vote of 3 to 1. This decision was made following a discussion on departmental human resources matters.

Transparency of Meetings and Webcasting

Significant changes to the council's Standing Orders were recommended to enhance the transparency of meetings. These changes include the introduction of webcasting for council proceedings, as outlined in paragraphs 16-18 of Paper No. 11-565. The committee also recommended approving a change to Standing Order No. 35 to clarify that it applies to both council and committee meetings, addressing disruptive behaviour. Councillor Mark Thomas highlighted the need for a decision on paragraph 15 of the paper, which relates to this clarification.

Freedom of the Borough and Honorary Alderman

The committee unanimously approved recommendations concerning the Freedom of the Borough and Honorary Alderman status for Sir Edward Lister². These recommendations are to be put forward to the full Council for consideration.

Departmental Management Structures and Committee Services Review

The committee approved recommendations concerning departmental management structures, as detailed in Paper No. 11-562 Revised. Councillor Mark Thomas raised questions about potential service synergies and the possibility of reducing the number of Executive Members following departmental restructuring. The Chief Executive and Director of Administration responded that the integration of services was creating opportunities for new working methods and that further proposals would be considered. The Chairman indicated that discussions regarding Executive membership changes would take place with the new Leader of the Council.

Additionally, the committee endorsed a proposal for a review of the structure and remit of the General Purposes Committee itself, as mentioned in Paper No. 11-563. The Chairman welcomed this proposal but noted that any significant changes would need to consider the regulations governing current arrangements under the Local Government Act 2000³.

Other Decisions

The committee also approved recommendations for:

• Appointments to the Appointments Sub-Committee (Paper No. 11-594) and the Staff Management and Appeals Sub-Committee (Paper No. 11-595).
• Council meeting dates for 2012 (Paper No. 11-596).
• Members' allowances for 2010/11 and the proposed scheme for 2012/13 and future years (Paper No. 11-597).
• A review of staff sickness absence for 2010/11 (Paper No. 11-598).
• The centralisation of departmental Human Resources services (Paper No. 11-564), noting the comments of the Staff Side and the management response.

The committee resolved to report all of the business considered to the ordinary and special meetings of the Council scheduled for 13th July 2011.