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Constitution and Governance Committee - Monday, 9th December, 2024 2.00 pm

December 9, 2024 View on council website  Watch video of meeting
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Summary

This meeting was scheduled to discuss the ongoing Local Government Boundary Commission for England (LGBCE) review of electoral arrangements in Somerset. In addition, there were several scheduled discussions on how the Council interacts with the public, the possible introduction of hybrid meetings, and an update to the constitution of the Standing Advisory Council for Religious Education (SACRE). It is important to note that this article is a summary of what was scheduled to be discussed and does not describe what was actually discussed or decided during the meeting.

LGBCE Electoral Review

The meeting was scheduled to consider the Council's response to the LGBCE's 'minded to' decision that Somerset Council should have 96 councillors. The LGBCE is an independent body that reviews and recommends changes to electoral arrangements in England. A report included in the meeting pack set out the background to the review and the LGBCE's timetable for making decisions. The report recommended the establishment of a Boundary Review Working Group to co-ordinate the council's response to the consultation, which is due to close on 20 January 2025.

The report included in the meeting pack suggested that the working group should comprise five members from the Constitution and Governance Committee and five other Councillors representing the Council's political groups. It also suggested the following membership for the group:

  • Liberal Democrat: Councillor Peter Seib
  • Conservative: Councillor David Fothergill
  • Green: Councillor Martin Dimery
  • Labour: Councillor Leigh Redman
  • Independent: Councillor John Hunt

Review of the Council's Constitution – Petition Scheme and Policy for Retention of Committee Meeting Recordings

The Committee was scheduled to consider amendments to Part B of the Council's Constitution1 dealing with the Council's Petition Scheme2 and the retention of committee meeting recordings. The report included a comparison of the petition schemes of other unitary councils, including Cornwall Council, Dorset Council, Durham County Council, and Wiltshire Council.

The scheduled discussion focused on several proposed changes to the Petition Scheme, including:

  • The introduction of an age limit of 18 years old for people signing petitions
  • An increase in the time allowed for responding to petitions that are not valid from 10 to 20 working days.
  • The introduction of a list of options for handling petitions, including taking the action requested, considering it at a council meeting, holding a public meeting, carrying out research, or referring the petition to a scrutiny committee.
  • A change to the deadline for submitting large petitions to allow officers time to validate signatures and prepare a briefing report.

The meeting was also scheduled to consider an addition to Part B of the Constitution to include guidance on the retention of committee meeting recordings. It included a comparison of the retention periods used by other unitary councils. The report recommends that the recordings be stored on the Council’s internal storage systems for 12 months, but that the recordings continue to be stored indefinitely on YouTube.

Response to the Government Consultation: Enabling Remote Attendance and Proxy Voting at Local Authority Meetings

The meeting was scheduled to discuss the Council's response to a consultation on proposals to allow Councillors to attend council meetings remotely and to vote by proxy. The consultation was launched by the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities on 24 October 2024 and is due to close on 19 December 2024.

The report pack included a draft of the Council's response, which stated its support for the introduction of legislation to allow remote attendance at council meetings. The response suggests that Councils should be allowed to decide whether to allow remote attendance and how many meetings can be held remotely. It also said that Councils should be required to publish a list of those attending meetings remotely.

On proxy voting, the draft response suggests that there should be limitations on the use of proxy votes and that they should only be allowed in exceptional circumstances.

Update to the SACRE Constitution

The Committee was scheduled to consider an update to the constitution of SACRE3. SACRE is a statutory body that advises Somerset Council on religious education in schools. The report stated that the constitution had last been revised in 2021 and proposed changes to reflect the new membership and operating model.

The proposed amendments included changes to:

  • Terms of office for SACRE members
  • Arrangements for voting at SACRE meetings
  • Quoracy requirements for SACRE meetings
  • Arrangements for co-opted members
  • The role of the Chair and Vice-Chair

The report pack included a revised draft of the SACRE constitution with proposed amendments highlighted in red text.


  1. A council's constitution is a document that sets out how the council operates, its rules and procedures, and the responsibilities of its elected members and officers.  

  2. A petition scheme allows members of the public to raise issues with their local council and ask for action to be taken. 

  3. SACRE stands for Standing Advisory Council on Religious Education. Its functions include advising the local authority on matters relating to religious education and collective worship, reviewing the agreed syllabus for religious education, and preparing an annual report on religious education. It comprises representatives of religious groups, teachers and the local authority.  

Attendees

Profile image for Councillor Ross Henley
Councillor Ross Henley  Liberal Democrat
Profile image for CouncillorTim Kerley
CouncillorTim Kerley  Liberal Democrat
Profile image for Councillor Theo Butt Philip
Councillor Theo Butt Philip  Lead Member for Transformation, Human Resources and Localities •  Liberal Democrat
Profile image for Councillor Simon Carswell
Councillor Simon Carswell  Liberal Democrat
Profile image for Councillor Dawn Johnson
Councillor Dawn Johnson  Liberal Democrat
Profile image for Councillor Martin Lovell
Councillor Martin Lovell  Liberal Democrat
Profile image for CouncillorSue Osborne
CouncillorSue Osborne  Opposition Lead Member for Transformation, Human Resources and Localities •  Conservative
Profile image for CouncillorEmily Pearlstone
CouncillorEmily Pearlstone  Liberal Democrat

Topics

No topics have been identified for this meeting yet.

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