Issue - meetings

(Community Safety & Transport Portfolio Holder) To consider the attached report (C-062-2009/10).

(1)        That, following a request by the Local Council’s Liaison Committee, the amendment of the Terms of Reference for the Local Highways Panel to grant the Parish Council Representatives full voting rights with immediate effect be recommended to the Council for approval; and

(2)        That the Local Highways Panel be requested to review its operations and procedures and report to the Annual Council meeting scheduled for 25 May 2010.

The Portfolio Holder for Community Safety & Transport introduced a report that summarised the views of the Local Councils’ Liaison Committee on increasing the number of Parish Council representatives on the Local  Highways Panel to four and affording those representatives full voting rights in common with the District Council members appointed to the Panel. The Portfolio Holder stated that her preferred course of action would be for the current arrangements to continue for the rest of the municipal year, with a review of the Panel’s operation taking place at the end of 2009/10.

The Vice-Chairman of the Local Councils’ Liaison Committee had been invited to address the Cabinet on this issue, on behalf of the Epping Forest branch of the Association of Local Councils. The Cabinet was reminded of the advice within the Localism Manual for the establishment of Local Highways Panels, and the Local Councils had felt that they should have four, not three, representatives and all with full voting rights. It was considered that this had been an oversight, which should be corrected now rather than at the end of the municipal year.

The Performance Management Portfolio Holder, who had been involved in the initial set-up of the Panel, informed the Cabinet that the Localism Manual had been consulted when setting up the Panel as this was a new initiative. It had been decided to have one Parish Council representative from each of the three Area Planning Sub-Committee regions, with the pro rata rules applied to the 11 District Council members. The Cabinet was reminded that a review of the Panel was already scheduled for the end of the municipal year.

There was concern expressed that there had been problems with the set-up of the Panel. It was felt that a better geographical analysis of the areas covered by the Panel should be undertaken as there was a perception that some areas were not represented on the Panel. It was also felt important to grant the Local Council representatives full voting rights with immediate effect, rather than wait until the end of the municipal year, although it was highlighted that there had not been any votes at meetings of the Panel so far.

The Cabinet agreed to recommend to the Council that full voting rights be given to the current Parish Council representatives on the Local Highways Panel with immediate effect, and that the Panel should undertake a review of its operations and procedures before reporting to the Annual Council meeting on 25 May 2010.

Decision:

(1)        That, following a request by the Local Council’s Liaison Committee, the amendment of the Terms of Reference for the Local Highways Panel to grant the Parish Council Representatives full voting rights with immediate effect be recommended to the Council for approval; and

(2)        That the Local Highways Panel be requested to review its operations and procedures and report to the Annual Council meeting scheduled for 25 May 2010.

Reasons for Decision:

To meet the request of the Local Councils’ Liaison Committee that  ...  view the full minutes text for item 109