Issue - meetings

Councillors noted that, in 2014, the Council had adopted a Protocol on the appointment, role, status, rights and obligations of Honorary Freemen and Honorary Aldermen.

At the request of the Leader of the Council and in anticipation of the Council conferring the title of Honorary Alderman upon five former councillors at a meeting to be specially convened for the purpose on 2 December 2021, the Corporate Governance Task Group had been asked to review the Protocol, particularly in relation to the requirement that Honorary Freemen and Aldermen should refrain from making public statements which were critical of the Council.  

The Task Group had suggested a number of changes to the Protocol, which were considered by the Corporate Governance & Standards Committee at its meeting on 23 September 2021. The Committee agreed with the Task Group’s suggested changes and had recommended that the Council adopts the revised Protocol, a copy of which was appended to the report submitted to the Council.

Upon the motion of the Leader of the Council, Councillor Joss Bigmore, and seconded by the Chairman of the Corporate Governance and Standards Committee, Councillor George Potter, the Council:

RESOLVED: That the revised Protocol on the appointment, role, status, rights and obligations of Honorary Freemen and Honorary Aldermen, as set out in Appendix 2 to the report submitted to the Council, be adopted.

Reason:

To bring the Protocol up to date, including for the purpose of clarifying the rights and obligations placed upon Honorary Freemen and Honorary Aldermen.

The Committee noted that, the Council adopted a Protocol on the appointment, role, status, rights and obligations of Honorary Freemen and Honorary Aldermen in 2014.

At the request of the Leader of the Council and in anticipation of the Councilconferring the title of Honorary Alderman upon five former councillors at a meeting to be specially convened for the purpose on 2 December 2021, the Corporate Governance Task Group had been asked to review the Protocol, particularly in relation to the requirement that Honorary Freemen and Aldermen should refrain from making public statements which were critical of the Council.  

The Task Group had met on 20 September to carry out this work and their recommendations were reported to the Committee in the Supplementary Information Sheet circulated at the meeting.

Having considered the suggested amendments to the Protocol as suggested by the Task Group, the Committee

RECOMMEND (to Council on 5 October 2021):

That the revised Protocol on the appointment, role, status, rights and obligations of Honorary Freemen and Honorary Aldermen, as set out as Appendix 3 to the Supplementary Information Sheet circulated at the meeting, be adopted.

Reason:

To bring the Protocol up to date, including for the purpose of clarifying the rights and obligations placed upon Honorary Freemen and Honorary Aldermen.