Issue - meetings

The Council received the report of the proper officer (Democratic Services and Elections Manager) on the review of the allocation of seats on committees, following the resignations of Councillors Gordon Jackson and Caroline Reeves from the Council on 11 and 12 March 2021 respectively.

Consequently, the political balance on the Council was now:

Guildford Liberal Democrats: 16

Residents for Guildford and Villages: 16

Conservative Group: 8

Guildford Greenbelt Group: 3

Labour: 2 

Vacancies: 3

Under Council Procedure Rule 23, whenever there was a change in the political constitution of the Council, the Council must, as soon as reasonably practicable, review the allocation of seats on committees to political groups.

The report included a suggested numerical allocation of seats on committees to political groups that would best meet, as far as reasonably practicable, the requirements for political balance for the remainder of the 2020-21 Municipal Year. 

As an alternative, the report had also suggested, given that:

(a)   there were only four meetings of politically balanced committees remaining in the 2020-21 municipal year; and

(b)   the revised numerical allocation of seats made changes to three committees, two of which were academic as the committees concerned, did not have meetings between now and 18 May 2021 when the Selection Council meeting would be considering the numerical allocation of seats for 2021-22. 

the Council could justifiably take the view that making no changes to the allocation of seats was the better option.

Upon the motion of the Leader of the Council, Councillor Joss Bigmore, seconded by the Deputy Leader of the Council, Councillor Jan Harwood, the Council

RESOLVED: That no change be made to the numerical allocation of seats on committees to political groups for the remainder of the 2020-21 municipal year.

Reason:

To enable the Council to comply with Council Procedure Rule 23 in respect of the requirement to review as soon as reasonably practicable the allocation of seats on committees whenever there is a change on the political constitution of the Council.

The Council received the report of the proper officer (Democratic Services and Elections Manager) on the review of the allocation of seats on committees, following receipt on 11 December 2020 of notice in writing from Councillors David Bilbe, Richard Billington, Graham Eyre, and Paul Spooner that they wished to be treated as members of the Conservative group and, subsequently, written notice from the leader of the Conservative group, Councillor Nigel Manning, that he would be happy to treat those four councillors as members of that group.

These notices also had the effect of simultaneously ceasing the membership of Councillors Bilbe, Billington, Eyre, and Spooner of the Conservative Independent Group on the Council.

The political balance on the Council was now:

Guildford Liberal Democrats: 17

Residents for Guildford and Villages: 16

Conservative Group: 8

Guildford Greenbelt Group: 3

Labour: 2 

Independent: 1

Vacancy: 1

Under Council Procedure Rule 23, whenever there was a change in the political constitution of the Council, the Council must, as soon as reasonably practicable, review the allocation of seats on committees to political groups.

The report included a suggested numerical allocation of seats on committees to political groups that would best meet, as far as reasonably practicable, the requirements for political balance for the remainder of the 2020-21 Municipal Year. 

Upon the motion of the Leader of the Council, Councillor Joss Bigmore, seconded by Councillor Nigel Manning, the Council

RESOLVED: That, in the light of the change in the political constitution of the Council described in the report submitted to the Council, the proposed revision to the calculation of the numerical allocation of seats on committees to political groups and the independent councillor for the remainder of the 2020-21 Municipal Year, as set out in the table below, be approved: