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The decisions as the council's minutes record them. A plain-language summary follows once it has been written.
RESOLVED That Councillor Simon Hancock be elected as Presiding Member for the ensuing Municipal Year.
RESOLVED That the voting mechanism as outlined above be adopted for the meeting.
RESOLVED That Councillor Pat Davies be elected as Chair / Deputy Presiding Member for the ensuing Municipal Year.
RESOLVED That Councillor David Simpson be elected as Leader of Council.
RESOLVED That the allocation of Committee Seats under the requirements of Section 15 of the Local Government and Housing Act 1989, as set out in the revised Schedule 1, be approved, subject to the Independent Group allocation being amended to 2 seats on the Urgency Committee and 1 seat on the Senior Staff Committee and the unallocated seats being adjusted accordingly. (a) That the appointment of those Members (and reserve list members) to Committees in accordance with the wishes of the Group Leader, be delegated to the Head of Democratic Services. Council then considered appointments to the following Committees: (i) Standards Committee Council was advised that there were two seats to be allocated. Consequently, the following nominations were received: It was Moved by Councillor Jacob Williams that Councillor Vanessa Thomas be appointed; Seconded by Councillor Mike Stoddart. It was Moved by Councillor Paul Miller that Councillor Guy Woodham be reappointed; Seconded by Councillor Joshua Beynon. The vote, undertaken by a show of hands, was carried. RESOLVED That Councillors Vanessa Thomas and Guy Woodham be appointed to the Standards Committee. (ii) Governance and Audit Committee Council was advised that there were six seats to be allocated, with no more than one Executive Member and it could not be the Leader. The Head of Democratic Services stated that the following Group Members had been allocated to the Committee prior to the meeting: • Councillor Mike James for the Independent Group • Councillor Aled Thomas for the Conservative Group • Councillor Guy Woodham for the Labour Group The following nominations were then received for Unaffiliated Members: It was Moved by Councillor Jacob Williams, that Councillors Jacob Williams, Mike Stoddart and Alan Dennison be appointed; Seconded by Councillor John Cole. The vote, undertaken by a show of hands, was carried. RESOLVED That Councillors Mike James, Aled Thomas, Guy Woodham, Jacob Williams, Mike Stoddart and Alan Dennison be appointed to the Governance and Audit Committee. (iii) Democratic Services Committee Council was advised that there were seven seats to be allocated, with no more than one Executive Member and it could not be the Leader. The Head of Democratic Services stated that the following Group Members had been allocated to the Committee prior to the meeting: • Councillors Elwyn Morse and Jamie Adams for the Independent Group • Councillor Di Clements for the Conservative Group • Councillor Joshua Beynon for the Labour Group The following nominations were then received for Unaffiliated Members: It was Moved by Councillor Jacob Williams, that Councillors Alan Dennison, Michelle Bateman and Sam Skyrme-Blackhall be appointed; Seconded by Councillor Michelle Bateman. The vote, undertaken by a show of hands, was carried. RESOLVED That Councillors Elwyn Morse, Jamie Adams, Di Clements, Joshua Beynon, Alan Dennison, Michelle Bateman and Sam Skyrme-Blackhall be appointed to the Democratic Services Committee. (iv) Appointment Panel for Independent Members to the Standards Committee and Governance and Audit Committee Council was advised that there were three seats to be allocated, who must not be Members of the Standards Committee. Consequently, the following nominations were received: It was Moved by Councillor Jacob Williams that Councillors Joshua Beynon, Mel Phillips and Jacob Williams be appointed; Seconded by Councillor Mike Stoddart. The vote, undertaken by a show of hands, was carried. RESOLVED That Councillors Joshua Beynon, Mel Phillips and Jacob Williams be appointed to Appointment Panel for Independent Members to the Standards Committee and Governance and Audit Committee. Council then considered the appointment of Members and Reserve Members not in political groups to the unallocated seats set out in Schedule 1 as amended. Councillor Jacob Williams stated that no Unaffiliated Members would be appointed as Reserve Members and wished for the matter to be deferred to the July Council meeting. (i) Planning Committee Councillor Jacob Williams Moved that Councillors Jacob Williams, Tim Evans, John Cole and Michele Wiggins be duly appointed; Seconded by Councillor Mike Stoddart. The vote, undertaken by a show of hands, was carried. RESOLVED That Councillors Jacob Williams, Tim Evans, John Cole and Michele Wiggins be appointed to the Planning Committee. (ii) Disciplinary and Investigatory Committee Councillor Jacob Williams Moved that Councillors Jon Harvey, Pat Davies, Tessa Hodgson and Phil Kidney be duly appointed; Seconded by Councillor John Cole. The vote, undertaken by a show of hands, was carried. RESOLVED That Councillors Jon Harvey, Pat Davies, Tessa Hodgson and Phil Kidney be appointed to the Disciplinary and Investigatory Committee. (iii) Licensing Committee Councillor Jacob Williams Moved that Councillors Tim Evans, Viv Stoddart, Chris Williams, John Cole and Vanessa Thomas be duly appointed; Seconded by Councillor Steve Alderman. The vote, undertaken by a show of hands, was carried. RESOLVED That Councillors Tim Evans, Viv Stoddart, Chris Williams, John Cole and Vanessa Thomas be appointed to the Licensing Committee. (iv) Constitutional Review Committee Councillor Jacob Williams Moved that Councillors Jacob Williams, Mike Stoddart, Michelle Bateman, Pat Davies, Mel Phillips and Steve Alderman be duly appointed; Seconded by Councillor Neil Prior. The vote, undertaken by a show of hands, was carried. RESOLVED That Councillors Jacob Williams, Mike Stoddart, Michelle Bateman, Pat Davies, Mel Phillips and Steve Alderman be appointed to the Constitutional Review Committee. (v) Urgency Committee Councillor Jacob Williams Moved that Councillors Alan Dennison, Jon Harvey and Steve Alderman be duly appointed; Seconded by Councillor Alan Dennison. The vote, undertaken by a show of hands, was carried. RESOLVED That Councillors Alan Dennison, Jon Harvey and Steve Alderman be appointed to the Urgency Committee. (vi) Senior Staff Committee Councillor Mike Stoddart Moved that Councillors Neil Prior, Tessa Hodgson, David Simpson and Jacob Williams be duly appointed; Seconded by Councillor Tim Evans. The vote, undertaken by a show of hands, was carried. RESOLVED That Councillors Neil Prior, Tessa Hodgson, David Simpson and Jacob Williams be appointed to the Senior Staff Committee. (vii) SAC Councillor Jacob Williams Moved that Councillor Sam Skyrme-Blackhall be duly appointed; Seconded by Councillor Mike Stoddart. Councillor Williams stated that there were no other nominations and that the matter would be revised at the July meeting of Council. The vote, undertaken by a show of hands, was carried. RESOLVED That Councillor Sam Skyrme-Blackhall be appointed to SAC. (viii) Planning Delegation Panel Councillor Jacob Williams Moved that Councillors Viv Stoddart, Tessa Hodgson and Phil Kidney be duly appointed; Seconded by Councillor Michelle Bateman. The vote, undertaken by a show of hands, was carried. RESOLVED That Councillors Viv Stoddart, Tessa Hodgson and Phil Kidney be appointed to the Planning Delegation Panel. (ix) Housing Revenue Account Working Group Councillor Jacob Williams Moved that Councillors Jon Harvey, Mike Stoddart, Sam Skyrme-Blackhall be duly appointed; Seconded by Councillor Steve Alderman. The vote, undertaken by a show of hands, was carried. RESOLVED That Councillors Jon Harvey, Mike Stoddart and Sam Skyrme-Blackhall be appointed to the Housing Revenue Account Working Group. (x) Housing Revenue Account Depooling Working Group Councillor Jacob Williams Moved that Councillors Jacob Williams, Mike Stoddart and Vanessa Thomas be duly appointed; Seconded by Councillor Tim Evans. The vote, undertaken by a show of hands, was carried. RESOLVED That Councillors Jacob Williams, Mike Stoddart and Vanessa Thomas be appointed to the Housing Revenue Account Depooling Working Group. (xi) Council Tax Working Group Councillor Jacob Williams Moved that Councillors Michele Wiggins, Mike Stoddart and Vanessa Thomas be duly appointed; Seconded by Councillor John Cole. The vote, undertaken by a show of hands, was carried. RESOLVED That Councillors Michele Wiggins, Mike Stoddart and Vanessa Thomas be appointed to the Council Tax Working Group. (xii) Commercial Property Grants Working Group Councillor Jacob Williams Moved that Councillors Jacob Williams, Mike Stoddart and John Cole be duly appointed; Seconded by Councillor Jon Harvey. The vote, undertaken by a show of hands, was carried. RESOLVED That Councillors Jacob Williams, Mike Stoddart and John Cole be appointed to the Commercial Property Grants Working Group. Council then considered representation on Outside Bodies and were required to appoint those Members not in political groups to the unallocated seats. Councillor Simon Hancock Moved the Recommendation; Seconded by Councillor John Cole. The vote, undertaken by a show of hands, was carried. RESOLVED That the representation on the Outside Bodies under the requirements of Section 15 of the Local Government and Housing Act 1989 as set out in Schedule 2 attached to the report be approved. Council then considered nominations for those Members not in political groups to be appointed to the unallocated seats. National Park Authority The following nominations were received for the National Park Authority: Councillor Jacob Williams Moved that Councillors Chris Williams, Sam Skyrme-Blackhall, Steve Alderman, Phil Kidney and Michele Wiggins be duly appointed; Seconded by Councillor Mike Stoddart. The vote, undertaken by a show of hands, was carried. RESOLVED That Councillors Chris Williams, Sam Skyrme-Blackhall, Steve Alderman, Phil Kidney and Michele Wiggins be appointed to the National Park Authority. South West Wales Governance and Audit Corporate Joint Sub-Committee Council then considered the appointment of the Chair of the Governance and Audit Committee (who would be a lay Member) to the South West Wales Governance and Audit Corporate Joint Sub-Committee. The Head of Democratic Services then clarified that this recommendation would automatically make the Chair of the Governance and Audit Committee a representative on the South West Wales Governance and Audit Corporate Joint Sub-Committee. She highlighted that other regional Authorities were doing the same. Councillor Simon Hancock Moved the Recommendation; Seconded by Councillor Paul Miller. The vote, undertaken by a show of hands, was carried. RESOLVED That the Chair of the Governance and Audit Committee (who will be a lay Member) be appointed to the South West Wales Governance and Audit Corporate Joint Sub-Committee.
RESOLVED That the change the method of calculating political balance in respect of the allocation of seats on Overview and Scrutiny Committees from a purely individual committee basis (13 seats) to the total number of seats on Overview and Scrutiny Committees (65 seats), be agreed. The following nominations were then received for Unaffiliated Members: (i) Schools and Learning Overview and Scrutiny Committee Councillor Jacob Williams Moved that Councillors Pat Davies, Mike Stoddart, Sam Skyrme-Blackhall, Mel Phillips and Anji Tinley be duly appointed; Seconded by Councillor Tim Evans. The vote, undertaken by a show of hands, was carried. RESOLVED That the above appointments be approved. (ii) Social Care Overview and Scrutiny Committee Councillor Jacob Williams Moved that Councillors Steve Alderman, Vanessa Thomas, Mel Phillips, Terry Davies and Anji Tinley be duly appointed; Seconded by Councillor Tim Evans. The vote, undertaken by a show of hands, was carried. RESOLVED That the above appointments be approved. (iii) Services Overview and Scrutiny Committee Councillor Jacob Williams Moved that Councillors Tim Evans, Viv Stoddart, Alan Dennison, Steve Alderman and Chris Williams be duly appointed; Seconded by Councillor Anji Tinley. The vote, undertaken by a show of hands, was carried. RESOLVED That the above appointments be approved. (iv) Corporate Overview and Scrutiny Committee Councillor Jacob Williams stated that there was one vacancy in regards to the Membership of the Committee and highlighted that it would be reviewed at Council in July. Councillor Jacob Williams Moved that Councillors Alan Dennison, Steve Alderman, Mike Stoddart and Jacob Williams be duly appointed; Seconded by Councillor Mike Stoddart. The vote, undertaken by a show of hands, was carried. RESOLVED That the above appointments be approved. (v) Policy and Pre-Decision Overview and Scrutiny Committee Councillor Jacob Williams stated that there was one vacancy in regards to the Membership of the Committee and highlighted that it would be reviewed at Council in July. Councillor Jacob Williams Moved that Councillors Pat Davies, Michele Wiggins and Bethan Price be duly appointed; Seconded by Councillor Steve Alderman. The vote, undertaken by a show of hands, was carried. RESOLVED That the above appointments be approved. Allocation of Chairs of Overview and Scrutiny Committees Council was then required to determine the allocation of Overview and Scrutiny Committee Chairs. The Head of Democratic Services highlighted that in accordance with the Leader’s earlier announcement, the allocation of Overview and Scrutiny Chairs were as follows: • Executive Group – one Chair • Independent Group – two Chairs • Conservative Group – two Chairs Councillor Simon Hancock Moved the Recommendation; Seconded by Councillor Joshua Beynon. The vote, undertaken by a show of hands, was carried. RESOLVED That the allocation of Overview and Scrutiny Committee Chairs be approved Councillor Paul Miller then Moved that the allocation of Committee’s to each Political Party remain the same as the last term of Council. The Head of Democratic Services then confirmed the allocations as follows: • Corporate Overview and Scrutiny Committee – Independent Group • Schools and Learning Overview and Scrutiny Committee - Independent Group • Social Care Overview and Scrutiny Committee – Conservative Group • Services Overview and Scrutiny Committee – Conservative Group • Policy and Pre-decision Overview and Scrutiny Committee - Labour Group Seconded by Councillor Jamie Adams. The vote, undertaken by a show of hands, was carried. RESOLVED That the allocation of Committees to each Political Party remain the same as the last term of Council.
RESOLVED That the Councillor Jacob Williams be duly appointed as the Chair of the Planning Committee. Councillor Paul Miller Moved that Councillor Jordan Ryan be duly appointed as the Vice-Chair of the Planning Committee; Seconded by Councillor Tony Wilcox. Councillor Brian Hall proposed Councillor Tony Wilcox for the position of Vice-Chair. Councillor Wilcox did not accept. The vote, undertaken by a show of hands, was carried. RESOLVED That the Councillor Jordan Ryan be duly appointed as the Vice-Chair of the Planning Committee. (ii) Licensing Committee Councillor Michelle Bateman Moved that Councillor Tim Evans be duly appointed as the Chair of the Licensing Committee; Seconded by Councillor John Cole. Councillor Elwyn Morse Moved that Councillor Reg Owens be duly appointed as the Chair of the Licensing Committee; Seconded by Councillor Peter Morgan. The meeting was paused at this juncture for Members to vote via secret ballot. Following the issuing of the ballot papers, the votes were verified and counted and the Chief Executive announced the number of votes cast. RESOLVED That the Councillor Tim Evans be duly appointed as the Chair of the Licensing Committee. Councillor Paul Miller Moved that Councillor Tony Wilcox be duly appointed as the Vice-Chair of the Licensing Committee; Seconded by Councillor Marc Tierney. Councillor Tim Evans Moved that Councillor Mark Carter be duly appointed as the Vice-Chair of the Licensing Committee; Seconded by Councillor Di Clements. Councillor Brian Hall Moved that Councillor Reg Owens be duly appointed as the Vice-Chair of the Licensing Committee; Seconded by Councillor Peter Morgan. The meeting was paused at this juncture for Members to vote via secret ballot. Following the issuing of the ballot papers, the votes were verified and counted and the Chief Executive announced the number of votes cast. As no candidate had a majority of votes cast, the meeting was advised that the candidate with the least number of votes would be removed from the ballot and a further ballot would be undertaken between Councillors Tony Wilcox and Reg Owens. Councillor Reg Owens then advised that he wished to withdraw his nominationfor the role of Vice-Chair at this juncture. The vote, undertaken by a show of hands, was carried. RESOLVED That the Councillor Tony Wilcox be duly appointed as the Vice-Chair of the Licensing Committee. (iii) Democratic Services Committee Councillor Joshua Beynon Moved that Councillor Di Clements be duly appointed as the Chair of the Democratic Services Committee; Seconded by Councillor Mark Carter. The vote, undertaken by a show of hands, was carried. RESOLVED That Councillor Di Clements be duly appointed as the Chair of the Democratic Services Committee. Councillor Di Clements Moved that Councillor Joshua Beynon be duly appointed as the Vice-Chair of the Democratic Services Committee; Seconded by Councillor David Howlett. The vote, undertaken by a show of hands, was carried. RESOLVED That Councillor Joshua Beynon be duly appointed as the Vice-Chair of the Democratic Services Committee. (iv) Disciplinary Investigation Committee Councillor Jacob Williams Moved that Councillor Jon Harvey be duly appointed as the Chair of the Disciplinary Investigation Committee; Seconded by Councillor Joshua Beynon. The vote, undertaken by a show of hands, was carried. RESOLVED That Councillor Jon Harvey be duly appointed as the Chair of the Disciplinary Investigation Committee. Councillor Jacob Williams Moved that Councillor Tessa Hodgson be duly appointed as the Vice-Chair of the Disciplinary Investigation Committee; Seconded by Councillor Alan Dennison. The vote, undertaken by a show of hands, was carried. RESOLVED That Councillor Tessa Hodgson be duly appointed as the Vice-Chair of the Disciplinary Investigation Committee. (v) Member Family Absence Complaints Panel The Presiding Member stated that Councillor Di Clements, as the Chair of the Democratic Services Committee, automatically became a Member of the Member Family Absence Complaints Panel. Councillor Paul Miller Moved that Councillor Nicola Gwynn be duly appointed; Seconded by Councillor Mike Stoddart. The vote, undertaken by a show of hands, was carried. RESOLVED That Councillors Di Clements and Nicola Gwynne be duly appointed to the Member Family Absence Complaints Panel.
RESOLVED That Community Councillors David Edwards and Hugh Watchman be reappointed to the Standards Committee for a further term of office commencing on 26 May 2022.
RESOLVED That the obligation to provide for job-sharing for Cabinet Members be noted and that the sections set out in Appendix 1 to be inserted into the Constitution be approved. In regards to Recommendation 2, Councillor Viv Stoddart stated that she would not support the Recommendation and believed it to be a radical introduction to the way the Council would potentially operate. She stated that it would require a great deal of scrutiny and consideration by all Members. Councillor Di Clements agreed with Councillor Stoddart and stated that she wished to understand the reasoning behind the Recommendation. She believed the responsibility between a Cabinet Member and the Assistant could cause complication and duplication. She also made reference to the potential financial implication and highlighted the need to reduce the cost of Local Government. She also stated that Cabinet should consider job sharing if work commitments were impacting on their Cabinet work. The Presiding Member then suggested taking the Recommendations to the Democratic Services Committee for consideration. Councillor Jamie Adams agreed with the Presiding Member and stated that he was in favour of the Cabinet Assistant role in regards to giving Members the opportunity to develop. However, he also stated his concerns regarding financial implications. Councillor Jamie Adams then Proposed that Recommendations two, three and four be considered by the Democratic Services Committee; Seconded by Councillor Simon Hancock. Councillor Jacob Williams then stated that he believed the Recommendations would be under the remit of the Constitutional Review Committee. To clarify, the Interim Monitoring Officer stated that as the report related to the roles and responsibilities of Members, the Democratic Services Committee was preferred. She explained further that the Democratic Services Committee was able to review any matter relevant to the terms and conditions of Office of Members of the Council. She stated that this was not a purely Constitutional matter, therefore the Democratic Services Committee was the appropriate Committee to consider the Recommendations. Councillor Jacob Williams then Proposed an Amendment that the matter be deferred to the Constitutional Review Committee. Councillor Adams made the suggestion that the item be deferred to the Democratic Services Committee then back to Council, then there would be the opportunity for the Constitutional Review Committee to review the decision after full Council. Councillor Paul Miller agreed. The Proposed Amendment was then Seconded by Councillor Mike Stoddart. Councillor Mike Stoddart then highlighted that the assistant role, which would include provision for payment in the future, would increase the Leader’s power by increasing the payroll vote and the amount of Members within the Leaders remit, therefore he believed it to be a constitutional matter. Councillor Joshua Beynon stated that he agreed the matter should be deferred to the Democratic Services Committee. He stated his support for the new roles and highlighted that they offered opportunity for diversity and succession planning. The vote on the Amendment, undertaken by an electronic vote, was lost. For the Motion: Councillors John Cole, Pat Davies, Terry Davies, Tim Evans, Tessa Hodgson, Phil Kidney, Reg Owens, Mel Phillips, Bethan Price, Sam Skyrme-Blackhall, Mike Stoddart, Viv Stoddart, Vanessa Thomas, Anji Tinley, Michele Wiggins, Chris Williams and Jacob Williams [17] Against the Motion: Councillors Jamie Adams, Steve Alderman, Michelle Bateman, Joshua Beynon, Maureen Bowen, Alistair Cameron, Mark Carter, Di Clements, Alec Cormack, John Davies, Andrew Edwards, Nicola Gwyn, Brian Hall, Simon Hancock, Delme Harries, Jon Harvey, David Howlett, Mike James, Mike John, Rhys Jordan, Paul Miller, Peter Morgan, Elwyn Morse, Huw Murphy, Neil Prior, Shon Rees, Jordan Ryan, Rhys Sinnett, Marc Tierney, Thomas Tudor, Iwan Ward, Tony Wilcox, Michael Williams, Guy Woodham, Simon Wright, Steve Yelland and Danny Young [37] Abstentions: Councillors Aaron Carey, Alan Dennison and Aled Thomas [3] The vote on the original Motion, undertaken by a show of hands, was carried. RESOLVED That Recommendations two, three and four be deferred to the Democratic Services Committee for consideration.
RESOLVED That the draft Municipal Calendar for the period May 2022 to May 2023 be approved.
Decision as recorded
RESOLVED That Councillor Simon Hancock be elected as Presiding Member for the ensuing Municipal Year.
The Chairman introduced the item and invited nominations for the post of Presiding Member for the ensuing Municipal Year. Moved by Councillor Tim Evans; Seconded by Councillor Brian Hall. The vote, undertaken by way of an electronic vote, was carried. The votes were recorded as follows: For the Motion: Councillors Jamie Adams, Steve Alderman, Michelle Bateman, Joshua Beynon, Maureen Bowen, Alistair Cameron, Aaron Carey, Mark Carter, Di Clements, John Cole, Alec Cormack, John Davies, Pat Davies, Terry Davies, Alan Dennison, Andrew Edwards, Tim Evans, Nicola Gwyn, Brian Hall, Delme Harries, Jon Harvey, Tessa Hodgson, David Howlett, Mike James, Mike John, Rhys Jordan, Phil Kidney, Paul Miller, Peter Morgan, Elwyn Morse, Huw Murphy, Reg Owens, Mel Phillips, Bethan Price, Neil Prior, Shon Rees, Jordan Ryan, David Simpson, Rhys Sinnett, Sam Skyrme-Blackhall, Mike Stoddart, Viv Stoddart, Aled Thomas, Vanessa Thomas, Marc Tierney, Anji Tinley, Thomas Tudor, Iwan Ward, Michele Wiggins, Tony Wilcox, Chris Williams, Jacob Williams, Michael Williams, Guy Woodham, Simon Wright, Steve Yelland and Danny Young [57] There were no votes against or abstentions. RESOLVED That Councillor Simon Hancock be elected as Presiding Member for the ensuing Municipal Year.
The Presiding Member then took the Oath of Office and signed the Declaration of Acceptance of Office.
The Presiding Member stated that he was extremely grateful for the continued confidence and trust of Members. He highlighted that he was conscious of the responsibilities of the role and ensured that he would do his best to uphold the Constitution. The Presiding Member also stated that he would ensure that business would be transacted in an efficient and dignified manner, with opportunity for Members to engage in democratic debate. He highlighted that there must be inclusivity and equality for all Members, as well as the time and space to contribute. He then highlighted that as Presiding Member he would be nonpartisan and would show no partiality, bias or favouritism. The Presiding Member ensured that he would be a firm and fair Chair.
There were no Declarations of Interests made at this point in the meeting.
The Presiding Member then invited Councillor Michael James to give his review of his Year of Office. He welcomed the newly elected County Councillors and reminded all Members that it was an honour and privilege to represent the local communities. He also thanked the Members that had stood down, as well as those who were not successful at the Election. He then expressed his delight and pride at the visit of His Royal Highness, the Prince of Wales, to Nevern in July 2021. He also highlighted that in March 2022, he was honoured to support Her Majesty’s Lord-Lieutenant of Dyfed, Miss Sara Edwards, in the presentation of British Empire Medals and a Medal of the Order of the British Empireto six recipients from Pembrokeshire. He stated that it was a privilege to represent the Council and to have met the deserving recipients. He then stated that the Staff of Pembrokeshire County Council had adapted to different ways of working in the midst of such challenging times. He stated that they were hard working, committed, dedicated and a credit to the Authority. The Chairman then stated that it had been an honour to be Chairman of Pembrokeshire County Council over the last year and thanked all those who had offered their advice and backing. He then mentioned his family, who had always been there with a word of encouragement and support when needed.
The Presiding Member then invited Councillor David Simpson to give a vote of thanks to the outgoing Chairman. Councillor Simpson first thanked Councillor Michael James, on behalf of Members, Staff and the people of Pembrokeshire, for his role as Chairman. He stated that it was an honour to work with him over the years. He highlighted that Councillor James had become a Councillor in 2010 and had achieved double Chairmanship as Chair of the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park Authority as well as the Chair of Pembrokeshire County Council. Councillor Simpson stated that Councillor James had been an exemplary representative for the Council and stated that he continued to be a champion of the Welsh language. He then thanked Councillor James for his time as Chairman. The Presiding Member then gave his congratulations to Councillor James for his year in Office and presented him with the Outgoing Chairman’s medal.
Decision as recorded
RESOLVED That the voting mechanism as outlined above be adopted for the meeting.
The Presiding Member then outlined the following voting mechanism proposal for Council to adopt: (a) For uncontested appointments (for the avoidance of doubt, seats and chairmanships, either remunerated or not) voting shall be by a show of hands. (b) For contested appointments, voting shall be undertaken by a secret ballot using the exhaustive ballot voting process as follows: (i) In the case where a single Member is to be appointed, if a candidate does not receive a majority of the votes cast, the candidate with the fewest votes will be eliminated and further rounds of voting will be taken until a majority of votes have been cast for one candidate. (ii) In the case of an appointment of more than one Member, rounds of voting will take place, with the candidate receiving the fewest votes eliminated, until the number of candidates remaining is equal to the number of Members to be appointed. Moved by Councillor Simon Hancock; Seconded by Councillor Jacob Williams. The vote, undertaken by way of an electronic vote, was carried.The votes were recorded as follows: For the Motion: Councillors Jamie Adams, Steve Alderman, Michelle Bateman, Joshua Beynon, Maureen Bowen, Alistair Cameron, Aaron Carey, Mark Carter, Di Clements, John Cole, Alec Cormack, John Davies, Pat Davies, Terry Davies, Alan Dennison, Andrew Edwards, Tim Evans, Nicola Gwyn, Brian Hall, Simon Hancock, Delme Harries, Jon Harvey, Tessa Hodgson, David Howlett, Mike James, Mike John, Rhys Jordan, Phil Kidney, Paul Miller, Peter Morgan, Elwyn Morse, Huw Murphy, Reg Owens, Mel Phillips, Bethan Price, Neil Prior, Shon Rees, Jordan Ryan, David Simpson, Rhys Sinnett, Sam Skyrme-Blackhall, Mike Stoddart, Viv Stoddart, Aled Thomas, Vanessa Thomas, Marc Tierney, Anji Tinley, Thomas Tudor, Iwan Ward, Michele Wiggins, Tony Wilcox, Chris Williams, Jacob Williams, Michael Williams, Guy Woodham, Simon Wright, Steve Yelland and Danny Young [58] There were no votes against or abstentions. RESOLVED That the voting mechanism as outlined above be adopted for the meeting.
Decision as recorded
RESOLVED That Councillor Pat Davies be elected as Chair / Deputy Presiding Member for the ensuing Municipal Year.
The Presiding Member then sought nominations for the post of Chair / Deputy Presiding Member. Moved by Councillor Di Clements; Seconded by Councillor Tim Evans. The vote, undertaken by way of a show of hands, was carried. RESOLVED That Councillor Pat Davies be elected as Chair / Deputy Presiding Member for the ensuing Municipal Year.
Councillor Pat Davies then took the Oath of Office, signed the Declaration of Acceptance of Office and was invested with the Chair’s Chain of Office. She thanked Members and stated that it was a privilege to be elected as Chair to the Council. She gave thanks to Councillor Michael James for his advice and support, as well as his commitment as Chair for the last municipal year. She then stated that she wished to represent the County and the people of Pembrokeshire with the commitment they deserve. The Presiding Member then wished Councillor Davies the best for her term of Office.
The Presiding Member then sought nominations for the post of Vice-Chair for the ensuing municipal year. Moved by Councillor Paul Miller; Seconded by Councillor Joshua Beynon. The vote, undertaken by way of a show of hands, was carried. RESOLVED That Councillor Thomas Tudor be elected as Vice-Chair for the ensuing Municipal Year.
Councillor Thomas Tudor then took the Oath of Office, signed the Declaration of Acceptance of Office and was invested with the Chair’s Chain of Office. The Vice-Chair thanked Councillors Paul Miller and Joshua Beynon for their nominations, as well as Elected Members for their support. He thanked the Democratic Services team for exercising the duties of the day in the most professional manner. He stated he would embrace the role of Vice-Chair with enthusiasm and motivation and highlighted that he was mindful of the privilege of the role. The Presiding Member then wished Councillor Tudor the best for his term of Office.
Decision as recorded
RESOLVED That Councillor David Simpson be elected as Leader of Council.
Council noted that under the terms of Council Procedure Rule 4.7, Councillor David Simpson had been nominated for the office of Leader of Council. Moved by Councillor Paul Miller; Seconded by Councillor Michael Williams. The vote, undertaken by way of a show of hands, was carried. RESOLVED That Councillor David Simpson be elected as Leader of Council.
The Leaderannounced the composition of his Cabinet as follows: (i) Councillor Paul Miller as Deputy Leader (ii) Councillor Neil Prior for Corporate Improvement and Communities (iii)Councillor Guy Woodham for Education and Welsh Language (iv)Councillor Tessa Hodgson for Social Care and Safeguarding (v) Councillor Alec Cormac for Corporate Finance (vi)Councillor Jon Harvey for Planning and Housing Delivery (vii) Councillor Michelle Bateman for Housing Operations and Regulatory Services He stated that the position for Resident Services was yet to be decided and would be announced within 24 hours. [The Presiding Member then announced that Her Majesty’s Lord Lieutenant would leave the meeting at this juncture.]
The Leader then took the Oath of Office and signed the Declaration of Acceptance of Office. The Leader then gave thanks to all Staff for their hard work and support throughout the Covid-19 pandemic. He also thanked Members and members of the Public for their ongoing support. He then thanked his wife for her support over the last five years. He also thanked the three Members of the previous Cabinet, Bob Kilmister, Cris Tomos and Phil Baker, with special thanks to Bob Kilmister for his work in regards to the Budget. The Leader then stated that he was proud of the work that had been carried out by the previous Cabinet over the last five years. The Presiding Member then congratulated the Leader and wished him the best for his term of Office.
Decision as recorded
RESOLVED That the allocation of Committee Seats under the requirements of Section 15 of the Local Government and Housing Act 1989, as set out in the revised Schedule 1, be approved, subject to the Independent Group allocation being amended to 2 seats on the Urgency Committee and 1 seat on the Senior Staff Committee and the unallocated seats being adjusted accordingly. (a) That the appointment of those Members (and reserve list members) to Committees in accordance with the wishes of the Group Leader, be delegated to the Head of Democratic Services. Council then considered appointments to the following Committees: (i) Standards Committee Council was advised that there were two seats to be allocated. Consequently, the following nominations were received: It was Moved by Councillor Jacob Williams that Councillor Vanessa Thomas be appointed; Seconded by Councillor Mike Stoddart. It was Moved by Councillor Paul Miller that Councillor Guy Woodham be reappointed; Seconded by Councillor Joshua Beynon. The vote, undertaken by a show of hands, was carried. RESOLVED That Councillors Vanessa Thomas and Guy Woodham be appointed to the Standards Committee. (ii) Governance and Audit Committee Council was advised that there were six seats to be allocated, with no more than one Executive Member and it could not be the Leader. The Head of Democratic Services stated that the following Group Members had been allocated to the Committee prior to the meeting: • Councillor Mike James for the Independent Group • Councillor Aled Thomas for the Conservative Group • Councillor Guy Woodham for the Labour Group The following nominations were then received for Unaffiliated Members: It was Moved by Councillor Jacob Williams, that Councillors Jacob Williams, Mike Stoddart and Alan Dennison be appointed; Seconded by Councillor John Cole. The vote, undertaken by a show of hands, was carried. RESOLVED That Councillors Mike James, Aled Thomas, Guy Woodham, Jacob Williams, Mike Stoddart and Alan Dennison be appointed to the Governance and Audit Committee. (iii) Democratic Services Committee Council was advised that there were seven seats to be allocated, with no more than one Executive Member and it could not be the Leader. The Head of Democratic Services stated that the following Group Members had been allocated to the Committee prior to the meeting: • Councillors Elwyn Morse and Jamie Adams for the Independent Group • Councillor Di Clements for the Conservative Group • Councillor Joshua Beynon for the Labour Group The following nominations were then received for Unaffiliated Members: It was Moved by Councillor Jacob Williams, that Councillors Alan Dennison, Michelle Bateman and Sam Skyrme-Blackhall be appointed; Seconded by Councillor Michelle Bateman. The vote, undertaken by a show of hands, was carried. RESOLVED That Councillors Elwyn Morse, Jamie Adams, Di Clements, Joshua Beynon, Alan Dennison, Michelle Bateman and Sam Skyrme-Blackhall be appointed to the Democratic Services Committee. (iv) Appointment Panel for Independent Members to the Standards Committee and Governance and Audit Committee Council was advised that there were three seats to be allocated, who must not be Members of the Standards Committee. Consequently, the following nominations were received: It was Moved by Councillor Jacob Williams that Councillors Joshua Beynon, Mel Phillips and Jacob Williams be appointed; Seconded by Councillor Mike Stoddart. The vote, undertaken by a show of hands, was carried. RESOLVED That Councillors Joshua Beynon, Mel Phillips and Jacob Williams be appointed to Appointment Panel for Independent Members to the Standards Committee and Governance and Audit Committee. Council then considered the appointment of Members and Reserve Members not in political groups to the unallocated seats set out in Schedule 1 as amended. Councillor Jacob Williams stated that no Unaffiliated Members would be appointed as Reserve Members and wished for the matter to be deferred to the July Council meeting. (i) Planning Committee Councillor Jacob Williams Moved that Councillors Jacob Williams, Tim Evans, John Cole and Michele Wiggins be duly appointed; Seconded by Councillor Mike Stoddart. The vote, undertaken by a show of hands, was carried. RESOLVED That Councillors Jacob Williams, Tim Evans, John Cole and Michele Wiggins be appointed to the Planning Committee. (ii) Disciplinary and Investigatory Committee Councillor Jacob Williams Moved that Councillors Jon Harvey, Pat Davies, Tessa Hodgson and Phil Kidney be duly appointed; Seconded by Councillor John Cole. The vote, undertaken by a show of hands, was carried. RESOLVED That Councillors Jon Harvey, Pat Davies, Tessa Hodgson and Phil Kidney be appointed to the Disciplinary and Investigatory Committee. (iii) Licensing Committee Councillor Jacob Williams Moved that Councillors Tim Evans, Viv Stoddart, Chris Williams, John Cole and Vanessa Thomas be duly appointed; Seconded by Councillor Steve Alderman. The vote, undertaken by a show of hands, was carried. RESOLVED That Councillors Tim Evans, Viv Stoddart, Chris Williams, John Cole and Vanessa Thomas be appointed to the Licensing Committee. (iv) Constitutional Review Committee Councillor Jacob Williams Moved that Councillors Jacob Williams, Mike Stoddart, Michelle Bateman, Pat Davies, Mel Phillips and Steve Alderman be duly appointed; Seconded by Councillor Neil Prior. The vote, undertaken by a show of hands, was carried. RESOLVED That Councillors Jacob Williams, Mike Stoddart, Michelle Bateman, Pat Davies, Mel Phillips and Steve Alderman be appointed to the Constitutional Review Committee. (v) Urgency Committee Councillor Jacob Williams Moved that Councillors Alan Dennison, Jon Harvey and Steve Alderman be duly appointed; Seconded by Councillor Alan Dennison. The vote, undertaken by a show of hands, was carried. RESOLVED That Councillors Alan Dennison, Jon Harvey and Steve Alderman be appointed to the Urgency Committee. (vi) Senior Staff Committee Councillor Mike Stoddart Moved that Councillors Neil Prior, Tessa Hodgson, David Simpson and Jacob Williams be duly appointed; Seconded by Councillor Tim Evans. The vote, undertaken by a show of hands, was carried. RESOLVED That Councillors Neil Prior, Tessa Hodgson, David Simpson and Jacob Williams be appointed to the Senior Staff Committee. (vii) SAC Councillor Jacob Williams Moved that Councillor Sam Skyrme-Blackhall be duly appointed; Seconded by Councillor Mike Stoddart. Councillor Williams stated that there were no other nominations and that the matter would be revised at the July meeting of Council. The vote, undertaken by a show of hands, was carried. RESOLVED That Councillor Sam Skyrme-Blackhall be appointed to SAC. (viii) Planning Delegation Panel Councillor Jacob Williams Moved that Councillors Viv Stoddart, Tessa Hodgson and Phil Kidney be duly appointed; Seconded by Councillor Michelle Bateman. The vote, undertaken by a show of hands, was carried. RESOLVED That Councillors Viv Stoddart, Tessa Hodgson and Phil Kidney be appointed to the Planning Delegation Panel. (ix) Housing Revenue Account Working Group Councillor Jacob Williams Moved that Councillors Jon Harvey, Mike Stoddart, Sam Skyrme-Blackhall be duly appointed; Seconded by Councillor Steve Alderman. The vote, undertaken by a show of hands, was carried. RESOLVED That Councillors Jon Harvey, Mike Stoddart and Sam Skyrme-Blackhall be appointed to the Housing Revenue Account Working Group. (x) Housing Revenue Account Depooling Working Group Councillor Jacob Williams Moved that Councillors Jacob Williams, Mike Stoddart and Vanessa Thomas be duly appointed; Seconded by Councillor Tim Evans. The vote, undertaken by a show of hands, was carried. RESOLVED That Councillors Jacob Williams, Mike Stoddart and Vanessa Thomas be appointed to the Housing Revenue Account Depooling Working Group. (xi) Council Tax Working Group Councillor Jacob Williams Moved that Councillors Michele Wiggins, Mike Stoddart and Vanessa Thomas be duly appointed; Seconded by Councillor John Cole. The vote, undertaken by a show of hands, was carried. RESOLVED That Councillors Michele Wiggins, Mike Stoddart and Vanessa Thomas be appointed to the Council Tax Working Group. (xii) Commercial Property Grants Working Group Councillor Jacob Williams Moved that Councillors Jacob Williams, Mike Stoddart and John Cole be duly appointed; Seconded by Councillor Jon Harvey. The vote, undertaken by a show of hands, was carried. RESOLVED That Councillors Jacob Williams, Mike Stoddart and John Cole be appointed to the Commercial Property Grants Working Group. Council then considered representation on Outside Bodies and were required to appoint those Members not in political groups to the unallocated seats. Councillor Simon Hancock Moved the Recommendation; Seconded by Councillor John Cole. The vote, undertaken by a show of hands, was carried. RESOLVED That the representation on the Outside Bodies under the requirements of Section 15 of the Local Government and Housing Act 1989 as set out in Schedule 2 attached to the report be approved. Council then considered nominations for those Members not in political groups to be appointed to the unallocated seats. National Park Authority The following nominations were received for the National Park Authority: Councillor Jacob Williams Moved that Councillors Chris Williams, Sam Skyrme-Blackhall, Steve Alderman, Phil Kidney and Michele Wiggins be duly appointed; Seconded by Councillor Mike Stoddart. The vote, undertaken by a show of hands, was carried. RESOLVED That Councillors Chris Williams, Sam Skyrme-Blackhall, Steve Alderman, Phil Kidney and Michele Wiggins be appointed to the National Park Authority. South West Wales Governance and Audit Corporate Joint Sub-Committee Council then considered the appointment of the Chair of the Governance and Audit Committee (who would be a lay Member) to the South West Wales Governance and Audit Corporate Joint Sub-Committee. The Head of Democratic Services then clarified that this recommendation would automatically make the Chair of the Governance and Audit Committee a representative on the South West Wales Governance and Audit Corporate Joint Sub-Committee. She highlighted that other regional Authorities were doing the same. Councillor Simon Hancock Moved the Recommendation; Seconded by Councillor Paul Miller. The vote, undertaken by a show of hands, was carried. RESOLVED That the Chair of the Governance and Audit Committee (who will be a lay Member) be appointed to the South West Wales Governance and Audit Corporate Joint Sub-Committee.
Council considered a report by the Head of Democratic Services and the Interim Monitoring Officer. The Head of Democratic Services advised that Council was required, under Section 15 of the Local Government and Housing Act 1989, to determine the allocation of Committee seats to political groups and to determine the political balance of the Council’s representative appointments to various politically balanced outside bodies on which the Council was represented, namely the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park Authority, the Dyfed Powys Police and Crime Panel, the Mid and West Wales Fire and Rescue Authority, and Corporate Joint Committees. She also stated that Procedure Rule ten of Part two, Section three of the Constitution, allowed the appointment of Reserve Members to Committees and politically balanced Council Bodies, with the exception of the Planning Committee. She advised that Council could approve a named list of up to three other reserve unaffiliated Members per Body and Group Leaders could also appoint three reserve Members for their allocated Committees. Council then considered the amended Schedule as submitted in the supplementary agenda, which set out the allocation of Committee seats as calculated in accordance with the appropriate formula, set by the relevant statutory requirements. Councillor Jamie Adams Moved the Revised Schedule; Seconded by Councillor Brian Hall. Councillor Michael Stoddart then wished to Move an Amendment to the Schedule. He stated that rather than the Independent Group losing a seat on the Urgency Committee, which would allow to the Unaffiliated Members to gain a seat, he proposed that the Independent Group lose a seat on the Senior Staff Committee instead. Councillor John Cole Seconded the Amendment. Councillor Adams then stated that he believed the Independent Group had been fair in offering the extra seat and felt that it was inappropriate to make an amendment. Councillor Stoddart highlighted that it was a matter for Council to determine, and he was seeking fair treatment for the Unaffiliated Members. Councillor Jacob Williams gave his support for the amendment. Councillor Reg Owens stated that he did not see the need for the amendment as the seats seemed to be fairly allocated. The vote for the Amendment, undertaken by way of an electronic vote, was carried. The votes were recorded as follows: For the Motion: Councillors Steve Alderman, Michelle Bateman, Joshua Beynon, Maureen Bowen, Alistair Cameron, John Cole, Alec Cormack, Pat Davies, Terry Davies, Alan Dennison, Tim Evans, Nicola Gwyn, Simon Hancock, Jon Harvey, Tessa Hodgson, Phil Kidney, Paul Miller, Mel Phillips, Bethan Price, Neil Prior, Jordan Ryan, David Simpson, Rhys Sinnett, Sam Skyrme-Blackhall, Mike Stoddart, Viv Stoddart, Vanessa Thomas, Marc Tierney, Anji Tinley, Thomas Tudor, Michele Wiggins, Tony Wilcox, Chris Williams, Jacob Williams, Michael Williams and Guy Woodham [36] Against the Motion: Councillors Jamie Adams, Aaron Carey, Mark Carter, Di Clements, John Davies, Andrew Edwards, Brian Hall, Delme Harries, David Howlett, Mike James, Mike John, Rhys Jordan, Peter Morgan, Elwyn Morse, Huw Murphy, Reg Owens, Shon Rees, Aled Thomas, Iwan Ward, Simon Wright, Steve Yelland and Danny Young [22] There were no abstentions. The vote for the Substantive Motion, undertaken by way of a show of hands, was carried. RESOLVED That the allocation of Committee Seats under the requirements of Section 15 of the Local Government and Housing Act 1989, as set out in the revised Schedule 1, be approved, subject to the Independent Group allocation being amended to 2 seats on the Urgency Committee and 1 seat on the Senior Staff Committee and the unallocated seats being adjusted accordingly. (a) That the appointment of those Members (and reserve list members) to Committees in accordance with the wishes of the Group Leader, be delegated to the Head of Democratic Services. Council then considered appointments to the following Committees: (i) Standards Committee Council was advised that there were two seats to be allocated. Consequently, the following nominations were received: It was Moved by Councillor Jacob Williams that Councillor Vanessa Thomas be appointed; Seconded by Councillor Mike Stoddart. It was Moved by Councillor Paul Miller that Councillor Guy Woodham be reappointed; Seconded by Councillor Joshua Beynon. The vote, undertaken by a show of hands, was carried. RESOLVED That Councillors Vanessa Thomas and Guy Woodham be appointed to the Standards Committee. (ii) Governance and Audit Committee Council was advised that there were six seats to be allocated, with no more than one Executive Member and it could not be the Leader. The Head of Democratic Services stated that the following Group Members had been allocated to the Committee prior to the meeting: • Councillor Mike James for the Independent Group • Councillor Aled Thomas for the Conservative Group • Councillor Guy Woodham for the Labour Group The following nominations were then received for Unaffiliated Members: It was Moved by Councillor Jacob Williams, that Councillors Jacob Williams, Mike Stoddart and Alan Dennison be appointed; Seconded by Councillor John Cole. The vote, undertaken by a show of hands, was carried. RESOLVED That Councillors Mike James, Aled Thomas, Guy Woodham, Jacob Williams, Mike Stoddart and Alan Dennison be appointed to the Governance and Audit Committee. (iii) Democratic Services Committee Council was advised that there were seven seats to be allocated, with no more than one Executive Member and it could not be the Leader. The Head of Democratic Services stated that the following Group Members had been allocated to the Committee prior to the meeting: • Councillors Elwyn Morse and Jamie Adams for the Independent Group • Councillor Di Clements for the Conservative Group • Councillor Joshua Beynon for the Labour Group The following nominations were then received for Unaffiliated Members: It was Moved by Councillor Jacob Williams, that Councillors Alan Dennison, Michelle Bateman and Sam Skyrme-Blackhall be appointed; Seconded by Councillor Michelle Bateman. The vote, undertaken by a show of hands, was carried. RESOLVED That Councillors Elwyn Morse, Jamie Adams, Di Clements, Joshua Beynon, Alan Dennison, Michelle Bateman and Sam Skyrme-Blackhall be appointed to the Democratic Services Committee. (iv) Appointment Panel for Independent Members to the Standards Committee and Governance and Audit Committee Council was advised that there were three seats to be allocated, who must not be Members of the Standards Committee. Consequently, the following nominations were received: It was Moved by Councillor Jacob Williams that Councillors Joshua Beynon, Mel Phillips and Jacob Williams be appointed; Seconded by Councillor Mike Stoddart. The vote, undertaken by a show of hands, was carried. RESOLVED That Councillors Joshua Beynon, Mel Phillips and Jacob Williams be appointed to Appointment Panel for Independent Members to the Standards Committee and Governance and Audit Committee. Council then considered the appointment of Members and Reserve Members not in political groups to the unallocated seats set out in Schedule 1 as amended. Councillor Jacob Williams stated that no Unaffiliated Members would be appointed as Reserve Members and wished for the matter to be deferred to the July Council meeting. (i) Planning Committee Councillor Jacob Williams Moved that Councillors Jacob Williams, Tim Evans, John Cole and Michele Wiggins be duly appointed; Seconded by Councillor Mike Stoddart. The vote, undertaken by a show of hands, was carried. RESOLVED That Councillors Jacob Williams, Tim Evans, John Cole and Michele Wiggins be appointed to the Planning Committee. (ii) Disciplinary and Investigatory Committee Councillor Jacob Williams Moved that Councillors Jon Harvey, Pat Davies, Tessa Hodgson and Phil Kidney be duly appointed; Seconded by Councillor John Cole. The vote, undertaken by a show of hands, was carried. RESOLVED That Councillors Jon Harvey, Pat Davies, Tessa Hodgson and Phil Kidney be appointed to the Disciplinary and Investigatory Committee. (iii) Licensing Committee Councillor Jacob Williams Moved that Councillors Tim Evans, Viv Stoddart, Chris Williams, John Cole and Vanessa Thomas be duly appointed; Seconded by Councillor Steve Alderman. The vote, undertaken by a show of hands, was carried. RESOLVED That Councillors Tim Evans, Viv Stoddart, Chris Williams, John Cole and Vanessa Thomas be appointed to the Licensing Committee. (iv) Constitutional Review Committee Councillor Jacob Williams Moved that Councillors Jacob Williams, Mike Stoddart, Michelle Bateman, Pat Davies, Mel Phillips and Steve Alderman be duly appointed; Seconded by Councillor Neil Prior. The vote, undertaken by a show of hands, was carried. RESOLVED That Councillors Jacob Williams, Mike Stoddart, Michelle Bateman, Pat Davies, Mel Phillips and Steve Alderman be appointed to the Constitutional Review Committee. (v) Urgency Committee Councillor Jacob Williams Moved that Councillors Alan Dennison, Jon Harvey and Steve Alderman be duly appointed; Seconded by Councillor Alan Dennison. The vote, undertaken by a show of hands, was carried. RESOLVED That Councillors Alan Dennison, Jon Harvey and Steve Alderman be appointed to the Urgency Committee. (vi) Senior Staff Committee Councillor Mike Stoddart Moved that Councillors Neil Prior, Tessa Hodgson, David Simpson and Jacob Williams be duly appointed; Seconded by Councillor Tim Evans. The vote, undertaken by a show of hands, was carried. RESOLVED That Councillors Neil Prior, Tessa Hodgson, David Simpson and Jacob Williams be appointed to the Senior Staff Committee. (vii) SAC Councillor Jacob Williams Moved that Councillor Sam Skyrme-Blackhall be duly appointed; Seconded by Councillor Mike Stoddart. Councillor Williams stated that there were no other nominations and that the matter would be revised at the July meeting of Council. The vote, undertaken by a show of hands, was carried. RESOLVED That Councillor Sam Skyrme-Blackhall be appointed to SAC. (viii) Planning Delegation Panel Councillor Jacob Williams Moved that Councillors Viv Stoddart, Tessa Hodgson and Phil Kidney be duly appointed; Seconded by Councillor Michelle Bateman. The vote, undertaken by a show of hands, was carried. RESOLVED That Councillors Viv Stoddart, Tessa Hodgson and Phil Kidney be appointed to the Planning Delegation Panel. (ix) Housing Revenue Account Working Group Councillor Jacob Williams Moved that Councillors Jon Harvey, Mike Stoddart, Sam Skyrme-Blackhall be duly appointed; Seconded by Councillor Steve Alderman. The vote, undertaken by a show of hands, was carried. RESOLVED That Councillors Jon Harvey, Mike Stoddart and Sam Skyrme-Blackhall be appointed to the Housing Revenue Account Working Group. (x) Housing Revenue Account Depooling Working Group Councillor Jacob Williams Moved that Councillors Jacob Williams, Mike Stoddart and Vanessa Thomas be duly appointed; Seconded by Councillor Tim Evans. The vote, undertaken by a show of hands, was carried. RESOLVED That Councillors Jacob Williams, Mike Stoddart and Vanessa Thomas be appointed to the Housing Revenue Account Depooling Working Group. (xi) Council Tax Working Group Councillor Jacob Williams Moved that Councillors Michele Wiggins, Mike Stoddart and Vanessa Thomas be duly appointed; Seconded by Councillor John Cole. The vote, undertaken by a show of hands, was carried. RESOLVED That Councillors Michele Wiggins, Mike Stoddart and Vanessa Thomas be appointed to the Council Tax Working Group. (xii) Commercial Property Grants Working Group Councillor Jacob Williams Moved that Councillors Jacob Williams, Mike Stoddart and John Cole be duly appointed; Seconded by Councillor Jon Harvey. The vote, undertaken by a show of hands, was carried. RESOLVED That Councillors Jacob Williams, Mike Stoddart and John Cole be appointed to the Commercial Property Grants Working Group. Council then considered representation on Outside Bodies and were required to appoint those Members not in political groups to the unallocated seats. Councillor Simon Hancock Moved the Recommendation; Seconded by Councillor John Cole. The vote, undertaken by a show of hands, was carried. RESOLVED That the representation on the Outside Bodies under the requirements of Section 15 of the Local Government and Housing Act 1989 as set out in Schedule 2 attached to the report be approved. Council then considered nominations for those Members not in political groups to be appointed to the unallocated seats. National Park Authority The following nominations were received for the National Park Authority: Councillor Jacob Williams Moved that Councillors Chris Williams, Sam Skyrme-Blackhall, Steve Alderman, Phil Kidney and Michele Wiggins be duly appointed; Seconded by Councillor Mike Stoddart. The vote, undertaken by a show of hands, was carried. RESOLVED That Councillors Chris Williams, Sam Skyrme-Blackhall, Steve Alderman, Phil Kidney and Michele Wiggins be appointed to the National Park Authority. South West Wales Governance and Audit Corporate Joint Sub-Committee Council then considered the appointment of the Chair of the Governance and Audit Committee (who would be a lay Member) to the South West Wales Governance and Audit Corporate Joint Sub-Committee. The Head of Democratic Services then clarified that this recommendation would automatically make the Chair of the Governance and Audit Committee a representative on the South West Wales Governance and Audit Corporate Joint Sub-Committee. She highlighted that other regional Authorities were doing the same. Councillor Simon Hancock Moved the Recommendation; Seconded by Councillor Paul Miller. The vote, undertaken by a show of hands, was carried. RESOLVED That the Chair of the Governance and Audit Committee (who will be a lay Member) be appointed to the South West Wales Governance and Audit Corporate Joint Sub-Committee.
Decision as recorded
RESOLVED That the change the method of calculating political balance in respect of the allocation of seats on Overview and Scrutiny Committees from a purely individual committee basis (13 seats) to the total number of seats on Overview and Scrutiny Committees (65 seats), be agreed. The following nominations were then received for Unaffiliated Members: (i) Schools and Learning Overview and Scrutiny Committee Councillor Jacob Williams Moved that Councillors Pat Davies, Mike Stoddart, Sam Skyrme-Blackhall, Mel Phillips and Anji Tinley be duly appointed; Seconded by Councillor Tim Evans. The vote, undertaken by a show of hands, was carried. RESOLVED That the above appointments be approved. (ii) Social Care Overview and Scrutiny Committee Councillor Jacob Williams Moved that Councillors Steve Alderman, Vanessa Thomas, Mel Phillips, Terry Davies and Anji Tinley be duly appointed; Seconded by Councillor Tim Evans. The vote, undertaken by a show of hands, was carried. RESOLVED That the above appointments be approved. (iii) Services Overview and Scrutiny Committee Councillor Jacob Williams Moved that Councillors Tim Evans, Viv Stoddart, Alan Dennison, Steve Alderman and Chris Williams be duly appointed; Seconded by Councillor Anji Tinley. The vote, undertaken by a show of hands, was carried. RESOLVED That the above appointments be approved. (iv) Corporate Overview and Scrutiny Committee Councillor Jacob Williams stated that there was one vacancy in regards to the Membership of the Committee and highlighted that it would be reviewed at Council in July. Councillor Jacob Williams Moved that Councillors Alan Dennison, Steve Alderman, Mike Stoddart and Jacob Williams be duly appointed; Seconded by Councillor Mike Stoddart. The vote, undertaken by a show of hands, was carried. RESOLVED That the above appointments be approved. (v) Policy and Pre-Decision Overview and Scrutiny Committee Councillor Jacob Williams stated that there was one vacancy in regards to the Membership of the Committee and highlighted that it would be reviewed at Council in July. Councillor Jacob Williams Moved that Councillors Pat Davies, Michele Wiggins and Bethan Price be duly appointed; Seconded by Councillor Steve Alderman. The vote, undertaken by a show of hands, was carried. RESOLVED That the above appointments be approved. Allocation of Chairs of Overview and Scrutiny Committees Council was then required to determine the allocation of Overview and Scrutiny Committee Chairs. The Head of Democratic Services highlighted that in accordance with the Leader’s earlier announcement, the allocation of Overview and Scrutiny Chairs were as follows: • Executive Group – one Chair • Independent Group – two Chairs • Conservative Group – two Chairs Councillor Simon Hancock Moved the Recommendation; Seconded by Councillor Joshua Beynon. The vote, undertaken by a show of hands, was carried. RESOLVED That the allocation of Overview and Scrutiny Committee Chairs be approved Councillor Paul Miller then Moved that the allocation of Committee’s to each Political Party remain the same as the last term of Council. The Head of Democratic Services then confirmed the allocations as follows: • Corporate Overview and Scrutiny Committee – Independent Group • Schools and Learning Overview and Scrutiny Committee - Independent Group • Social Care Overview and Scrutiny Committee – Conservative Group • Services Overview and Scrutiny Committee – Conservative Group • Policy and Pre-decision Overview and Scrutiny Committee - Labour Group Seconded by Councillor Jamie Adams. The vote, undertaken by a show of hands, was carried. RESOLVED That the allocation of Committees to each Political Party remain the same as the last term of Council.
Council considered a report by the Head of Democratic Services and the Interim Monitoring Officer which outlined that the Council was required, pursuant to Section 9FA of the Local Government Act 2000, to apply the requirements of Section 15 of the Local Government and Housing Act 1989, in determining the allocation of Committee seats to political groups on Overview and Scrutiny Committees and its Chairs. The Head of Democratic Services stated that the methodology for allocating such seats was done on an individual basis, where small Groups with Members of two or less would not qualify for a seat. She highlighted that this was considered unfair and asked Members to consider the option of allocating the seats in the same way as ordinary Committees, on a collective basis. She stated that this would however result in a slightly reduced number of seats for the Independent Group and slightly increased seats for the Conservative and Labour Groups. Councillor Mike Stoddart Moved the Recommendation; Seconded by Councillor Di Clements. The vote, undertaken by a show of hands, was carried. RESOLVED That the change the method of calculating political balance in respect of the allocation of seats on Overview and Scrutiny Committees from a purely individual committee basis (13 seats) to the total number of seats on Overview and Scrutiny Committees (65 seats), be agreed. The following nominations were then received for Unaffiliated Members: (i) Schools and Learning Overview and Scrutiny Committee Councillor Jacob Williams Moved that Councillors Pat Davies, Mike Stoddart, Sam Skyrme-Blackhall, Mel Phillips and Anji Tinley be duly appointed; Seconded by Councillor Tim Evans. The vote, undertaken by a show of hands, was carried. RESOLVED That the above appointments be approved. (ii) Social Care Overview and Scrutiny Committee Councillor Jacob Williams Moved that Councillors Steve Alderman, Vanessa Thomas, Mel Phillips, Terry Davies and Anji Tinley be duly appointed; Seconded by Councillor Tim Evans. The vote, undertaken by a show of hands, was carried. RESOLVED That the above appointments be approved. (iii) Services Overview and Scrutiny Committee Councillor Jacob Williams Moved that Councillors Tim Evans, Viv Stoddart, Alan Dennison, Steve Alderman and Chris Williams be duly appointed; Seconded by Councillor Anji Tinley. The vote, undertaken by a show of hands, was carried. RESOLVED That the above appointments be approved. (iv) Corporate Overview and Scrutiny Committee Councillor Jacob Williams stated that there was one vacancy in regards to the Membership of the Committee and highlighted that it would be reviewed at Council in July. Councillor Jacob Williams Moved that Councillors Alan Dennison, Steve Alderman, Mike Stoddart and Jacob Williams be duly appointed; Seconded by Councillor Mike Stoddart. The vote, undertaken by a show of hands, was carried. RESOLVED That the above appointments be approved. (v) Policy and Pre-Decision Overview and Scrutiny Committee Councillor Jacob Williams stated that there was one vacancy in regards to the Membership of the Committee and highlighted that it would be reviewed at Council in July. Councillor Jacob Williams Moved that Councillors Pat Davies, Michele Wiggins and Bethan Price be duly appointed; Seconded by Councillor Steve Alderman. The vote, undertaken by a show of hands, was carried. RESOLVED That the above appointments be approved. Allocation of Chairs of Overview and Scrutiny Committees Council was then required to determine the allocation of Overview and Scrutiny Committee Chairs. The Head of Democratic Services highlighted that in accordance with the Leader’s earlier announcement, the allocation of Overview and Scrutiny Chairs were as follows: • Executive Group – one Chair • Independent Group – two Chairs • Conservative Group – two Chairs Councillor Simon Hancock Moved the Recommendation; Seconded by Councillor Joshua Beynon. The vote, undertaken by a show of hands, was carried. RESOLVED That the allocation of Overview and Scrutiny Committee Chairs be approved Councillor Paul Miller then Moved that the allocation of Committee’s to each Political Party remain the same as the last term of Council. The Head of Democratic Services then confirmed the allocations as follows: • Corporate Overview and Scrutiny Committee – Independent Group • Schools and Learning Overview and Scrutiny Committee - Independent Group • Social Care Overview and Scrutiny Committee – Conservative Group • Services Overview and Scrutiny Committee – Conservative Group • Policy and Pre-decision Overview and Scrutiny Committee - Labour Group Seconded by Councillor Jamie Adams. The vote, undertaken by a show of hands, was carried. RESOLVED That the allocation of Committees to each Political Party remain the same as the last term of Council.
Decision as recorded
RESOLVED That the Councillor Jacob Williams be duly appointed as the Chair of the Planning Committee. Councillor Paul Miller Moved that Councillor Jordan Ryan be duly appointed as the Vice-Chair of the Planning Committee; Seconded by Councillor Tony Wilcox. Councillor Brian Hall proposed Councillor Tony Wilcox for the position of Vice-Chair. Councillor Wilcox did not accept. The vote, undertaken by a show of hands, was carried. RESOLVED That the Councillor Jordan Ryan be duly appointed as the Vice-Chair of the Planning Committee. (ii) Licensing Committee Councillor Michelle Bateman Moved that Councillor Tim Evans be duly appointed as the Chair of the Licensing Committee; Seconded by Councillor John Cole. Councillor Elwyn Morse Moved that Councillor Reg Owens be duly appointed as the Chair of the Licensing Committee; Seconded by Councillor Peter Morgan. The meeting was paused at this juncture for Members to vote via secret ballot. Following the issuing of the ballot papers, the votes were verified and counted and the Chief Executive announced the number of votes cast. RESOLVED That the Councillor Tim Evans be duly appointed as the Chair of the Licensing Committee. Councillor Paul Miller Moved that Councillor Tony Wilcox be duly appointed as the Vice-Chair of the Licensing Committee; Seconded by Councillor Marc Tierney. Councillor Tim Evans Moved that Councillor Mark Carter be duly appointed as the Vice-Chair of the Licensing Committee; Seconded by Councillor Di Clements. Councillor Brian Hall Moved that Councillor Reg Owens be duly appointed as the Vice-Chair of the Licensing Committee; Seconded by Councillor Peter Morgan. The meeting was paused at this juncture for Members to vote via secret ballot. Following the issuing of the ballot papers, the votes were verified and counted and the Chief Executive announced the number of votes cast. As no candidate had a majority of votes cast, the meeting was advised that the candidate with the least number of votes would be removed from the ballot and a further ballot would be undertaken between Councillors Tony Wilcox and Reg Owens. Councillor Reg Owens then advised that he wished to withdraw his nominationfor the role of Vice-Chair at this juncture. The vote, undertaken by a show of hands, was carried. RESOLVED That the Councillor Tony Wilcox be duly appointed as the Vice-Chair of the Licensing Committee. (iii) Democratic Services Committee Councillor Joshua Beynon Moved that Councillor Di Clements be duly appointed as the Chair of the Democratic Services Committee; Seconded by Councillor Mark Carter. The vote, undertaken by a show of hands, was carried. RESOLVED That Councillor Di Clements be duly appointed as the Chair of the Democratic Services Committee. Councillor Di Clements Moved that Councillor Joshua Beynon be duly appointed as the Vice-Chair of the Democratic Services Committee; Seconded by Councillor David Howlett. The vote, undertaken by a show of hands, was carried. RESOLVED That Councillor Joshua Beynon be duly appointed as the Vice-Chair of the Democratic Services Committee. (iv) Disciplinary Investigation Committee Councillor Jacob Williams Moved that Councillor Jon Harvey be duly appointed as the Chair of the Disciplinary Investigation Committee; Seconded by Councillor Joshua Beynon. The vote, undertaken by a show of hands, was carried. RESOLVED That Councillor Jon Harvey be duly appointed as the Chair of the Disciplinary Investigation Committee. Councillor Jacob Williams Moved that Councillor Tessa Hodgson be duly appointed as the Vice-Chair of the Disciplinary Investigation Committee; Seconded by Councillor Alan Dennison. The vote, undertaken by a show of hands, was carried. RESOLVED That Councillor Tessa Hodgson be duly appointed as the Vice-Chair of the Disciplinary Investigation Committee. (v) Member Family Absence Complaints Panel The Presiding Member stated that Councillor Di Clements, as the Chair of the Democratic Services Committee, automatically became a Member of the Member Family Absence Complaints Panel. Councillor Paul Miller Moved that Councillor Nicola Gwynn be duly appointed; Seconded by Councillor Mike Stoddart. The vote, undertaken by a show of hands, was carried. RESOLVED That Councillors Di Clements and Nicola Gwynne be duly appointed to the Member Family Absence Complaints Panel.
The Head of Democratic Services stated that Council was required to appoint the Chairs and Vice-Chairs of the following Standing Regulatory Committees: (i) Planning Committee Councillor John Cole Moved that Councillor Jacob Williams be duly appointed as the Chair of the Planning Committee; Seconded by Councillor Phil Kidney. The vote, undertaken by a show of hands, was carried. RESOLVED That the Councillor Jacob Williams be duly appointed as the Chair of the Planning Committee. Councillor Paul Miller Moved that Councillor Jordan Ryan be duly appointed as the Vice-Chair of the Planning Committee; Seconded by Councillor Tony Wilcox. Councillor Brian Hall proposed Councillor Tony Wilcox for the position of Vice-Chair. Councillor Wilcox did not accept. The vote, undertaken by a show of hands, was carried. RESOLVED That the Councillor Jordan Ryan be duly appointed as the Vice-Chair of the Planning Committee. (ii) Licensing Committee Councillor Michelle Bateman Moved that Councillor Tim Evans be duly appointed as the Chair of the Licensing Committee; Seconded by Councillor John Cole. Councillor Elwyn Morse Moved that Councillor Reg Owens be duly appointed as the Chair of the Licensing Committee; Seconded by Councillor Peter Morgan. The meeting was paused at this juncture for Members to vote via secret ballot. Following the issuing of the ballot papers, the votes were verified and counted and the Chief Executive announced the number of votes cast. RESOLVED That the Councillor Tim Evans be duly appointed as the Chair of the Licensing Committee. Councillor Paul Miller Moved that Councillor Tony Wilcox be duly appointed as the Vice-Chair of the Licensing Committee; Seconded by Councillor Marc Tierney. Councillor Tim Evans Moved that Councillor Mark Carter be duly appointed as the Vice-Chair of the Licensing Committee; Seconded by Councillor Di Clements. Councillor Brian Hall Moved that Councillor Reg Owens be duly appointed as the Vice-Chair of the Licensing Committee; Seconded by Councillor Peter Morgan. The meeting was paused at this juncture for Members to vote via secret ballot. Following the issuing of the ballot papers, the votes were verified and counted and the Chief Executive announced the number of votes cast. As no candidate had a majority of votes cast, the meeting was advised that the candidate with the least number of votes would be removed from the ballot and a further ballot would be undertaken between Councillors Tony Wilcox and Reg Owens. Councillor Reg Owens then advised that he wished to withdraw his nominationfor the role of Vice-Chair at this juncture. The vote, undertaken by a show of hands, was carried. RESOLVED That the Councillor Tony Wilcox be duly appointed as the Vice-Chair of the Licensing Committee. (iii) Democratic Services Committee Councillor Joshua Beynon Moved that Councillor Di Clements be duly appointed as the Chair of the Democratic Services Committee; Seconded by Councillor Mark Carter. The vote, undertaken by a show of hands, was carried. RESOLVED That Councillor Di Clements be duly appointed as the Chair of the Democratic Services Committee. Councillor Di Clements Moved that Councillor Joshua Beynon be duly appointed as the Vice-Chair of the Democratic Services Committee; Seconded by Councillor David Howlett. The vote, undertaken by a show of hands, was carried. RESOLVED That Councillor Joshua Beynon be duly appointed as the Vice-Chair of the Democratic Services Committee. (iv) Disciplinary Investigation Committee Councillor Jacob Williams Moved that Councillor Jon Harvey be duly appointed as the Chair of the Disciplinary Investigation Committee; Seconded by Councillor Joshua Beynon. The vote, undertaken by a show of hands, was carried. RESOLVED That Councillor Jon Harvey be duly appointed as the Chair of the Disciplinary Investigation Committee. Councillor Jacob Williams Moved that Councillor Tessa Hodgson be duly appointed as the Vice-Chair of the Disciplinary Investigation Committee; Seconded by Councillor Alan Dennison. The vote, undertaken by a show of hands, was carried. RESOLVED That Councillor Tessa Hodgson be duly appointed as the Vice-Chair of the Disciplinary Investigation Committee. (v) Member Family Absence Complaints Panel The Presiding Member stated that Councillor Di Clements, as the Chair of the Democratic Services Committee, automatically became a Member of the Member Family Absence Complaints Panel. Councillor Paul Miller Moved that Councillor Nicola Gwynn be duly appointed; Seconded by Councillor Mike Stoddart. The vote, undertaken by a show of hands, was carried. RESOLVED That Councillors Di Clements and Nicola Gwynne be duly appointed to the Member Family Absence Complaints Panel.
Decision as recorded
RESOLVED That Community Councillors David Edwards and Hugh Watchman be reappointed to the Standards Committee for a further term of office commencing on 26 May 2022.
Council considered a report by the Head of Democratic Services which outlined that in accordance with the Standards Committees (Wales) Regulations 2001 (as amended), the Community Council Member of the Standards Committee would normally have a term of office no longer than the period until the next ordinary Elections following their appointment, and may be reappointed for one further consecutive term (provided that they remain an elected Community Councillor throughout the period). The Head of Democratic Services stated that Council was required to confirm that Community Councillors David Edwards and Hugh Watchman be reappointed to the Standards Committee for a further term of Office, which would commence on 26 May 2022. Councillor Viv Stoddart Moved that Community Councillors David Edwards and Hugh Watchman be reappointed; Seconded by Councillor Di Clements. The vote, undertaken by a show of hands, was carried. RESOLVED That Community Councillors David Edwards and Hugh Watchman be reappointed to the Standards Committee for a further term of office commencing on 26 May 2022.
Decision as recorded
RESOLVED That the obligation to provide for job-sharing for Cabinet Members be noted and that the sections set out in Appendix 1 to be inserted into the Constitution be approved. In regards to Recommendation 2, Councillor Viv Stoddart stated that she would not support the Recommendation and believed it to be a radical introduction to the way the Council would potentially operate. She stated that it would require a great deal of scrutiny and consideration by all Members. Councillor Di Clements agreed with Councillor Stoddart and stated that she wished to understand the reasoning behind the Recommendation. She believed the responsibility between a Cabinet Member and the Assistant could cause complication and duplication. She also made reference to the potential financial implication and highlighted the need to reduce the cost of Local Government. She also stated that Cabinet should consider job sharing if work commitments were impacting on their Cabinet work. The Presiding Member then suggested taking the Recommendations to the Democratic Services Committee for consideration. Councillor Jamie Adams agreed with the Presiding Member and stated that he was in favour of the Cabinet Assistant role in regards to giving Members the opportunity to develop. However, he also stated his concerns regarding financial implications. Councillor Jamie Adams then Proposed that Recommendations two, three and four be considered by the Democratic Services Committee; Seconded by Councillor Simon Hancock. Councillor Jacob Williams then stated that he believed the Recommendations would be under the remit of the Constitutional Review Committee. To clarify, the Interim Monitoring Officer stated that as the report related to the roles and responsibilities of Members, the Democratic Services Committee was preferred. She explained further that the Democratic Services Committee was able to review any matter relevant to the terms and conditions of Office of Members of the Council. She stated that this was not a purely Constitutional matter, therefore the Democratic Services Committee was the appropriate Committee to consider the Recommendations. Councillor Jacob Williams then Proposed an Amendment that the matter be deferred to the Constitutional Review Committee. Councillor Adams made the suggestion that the item be deferred to the Democratic Services Committee then back to Council, then there would be the opportunity for the Constitutional Review Committee to review the decision after full Council. Councillor Paul Miller agreed. The Proposed Amendment was then Seconded by Councillor Mike Stoddart. Councillor Mike Stoddart then highlighted that the assistant role, which would include provision for payment in the future, would increase the Leader’s power by increasing the payroll vote and the amount of Members within the Leaders remit, therefore he believed it to be a constitutional matter. Councillor Joshua Beynon stated that he agreed the matter should be deferred to the Democratic Services Committee. He stated his support for the new roles and highlighted that they offered opportunity for diversity and succession planning. The vote on the Amendment, undertaken by an electronic vote, was lost. For the Motion: Councillors John Cole, Pat Davies, Terry Davies, Tim Evans, Tessa Hodgson, Phil Kidney, Reg Owens, Mel Phillips, Bethan Price, Sam Skyrme-Blackhall, Mike Stoddart, Viv Stoddart, Vanessa Thomas, Anji Tinley, Michele Wiggins, Chris Williams and Jacob Williams [17] Against the Motion: Councillors Jamie Adams, Steve Alderman, Michelle Bateman, Joshua Beynon, Maureen Bowen, Alistair Cameron, Mark Carter, Di Clements, Alec Cormack, John Davies, Andrew Edwards, Nicola Gwyn, Brian Hall, Simon Hancock, Delme Harries, Jon Harvey, David Howlett, Mike James, Mike John, Rhys Jordan, Paul Miller, Peter Morgan, Elwyn Morse, Huw Murphy, Neil Prior, Shon Rees, Jordan Ryan, Rhys Sinnett, Marc Tierney, Thomas Tudor, Iwan Ward, Tony Wilcox, Michael Williams, Guy Woodham, Simon Wright, Steve Yelland and Danny Young [37] Abstentions: Councillors Aaron Carey, Alan Dennison and Aled Thomas [3] The vote on the original Motion, undertaken by a show of hands, was carried. RESOLVED That Recommendations two, three and four be deferred to the Democratic Services Committee for consideration.
Council considered a report by the Interim Monitoring Officer which outlined the changes to the Constitution in Response to the Local Government and Elections (Wales) Act 2021. The Interim Monitoring Officer highlighted that the report introduced job sharing arrangements for Cabinet as well as the option of appointing Cabinet Assistants, to be known as Assistants to the Executive. She stated that the intention of the roles was to increase diversity as well as for succession planning for Members who would be interested in a future Cabinet position. She also highlighted that the provision of Cabinet job sharing to be inserted into the Constitution was mandatory, however, the Leader was not obliged to use the provision. She then highlighted that Council was required to authorise the insertion of the job-sharing provisions into the Constitution and also asked Members whether they wished to provide Assistants to the Executive at this stage. She also asked that if the Leader chose to appoint such posts, that the Head of Democratic Services be authorised to approach the Independent Remuneration Panel for Wales in respect of remuneration for such posts. Councillor Jacob Williams stated that he wished for each Recommendation to be considered separately. The Presiding Member confirmed that this would be the case. Councillor Joshua Beynon Moved Recommendation 1 as set out in the report; Seconded by Councillor Di Clements. The vote, undertaken by a show of hands, was carried. RESOLVED That the obligation to provide for job-sharing for Cabinet Members be noted and that the sections set out in Appendix 1 to be inserted into the Constitution be approved. In regards to Recommendation 2, Councillor Viv Stoddart stated that she would not support the Recommendation and believed it to be a radical introduction to the way the Council would potentially operate. She stated that it would require a great deal of scrutiny and consideration by all Members. Councillor Di Clements agreed with Councillor Stoddart and stated that she wished to understand the reasoning behind the Recommendation. She believed the responsibility between a Cabinet Member and the Assistant could cause complication and duplication. She also made reference to the potential financial implication and highlighted the need to reduce the cost of Local Government. She also stated that Cabinet should consider job sharing if work commitments were impacting on their Cabinet work. The Presiding Member then suggested taking the Recommendations to the Democratic Services Committee for consideration. Councillor Jamie Adams agreed with the Presiding Member and stated that he was in favour of the Cabinet Assistant role in regards to giving Members the opportunity to develop. However, he also stated his concerns regarding financial implications. Councillor Jamie Adams then Proposed that Recommendations two, three and four be considered by the Democratic Services Committee; Seconded by Councillor Simon Hancock. Councillor Jacob Williams then stated that he believed the Recommendations would be under the remit of the Constitutional Review Committee. To clarify, the Interim Monitoring Officer stated that as the report related to the roles and responsibilities of Members, the Democratic Services Committee was preferred. She explained further that the Democratic Services Committee was able to review any matter relevant to the terms and conditions of Office of Members of the Council. She stated that this was not a purely Constitutional matter, therefore the Democratic Services Committee was the appropriate Committee to consider the Recommendations. Councillor Jacob Williams then Proposed an Amendment that the matter be deferred to the Constitutional Review Committee. Councillor Adams made the suggestion that the item be deferred to the Democratic Services Committee then back to Council, then there would be the opportunity for the Constitutional Review Committee to review the decision after full Council. Councillor Paul Miller agreed. The Proposed Amendment was then Seconded by Councillor Mike Stoddart. Councillor Mike Stoddart then highlighted that the assistant role, which would include provision for payment in the future, would increase the Leader’s power by increasing the payroll vote and the amount of Members within the Leaders remit, therefore he believed it to be a constitutional matter. Councillor Joshua Beynon stated that he agreed the matter should be deferred to the Democratic Services Committee. He stated his support for the new roles and highlighted that they offered opportunity for diversity and succession planning. The vote on the Amendment, undertaken by an electronic vote, was lost. For the Motion: Councillors John Cole, Pat Davies, Terry Davies, Tim Evans, Tessa Hodgson, Phil Kidney, Reg Owens, Mel Phillips, Bethan Price, Sam Skyrme-Blackhall, Mike Stoddart, Viv Stoddart, Vanessa Thomas, Anji Tinley, Michele Wiggins, Chris Williams and Jacob Williams [17] Against the Motion: Councillors Jamie Adams, Steve Alderman, Michelle Bateman, Joshua Beynon, Maureen Bowen, Alistair Cameron, Mark Carter, Di Clements, Alec Cormack, John Davies, Andrew Edwards, Nicola Gwyn, Brian Hall, Simon Hancock, Delme Harries, Jon Harvey, David Howlett, Mike James, Mike John, Rhys Jordan, Paul Miller, Peter Morgan, Elwyn Morse, Huw Murphy, Neil Prior, Shon Rees, Jordan Ryan, Rhys Sinnett, Marc Tierney, Thomas Tudor, Iwan Ward, Tony Wilcox, Michael Williams, Guy Woodham, Simon Wright, Steve Yelland and Danny Young [37] Abstentions: Councillors Aaron Carey, Alan Dennison and Aled Thomas [3] The vote on the original Motion, undertaken by a show of hands, was carried. RESOLVED That Recommendations two, three and four be deferred to the Democratic Services Committee for consideration.
Decision as recorded
RESOLVED That the draft Municipal Calendar for the period May 2022 to May 2023 be approved.
Council considered a report by the Head of Democratic Services which outlined the calendar of Council Meetings for the Municipal Year 2022-2023. Councillor Peter Morgan Moved the Recommendation; Seconded by Councillor David Simpson. Councillor Jacob Williams highlighted that the Recommendation should be to approve the calendar, rather than to note. The Presiding Member suggested to add ‘consider and approve’ to the Recommendation. The Mover and Seconder agreed the amended wording. The vote, undertaken by a show of hands, was carried. RESOLVED That the draft Municipal Calendar for the period May 2022 to May 2023 be approved.
Councillors must say when they have a personal link to something being discussed, such as a job, a property or a family member. A prejudicial interest is one strong enough that the councillor usually leaves the room and takes no part.
Declarations are read from the minutes once they are published.
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