Issue - meetings

To seek Council approval to commence a Community Governance review for the unparished area of Spalding (report of the Assistant Director – Governance enclosed).

Consideration was given to the report of the Assistant Director – Governance (Monitoring Officer) which sought Council approval to commence a Community Governance review for the unparished area of Spalding.

The Leader introduced the report and stated that:

·         The matter had been under discussion for a considerable period and that the likelihood of Local Government Reorganisation (LGR) had prompted the issue to be brought before full Council to ensure that Spalding retained a local voice to address issues that might otherwise be remote from a unitary council;

·         The report set out the detail and process of the proposed Community Governance Review (CGR). It was clarified that there was no difference in powers between a parish council and a town council; the distinction lay solely in the name;

·         The process would be lengthy and did not guarantee the establishment of a town council, as this was dependent upon two stages of consultation. The final decision would rest with full Council;

·         In respect of recommendation 2, consultation had taken place with Group Leaders to ensure appropriate representation on the Working Group, which would comprise the following Councillors:

o   Councillor J Le Sage,

o   Councillor M Le Sage,

o   Councillor D Ashby,

o   Councillor G Taylor,

o   Councillor J Whitbourn,

o   Councillor M Hassan and

o   Councillor I Sheard.

Councillor Barnes queried whether it would be advisable to appoint at least one member who was an existing parish councillor to the Working Group. In response, the Leader stated that the intention had been to ensure representation from all Spalding wards, which had been considered a key priority.

DECISION:

That Council:

1) Approved the terms of reference for a Community Governance Review and the publication of Stage 1 consultation;

2) Appointed seven members (as named above) to a CGR Working Group to consider consultation responses and present draft proposals and final recommendations to full Council; and

3) Delegated authority to the Chief Executive to undertake the CGR, including making and publishing any necessary modifications to the Terms of Reference.