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The minutes are published. No summary has been written yet.
1.1 Apologies for absence were received from Councillors Ron Burnett, Kathy Evans, Norma Parish and Chris Tew
2.1 There were no declarations of interest.
3.1 Councillor Colette Thomas referred to paragraph 2.2 of the minutes and clarified that her Husband was a Member of Henllys Community Council and not her. 3.2 Subject to the above amendment, the minutes of the previous meeting were confirmed as an accurate record.
4.1 The committee agreed to note the update on the action sheet.
The Committee considered the information set out in the report, shared their views and agreed on suggestions to improve the induction programme. 4.1 The Head of Democratic Services (HoDS) outlined the report inviting members of the Committee to consider the draft induction programme for the May 2022 intake of Councillors. She referred to Appendix 1 and highlighted the list of training and development sessions to be held during w/c 9 May and w/c 16 May and the suggested seminars and training sessions that would be held between May and July. It was noted that the training and development sessions would be held at 10am and 5pm daily as this would give members the opportunity to attend as many as possible. Seminars and sessions would also be recorded and made available to members who are unable to attend. The HoDS encouraged returning members to attend the sessions to refresh their skills and knowledge. 4.2 Discussion ensued, and, in summary, the following main points were made: · ICT allocation would be prioritised in the first week after the election to ensure that all members were issued with IT and therefore able to access all sessions. · There was an administration process to follow with regards to setting new members up on the IT system. Payroll staff and SRS staff would be present to ensure this process was as smooth and as quick as possible. The HoDS would discuss the draft plan with her team and consideration would be given around holding the first training and development sessions in-person or delaying the sessions until the Wednesday of w/c 9 May when all members had been issued with IT. · Officers understood the importance of support from key members of staff, particularly within the first few weeks of becoming a councillor. Whilst there was a need to ensure that the induction was comprehensive, it was important for the induction to be proportionate and not overwhelming for new members. Seminars and training sessions would be held throughout the term of office and any ideas and suggestions should be put to Democratic Services who would ensure that these requests were acted upon. · Efforts would be made to promote the coach tour of the borough. Members recognised that attendance had been poor previously and felt that the coach tour was an excellent opportunity for members to gain an insight and knowledge of matters throughout the borough. · The Committee recognised that the coach tour visited areas where there were new developments or large planning applications and suggested that in addition to this, all members should be given the opportunity to lead on the coach tour in their individual wards. It was suggested that members could provide a profile of their wards in terms of areas of affluence, areas of deprivation and any issues highlighted by residents during canvassing. The HoDS would ensure that all members were offered the opportunity to participate if they so wished. · Officers recognised the importance of personal safety for members and for members to feel safe and supported. A Members Seminar on this matter had been scheduled for March and would be repeated following the election in May. · The committee felt it would be beneficial for experienced members to be present in the Civic Centre on Monday 9 May 2022 to provide support and reassurance to newly elected members. 4.3 Members commended the induction programme and thanked the HoDS and her team for the work they had undertaken in preparing the draft programme. Members considered the information set out in the report, shared their views and agreed on the suggestions outlined above to improve the induction programme.
The Committee approved the content of the Hybrid Meeting Policy and agreed to forward on to Full Council for inclusion in the Council’s Constitution. The HoDS outlined the report inviting members of the Committee to consider the Hybrid Meeting Policy and to offer any comments or suggestions before the Policy is adopted in the Council’s Constitution by Full Council. 6.2 Discussion ensued, and, in summary, the following main points were made: · The policy referred to exempt items and expectations of remote participants when considering exempt items, i.e. ensuring that no members of public could see or hear the meeting. The DMO stated that this was a matter of trust and that all members should follow the Code of Conduct. Members were also encouraged to use headsets where possible. · The DMO would clarify the process around all members receiving pink papers and the ability for all members to challenge decisions with the Monitoring Officer and report back to the committee. · The continuation of hybrid meetings was welcomed as this provided flexibility to members. · Health and Safety, workstations at home and staff well-being was a matter being considered by Occupational Health and was separate to the Hybrid Meeting Policy. The HoDS would explore the possibility of covering these matters within the Induction Programme. · At the start of Teams meetings, Members should be encouraged and reminded to check that electronic devices are switched off or on silent mode during meetings. · Whilst Members were currently offered paper copies of committee papers, consideration was being given around the potential of moving to paperless meetings and what could be done to support members with this process. Printing, postal and environmental costs were being reviewed and ways to support members were being considered, such as the provision of tablets which would be in addition to laptops. Officers looked forward to hearing member’s thoughts on this at the next meeting of Democratic Services Committee with a view to implementing with the new Council in May. · The Business and Democratic Support Services Manager (B&DSSM) would seek advice around the ability for Members to access to One Note with Microsoft Office 365. · The HoDS referred to the Modern.Gov app which could be installed on the tablets and would provide members with the ability to view and annotate documents. · It was suggested that members could be provided with ink cartridges and paper to enable them to print at home. The HoDS reminded members of the associated costs, the impact on the environment and the Council’s commitment to Climate Change. · Members recognised the benefits of paperless meetings, particularly with regards to the environment. Members also referred to security risks when transferring documents/correspondence to personal devices and felt it would be useful to be provided with a tablet to refer to papers when participating in Teams meetings. · The policy stated that whilst all formal meetings would be offered the hybrid facility. Not all meetings are recorded or live streamed. Members felt it would be beneficial to record and store all meetings to provide anybody with access to meetings they may have missed due to other commitments. The B&DSSM would explore the logistics around this and report back to members. · Members recognised that the pandemic had presented difficulties in terms of visitors at Council meetings such as young carers or school children. Members felt it was important to provide reassurance that although meetings were hybrid, it would still be possible for visitors to attend remotely. · Members felt that the council should be engaging with children in schools and they should be encouraged to join council meetings remotely. Particularly older school children who were being encouraged to vote. The B&DSSM would liaise with the appropriate officers and explore the feasibility of this. The Committee approved the content of the Hybrid Meeting Policy and agreed to forward on to Full Council for inclusion in the Council’s Constitution.
The next meeting was scheduled to take place on Thursday 17 March 2022 at 2.00pm.
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.
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