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The decisions as the council's minutes record them. A plain-language summary follows once it has been written.
RESOLVED – (i) That having considered the feedback in relation to the Timing of Meetings survey it be recommended that the Scrutiny Chairs Group consider the benefit of changing the start time of one of the Scrutiny Committees to 4.30pm to afford flexibility for working Members. (ii) That the Member Development Strategy & Member Development Plan be consolidated into one document making it clear what training is required of Members, differentiating between mandatory training, core training and how that training would be delivered. (iii) That two Members from each Political Group of the Council be identified to assist the Workforce Development Team in the delivery of the Member Development Strategy so that individual Councillors are accountable for undertaking their training. (iv) That the lack of uptake by Councillors in relation to mandatory/core training be identified as a Governance risk. (v) That Scrutiny Training be refreshed and offered to all Councillors, particularly new Councillors who are sitting on Scrutiny Committees. This should be sourced from an external provider (recommended WLGA). (vi) That the ICT Services continue to deliver bespoke training to Members as required and consider delivering this training either before or following existing meetings in the Council Chamber. (vii) That each Political Group of the Council provide an ICT Champion. (viii) That the Committee notes the issues in relation to the Council’s electronic diary system is being addressed with a resolution proposed in March 2023.
RESOLVED – (i) That the training activity for the period April to December 2022 outlined in Appendix A to report CE/06/23 be noted. (ii) That the revised Member Development Strategy and Member Development Plan be recommended to Council.
RESOLVED – That the changes in Members’ remuneration set out in the Annual Report of the Independent Remuneration Panel for Wales for 2023/24 be noted.
RESOLVED – (i) That the current position in relation to the webcasting of Council meetings be noted. (ii) That an information report be provided comparing Committee meeting viewing figures pre and post-pandemic.
RESOLVED - That the Minutes of the Meeting held on 3 November 2022 be signed as a correct record.
Decision as recorded
RESOLVED – (i) That having considered the feedback in relation to the Timing of Meetings survey it be recommended that the Scrutiny Chairs Group consider the benefit of changing the start time of one of the Scrutiny Committees to 4.30pm to afford flexibility for working Members. (ii) That the Member Development Strategy & Member Development Plan be consolidated into one document making it clear what training is required of Members, differentiating between mandatory training, core training and how that training would be delivered. (iii) That two Members from each Political Group of the Council be identified to assist the Workforce Development Team in the delivery of the Member Development Strategy so that individual Councillors are accountable for undertaking their training. (iv) That the lack of uptake by Councillors in relation to mandatory/core training be identified as a Governance risk. (v) That Scrutiny Training be refreshed and offered to all Councillors, particularly new Councillors who are sitting on Scrutiny Committees. This should be sourced from an external provider (recommended WLGA). (vi) That the ICT Services continue to deliver bespoke training to Members as required and consider delivering this training either before or following existing meetings in the Council Chamber. (vii) That each Political Group of the Council provide an ICT Champion. (viii) That the Committee notes the issues in relation to the Council’s electronic diary system is being addressed with a resolution proposed in March 2023.
The Head of Democratic Services (HDS) submitted a report (COGC/19/23) to advise the Committee of the recommendations of the Democratic Services Committee Task and Finish Group. Presenting the report the HDS drew Members’ attention to the actions agreed by the Task and Finish Group outlined in paragraph 4.4 of the report, following which a discussion ensued in which the following points were noted: · The response to the ‘Timing of Meetings’ survey had been low. · Suggested that the survey be issued annually to inform future calendar of meetings. · Proposed that one Scrutiny Committee be invited to consider starting at the later time of 4.30pm to offer further opportunity for working Councillors to attend. · Refreshed Scrutiny Training to be provided by an external provider. · The lack of uptake of Councillors in relation to mandatory/core training to be identified as a Governance risk. All Councillors were personally responsible for ensuring that they completed any necessary training. · ICT services would continue to offer bespoke training to Members both in person and remotely. This would be offered prior to or after Committee meetings to encourage attendance. · Members were reminded that the ICT Helpdesk was always available to provide assistance. · Each Political Group to be asked to provide an ICT Champion to facilitate the cascading of ICT training and support to other Group members. · That Non-Aligned Members should be included in general communication to Political Groups. RESOLVED – (i) That having considered the feedback in relation to the Timing of Meetings survey it be recommended that the Scrutiny Chairs Group consider the benefit of changing the start time of one of the Scrutiny Committees to 4.30pm to afford flexibility for working Members. (ii) That the Member Development Strategy & Member Development Plan be consolidated into one document making it clear what training is required of Members, differentiating between mandatory training, core training and how that training would be delivered. (iii) That two Members from each Political Group of the Council be identified to assist the Workforce Development Team in the delivery of the Member Development Strategy so that individual Councillors are accountable for undertaking their training. (iv) That the lack of uptake by Councillors in relation to mandatory/core training be identified as a Governance risk. (v) That Scrutiny Training be refreshed and offered to all Councillors, particularly new Councillors who are sitting on Scrutiny Committees. This should be sourced from an external provider (recommended WLGA). (vi) That the ICT Services continue to deliver bespoke training to Members as required and consider delivering this training either before or following existing meetings in the Council Chamber. (vii) That each Political Group of the Council provide an ICT Champion. (viii) That the Committee notes the issues in relation to the Council’s electronic diary system is being addressed with a resolution proposed in March 2023.
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Decision as recorded
RESOLVED – (i) That the training activity for the period April to December 2022 outlined in Appendix A to report CE/06/23 be noted. (ii) That the revised Member Development Strategy and Member Development Plan be recommended to Council.
The Head of Democratic Services submitted a report (CE/09/23) to enable the Democratic Services Committee to evaluate and monitor the annual Member Development Plan and consider the reviewed Member Development Strategy. Presenting the report the Workforce Development Lead advised Committee that: · E-learning uptake had been quite low. Members would be reminded of the details of the modules and how these could be accessed. · The draft Member Development Strategy would be amended to include - reference to the Committee’s recommendation to invite two Members from each political group to assist the team in the delivery of the Strategy - WLGA E-learning modules - That officers will attend DSC as required to assist During consideration of the report it was suggested that: · Two Members from political groups be invited to ‘test’ the E-learning portal. The officer reported that The E-learning platform was now much improved and was accessible and user friendly. · The draft Strategy be shared with Group Leaders and Non-aligned Members for feedback. · That all members of the DSC feedback the discussions and agreed actions arising from this meeting to their political groups. RESOLVED – (i) That the training activity for the period April to December 2022 outlined in Appendix A to report CE/06/23 be noted. (ii) That the revised Member Development Strategy and Member Development Plan be recommended to Council.
Decision as recorded
RESOLVED – That the changes in Members’ remuneration set out in the Annual Report of the Independent Remuneration Panel for Wales for 2023/24 be noted.
The Head of Democratic Services submitted a report (COGC/20/23) to note the changes to the Members’ Remuneration Scheme for 2023/24 contained in the latest Annual Report of the Independent Remuneration Panel for Wales. Members were reminded that the link to the IRPW Annual Report 2023/24 had been circulated in advance of the meeting. RESOLVED – That the changes in Members’ remuneration set out in the Annual Report of the Independent Remuneration Panel for Wales for 2023/24 be noted.
Part of an issue followed across 4 meetings
Decision as recorded
RESOLVED – (i) That the current position in relation to the webcasting of Council meetings be noted. (ii) That an information report be provided comparing Committee meeting viewing figures pre and post-pandemic.
The Chief Officer Governance & Customer submitted a report (COGC/34/22) to monitor the webcasting of Council meetings during 2022/23. During debate the following matters were highlighted: · The highest viewing figures remained for Planning Committee. · Requested that an information report comparing the viewing figures pre-pandemic and post-pandemic be circulated to Members. · Noted that the set-up of webcasts for live streaming and the facility for hybrid meetings remained significant work for the Committee Services team. In response to a question regarding the level of resource required the Head of Democratic Services reported that as the process was still in its infancy he was happier to have two members of staff involved in the process at present as a safeguard in the event that there was a technical issue. RESOLVED – (i) That the current position in relation to the webcasting of Council meetings be noted. (ii) That an information report be provided comparing Committee meeting viewing figures pre and post-pandemic.
All Member Workshops A Member queried whether All Member Workshops should be held remotely, in person or Hybrid. The Head of Democratic Services reminded the Committee that the Protocol on multi-location meetings stated that meetings open to the public and/or broadcast will be multi-location however workshops did not meet this criteria. It was requested that consideration be given to revising the Guidance in respect of All Member Workshops at the Committee’s next meeting and that the aforementioned Protocol and Guidance be circulated to Committee members.