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Andrew Weavers, Monitoring Officer, introduced the report on the review of meetings and ways of working. The report requests that the Committee note the contents of the report, provide feedback on the ideas contained within Appendix 1, consider a proposal for an informal meeting and agree a timescale for the review to take place.
Andrew Weavers highlighted that the report revolves around the scope that was agreed at the previous Governance and Audit Committee meeting. The appendix includes ideas that could assist in achieving the four objectives which Councillors will be required to prioritise.
Andrew Weavers provided the Committee with an update on the Town Hall Wireless network, which forms part of the Digital Challenge; it was confirmed that the network would be completed and operational by 31 October 2016.
The Committee discussed the priorities as part of the review. In response to questions regarding the new technology available to Councillors, it was confirmed that the introduction of Office365 would allow Councillors to work on any device with internet access in any location. This would be a significant improvement in the Virtual Desktop Infrastructure that some Councillors currently use. In response to a query regarding the availability of devices for Councillors, Matt Sterling, Assistant Chief Executive confirmed that devices could be made available to Councillors if requested, however many Councillors are happy to continue using their own device.
Councillor Willetts commented on the reports and the objectives as part of the review. He stated that there should be greater focus on improving the technology available to Councillors and to the authority which would improve the day to day working practices rather than a specific focus on increase public participation. Councillor Willetts also highlighted the possibilities of officers attending meetings virtually rather than being required to physically attend meetings and also to avoid anachronisms to improve public understanding of Council processes. In response to a question from Councillor Willetts, Andrew Weavers confirmed that the constitution would have to be reviewed in light of the advancement of digital technology and in particular accessing agendas through tablet devices.
The Committee discussed the possibility of video streaming which would provide greater visibility of Councillors to the public, and also provide a means for members of the public to interact with the meeting remotely. The Committee also discussed changing the start time of Committee meetings, but were wary if different committees had different start times as this may cause confusion. Councillor Maclean highlighted those Councillors and residents who worked in London may struggle with the 6pm committee start times and suggested that the start time of the Governance and Audit Committee could be moved back thirty minutes.
A member of the public signalled their intention to have their say during the item and with the Chair’s permission was permitted to speak.
Have Your Say!
Adam Wilson stated that whilst agreeing that IT needed to be improved for Councillors this goal should be achieved in parallel with increasing the level of public engagement and participation. Adam Wilson questioned the rationale behind the inclusion of age profile figures and recognised that members of the public only tended to have their say at meetings when the issue being discussed directly affected them.
Councillor Pearson thanked Adam Wilson for attending the meeting and having his say on the report. Whilst it was agreed that the information about age profile could have been presented in a better way, the reason behind its inclusion was to highlight the disparity in Councillor age groups. In response to the point raised by Adam Wilson, Councillor Willetts highlighted that in improving the technology for Councillors, this would have a knock on effect of improving the accessibility to Councillors and the decision making process.
The Committee discussed the reasons behind differing levels of Councillor representation from each of the age groups and the difficulty of being a Councillors and in full time employment.
Councillors also commented on making sure that information on how the Council works and decision making processes are easily accessible on the website, and that the Council needs to improve circulating this information to wider audiences. A suggestion was made about extending call-in periods for decisions and allowing means for members of the public to call decisions in.
The Committee agreed to hold two informal meetings to assist in the review of meetings and ways of working, the first of which would be for Councillors to provide a contribution and the second would be an opportunity for members of the public to feed into the review. The Committee also agreed that the review would not aim for completion by the February Council meeting.
RESOLVED that;
a) the contents of the Review of Meetings and Ways of Working report be noted.
b) the Governance and Audit Committee reviewed and commented on the ideas within Appendix 1.
c) two informal meetings be arranged, one for Councillors to attend and the second for members of the public to attend and input their views into the review
d) the review will not report to the Council meeting in February and that the timescale for the review be updated as it progresses.