council

10^th january 2018

SURVEY – TIMING OF MEETINGS

DEMOCRATIC SERVICES COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATION:

“That having regard to the responses received to the survey, the timing and venue for Council and Committee meetings remain unchanged”.

REASONS:

In accordance with the  Local Government (Wales) Measure 2011, the Council is required to survey Members in respect of the times and intervals at which meetings of a local authority are held. All local authorities should review the times at which meetings are held at least once in every term, preferably shortly after the new council is elected.

Scrutiny Committee consulted                    Not applicable

Exec Board Decision Required                     NO

Council Decision Required                           YES

Executive Board Member Portfolio Holder(s): Cllr Emlyn Dole - Leader
Directorate Name of Head of Service: Linda Rees Jones Report Author: Gaynor Morgan	Chief Executive’s Designations: Head of Administration & Law Head of Democratic Services	Tel Nos. 01267 224012  LRJ 01267 224026  GM E Mail Addresses: Lrjones@carmarthenshire.gov.uk gmorgan@carmarthenshire.gov.uk

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

COUNCIL

10^TH JANUARY 2018

SURVEY – TIMING OF MEETINGS
In accordance with the  Local Government (Wales) Measure 2011, the Council is required to survey Members in respect of the times and intervals at which meetings of a local authority are held. All local authorities should review the times at which meetings are held at least once in every term, preferably shortly after the new council is elected. The Committee considered the initial results of the survey at its meeting held on the 8^th September 2017 (Minute 6 refers) and agreed to defer the report pending a further breakdown of the responses as requested by the   Constitutional Review Working Group The results of the 2017 survey suggest that the majority of members would prefer meeting arrangements to remain as at present, and a copy of the full results is attached for the Committee’s consideration.
DETAILED REPORT ATTACHED?	YES - Survey Results see Appendix 1 – Elected Members Appendix 2 – Co-opted Members

IMPLICATIONS

I confirm that other than those implications which have been agreed with the appropriate Directors / Heads of Service and are referred to in detail below, there are no other implications associated with this report : Signed:   Linda Rees Jones, Head of Administration & Law
Policy, Crime & Disorder and Equalities	Legal	Finance	ICT	Risk Management Issues	Staffing Implications	Physical Assets
NONE	YES	YES	NONE	NONE	YES	NONE
Legal  The Local Government Wales Measure 2011 requires authorities to consult its members on the times at which meetings are held.
Finance Evening meetings would result in additional staffing costs.
Staffing Implications Possible staffing implications should the Authority move towards evening meetings.

CONSULTATIONS

I confirm that the appropriate consultations have taken in place and the outcomes are as detailed below Signed:   Linda Rees Jones, Head of Administration & Law
1.Scrutiny Committee Not applicable 2.Local Member(s) Not applicable 3.Community / Town Council Not applicable 4.Relevant Partners  Not applicable 5.Staff Side Representatives and other Organisations  Not applicable
Section 100D Local Government Act, 1972 – Access to Information List of Background Papers used in the preparation of this report: THESE ARE DETAILED BELOW:
Title of Document	File Ref No.	Locations that the papers are available for public inspection
Local Government Wales Measure 2011		http://gov.wales/topics/localgovernment/publications/lgmeasure11/?lang=en