Agenda and minutes

The Chair welcomed Colin Mair and Mark McAteer from the Improvement Service to the Short Life Working Group.

There were no apologies for absence intimated.

There were no declarations of interest intimated.

Short Life Working Group on Political Management Arrangements of 12 August 2013

The Minutes of the Short Life Working Group on Political Management Arrangements of 12 August 2013 were approved as a correct record.

At its meeting on 27 June 2013 the Council established a Short Life Working Group to review the current political management arrangements, including structures. The Short Life Working Group has now had two meetings and at the most recent meeting held on 12 August 2013, it agreed a set of principles to underpin its work.

The Group considered a report by the Chief Executive which set out possible options for managing Council business.

Decision

1. The Group identified 3 models of operation based on options:-

4 – (return to a traditional model of Council and a limited number of Service Committees);

5 – (Run with a revised remit for a centre all- purpose Policy and Resources Committee with or without call in powers to refer decisions to full Council if say 6 members not on the all purpose Policy and Resources Committee require it);

and a version of 4 that included a finance/improvement Committee as well as other service Committees to allow officers to provide specific advice on the detail of these models including:-

• Adequate re-call powers.
• Specific delegations.
• Arrangements to allow Members to speak and vote on local matters.
• Financial and resource implications of adopting the model.

2. Agreed to have further discussions on the remit of Area Committees and how the remit of centre Committees will impact on these at a future meeting.

(Ref: Report by Chief Executive dated 4 September 2013, submitted)

Colin Mair, Chief Executive of the Improvement Service who had been invited to attend, gave his perspective on various matters impacting on the work of the group, and general discussion followed. It was agreed that the Improvement Services’s assistance in taking forward the matters covered by the decision at item 4 above would be helpful, and that this would be implemented through the Executive Director of Customer Services.

It was agreed that the next meeting of the Short Life Working Group would take place on Monday 7 October 2013 in Kilmory, Lochgilphead.