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Decision making (Cabinet and Committee information)
General terms of reference of committees and sub committees
1. The scheme of delegations to committees and sub committees is intended to produce a streamlining and simplification of decision making. Any interpretation of the terms of references of committees/sub committees shall be in accordance with this objective and not be construed restrictively.
2. A Committee may delegate the exercise of any of its functions subject to legal restrictions to a sub committee or an officer.
3. A Committee or Sub Committee may resolve to seek Policy and Strategy Committee or Council authority rather than to exercise delegated authority in any matter.
4. The exercise of functions include the appropriate use of monies allocated (either internally or by external parties) to that function.
5. All powers must be exercised so as to conform to and further the objectives of the Corporate Plan and other approved strategies and policies of the Council.
6. Policy is defined as "a set of core principles providing an over-arching framework within which the functions of the Council are exercised from day to day".
7. Monitoring is defined as:- "the process of measuring the delivery of a service against pre-determined expectations and targets".
8. Joint meetings of committees may be called as appropriate subject to each committee exercising its functions in a properly constituted forum.
9. No committee may create more than three Working Groups operating at any one time to include, subject to (a) and (b) below no more than three members of the Council.
(a) If it is considering a matter that relates to a single ward which does not have a Ward Member belonging to any Political Group within the Council an Independent Member from that Ward may be appointed to the Working Group but the total number of elected Members of the Council shall not exceed four.
(b) Full Council may agree to the total number of elected Members from the Council being increased in any particular case.
No Working Group shall be established unless the parent Committee has agreed its terms of reference and constitution, including:-
(a) membership;
(b) purpose;
(c) duration;
(d) reporting lines;
(e) political proportionality
(f) officer support.
10. Any committee may recommend to Development and Scrutiny or Council the commissioning of scrutiny work related to its functions.
11. Each committee shall have delegated authority to amend from time to time the appendices annexed to the scheme of delegations to officers.
