Democracy in Crawley

How decisions are made and who represents you

Agenda and minutes

Venue: Committee Room C - Town Hall. View directions

Contact: Democratic Services  Email: democratic.services@crawley.gov.uk

Items
No. Item

1.

Disclosures of Interest

In accordance with the Council's Code of Conduct, councillors are reminded that it is a requirement to declare interests where appropriate.

 

Minutes:

No disclosures of interests were made.

2.

Minutes pdf icon PDF 191 KB

To approve as a correct record the minutes of the Governance Committee held on 13 March 2023.

Minutes:

With regard to Minute 4 (Review of the Constitution), and in relation to the discussion on webcasting of formal meetings of the Council, a Committee Member highlighted that an additional option had been suggested, but not been included in the minutes, whereby the recordings of webcast meetings be kept until the end of the next municipal year.

 

The minutes of the meeting of the Governance Committee held on 13 March 2023 were approved as a correct record and signed by the Chair.

3.

Public Question Time

To answer any questions asked by the public which relate to an item on this agenda and which are in line with the Council’s Constitution.

 

Public Question Time will be concluded by the Chair when all questions have been answered or on the expiry of a period of 15 minutes, whichever is the earlier.

Minutes:

No questions were asked by the public.

4.

Draft Annual Governance Statement 2022/2023 pdf icon PDF 84 KB

To consider report LDS/202 of the Head of Governance, People & Performance.

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The Committee considered report LDS/202 of the Head of Governance, People & Performance which requested that the Committee provide any comments on the Annual Governance Statement (“the Statement”) and Governance Action Plan (“the Plan”) for incorporation into the final versions which were due to be endorsed by the Audit Committee at its meeting on 5 September 2023.  It was brought to the Committee’s attention that the Statement for 2022/23 concluded that there were no significant governance issues to report.

 

During consideration of both the Statement and the Plan the Committee raised several comments and queries.  In response to those matters the Committee was provided with the following information:

·          Follow-up on several Audits from the 2022/23 Plan had not yet been completed and had therefore been carried over into the 2023/24 Plan.

·          Unfortunately, due to the publication date of the final Annual Audit Report and Opinion, along with the sequencing of Committees, the final Statement would be considered by the Audit Committee at its meeting on the 5 September 2023, rather than at its meeting in June.

·          The aim of the Statement was to demonstrate how the Council has complied with its own code of governance and met Regulations.  To ensure that was done effectively it was both necessary for the Statement to be both thorough and detailed.

 

The Committee expressed its support for both the Statement and the Plan.

 

 

RESOLVED

 

That the comments made by the Committee be taken into consideration, and that the final versions of the Annual Governance Statement and Governance Action Plan be put before the Audit Committee at its meeting on 5 September 2023 for its endorsement.

5.

Revisions to the Constitution: Licensing Committee Functions pdf icon PDF 74 KB

To consider report HCS/062 / LDS/204 of the Head of Community Services/Head of Governance, People & Performance.

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The Committee considered joint report HCS/062 of the Head of Community Services and LDS/204 of the Head of Governance, People & Performance which recommended amendments to the Council’s Licensing Committee functions. 

 

The changes were proposed following an audit carried out by the Southern Internal Audit Partnership in the Hackney Carriage and Private Hire application process which identified that an anomalous function was listed within the Licensing Committee functions that conflicted with current practice.  Upon further examination by officers, other minor amendments were also being proposed which would ensure there were no unnecessary delays in the determination of cases and associated decisions which would normally be delegated to officers, unless representations (objections) had been received.  The proposed changes were detailed in Appendix A to the report.

 

The Committee was informed that the proposed changes had been considered by the Licensing Committee at its meeting on 12 June 2023 where it had expressed its support for the proposed changes.

 

The Governance Committee then considered the matter and expressed its support that the proposed changes be made to the Licensing Committee functions.

 

 

RESOLVED

 

That the Full Council be recommended to amend the Licensing Committee functions as set out as an appendix to these minutes.

 

 

Appendix: Proposed Changes to the Licensing Committee Functions pdf icon PDF 84 KB