REPORT OF THE

STANDARDS COMMITTEE

PART I

PROPOSED AMENDMENTS TO THE CONSTITUTION

1. Part I, Chapter 4 of the Constitution sets out a list of functions reserved to the County Council, including the responsibility for agreeing and adopting plans and strategies known as the County Council's "Policy Framework". Among the plans contained within the Constitution is the Community Care Plan. This Plan is now no longer required and can be deleted from the list. At the same time the County Council has statutory responsibilities to contribute to multi-agency plans entitled "Health Improvement and Modernisation Programmes" which are produced by the Health Service Primary Care Trusts, but to which the County Council needs to subscribe. The County Council also needs formally to adopt a Plan "New Directions for Social Services", which is not in itself a statutory document, but a summary of all the statutory and other plans produced in the area of social care. Both the above documents form part of the County Council's Policy Framework and should therefore be added to the list. A recommendation to that effect is set out below.

2. New Regulations have recently been published by the Government which require an amendment to be made to the section of the Constitution relating to legal, finance and contract matters. A recommendation to amend the section "Authenticating Documents" is set out below.

3. Part I, Chapter 10 of the Constitution sets out details of various area based committees and panels, including both statutory and non-statutory joint committees. There exists a statutory Joint Management Committee for the Regional Gymnastics Centre at Pitt Street, Portsmouth which needs to be added to that section.

4. In March 2002 the County Council approved the setting up of a Highway Management Advisory Panel for each district in the county, and at the same time agreed the membership of those panels. The relevant section of Part I Chapter 10 of the Constitution needs to be clarified to reflect the involvement of the Executive Member for Environment.

RECOMMENDATIONS:

1. That Part I, Chapter 4 of the Constitution, paragraph 4.01(c) be amended:

_ By the deletion of the Community Care Plan

_ By the addition of Health Improvement and Modernisation Programmes and New Directions for Social Services

2. That Part I, Chapter 13 of the Constitution, paragraph 13.4 "Authenticating Documents" be amended by the addition at the end of the second paragraph of the following sentence

"Any contract over a value of £75,000 which is not under seal must be signed by the Head of Corporate and Legal Services (or any other person authorised by the Head of Corporate and Legal Services) and one other person also authorised to do so by the Head of Corporate and Legal Services".

3. That Part I, Chapter 10 of the Constitution, relating to statutory joint committees, be amended by the addition of the Regional Gymnastics Centre JMC, reporting to the Executive Member for Recreation and Heritage.

4. That Part I, Chapter 10 of the Constitution, under the heading of "Highway Management Advisory Panels", be revised by the addition of the words "together with the Executive Member for Environment" after the words "to be the County Council's representatives".

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