REPORT OF THE

STANDARDS COMMITTEE

PART I

PROPOSED AMENDMENTS TO THE CONSTITUTION

1. The County Council has previously requested the Standards Committee to consider and report on opportunities for Members to question the Executive and more openly hold the Cabinet and its Members to account. The Committee has, therefore, considered a way on which question procedure could be introduced on a trial basis at the May and July meetings of the Council.

2. Although some other authorities do have a question procedure, their structures do not mirror Hampshire's. The Committee therefore suggests that, as Executive Agendas and their decisions have already been published, Members could put questions thereon to the Executive as "Part 3" of the County Council's Agenda, arising from the information previously circulated to them through existing established procedures. An alternative solution, which could start on a trial basis for the May and July meetings, and would assist Members given that they may not have retained all the information, would be for edited copies of the lists of Executive Agenda items to be circulated with the Council "White Book" covering Cabinet meetings and when Executive Members act individually since the previous meeting of the Council. The edited agenda would exclude items already in Part II of the Council's Agenda and project appraisals for key decisions which are already thoroughly analysed through existing advisory procedures. It is suggested that up to 30 minutes be set aside for Cabinet questions after the conclusion of the Council's Part II items.

3. The Committee therefore recommends that the procedure should be as follows:

Every question shall be put without notice and answered without discussion and the person to whom the question has been put may decline to answer or may opt to reply in writing within 6 days. Each item will have appeared on the précis agendas which are sent to all Members and on which an e-mail will have been sent to Members notifying them of the outcomes. Policy Review Committee Members will have received the decisions in full and, in the event that it has not been possible for the decision sheets yet to be published on Hantsnet (where Members would normally be able to see the detailed decisions) these can readily be obtained on request. This procedure is in addition to that contained in paragraph 20 of the Council's Standing Orders : "Questions by Members".

4. The Committee also recommends other minor changes to the Constitution which will tidy up anomalies.

RECOMMENDATION:

1. That, for the May and July meetings of the Council, on completion of Part 2 of the Agenda, 30 minutes be set aside for questions of Cabinet Members as authorised in paragraph 3 above without notice on any decision taken by the Cabinet or an Executive Member acting individually since the preceding meeting of the Council; but that these arrangements shall not include questions on items already dealt with in Part II of the Agenda and schemes estimated to cost over £0.5m.

2. That the Constitution be revised as follows:-

Part 3:C - Executive Procedures

Paragraph 3.4 - the words "three working" should be deleted and replaced by the words "five clear"

Paragraph 3.5 - the reference to "Policy Review Panels" should be deleted and replaced by a reference to "Policy Review Committees".

Part 3: B - Access to Information Protocol

Paragraph 1.2 should be deleted and replaced by the following:
"The County Council makes copies of Executive Member decision papers and the summons and agenda for all meetings available to the public at least five clear days beforehand i.e. excluding weekends and Bank Holidays.

Paragraph 2.2. - the reference to "three days" should be deleted and replaced by the words "five clear days".

Paragraph 2.4 - the reference to "six clear days" should be deleted and replaced by the words "five clear days".

Paragraph 2.7 - those words which follow the words "exempt information" in the 2^nd sentence should be deleted.

P.A. PIERCE

Chairman

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