Agenda and minutes

Apologies for absence were received from Councillors Bull, Crew, Donovan, Shiel and Winterbottom.

To sign the minutes of the meeting held on 16 December 2014.

The minutes of the meeting held on 16 December 2014 were taken as read and signed as correct.

The minutes of the Planning Committee of 8 December 2014 were presented by the Chair, Councillor Bialyk and taken as read.

RESOLVED that the minutes of the Planning Committee held on 8 December 2014 be received.

The minutes of the Planning Committee of 5 January 2015 were presented by the Chair, Councillor Bialyk and taken as read.

RESOLVED that the minutes of the Planning Committee held on 5 January 2015 be received.

The minutes of the Planning Committee of 2 February 2015 were presented by the Chair, Councillor Bialyk and taken as read.

RESOLVED that the minutes of the Planning Committee held on 2 February 2015 be received.

The minutes of the Licensing Committee of 3 February 2015 were presented by the Chair, Councillor Dawson and taken as read.

RESOLVED that the minutes of the Licensing Committee held on 3 February 2015 be received.

The minutes of the Scrutiny Committee - Community of 21 January 2015 were presented by the Deputy Chair, Councillor Newby and taken as read.

RESOLVED that the minutes of the Scrutiny Committee - Community held on 21 January 2015 be received.

In respect of Minute 11 (Update on the Exeter Visitor Strategy 2012 – 2016), Councillor Branston declared a disclosable pecuniary interest as an employee of South West Tourism Power Marketing.

The minutes of the Scrutiny Committee - Economy of 22 January 2015 were presented by the Chair, Councillor Henson and taken as read.

RESOLVED that the minutes of the Scrutiny Committee - Economy held on 22 January 2015 be received.

The minutes of the Scrutiny Committee - Resources of 28 January 2015 were presented by the Chair, Councillor Baldwin and taken as read.

RESOLVED that the minutes of the Scrutiny Committee - Resources held on 28 January 2015 be received.

The minutes of the Executive of 27 January 2015 were presented by the Leader, Councillor Edwards and taken as read.

In respect of Minute 9 (Rugby World Cup 2015 Update) and in response to the Chair of Scrutiny Committee Economy, the Leader confirmed that the Scrutiny Committee Economy would be updated on the position with regards to the European Rugby seven a-side tournament at its next meeting.

RESOLVED that the minutes of the Executive held on 27 January 2015 be received and, where appropriate, adopted.

The minutes of the Executive of 10 February 2015 (with the exception of minute 11 which had already been considered as part of the Council’s deliberations on its budget 2015/16) were presented by the Leader, Councillor Edwards and taken as read.

RESOLVED that the minutes of the Executive held on 10 February 2015 be received and, where appropriate, adopted.

This motion seeks to explore the viability of allowing members of the public to ask questions of this Council at its commencement of Full Council Meetings. This may or may not include questions written in advance. In addition to consider that the same facility to be afforded at Executive Meetings which may only be restricted to “agenda items”.

The above Notice of Motion was adjourned at the meeting of Council on 16 December 2014, as in accordance with Standing Order 48 (2), the motion could not be debated at that meeting as Standing Orders prohibited the immediate changing of Standing Orders.  The motion therefore stood adjourned without debate to this meeting – Standing Order 48(2) forbidding the opportunity for Standing Orders to be suspended to allow any such debate. 

Councillor Holland, seconded by Councillor Baldwin, moved a Notice of Motion in the following terms:-

Exeter City Council resolved to:-

Explore the viability of allowing members of the public to ask questions of this Council at its commencement of Full Council Meetings. This may or may not include questions written in advance. In addition, to consider that the same facility to be afforded at Executive Meetings which may only be restricted to “agenda items”.

In presenting the Notice of Motion, Councillor Holland stated that this motion sought to engage with the public and encourage them to come along to Council meetings. The public should be able to table questions to Full Council, having submitted them in advance by mid-day on the Friday prior to Full Council, the question and answer part of the agenda should last no longer than 30 minutes. He had bench marked public speaking against other local authorities such as Devon County Council, East Devon District Council, Rotherham, West Yorkshire and Newcastle under Lyme. He asked that the Council support this motion to enable the public to ask questions at Council.

During discussion the following points were raised:-

·         public speaking was already in place at Exeter Board and the Council’s Planning and Scrutiny Committees

·         the Council does engage with its residents an example being the budget consultation in the Express and Echo – which had received over 5,000 responses

·         some Members felt that it would be the same few people raising questions and would be used for promoting political views

·         Councillors were elected to represent their residents and the majority of the public were too busy to attend Council meetings.

Councillor Baldwin, in seconding the motion, stated that the public engagement at Exeter Board, Planning Committee and Scrutiny Committees worked well and that, as long at questions at Council did not dominate meetings, there should be a mechanism in place to allow questions from the public.

Whilst the majority of Members opposed the motion, other Members felt that there was a need to enable the public to ask questions at Council.

The Motion was put to the vote and lost.