Agenda item

To receive a report from the Corporate Director of Governance seeking approval to the appointment of Chairs and Vice-Chairs along with the membership and substitute membership on Council Committees and other relevant bodies, in accordance with Standing Order 27(i).

Members are asked to note that the full list of appointments have been attached.

Appointments that are not constitutionally made by Full Council (including notification of appointment(s) of the Deputy Leader and to Cabinet and any Cabinet Committee) will also be circulated prior to the meeting, for Members to note.

(Agenda republished on 17 May 23 to include appendices 1-4 of the main report detailing the full list of appointments)

Council RESOLVED:

(1)       To approve the appointments of members, co-opted members and substitutes to Council Committees and Outside Bodies for the 2023-2024 Municipal Year, as detailed within Appendix 1 of the report, subject to the following correction identified at the meeting:

·            Councillor Georgiou to be listed in place of Councillor Lorber as the Liberal Democrats member on the Resources & Public Realm Scrutiny Committee

(2)    To approve the appointments of Chairs and Vice Chairs to Council Committees for the 2023-2024 Municipal Year, as detailed within Appendix 1 of the report.

Having been put to the vote, an amendment moved by Councillor Georgiou at the meeting seeking to split the current wards covered by the Wembley Brent Connect Forum enabling the establishment an additional Brent Connect Forum and to appoint a Liberal Democrat Group member as chair of the new Forum along with a Conservative Group member as Chair of Kingsbury & Kenton Brent Connect Forum was declared LOST.

(3)    To approve:

(a)    the reappointment (as detailed within section 3.4 of the report) of David Ewart as Independent Chair of the Audit & Standards Advisory Committee and Pension Board for a two-year term of office ending on 31^st July 2025.

(b)    the appointment of Rachael Tiffen (as detailed within section 3.5 of the report) as an Independent co-opted member of the Audit & Standards Advisory Committee for a four-year term of office, ending at the Council’s Annual Meeting in May 2027 (subject to confirmation of the ongoing appointment at the Annual Council meeting each year).

(c)    the continuing appointment (as detailed within section 3.6 of the report) of the following three Independent Persons for the remainder of their four-year terms of office (subject to confirmation at the Annual Council meeting each year):

(1)       William Goh & Keir Hopley - to the Annual Council meeting in 2025; and

(2)       Julie Byrom – to the Annual Council meeting in 2026.

(d)    in relation to the co-opted membership on the Community & Wellbeing Scrutiny Committee (detailed within section 3.7 of the report):

(i)     the re-appointment of Alloysius Frederick (as a voting co-opted member representing the Roman Catholic Diocese) & Sayed Jaffar (as a non-voting co-opted member representing Muslim Faith Schools) for a further three-year term of office to expire at the Annual Council meeting 2026 (subject to confirmation of the ongoing appointments at the Annual Council meeting each year); and

(ii)    the appointment of Jane Noy (as a voting co-opted Parent Governor representative) and Rachelle Goldberg (as a non-voting co-opted member representing Jewish Faith Schools) for a three-year term of office to expire at the Annual Council meeting 2026 (subject to confirmation of the ongoing appointments at the Annual Council meeting each year).

(4)    To note the appointments:

(a)       of the Cabinet, Cabinet Committees and Joint Executive Committees and their respective Chairs and Vice Chairs for the 2023-2024 Municipal Year, as detailed in Appendix 2 of the report.

(b)       to be confirmed by the General Purposes Committee for the 2023-2024 Municipal Year, as detailed in Appendix 3 of the report.

(c)    to be confirmed by Licensing Committee for the 2023-2024 Municipal Year, as detailed in Appendix 4 of the report.

The Mayor then invited Councillor Muhammed Butt (as Leader of the Council) to introduce the report from the Corporate Director of Governance.

The Leader advised that the report set out the nominations for appointments to Committees, Joint Committees, Forums, Panels, Outside Bodies and nomination for Chairs and Vice Chairs, where necessary, for the 2023 - 24 Municipal Year, with the nominations having been made in accordance with the political balance of the Council and requirements in relation to political proportionality.

The Mayor then opened the debate inviting other members to speak on the report, with the following contributions made.

As an initial contribution Councillor Georgiou began by advising of a correction to the Liberal Democrats membership on the Resources & Public Realm Scrutiny Committee (as detailed within Appendix 1 of the report) which he confirmed should have been listed as himself rather than Councillor Lorber.  With the Mayor having noted the correction made, Councillor Georgiou then moved an additional amendment at the meeting relating to the current structure and membership of the Brent Connects forums.  The amendment was seeking to split the current wards covered by the Wembley Brent Connects forum in order to establish an additional Brent Connects forum and ensure a more equitable balance between the spread and focus of wards covered in that area.  In reflecting that wards in both the proposed new Brent Connects forum (covering Alperton, Sudbury and adjacent parts of Wembley) and existing Kingsbury & Kenton Brent Connects forum included representation by Opposition councillors he advised the amendment was also seeking to allocate the Chair of the newly created Brent Connects forum in Wembley to the Liberal Democrat Group and for the Kingsbury & Kenton Brent Connects forum to the Conservative Group.

Speaking in support of the amendment, Councillor Kansagra, felt it was important to recognise the current spread of Opposition group members across the wards affected along with the mandate he felt this provided in terms of those members seeking to support their constituents through the Brent Connects arrangements.

As a further contribution, Councillor Fraser highlighted concerns at any attempts made to politicise Brent Connects meetings which it was felt would not be in the best interests of local ward councillor or residents given the role they served in relation to community engagement and participation.

As a final contribution, Councillor Lorber also speaking in support of the proposed amendment advised that whilst not seeking to politicise Brent Connects meetings the proposal moved by Councillor Georgiou on behalf of the Liberal Democrats had been designed to ensure a more balanced focus within the current structure on the areas covered and better reflect, on a democratically accountable basis, local ward councillor representation across each area.

As no further members indicated they wished to speak the Mayor then invited Councillor Muhammed Butt to exercise his right of reply in relation to the debate on the report and amendment moved at the meeting.

In summing up Councillor Muhammed Butt again highlighted the clear mandate provided for the current Administration following the most recent local election, which he advised would be reflected and exercised to its fullest extent within the membership on each Council body and to ensure all local communities continued to be represented fairly.  As a result, he advised the Labour Administration were not minded to support the amendment moved by Councillor Georgiou as well as outlining the role of the Constitutional Working Group should the Opposition Groups wish to raise any similar proposals for consideration in future.

The Mayor then invited Councillor Georgiou to exercise his right of reply in relation to the debate on the amendment moved at the meeting.  Highlighting the importance in ensuring all members were able to effectively represent their constituents, Councillor Georgiou again outlined how he felt the proposals would provide a fairer and more equitable balance in terms of the Brent Connect area arrangements and membership recognising the democratic mandate provided to all local ward councillors.  As such he ended by encouraging all members to support the proposed amendment.

Having once again thanked members for their contributions the Mayor then moved to put the amendment and recommendations within the report to the vote.

On putting the amendment moved by Councillor Georgiou regarding the structure and chairing arrangements for the Brent Connect areas in Wembley and Kingsbury & Kenton to the vote this was declared LOST.

The substantive recommendations, as set out in the report and detailed below, were then put to the vote and declared CARRIED.

Council therefore RESOLVED:

(1)        To approve the appointments of members, co-opted members and substitutes to Council Committees and Outside Bodies for the 2023-2024 Municipal Year, as detailed within Appendix 1 of the report, subject to the following correction identified at the meeting:

·             Councillor Georgiou to be listed in place of Councillor Lorber as the Liberal Democrats member on the Resources & Public Realm Scrutiny Committee

(2)    To approve the appointments of Chairs and Vice Chairs to Council Committees for the 2023-2024 Municipal Year, as detailed within Appendix 1 of the report.

(3)    To approve:

(a)    the reappointment (as detailed within section 3.4 of the report) of David Ewart as Independent Chair of the Audit & Standards Advisory Committee and Pension Board for a two-year term of office ending on 31^st July 2025.

(b)    the appointment of Rachael Tiffen (as detailed within section 3.5 of the report) as an Independent co-opted member of the Audit & Standards Advisory Committee for a four-year term of office, ending at the Council’s Annual Meeting in May 2027 (subject to confirmation of the ongoing appointment at the Annual Council meeting each year).

(c)    the continuing appointment (as detailed within section 3.6 of the report) of the following three Independent Persons for the remainder of their four-year terms of office (subject to confirmation at the Annual Council meeting each year):

(i)     William Goh & Keir Hopley - to the Annual Council meeting in 2025; and

(ii)    Julie Byrom – to the Annual Council meeting in 2026

(d)    in relation to the co-opted membership on the Community & Wellbeing Scrutiny Committee (detailed within section 3.7 of the report):

(i)     the re-appointment of Alloysius Frederick (as a voting co-opted member representing the Roman Catholic Diocese) & Sayed Jaffar (as a non-voting co-opted member representing Muslim Faith Schools) for a further three-year term of office to expire at the Annual Council meeting 2026 (subject to confirmation of the ongoing appointments at the Annual Council meeting each year); and

(ii)    the appointment of Jane Noy (as a voting co-opted Parent Governor representative) and Rachelle Goldberg (as a non-voting co-opted member representing Jewish Faith Schools) for a three-year term of office to expire at the Annual Council meeting 2026 (subject to confirmation of the ongoing appointments at the Annual Council meeting each year).

(4)    To note the appointments:

(a)        of the Cabinet, Cabinet Committees and Joint Executive Committees and their respective Chairs and Vice Chairs for the 2023-2024 Municipal Year, as detailed in Appendix 2 of the report.

(b)        to be confirmed by the General Purposes Committee for the 2023-2024 Municipal Year, as detailed in Appendix 3 of the report.

(c)    to be confirmed by Licensing Committee for the 2023-2024 Municipal Year, as detailed in Appendix 4 of the report.

(The full list of appointments can be found as part of the appendices to the main report republished prior to the meeting)