Agenda and minutes

Mr. N. J. Rushton CC was nominated as Chairman elect at the County Council meeting on 8 July 2020.

RESOLVED:

(a)        That Mr. N. J. Rushton CC be appointed Chairman for the period ending with the date of the Annual Meeting of the County Council in 2021.

(b)        That as Mr. N. J. Rushton CC had given his apologies for the meeting on 18 September 2020, Mr. J. B. Rhodes CC be elected Chairman for this meeting only.

Mr. J. B. Rhodes CC – in the Chair

RESOLVED:

That Mr. B. L. Pain CC be elected Deputy Chairman for the period ending with the date of the Annual Meeting of the County Council in 2021.

The minutes of the meeting held on 22 November 2019 were taken as read, confirmed and signed.

The Chief Executive reported that no questions had been received under Standing Order 34.

The Chief Executive reported that no questions had been received under Standing Order 7(3) and 7(5).

There were no urgent items for consideration.

The Chairman invited members who wished to do so to declare any interest in respect of items on the agenda for the meeting.

Mr. L. Breckon CC declared a personal interest in agenda item 8: Independent Persons, as he was acquainted with one of the proposed appointees. It was also noted that Mr. J. B. Rhodes CC had chaired the Appointment Committee for the Independent Persons.

With regards to agenda item 9: Charitable Trust Future Arrangements it was noted that Mr. R. J. Shepherd CC had previously been a teacher at Loughborough Burleigh College and Mr. J. B. Rhodes CC had once been a Governor of Melton Mowbray King Edward VII Upper School.

The Committee considered a joint report of the Chief Executive and the Director of Corporate Resources regarding the proposed appointment of Independent Persons to support the Member Conduct Complaints Process and the procedures for dealing with the dismissal of the Chief Executive, the Monitoring Officer and the Chief Financial Officer. A copy of the report, marked ‘Agenda Item 8’, is filed with these minutes.

RESOLVED:

That the Committee recommends the County Council at its meeting in September 2020 appoint Richard Gough, Gordon Grimes, Tina Herring, Hema Kotecha, Surinder Sharma and Pamela Roberts to serve as Independent Persons for a term of four years ending on 30 September 2024.

The Committee considered a report of the Director of Law and Governance which provided an update on the proposals for the future arrangements for the Educational Trusts of which the County Council was the sole corporate Trustee and sought the Committee’s approval to the closure and transfer of funds into a single fund called the Leicestershire Educational Trust Fund to be administered by the Leicestershire and Rutland Community Foundation. A copy of the report, marked ‘Agenda Item 9’, is filed with these minutes.

In response to a question from a member, the Director of Law and Governance confirmed that Charnwood College (formerly known as Burleigh College) had been written to regarding the proposals and the College had raised no objection.

RESOLVED:

a)          That the closure of the Trusts referred to in para 8 of the report and the transfer of assets into a trust to be administered and managed by the Leicestershire and Rutland Community Foundation be approved and the Director of Law and Governance be authorised to take any steps necessary to achieve this;

b)          That the Leicestershire and Rutland Community Foundation be requested to submit an annual report to the Constitution Committee on the operation of the Fund;

c)           That the Director of Law and Governance be authorised to explore the future arrangements for the trusts referred to in para 9 of the report and to report back to the Constitution Committee.

The next meeting of the Committee is scheduled to take place on 27 November 2020 at 11:00am.

RESOLVED:

That the next meeting of the Committee take place on 27 November 2020 at 11:00am.