Agenda item

QUESTIONS ON MATTERS RELATING TO THE WORK OF THE COMMITTEE

Minutes:

There were four questions:

 

Old Bailey Demonstration

A Member made reference to the trial of Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, which was currently taking place at the Old Bailey, questioning why a stage and other equipment had been permitted to be erected outside the Old Bailey to facilitate a demonstration. He expressed concern that this action had seemingly been taken without Member oversight, despite previous undertakings that any such action would be subject to Members’ input.

 

It was suggested that the erection of the stage might have been taken by the City Police to assist with crowd control and public order management, with it being an operational decision which the Force was entitled to make. Notwithstanding this, however, Members expressed significant concern that there had not been any consultation prior to the decision being taken, particularly through the Police Authority Board.

 

Following further discussion as to the appropriateness of facilitating such protests and the misconceptions that might arise in relation to the City Corporation’s role, it was agreed that a resolution should be passed to the Police Authority Board, expressing the Policy and Resources Committee’s concerns, for consideration at its 11 July 2019 meeting.

 

Staffing Matter

A Member asked a question in relation to a staffing matter. Following advice, the Member agreed to withdraw the question and re-submit it on the non-public side of the agenda.

 

Remote Meeting Access

In response to a question concerning the use of Skype or similar technology to access meetings, the Town Clerk reminded Members of the requirements of Local Government legislation and the need to be physically present at formal meeting to vote and count towards the quorum. However, as with discussions under Item 8 in relation to the application of Local Government legislation to non-local authority functions, there was scope to look to alter this and restructure agendas to facilitate participation through the forthcoming governance review. It was also noted that a number of Members had taken the opportunity to use these facilities for informal meetings and had found the ability extremely useful.

 

Care Allowances

In reply to a Member’s query concerning the inability of Members to claim for childcare or other care allowances under the current financial loss regime, the Chair suggested that this be looked at by the Members’ Financial Assistance Working Party.