Agenda item

(B)Report of Action Taken: Amendment to an Act of Court of Common Council, Aldermanic Election – to note action taken in making amendments to an Act of Common Council concerning the requirements following the death of a serving Alderman.

For Information

1 July 2021

(B) Report of Action Taken: Amendment to an Act of Court of Common Council, Aldermanic Election

The Court was recommended to note action taken to amend an Act of Court of Common Council pertaining to Aldermanic Elections, following the sad death of Alderman Sir Roger Gifford on 25 May 2021.  For various reasons, namely: the state of the 2021 Ward List and the importance of a more robust 2022 Ward List, together with a greater diversity of candidates; the Court of Common Council’s decision of 8 October 2020 to postpone all Common Council elections until March 2022; and the Court of Aldermen’s similar decision to waive until March 2022 the conventions relating to Surrenders of Office; the Policy and Resources Committee resolved to propose an amendment to the Act of Common Council to ensure that any instances of Aldermanic vacancies arising from death in Office would be managed in this manner.  In the usual order of things, such a recommendation would have been submitted to the Court of Common Council as a Bill for an Act of Common Council, to be considered at two successive meetings and with three readings of the Bill. However, due to the timescales set out for such elections, the Policy and Resources Committee resolved to seek the approval of the Court to the relevant amendments under urgency procedures (Standing Order No.19), with the usual requirements of Standing Order No.46 (requiring the circulation of the Bill for three readings) explicitly waived as a consequence.

Resolved – That the action taken under urgency procedures be noted.