Agenda item

A report of the Town Clerk in respect of a change to the Court of Aldermen’s Standing Orders.

To agree and to make recommendation thereon to the Court of Aldermen.

The Committee considered a report of the Town Clerk concerning proposed amendments to the Court of Aldermen’s Standing Orders, specifically SO 33, 35 and 36 to reflect current practice in terms of the administrative process in relation to Aldermanic attendance at the Judges’ lunches at the Central Criminal Court.

The Chairman reported that there were now also proposals around amending SO20. Whilst a quorum of three members was felt to be appropriate for this Committee, the Aldermen were of the view that the quorum for the Nominations Committee ought to be thirteen members (i.e. a simple majority of the Court of Aldermen).  It was agreed that this be inserted as SO20a.

It was also agreed that SO17 whereby the Chairman, or in their absence the Deputy Chairman of each of the standing Committees, had a casting vote should apply to this Committee only but was not appropriate procedurally for the Nominations Committee where, in practice, lots ought to be drawn in the event of a tied vote.

Discussion around this point ensued and it was highlighted that the Chairman or Deputy Chairman were not obliged to exercise their casting vote and could also choose not to exercise it immediately choosing to opt for a second, confirmatory vote amongst the Committee first for example.  

With regard to SO 33 it was agreed that the words ‘a sitting’ be removed. It was also suggested that reference to needing to attend ‘at least one day each month’ reflected the old system and that it should now therefore read ‘at least one day every five weeks’.

Finally, it was agreed that the document should no longer refer to junior and senior Aldermen but instead to Aldermen past the Chair and those below the Chair.

Resolved: - That the proposed revisions to the Court of Aldermen’s Standing Orders, as set out in Appendix 2, be agreed by the General Purposes Committee of Aldermen and a recommendation thereon be submitted to the Court of Aldermen.