Agenda item

Report of the Deputy Town Clerk.

The Committee considered a report of the Deputy Town Clerk seeking agreement to renewal of the Lead Member subject areas for 2025/26 and setting out the process for Members to apply to fill the roles.

During discussion of the item, a concern was raised regarding an increase in the number of sub-committees and working parties across the City Corporation, with this resulting in Members having to stretch themselves too thinly and it leading to a number of vacancies on committees. This also placed increased pressure on the Town Clerk’s Department through the additional resourcing required. The Chairman acknowledged the concerns raised and stressed a need to be more disciplined when considering creating sub-committees and working parties; task and finish groups could potentially be used for focussed tasks and with these being time limited.    

The Chairman added how the Policy Leadership Team and Lead Members were managed through his office and so placed no additional resourcing pressures on the Town Clerk’s Department.  These roles allowed the Chairman to achieve a level of expertise across a range of areas and helped him to deliver far more engagement than he could deliver himself given the size of the portfolio under his remit.   They supported the City Corporation’s work overall and also allowed for an inclusive and collaborative approach to leadership, whilst allowing all Members of the Court an opportunity to share in policy work and to take advantage of their expertise.  It was questioned whether a Lead Member should have a term limit, in the same way as Committee Chairs do, with the Chairman acknowledging this would create a level of turnover in the roles and was a point that should be considered further.

The Chairman referred to a planned Policy and Resources Committee Awayday in July, during which there would an opportunity for points raised today to be considered in more detail. 

RESOLVED: That Members: -

• Agreed Option B – to continue the Lead Member programme, sunsetting the International Markets portfolio, and all proposals as set out in paragraphs 10-18.
• Agreed to invite all Members to make an Expression of Interest for the following six Lead Members for 2025/26: Innovation & Technology, Sport, Resident Engagement, SMEs, Climate Action and Sustainable Finance.