Agenda item

To consider a report from the Monitoring Officer regarding various HIWFRA appointments as well as approval of updates to the constitution.

The Authority considered a report from the Monitoring Officer (item 9 in the minute book), which summarised the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Fire and Rescue Authority (HIWFRA) appointments required for the municipal year, as well as some minor updates to the constitution.

It was agreed that to continue to encourage fairness and equality, a seat should be given to the Isle of Wight as an Independent member on the sub-committees of the Authority, despite there being no obligation to do so with how the proportionality was calculated.

In agreeing the minor changes to the constitution, it was also noted that officers would connect with Members and share dates of upcoming local Crime and Disorder network meetings so that Members could attend if they wished to.

The Monitoring Officer confirmed at the meeting that Councillor Ian Stephens from the Isle of Wight had been formally appointed to the HIWFRA and was therefore able to be included as part of the appointments being made at the meeting.

RESOLVED

a)  The Authority approved the current schedule of meetings of the Authority and its committees for the coming year at Appendix 3.

b)  That, for the purposes of Part 1 of the Local Government and Housing Act 1989, the allocation of seats on the Standards and Governance Committee, and the Stakeholder Committee of the Authority were approved as set out in the Appendix 2 of the report.

c)  The Authority appointed the following members of the Standards and Governance Committee, and the Stakeholder Committee and their respective Chairmen and Vice-Chairmen following the agreed allocation of seats at paragraph 9 (above).

With regards to the Pension Board, the Authority considered the position as set out in paragraph 10 of the report and confirmed the appointments as set out in paragraph 10 of the report.

d)  It was approved that APAG include all appointed HIWFRA Members as set out in paragraph 11a of the report, until the AGM in 2022.

e)  The Authority appointed the following three Members to an informal working group for the review of principal officer pay, as detailed in paragraph 11b of the report, until the HIWFRA AGM in 2022.

L. Fairhurst (Chairman)
G. Hughes
R. Price

f)  The Authority appointed the following three Members to an informal working group for the review of the Member Allowance Scheme, as detailed in paragraph 11g of the report, until the HIWFRA AGM in 2022.

R. Chadd (Chairman)
L. Fairhurst
D. Harrison

g)  The Minority Group Spokesperson for the Liberal Democrat Party Group until the inaugural meeting of the Combined Fire Authority in 2022 was confirmed as Roger Price, as set out in paragraph 11c of the report.

h)  Peter Moore and Michael Cronin were appointed as Independent Persons for HIWFRA for a four-year term with an allowance of £100 per annum each.

i)  The Chairman of the Stakeholder Committee was appointed as the Shareholder Representative for 3SFire CIC pursuant to Article 42 of the Articles of Association of 3SFire CIC as set out in paragraph 11e of the report, until the HIWFRA AGM in 2022.

j)  The Authority approved grants dispensations under Sections 33(2)(a) and (d) of the Localism Act 2011, expiring on 30 June 2022, in respect of the provisions of Sections 31(4)(a) and (b) of the Localism Act:

a)    to all Members to enable them to participate and vote in any business of the Authority relating to the setting of Council Tax or Precepts, when they would otherwise be prevented from doing so in consequence of a beneficial interest in land within the administrative area of the Authority; and

b)    to all Members in receipt of an allowance under the Authority’s Members’ Allowances Scheme or Members’ Allowances Scheme, enabling them to participate and vote in any business of the Authority where they may otherwise be prevented from doing so in consequence of being in receipt of a Members’ Allowance.

k)  The Authority approved the Constitution at Appendix 4 and agreed to delegate any future formatting and minor technical changes to the Monitoring Officer