Agenda item - Welcome and Introductions

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Agenda item

Welcome and Introductions

Minutes:

65.1      The following points were raised in the ratification of the Chair to Councillor Brennan:

 

·         Residents were frustrated because they had not been informed on the process and that if there had not been a Housing Committee vote that the Chair of the Panel should either be the Vice Chair or the previous Chair.

·         Councillors stated that there had not been any votes for the nominated members and that the Vice Chair should chair the Panel.

 

65.2      Martin Reid, Assistant Director of Housing, clarified the following advice given to the East Area councillor representatives from Mark Wall, Head of Democratic Services, prior to the meeting:

 

·         There had been four nominations for both Councillors Brennan and Mears to Chair the Panel.

·         In view of the equal vote, the matter was discussed at Leaders Group and the original terms of reference for the Area Panels and the report to P&R Committee in 2014 were considered.

·         The Leaders Group noted that the terms of reference stated that the Chair of an Area Panel would be appointed by the Housing Committee and in the absence of such as appointment, the position should fall to a Member of the Administration.

·         It was also noted that in the 2014 report reference was made to the preference of tenants that the Ward Members for the Area should vote for the Chair, but this did not form part of the formal recommendations that were approved

·         It was agreed that the terms of reference should apply and therefore Councillor Brennan should be appointed as the Chair of the Panel and the ambiguity resulting from the report in 2014 to be reviewed should be referred to the Constitution Working Group for consideration as part of its current review of the Constitution.

 

65.3      Martin Reid stated that the key actions from the points raised from residents and councillors would be to write to resident representatives to share the information detailing the election of Chair, the constitutional advice to include the 2014 report and to advise when the matter of any ambiguity will be considered at Constitutional Review Group.

 


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