Executive Advisory Groups

Terms of Reference – Draft

1. Background

The Executive is to establish 3 Advisory Groups that will focus on the following key areas:

- Climate Change & Biodiversity;

- Community Development; and

- Housing.

2. Membership

Once each Advisory Group has been established by the Executive, Group Leaders will be invited to submit their respective nominations to serve on each Advisory Group.

Given their purpose, it is envisaged that the Advisory Groups will be relatively small (a maximum of up to 6 to 8 Members at the discretion of the Chairman), with the membership being drawn from Members with a particular interest and expertise in the areas concerned.  There will also be the expectation that appointed Members will commit their time to undertake research in order to identify good practice / innovative ideas in addition to attending the Group meetings.

Each Advisory Group will be chaired by the relevant lead Executive Member and will be supported by the relevant senior responsible lead officer.

3. Role and Function

The primary role and function of each Advisory Group will be to:

- advise and support the lead Executive Member with the delivery of targets within the Council’s Corporate Strategy (once adopted)’; and

- look forward and horizon scan in order to identify future issues and challenges that relate to the subject area; generate new ideas and solutions and to plan ahead over the longer-term.

4. Out of Scope

The following are out of the scope of each Advisory Group:

- the delivery of targets that fall within one of the other subject areas;

- consideration of any Task and Finish Group Review that has arisen through the Overview and Scrutiny function; and

- any regulatory matters (e.g. specific planning and/or licensing applications).

5.    Governance Arrangements

Each Advisory Group has no formal decision-making powers and is accountable to the Executive.

The Executive will receive regular progress updates from each of its Advisory Groups.

On occasions where a vote is required, the Chairman (lead Member) will be entitled to a second (casting) vote.

There will be no provision for Substitute Members and only those appointed Advisory Group Members will be entitled to vote.

6.    Meeting and Working Practices

Each Advisory Group will meet no more than three times in a Municipal Year and meetings will be held remotely (over Teams).

       Any Member of the Council may attend a meeting of an Advisory Group and, at the discretion of the Chairman, may take part in the deliberations.

Meetings will not be open to the public and will not be live streamed.

Meetings will be scheduled to align with the formal reporting timetable to meetings of the Executive.

Following a meeting, brief action notes will be produced to a common format and made available to the wider membership.