Report to:			COUNCIL
Date:			28 September 2023
Title:			Member Appointments
Portfolio Area:			Leader
Wards Affected:			All
Urgent Decision:		N		Approval and clearance obtained:			Y
Date next steps can be taken: Immediately following this meeting
Author:	Darryl White				Role:	Head of Democratic Services
Contact:	Email: darryl.white@swdevon.gov.uk

RECOMMENDATION:

That the Council RESOLVES to:

1.      increase the size of the Licensing Committee from 8 to 10 Members, with the Quorum being set at 6 Members;

2.      appoint Cllr Dommett (Lib Dem Group) and a Green Party Group Member (name to be provided to the meeting) to serve on the Licensing Committee and to appoint Cllr Lawford (Lib Dem Group) as a Substitute Member for the Licensing Committee for the remainder of the 2023/24 Municipal Year;

3.      appoint Cllr D Thomas to serve as the Council’s Armed Forces Covenant Champion for this Council administration (i.e. until the date of the Annual Council meeting in May 2027).

1. Executive summary

Licensing Committee Membership

1.1 At the Annual meeting of Council held on 25 May 2023, eight Members were appointed to serve on the Licensing Committee (Minute 10/23 refers);

1.2 Since this decision was taken, it has become apparent that Section 6(1) of the Licensing Act 2003 states that: ‘each licensing authority must establish a Licensing Committee consisting of at least 10, but not more than 15, Members of the authority.  For the purposes of calculating the size of the Committee, Substitute Members do not count.’

1.3 Since these are politically balanced appointments, the political balance table (as set out at Appendix A) has been reviewed and Members will note that the two additional Committee appointments belong to: the Liberal Democrat Group (one seat) and the Green Party Group (one seat);

1.4 Both respective Group Leaders have been consulted and Cllr Dommett has been nominated to fill the Liberal Democrat Group vacancy on the Committee.  At the time of writing this report, a nomination has yet to be received for the Green Party Group vacancy and this will be provided verbally to the Council meeting.  In addition, Cllr Lawford has been nominated to be appointed as an extra Substitute Member on the Committee.

1.5 As a consequence of the Committee being increased to a size of ten, it is also recommended that the Quorum be adjusted and set at six.

Armed Forces Covenant Champion

1.6 In response to Cllr Hawkins giving notice to officers that he wished to resign from the role of Armed Forces Covenant Champion, nominations have been sought to fill this role.

1.7 As a result, Cllr Thomas has been nominated to fill this role and it is recommended that this appointment be for the duaration of this Council administration (i.e. to May 2027).

2. Options available and consideration of risk

Licensing Committee Membership

2.1    The Council is required to comply with the requirements of the Licensing Act 2023 and increase the size of its Licensing Committee to a minimum of 10 Members.

Armed Forces Covenant Champion

2.2    Similarly, the Council is required to appoint an Armed Forces Covenant Champion and the nomination of Cllr Thomas will fulfil this requirement.

3. Implications

Implications	Relevant to proposals Y/N	Details and proposed measures to address
Legal/Governance	Y	Statutory Powers – Licensing Act 2003 Section 6(1)
Financial implications to include reference to value for money	N	There are no direct financial implications
Risk	N	These are addressed in the report
Supporting Corporate Strategy		Efficient and Effective Council
Climate Change - Carbon / Biodiversity Impact		Not applicable
Comprehensive Impact Assessment Implications
Equality and Diversity		Not applicable
Safeguarding		Not applicable
Community Safety, Crime and Disorder		Not applicable
Health, Safety and Wellbeing		Not applicable
Other implications		Not applicable

Supporting Information

Appendices:

A – Political Balance Table as at September 2023

Background Papers:

None