Report to:			COUNCIL
Date:			26 March 2024
Title:			POLITICAL COMPOSITION AND SIX-MONTH MEMBER MEETING ATTENDANCE RULE
Portfolio Area:			Council – Cllr Ewings
Wards Affected:			All
Urgent Decision:		N		Approval and clearance obtained:			Y
Date next steps can be taken: The extension of the permitted non-attendance will run up to and including 21 May 2024.
Author:	Darryl White				Role:	Head of Democratic Services
Contact:	email: Darryl.White@swdevon.gov.uk

RECOMMENDATIONS:

That Council is RECOMMENDED to NOTE the revised political composition of the Council (as set out in paragraph 2.1 below) following the resignation from the Borough Council of Mr Peter Squire.

1. Executive summary

1.1. On Wednesday, 13 March 2024, Mr Peter Squire formally resigned from the office of West Devon Borough Council.

1.2. As a consequence of this resignation, it is necessary for the Council to note the revised political composition of the Council.

2. Background

2.1 Following Mr Squire’s resignation, the revised political composition of the Council is as follows:

- Alliance Group: 19 Members;

- Conservative Group: 11 Members; and

- Vacancy: One Member.

2.2 The knock-on implications to the political balance provisions are set out in Appendix A.  Put simply, until a by-election is held, the Council will be carrying one vacancy (on its Overview & Scrutiny Committee).

2.3 Following the by-election, a further report will be presented to Full Council that sets out the updated political composition and how this impacts upon the political balance provisions.

3. Options available and consideration of risk

3.1    Failure to apply the rules of political balance could render a formal Member Body of the Council to be unlawful.  However, this risk is mitigated by the current appointments list.

4. Implications

Implications	Relevant to proposals Y/N	Details and proposed measures to address
Legal/Governance		Sections 15 and 16 of the Local Government and Housing Act 1989 set out the political balance rules for the allocation of formal Committee seats.
Financial implications to include reference to value for money		None
Risk		Section 3 above refers.
Supporting Corporate Strategy		N/A
Climate Change - Carbon / Biodiversity Impact		None
Comprehensive Impact Assessment Implications
Equality and Diversity		None
Safeguarding		None
Community Safety, Crime and Disorder		None
Health, Safety and Wellbeing		None
Other implications		None

Supporting Information

Appendices:

A – Updated Political Balance Table

Background Papers:

None