10.1 Notice
Except for motions which can be moved without notice under these Procedural Standing Orders and unless the Chair is of the opinion that the motion should be considered as a matter of urgency, written notice of motions for discussion at full Council meetings must be delivered to the Chief Executive not later than 10 a.m. eight clear working days before the date of the meeting. Motions are not considered at the first annual meeting of a new Council. The Chief Executive will maintain a record of all motions submitted and the public may inspect that record except in respect of motions considered in the absence of the press and public.
10.2 Where the Chief Executive receives a motion, they will, where practicable, prepare a short accompanying note in respect of the proposals it contains setting out:
- Any implications for climate change
- Any financial or resource implications
- c) Any implications for human rights
- d) Any other pertinent factors the Chief Executive might wish to include in accordance with the Council’s agreed policy framework.
10.3 Subject to Procedural Standing Order 10.1, motions will be set out in the agenda in the following order:
10.3.1 Motions will be included on the agenda, rotating between each political group one motion at a time until all motions have been included;
10.3.2 At the first ordinary council meeting after a new Council is elected, the largest political group will be entitled to have the first motion on the agenda, the second largest group will be entitled to the second; and so on until all motions have been included. If two groups are the same size, a coin toss will determine the order in which those groups’ motions are to be taken. For future ordinary council meetings, the order in which the first and subsequent motions are to be taken will rotate in the same sequence, so that, over time, each group will be entitled to bring the first motion;
10.3.3 If members of a political group submit more than one motion, the relevant Group Leader will decide the order in which those motions are to be taken;
10.3.4 Unless the Chair, in consultation with Group Leaders, decides otherwise, subject to Procedural Standing Order 10.9, there will be no time restrictions on motions from each political group;
10.3.5 For the purposes of Standing Order 10.3, any members who are not aligned to a political group will be treated as constituting a single political group and within that group, individual members’ motions will be taken in rotation;
10.3.6 If the Chief Executive considers that a motion qualifies to be considered by the full Council in the absence of the press and public, the Chief Executive may decide appropriate agenda wording to avoid public disclosure of confidential or exempt information.
10.4 Scope
Motions must be about matters which are related to the responsibilities of the Council or which affect the County. The Chair’s decision on whether or not a motion is relevant to the responsibilities of Council will be final.
10.5 Subject to Procedural Standing Order 10.9, unless the Chair, in consultation with Group Leaders, decides otherwise a motion that has been properly notified and which has been moved and seconded will be discussed by full Council at the meeting for which notice has been given (excluding the first annual meeting of a new Council).
10.6 If the motion relates to an executive function and whether or not it is discussed at full Council at that time, full Council may:
10.6.1 Refer the motion to Cabinet who will consider the matter in the light of any views expressed by the full Council and advise the full Council of its decision; or
10.6.2 Refer the motion to the relevant Scrutiny Committee who will consider the matter in the light of any views expressed by the full Council. Following consideration, the Scrutiny Committee will refer the motion to Cabinet, Leader of the Council or Cabinet Member who will consider the matter in the light of any views expressed by full Council and the Scrutiny Committee and advise the full Council of its or their decision.
10.7 If a motion is referred by full Council to the Cabinet or another Council body (or both under Procedural Standing Order 10.6.2) the proposer and seconder of the motion may attend the meeting of the Cabinet or other Council body (or both) and speak to the motion but not vote unless a Member of the Cabinet or other Council body.
10.8 If a motion is referred by full Council to the Leader of the Council or Cabinet Member (either directly or via a Scrutiny Committee under Procedural Standing Order 10.6.2) the proposer and seconder of the motion may attend the meeting of the Scrutiny meeting and speak to the motion but not vote (unless a Member of the Scrutiny meeting) and / or submit in writing to the Leader of the Council or Cabinet Member, their views on the motion.
10.9 The total period of time spent on motions on the day of a meeting shall not exceed two hours. However, debate on motions may be extended beyond the two hour limit to allow those members who have indicated to the Chair, before the end of the two hour period, their intention to speak on the motion being debated at that time. The mover of the motion will then have the opportunity to sum up and the vote will take place. This Procedural Standing Order may not be suspended.
10.10 In the event a motion has not been discussed at the meeting for which notice has been given, that notice of motion shall then be void.
