Agenda and draft minutes

To confirm the minutes from the previous meeting

The Minutes of the meeting held on 9^th June 2016 were confirmed by the Members present and were then signed by the Chairman.  However, there were one or two items on the previous minutes that the Chairman asked Mark Brookes for further clarification as follows:

Berkhamsted Town Council (BTC)  

Mark Brookes reported that BTC had confirmed they are making good progress.  Their Standing Orders have now been amended and were going forward for adoption at their meeting on 12^th September (this should now have been approved).  New HR Policies have been prepared and training for Councillors is included in those policies. Action: Markconfirmed that he would check that these have now been adopted.

E Mails 

Comment re timely delivery of agenda. The minimum “norm” is five working days before a meeting and this was apparently not being met.  Mark had spoken to Member Support and this issue has been addressed and, so far as he knew, everyone should now receive their Agendas in good time.

Social Media

This will be added as a specific agenda item for December’s meeting when John Worts, DBC’s officer for compliance on this matter, will be attending to update the committee. The only proviso is that the present updating to that section of compliance must be complete and if not will need carrying forward to March 2017 meeting.

Dress code

Cllr. Tindall had requested a word change in the document being put together from “formally” to “appropriately”.  The Chairman pointed out that it was now Majority Group policy that their members would dress “formally” for Council Meetings.  This means gentlemen wearing suits with ties, or jackets and ties.  He said this matches with what Sally Marshall (CEO) has asked the Officers to wear.  The Chairman then asked for open discussion and it was decided to leave the word “formally” in place, but we would be considering this further in our Part II agenda later.

Cllr. Fisher asked if there would be rules for women concerning dress code.  The Chairman confirmed that women should comply with the “formal” dress code.

To receive any apologies for absence

Apologies received from Cllr. J. Maddern and Mr. John Ebdon.

The next meeting will be held on  Thursday 8^th December 2016

The next meeting will be held on Thursday 8^th December 2016

To consider passing a resolution in the following terms:

That, under s.100A (4) of the Local Government Act 1972 Schedule 12A Part 1 as amended by the Local Government (Access to Information) (Variation) Order 2006 the public be excluded during the item in Part II of the Agenda for this meeting, because it is likely, in view of the nature of the business to be transacted, that if members of the public were present during that item there would be disclosure to them of exempt information relating to:

To consider passing a resolution in the following terms:

That, under s.100A (4) of the Local Government Act 1972 Schedule 12A Part 1 as amended by the Local Government (Access to Information) (Variation) Order 2006 the public be excluded during the item in Part II of the Agenda for this meeting, because it is likely, in view of the nature of the business to be transacted, that if members of the public were present during that item there would be disclosure to them of exempt information relating to items 5 and 6.

It was so moved and approved.

Full details in part 2 minutes.

Full details in part 2 minutes.