Agenda and draft minutes

To receive any apologies for absence from any members of the Committee.

There were none.

Apologies for lateness were received from Councillor Joseph Lee who joined the meeting at 6.41pm.

Members and co-opted Members of the Council are reminded that, in accordance with the Members’ Code of Conduct and the statutory provisions of the Localism Act 2011, they are required to consider in advance of each meeting whether they have a disclosable pecuniary interest (DPI), some other registrable interest (ORI) or a non-registrable interest (NRI) in relation to any matter on the agenda. If advice is needed, Members should contact the Monitoring Officer in good time before the meeting. If any Member or co-opted Member of the Council identifies a DPI or ORI which they have not already registered on the Council’s register of interests or which requires updating, they must urgently complete the disclosure form which can be obtained from Democratic Services at any time, copies of which will be available at the meeting for return to the Monitoring Officer.

Members and co-opted Members are required in general to disclose any relevant DPIs, ORIs or NRIs at the meeting –

• Where the matter relates to a DPI they may not participate in any discussion or vote on the matter and must not stay in the room unless granted a dispensation.
• Where the matter directly relates to the financial interest or wellbeing of an ORI they may not vote on the matter unless granted a dispensation.
• Where a Member or co-opted Member has an NRI which directly relates to or affects their or a relevant person’s financial interest or wellbeing, whether they can participate in any discussion or vote on the matter or stay in the room depends on the detailed rules in paragraphs 7 of Appendix B of the Members’ Code of Conduct.

The Chair will invite Members to make their disclosure of interests orally at the meeting and they will also be recorded in the minutes.

There were none.

To approve the minutes of the meeting held on 10 June 2024 as an accurate record of the proceedings.

RESOLVED: To approve the minutes of the meeting held on 10 June 2024 as an accurate record of the proceedings.

To discuss any urgent business if any.

There were no items of urgent business.

To consider and comment on the Election Review Report.

The Head of Elections & Civic Mayors Office, Seth Alker, presented the Election Review report, highlighting the lessons learned from the 2022 elections and the improvements made for the general election. He discussed project management, staff training, polling station arrangements, and the challenges with absent voting:

Project Management: Seth emphasised the importance of project management, noting that a good balance was struck between oversight and quick decision-making, which will be the model for future elections.

Staff Training: Seth highlighted the extensive training provided to poll clerks and presiding officers, including in-person and online training, which will be built upon for future elections.

Polling Station Arrangements: Seth discussed the review of polling places and districts, noting that individual issues would be incorporated into the review to improve future arrangements.

Absent Voting Challenges: Seth detailed the challenges with absent voting, including postal vote timetables, print contractor capacity, and Royal Mail performance. He emphasised the need for better information for electors and potential changes to the system.

Polling Station Issues: Seth Alker addressed the issue of a polling station in New Addington being occupied by squatters, which required finding an alternative venue. He emphasised the need for better business continuity arrangements for polling stations.

Count Venue and Staffing: Seth Alker discussed the successful use of Bernard Weatherill House as the count venue noting its accessibility, space, and value for money and mentioned the possibility of using other venues such as Fairfield Halls in the future, depending on availability and capacity.  The decision would be reviewed closer to the 2026 elections.

Staffing Arrangements: Seth discussed the effective staffing arrangements, including the use of experienced count supervisors and a robust escalation procedure for any issues that might arise during the count.

Seth informed the Committee that in light of the House of Commons’s report on the general election and declarations before 4.00 pm, Croydon had significantly improved its position over most local authorities. He also
took Members through the summary of actions and learning points from the election review and highlighted the following planned actions:

·       Polling Station Review: general business continuity arrangements to expanded to include reserve locations for polling stations and investigate the use of mobile units for emergency situations.

·       Recruitment for Electoral Services:Advertise and recruit for the vacant electoral services manager post within the next month.

·       Polling District Review:the polling district review to include an assessment of the suitability and access of polling stations and consider alternative arrangements if necessary.

·       Communication of Polling Station Changes:the process for communicating changes to polling stations to electors to be improved including timely notifications and clear information.

·       Postal Vote System Improvement:Work with the government and relevant bodies to address national issues with the postal vote system, including capacity and delivery timelines.

The Chair and Members of the Committee commended the efforts of the Returning Officer, the Elections Team for the apparent improvements in the arrangements for the elections held on the 4^th July 2024 and thanked the Head of Elections & Civic Mayors Office  ...  view the full minutes text for item 12/24

To review and comment on the proposed revisions to the Constitution as detailed in the report and recommend to Full Council for adoption.  

Adrian May, the former Interim Head of Democratic Services presented the proposed amendments to the Council Procedure Rules, which included amendments to the processes for Council tax and budget meetings, and the handling of policy items as part of the budgetary and policy framework.

Adrian highlighted the minor amendmentsto the first Council tax and budget meeting procedures to include practical steps taken in previous meetings, such as allowing the Green Group and Liberal Democrat Member to speak and publish amendments.

Second Meeting Procedures:Adrian also outlined the second meeting procedures for Council tax and budget items, including the formal debate and voting on amendments, with a 2/3 majority required for approval.

Policy Items Handling:Adrian explained the streamlined process for handling policy items as part of the budgetary and policy framework, including reduced speaking times and the role of the relevant scrutiny chair.

The Chair informed the Committee the proposed changes was reviewed and had received broad support from Members at the meeting of the Constitution Working Group on 14^th November 2024.

For the reasons set out in the report, the General Purposes Committee RESOLVED to:

1.1   To review and comment on the proposed revisions to the Constitution as detailed in the report;

2.2     To approve the amended version of Part 4A (as set out in Appendix 1/1i – Council Procedure Rules) and Part 4C of the Constitution (as set out in Appendix 2/2i - Budget & Policy Framework Procedure Rules);

2.3   To recommend the adoption of the changes to the Council Procedure Rules to Full Council.

2.4     To authorise the Monitoring Officer to make any additional but minor  

          amendments to Part 4A and Part 4C of the Constitution for tidying up or 

          clarification purposes or to correct any drafting slips prior to reporting

          them to Full Council for adoption.

To review and comment on the proposed changes to the Constitution and recommend to Full Council for approval.

This item was withdrawn from the agenda and deferred for further consultation.

To approve the proposed changes to the Constitution relating to the Scheme of Co-option and the appointment of Chairs and Vice-Chairs of committees.

The Deputy Monitoring Officer,Looqman Desai, presented the report on miscellaneous changes to the Constitution, which included, updates to the appointment of chairs and vice chairs of committees and corrections to the Scheme of Co-option.

For the reasons set out in the report, the General Purposes Committee RESOLVED to:

2.1.1  review and comment on the proposed changes to the Constitution

          contained in section 4 of this report and Appendices 1 and 2; and

2.1.2  recommend to Full Council the approval of the proposed changes

          he approval of the proposed changes.

To review the proposed Council Calendar of meetings for the 2025-26 Municipal Year and recommend to Full Council for approval.

For the reasons set out in the report, the General Purposes Committee RESOLVED to:

1.1 to agree the Council meetings for the municipal year 2025-26;

1.2  To note the Cabinet meeting dates for the municipal year 2025-26; 

1.3  To recommend that Full Council approves the meeting dates for all other 

       committees for the municipal year 2025-26.