a)    Parliamentary Boundary Review

Councillor Eyre moved and Councillor Nelson seconded the recommendation from the Governance Committee which recommended that the revised proposals from the Boundary Commission for England for Parliamentary boundaries for the Sevenoaks District be noted; and that the Council submit a final consultation response to the Boundary Commission for England based on views collated from Members and agreed with the Chairman of the Governance Committee.

Resolved: That the

a)    revised published proposals from the Boundary Commission for England for Parliamentary boundaries for the Sevenoaks District Council, be noted; and

b)   Council submit a final consultation response to the Boundary Commission for England based on views collated from Members and agreed with the Chairman of the Governance Committee, be approved.   

b)   Development Control Committee Procedures

Councillor Eyre moved and Councillor Nelson seconded the recommendation from the Governance Committee which recommended that the amendments to part 7 of the Constitution, as set out in Appendix A to the report, take effect from 2023/24 municipal year.

Councillor Eyre spoke to the motion, advising that the working group included the Chairman of Development Control Committee supported by Officers who had assisted in going through the constitution line by line with the working group. Discussions took place on each line and changes were made where it was believed to be necessary.

It was moved by a Member and duly seconded that the motion be amended to include the wording “with the sole proviso that the two instances of the words ‘three minutes’ in paragraph 3.33 set out in Appendix A be amended to read ‘four minutes’”.

Debate took place on the amendment with some Members expressing that the current three minutes did not provide enough time for the speakers to get their point across and the extended time would allow this. Other Members expressed that even being provided with four minutes to speak, speakers would always overrun. Other Members drew attention to other ways in which the public can get their views to the Members of the Committee.

A vote took place on the amendment and it was lost.

The Chairman put the original motion to the vote.

Resolved: That the amendments to part 7 of the Constitution, as set out in Appendix A to the report, take effect from 2023/24 municipal year.

c)    The Council’s Policy Framework

The report set out that the Council’s Policy Framework which set out the policies and strategies which were required to be adopted by Full Council and at this time there were no changes to be agreed.

It was moved by Cllr Eyre and seconded by Councillor Nelson that the report be noted.

Resolved: That the report be noted.