Contact your Parish Council
Communities, Housing and Environment Committee |
25 August 2020 |
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Request to Reduce the Number of Nominative Trustee Positions from Cutbush and Corrall Charity (Incorporating the Quested Almshouse Charity) |
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Final Decision-Maker |
Communities, Housing and Environment Committee |
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Lead Head of Service |
Angela Woodhouse
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Lead Officer and Report Author |
Ryan O’Connell, Democratic and Electoral Services Manager Oliviya Parfitt, Democratic Services Officer |
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Classification |
Public |
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Wards affected |
ALL |
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Executive Summary |
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Democratic Services have received a request from Cutbush and Corrall Charity (Incorporating the Quested Almshouse Charity), to reduce the number of Council appointed Nominative Trustees from four to two.
As outlined within the Council’s constitution, this Committee is able to appoint Members to a vacant position (Part 2, Rule 2.2.3) for any Outside Body assigned to it. However, the authority to exercise any other function, sits with Full Council (Part 2, Rule 2.1(1)(22).
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Purpose of Report
Decision
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This report makes the following recommendations to this Committee: |
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1. That Council be recommended to approve the request received by Cutbush and Corrall Charity (Incorporating the Quested Almshouse Charity); to reduce the number of Nominative Trustees appointed by the Council from four to two. |
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Timetable |
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Meeting |
Date |
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Communities, Housing and Environment Committee |
25 August 2020 |
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Full Council |
30 September 2020 |
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Request to Reduce the Number of Nominative Trustee Positions from Cutbush and Corrall Charity (Incorporating the Quested Almshouse Charity) |
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1. CROSS-CUTTING ISSUES AND IMPLICATIONS
Issue |
Implications |
Sign-off |
Impact on Corporate Priorities |
The recommendation within this report is unlikely to materially affect the achievement of corporate priorities. |
Democratic and Electoral Services Manager |
Cross Cutting Objectives |
None. |
Democratic and Electoral Services Manager |
Risk Management |
See paragraph 5.1 |
Democratic and Electoral Services Manager |
Financial |
There are no financial implications. |
Democratic and Electoral Services Manager |
Staffing |
A reduction in the number of Nominative Trustees would minimally reduce the workload of Democratic Services in relation to this Outside Body. |
Democratic and Electoral Services Manager |
Legal |
The administration of outside bodies is in accordance with the Council’s Constitution and the standing orders and/or agreements of each outside body. |
Democratic and Electoral Services Manager |
Privacy and Data Protection |
There are no privacy and data protection implications. |
Policy and Information Team |
Equalities |
There are no equalities implications. |
Democratic and Electoral Services Manager |
Public Health
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There are no public health implications. |
Democratic and Electoral Services Manager |
Crime and Disorder |
There are no Crime and Disorder implications. |
Democratic and Electoral Services Manager |
Procurement |
There are no procurement implications. |
Democratic and Electoral Services Manager |
2. INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUND
2.1 The appointment of Council representatives to Cutbush and Corrall Charity (Incorporating the Quested Almshouse Charity), hereafter known as the Charity, falls under the remit of the Communities, Housing and Environment Committee, as decided during the 7 March 2018 Council meeting. This Committee is responsible for appointing a total of four Nominative Trustees, as outlined in the Charity’s Scheme shown below (Clause 10).
2.2 The Charity has requested that the number of Nominative Trustee positions be reduced from four to two, due to the difficulties experienced in obtaining nominations from Members with the desired experience and skillset. This includes experience in IT, Marketing, Public Relations, Listed Building Development, Renovation and Repair, Investment Advice, Housing Management, Funding and Accounting within the Social Housing Sector and general experience in the ‘not for profit’ sector. This had led to vacancies remaining unfilled for long periods.
2.3 An individual that is not a member of the Council can be appointed to the position of a Nominative Trustee (See Clause 10 above) but the Charity has expressed that this leads to a complex and time-consuming procedure, as opposed to being able to appoint a co-opted Trustee (as shown below)
Clause 19
2.4 As six Trustees must be in attendance to achieve Quorum, vacant nominative positions have increased the pressure on co-opted trustees for the Charity to conduct its business.
2.5 In May 2019 Democratic Services were informed that the Charity was considering reducing the number of nominative trustee positions held which was confirmed in July 2020, whereby Trustees agreed at a meeting held on 16 July 2020:
‘To reduce the number of nominative trustees from four to two (following consultation with and approval from Maidstone Borough Council)’.
2.6 The delay in acting upon the request is in part due to staff changes, staff shortages and adjustments in working practice and staff redeployment due to the Coronavirus pandemic. It was agreed at the 1 July 2020 Democracy and General Purposes Committee meeting, that the administration of Outside Bodies would remain a low operational priority. However, given the age of the request and reasons states above, it is felt that a recommendation to Council to approve the reduction would better enable the Charity to exercise its functions.
2.7 Reducing the number of Nominative Trustees will minimally reduce the workload for Democratic Services as fewer positions will need to be advertised in the future.
3. AVAILABLE OPTIONS
3.1 The Committee could choose to recommend that the reduction in the number of Nominative Trustee Positions, from four to two, be agreed by Full Council.
3.2 The Committee chooses not to recommend the reduction in the number of Nominative Trustee positions to Full Council.
4. PREFERRED OPTION AND REASONS FOR RECOMMENDATIONS
4.1 Option 3.1 is the preferred option for the reasons as outlined in Section 2.
5. RISK
5.1 The report
has no significant impact on risk.
6. CONSULTATION RESULTS AND PREVIOUS COMMITTEE FEEDBACK
6.1 None.
7. NEXT STEPS: COMMUNICATION AND IMPLEMENTATION OF THE DECISION
7.1 If the Committee recommends to Council that the number of Nominative Trustees appointed by the Council, and this is agreed, the Charity will then be informed. The necessary changes would be made to the Charity’s scheme and the Charity Commission would be informed. Implementing the changes would not be the Council’s responsibility but would fall to the Cutbush and Corrall Charity.
8. REPORT APPENDICES
None.
9. BACKGROUND PAPERS
The Cutbush and Corrall Charity (Incorporating the Quested Almshouse Charity) Scheme.