A report by the Director of Law, HR and Asset Management recommended dates for Council, Cabinet and Committee meetings for the Municipal Year 2012/2013. The draft Calendar of Meetings was attached as Appendix A to the report. The report also described various issues that had been taken into account in compiling this draft Calendar of Meetings.

Members considered that neither Council nor Committee meetings should be held in April, during purdah (the pre election period), when election campaigns were underway.  Council elections were held in three out of every four years.  Although, there were no Council elections in May 2013 it was considered that Council and Cabinet meetings should not be scheduled in April so that this new discipline could be brought into force and so that the Calendar of meetings could then be rolled forward each year and follow a similar pattern to that of the previous year.

Members also noted that there were very few meetings scheduled between June and September and considered that this was too big of a gap.

RESOLVED: That the Council be recommended to:

(1)  consider the comments made by the Cabinet; and

(2)  ask Officers, in the light of the Cabinet’s comments, to amend the draft Calendar of Meetings for the Municipal Year 2012/2013 accordingly, for consideration and adoption at its Annual Meeting.