Issue - meetings

Constitution - Electronic Voting - Phil McCourt

Meeting: 18/03/2019 - Council (Item 111)

111 COUNCIL PROCEDURE RULES - STANDING ORDER CONCERNING VOTING AND ELECTRONIC VOTING pdf icon PDF 133 KB

The Council is recommended to adopt a revised Standing Order 18 of the Council Procedure Rules (Part 4(A) of the Constitution). (Report attached, minute to follow in supplement)

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The Council gave consideration to a request to approve the recommendation of the Standards and Constitutional Oversight Committee of 26 February 2019 that a revised Standing Order 18 of the Council Procedure Rules (Part 4(A) of the Constitution) be adopted (Minute 27 refers).

 

On a motion by Councillor Bernie Mooney, seconded by Councillor Angela Davies, it was –

 

Resolved (unanimously) – That the recommendation contained within Minute 27 of the Standards and Constitutional Oversight Committee, 26 February 2019, be approved.


Meeting: 26/02/2019 - Standards and Constitutional Oversight Committee (Item 27)

27 Council Procedure Rules - Standing Order concerning voting and electronic voting pdf icon PDF 133 KB

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The Director of Governance and Assurance introduced a report which sought to address deficiencies in Standing Order 18 of the Council Procedure Rules (Part 4(A) of the Constitution) concerning voting methods.  It had regard to the model standing order contained in statutory Guidance and recommended a revised standing order to make improvements and to cater for use of the electronic voting system in the Council Chamber.

 

Attached to the report was:

 

·  Appendix A - the Council’s current standing order 18 on ‘Voting’.

·  Appendix B - the Model Standing Order upon which the above was based and to which the Council must have regard.

·  Appendix C – the recommended revised Standing Order on Voting.

 

 

The Committee was informed that the Council was legally required to have regard to the statutory Guidance in drafting Council standing orders. The draft revision at Appendix C was based on the model standing order contained within the Guidance, together with:

(a)  those elements of the existing WBC standing order that appear to have been drafted with good reason and are not otherwise found in the Model; and  

(b)  amended to cater for the addition of an electronic voting system and the Council’s preferred custom and practice as set out in the report.

 

The Committee noted that another option available to it was that the current standing order remained unchanged. However, this would not address the issue of the current standing order requiring a vote at each meeting to allow for use of electronic voting. Alternatively, the standing order could be amended in some other way, perhaps as part of an overall review. This would mean a delay.

 

The Committee was aware that the Council Chamber’s Electronic Voting System had been activated in mid-August 2018. Demonstrations for Elected Members had taken place on 26 September and on 3, 8 and 10 October 2018 and the first Council meeting utilising the new electronic voting system had taken place on 15 October 2018.

 

Following the installation of the new electronic voting system in the Council Chamber, and consultation with Members on its usage, it had been identified that the Council’s Constitution would require revision of Standing Order 18 of the Council Procedure Rules. This was primarily that the default method of voting should be altered to electronic voting as opposed to a ‘show of hands’. This alteration would negate the need to vote and suspend standing orders at the beginning of every Council meeting, to enable use of the electronic voting system at future meetings.

 

Member’s views had been sought on an alteration to the existing standing order. Following debate, the Committee had formed the view that the additional sections suggested that covered the issue of electronic voting, taken largely from a detailed standing order used in another council, would alter the balance and flow of the meeting. Rather, the Committee requested that the Council Procedure Rule 18 be re-considered in its entirety, with a further Council meeting taking place between that meeting and the Committee considering this matter  ...  view the full minutes text for item 27


Meeting: 31/01/2019 - Standards and Constitutional Oversight Committee (Item 22)

22 Council Procedure Rules - Standing Order concerning voting and electronic voting pdf icon PDF 133 KB

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The Director: Governance and Assurance, Monitoring Officer introduced his report that set out proposals to address deficiencies in Standing Order 18 of the Council Procedure Rules (Part 4(A) of the Constitution) concerning voting methods. The report had regard to the model standing order contained in statutory Guidance and recommended a revised standing order for procedural improvements and to cater for use of the electronic voting system in the Council Chamber.

 

The report informed that Council was legally required to have regard to the statutory Guidance in drafting Council standing orders. A draft revision at the report Appendix C was based on the model standing order contained within the Guidance, together with:

 

(a)  those elements of the existing WBC standing order that appear to have been drafted with good reason and are not otherwise found in the Model; and

 

(b)  amended to cater for the addition of an electronic voting system and the Council’s preferred custom and practice.

 

The Monitoring Officer, apprised the Committee that the Council’s current Model Standing Orders build on, and remain largely similar to, the model standing orders issued in 1963 (and reprinted 1973) and earlier. They provided a ‘factory re-set’, which was worth regularly coming back to, to re-examine where the Council has strayed from them and whether the reason for so doing remains, and are thus worth retaining or not.

 

A Member pointed out that at recent meetings of Council he felt that an inordinate amount of time had been taken using the electronic voting for every vote, and asked if the revision to Standing Orders could accommodate this concern.

 

A Member also requested that the proposed Standing Order 18(1) be amended to reflect that Members not only be present, but be seated in their places, as per the Council’s current Standing Orders.

 

Concerns were also expressed by a Member regarding Council’s controls in respect of the methods used when voting.

 

Members similarly questioned the Monitoring Officer, seeking clarification on the specific nature of the wording in respect of affirmation of Council for procedural votes that could be dealt with without recourse to the electronic voting system e.g. acceptance of meeting minutes, and where it may be the will of Council not to utilise electronic voting for one reason or another. Members believed that this could in effect help address concerns regarding use of electronic voting for every vote.

 

The Monitoring Officer explained that ‘affirmation of the meeting’ was included at Standing Order 18(3) specifically for this purpose. Likewise, although not recommended, the Council would always have the backstop of moving the suspension of Council Standing Orders. The Monitoring Officer summarised that the new Standing Order did move the default position from all votes being by a show of hands, to that of use of an electronic voting system if available and functioning correctly. 

 

RESOLVED: That

 

Council be recommended to adopt a revised Standing Order 18 of the Council Procedure Rules (Part 4(A) of the Constitution) attached at report Appendix C and as appended  ...  view the full minutes text for item 22