AGENDA ITEM 1

BRISTOL CITY COUNCIL

FULL COUNCIL MEETING

16 SEPTEMBER 2014

REPORT OF: MONITORING OFFICER

TITLE: APPOINTMENT OF HONORARY ALDERMEN/WOMAN

WARD: Citywide

RECOMMENDATION

- That Full Council confers the title of Honorary Alderman upon former Councillors Sean Emmett, Peter Main, and Dr Doug Naysmith, and the title of Honorary Alderwoman upon former Councillor Sylvia Townsend.

Summary

This report explains the policy for conferring the title of Honorary Alderman/woman, describes the role and function of persons who hold that office and presents details of the offices held / service by the above named.

The significant issues in the report are:

Paragraphs 1-6 - Criteria and background of the process. Paragraph 7 - Proposal and details of offices held by the nominees.

Policy

The proposal accords with the Council’s policy on conferring the office of Honorary Alderman/woman on former Council members.

Consultation

Party Group Leaders and Whips Audit Committee

1 Context

1. Section 249 of the Local Government Act 1972 empowers the Council, by resolution passed by not less than two thirds of the members voting at a meeting specially convened for the purpose, to confer the title of Honorary Alderman/woman on a person who has, in the Council’s opinion, rendered eminent services to the Council as a past member.

2. Council has agreed that the Audit Committee, in its role of monitoring and ensuring ethical standards and probity within City Council, should ensure all nominations meet the criteria as set out below before they are forwarded to the Council for approval:

A minimum period of ten years service or having served in a position of significant public responsibility on behalf of the Council or for a Bristol ward on the former Avon County Council.

3. An Honorary Alderman or Alderwoman may attend and take part in such civic ceremonies as the Council may from time to time decide. Aldermen/women are not entitled to receive any members’ allowances or other payments of allowances, expenses etc. Whilst a person who is a serving City Councillor cannot be made an Honorary Alderman/woman, the Act does appear to envisage that a person on whom this honour has been conferred may subsequently be re-elected as a Councillor. In these circumstances, the Act specially provides that no Honorary Alderman/woman shall, whilst serving as a City Councillor, be entitled to be addressed as Alderman/woman or to attend or take part in any civic ceremonies of the Council as an Alderman/woman.

4. Honorary Aldermen/women may substitute for the Lord Mayor or Deputy Lord Mayor on a relatively infrequent basis. They are also invited to all major civic events, church services and Council meetings. They have no other formal role.

5. Council has agreed that the Honorary Aldermen’s Association should be supported, but that no support should be provided for individual Honorary Aldermen/women.

6. The Audit Committee at their meeting on 27 June 2014 considered the nominations and recommended that all 4 nominations be progressed for Full Council consideration.

2 Proposal

7. The Audit Committee requests Full Council to consider the Honorary Alderman/woman nominations as follows (details of service are set out below):

a. Sean Emmett

Sean Emmett was first elected as a councillor in February 2000, representing Lockleaze ward until 2014.

He served on various committees, commissions and working groups, including: - the Anti-Social Behaviour Group and Post Office Closures group. - the Housing, and then Quality of Life Scrutiny Commissions, and the Options Appraisal working group. - Board Member of the Bristol Community Housing Foundation. - the Audit Committee and Resources Scrutiny Commission, which he chaired in 2010/11

He also served on Horfield and Lockleaze neighbourhood partnership and served as an Assistant Executive Member, leading on Human Resources issues in 2011/12; also served as a Governor of Lockleaze School, Filton Avenue Infants School and Fairfield High School.

b. Peter Main

Peter Main was first elected as a councillor in May 1997, representing Brislington West ward until 2014.

He served on various committees and commissions, including: - the Housing Committee - Social Services Committee - Neighbourhoods Scrutiny Committee - Overview and Scrutiny Committee - Licensing Policy Review Board (Chair) - Development Control (North) Committee - Public Rights of Way and Greens Committee - Downs Committee (Chair) - Health and Wellbeing Committee.

He also served on Greater Brislington Neighbourhood Partnership and as:

3 Governor - Brislington Enterprise College, Governor - West Town Lane Academy, Trustee - Arnos Vale Cemetery Trust

He served as Lord Mayor of Bristol in 2012/13 and as Deputy Lord Mayor of Bristol in 2013/14.

c. Dr Doug Naysmith

Dr Doug Naysmith was first elected as a councillor in May 1981, representing Hillfields ward until 1998.

He served on a number of committees during this period, including: - the Personnel Committee - Public Protection Committee - the Docks Committee (Chair: 1986 - 91) - the Health and Environmental Services Committee (Chair: 1992- 93).

He was elected to Parliament as MP for Bristol North West from 1997 until retiring as an MP in 2010. During his time as an MP, Dr Naysmith served as a member on the following Parliamentary bodies: - Regulatory Reform Committee (to 2010) - Health Committee (to 2010) – during this period, he campaigned to persuade the Government to propose the comprehensive smoking ban which came into force in 2007. - Draft Mental Health Bill Joint Committee (2004-05) - Draft Human Tissue and Embryos Bill Joint Committee (2007-08) - South West Regional Select Committee (2009-10) - Commons Science and Technology Committee (2010)

Upon retirement from Parliament in 2012 he was elected again as a councillor, for ward in 2010, serving a 4 year term. During this second term as a councillor, he served on Scrutiny Commissions for Resources, and for Health, Well Being and Adult Social Care. He also served on the Police and Crime Panel, and Avonmouth and Kingsweston neighbourhood partnership.

d. Sylvia Townsend

Sylvia Townsend was first elected as a councillor in May 1999, representing Redland ward until 2014.

She served on a number of committees and commissions, including:

4 - Education Committee and the School Exclusions Select Committee. - Health Scrutiny, from the beginning of the pilot study in 2002 (Chair for 6 years) – the committee produced a report in 2005 on the Bristol Health Services Plan, which included proposals for the 3 acute hospitals at the BRI, Southmead and Frenchay hospitals to become 2 acute hospitals, as well as many other changes in relation to health care in Bristol and South Gloucestershire. The report produced 37 recommendations, nearly all of which were accepted by the local NHS Trusts. - Joint Health Overview & Scrutiny Committee She also served on the Great Western Ambulance Service Joint Health Overview & Scrutiny Committee - member of & Chair of the Quality of Life Commission. - member of the Select Committee on Libraries & the Select Committee on Museums. - member of Public Rights of Way & Greens Committe. - member of the Downs Committee.

She also served as a Governor at Redland Green School; Governor at Colston's Primary School until 2013; also served on the Bishopston, Cotham and Redland neighbourhood partnership.

Other Options Considered Not applicable

Risk Assessment Not applicable

Equalities Impact Assessment Not applicable

Legal and Resource Implications

Legal As set out in the report

Financial As set out in the report

Revenue None

Capital None

Land None

Personnel None

5 Appendices: None

LOCAL GOVERNMENT (ACCESS TO INFORMATION) ACT 1985

Background Papers:

None

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