COMMITTEES Committee Structure and Responsibilities

GENERAL PRINCIPLES

At Skegness Town Council, as in all Parish and Town Councils, full Council meetings are the means by which almost all Council decisions are authorised. Usually other lower level meetings - such as Committees and Working Groups (including Task & Finish Working Groups) - have to have their recommendations reported to and formally adopted by a full Council meeting before they become Town Council decisions.

Sometimes however the Council authorises a lower level meeting, such as a Committee, to take the decisions about types of business or specific issues on behalf of the Council. This is regularly done in the case of the consideration of planning applications - where the Council's opinions must be received by the Planning Authority (East Lindsey District Council) before a close deadline that does not allow the normal process of the adoption of minutes to take place.

Although not all Councillors are on all committees and working groups they all have access to all committee and working group documents (agendas, minutes, reports, correspondence etc) and can object to any decision made by a committee or working group when it comes up for approval at a full Council meeting. Councillors are also able to attend any Council, Committee or Working Group meeting - even when they are not members of that group.

OUR COMMITTEE STRUCTURE

Standing Committees

Under the Skegness Town Council’s committee structure three permanent or “standing” committees help deal with a great deal of the Council’s business. The Direction and Strategy Committee considers what the Council should be doing in both general terms and sets specific targets for performance, while the Business and Resources Committee deals with much of the detailed work of achieving targets set by the Direction and Strategy Committee. A separate Planning & Planning Policy Committee deals with planning policy and planning applications.

Council Meetings

In addition considering whether to implement decisions made by committees and working groups Council Meetings consider many kinds of business itself. These might be important matters requiring the direct involvement of all Councillors. Alternatively they might be decisions (often relating to finance) that the law requires are taken at Council meetings. Sometimes an urgent matter that would normally go to a Committee might go to an earlier Council meeting to get an earlier decision.

Council Meetings are often preceded by a public speaking session that can last up to minutes.

Working Groups

Below the level of both Council and Committees Working Groups, that are not open to the public, are set up to consider and make recommendations on very specific issues requiring work that could not be done efficiently if they were part of a more general Council or Committee agenda.

These may be permanent “standing” Working Groups that continually meet to discuss and make recommendations on certain kinds of business - such as the Publicity and Street Scene Working Groups. Alternatively they may be temporary “Task & Finish” Working Groups that are set up by a Committee or the Council itself to look at a specific issue and disband once they have made their recommendation.

Working Groups sometimes include representatives of the community or other organisations, or council officers from the District or County Councils.

COMMITTEE RESPONSIBILITIES

Direction & Strategy Committee (10 Councillors + Town Mayor & Deputy Mayor)

Best Value, burial grounds that are the responsibility of the Council, negotiations with external bodies about the foreshore and the Street Scene

Business and Resources Committee (10 Councillors + Town Mayor & Deputy Mayor)

Council business within established policy and directives, civic duties, grants to local voluntary organisations, the awarding of civic honours, publicity, risk assessment, discipline, grievances, appeals, managing trees that are the responsibility of the Town Council and maintenance of parish paths that that are the responsibility of the Town Council.

Planning and Planning Policy Committee (15 Councillors)

Making recommendations on Planning Applications on behalf of the Council (ie as a delegated power) and planning policy.

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