Wymondham Town Council
Working Group: Governance
Draft Report
January 2017
Introduction
In July 2016, Wymondham Town Council agreed to form a working group to look at the way the Town Council was operating in light of concerns that had been raised by members of the Public with the South Norfolk Council Monitoring Officer.
Terms of Reference were agreed by Wymondham Town Council and the Working Group and are attached at Appendix 1 to thisreport.
The Group has met on several occasions to reflect on the current workings of the Council and how these can be improved.This report forms the outcome of the Governance group’s work, to form the basis of a set of recommendations to Wymondham Town Council to consider
.
The Working Group
The Group was formed of the following members:
South Norfolk Council – Leah Mickleborough (Chairman), Emma Goddard
Wymondham Town Council – Councillor Joe Mooney, Councillor Chris Longhurst, Councillor Julian Halls, Councillor Doug Underwood, Town Clerk Trevor Gurney
Peer Representative – Councillor David Hewer, Poringland Parish Council
Community Representatives – Mr Neil Seach and Mr Tony Fielder
Methodology
The Working Group undertook the following activities:
- The Working Group advertised for members of the public to come forward with their thoughts on the Town Council operations, including through local written and online media, the Town and District Council websites, and social media forums
- The Working Group sought information from other local Councils on good practice they operated to for comparison
- The Working Group has met on a monthly basis, to establish its terms of reference and determine its priority themes; and then to debate each theme in turn, seeking evidence from past activities undertaken by the Town Council.
- The Working Group held a public forum session to allow members of the public to discuss the recommendations put forwards
This work has culminated in the attached findings.
Thanks
The Group would like to thank all those that have contributed towards its work, including members of the public who provided their thoughts on the workings of the Town Council
Summary of Findings
The full list of group recommendations is included at Appendix 2 to this report and the summary of feedback from members of the public is included at Appendix 3
Decision Making of the Council
The Town Council makes its decisions based on Standing Orders, which align to the Model standing orders issued by the National Association of Local Councils with only limited modification by the Town Council itself. These model standing orders help to create consistency amongst Councils although they do give some scope for local modification.
The Working Group identified at an early stage that the current Wymondham Strategy is out of date, and at present there is no clear strategic plan for the Town Council or the Town as a whole. Members of the public were consulted early in 2016 for their views on the future of Wymondham, but the results of this survey had not been reviewed or analysed due to the significant resource this would take. During the course of the Group’s work, Councillor Julian Halls kindly volunteered to undertake analysis of the questionnaire and his work should enable the Council to understand the outcomes and how that might inform future direction.
The Town Council undertakes detailed reviews of topics through working groups. Whilst this can be a useful tool to efficiently progress key issues, most Working Groups are not supported by Council Officers and have not been recorded via minutes, which means that it can be unclear what has been agreed and who is responsible for taking forward particular matters. Moreover, without such records it can then be challenging for members of the public to understand why and how decisions have been made and for the Town Council to ensure all relevant factors have been taken into account when making a decision.
Relations with the Public
The Group recognised that Council meetings had often become fractious over the previous year. Meetings should be conducted in a mutually respectful environment on the part of Councillors and members of the public alike, but the Council does have procedures where conduct does reach a point where it is no longer acceptable and these should be employed where suitable.
The Town Council issues a quarterly newsletter, About Wymondham that is distributed to households and available online and contains a wide range of useful information for members of the public and businesses. However, it was recognised that this has not always covered some of the issues that are vexing residents the most which misses an opportunity to communicate the Town Council’s viewpoints on these issues in a factual way to members of the public.
The Town Council is yet to engage with social media, although an increasing number of residents do. The Town Council agreed to look at this further in July 2015 but is yet to do so, and the Group considers that this work should be progressed to ensure that a clear way forward is agreed.
It is somewhat obvious to state that there have been topics in Wymondham over the past few years which have caused significant amount of public interest and opposition. The Group felt the Town Council needs to consider how it engages most effectively when they think an issue may cause great public interest, for example taking the opportunity to hold public forums which could operate in a more conversational, question and answer way with members of the public rather than the more formal Council meetings.
Relationships within the Council
The Group are aware that the Town Council officers have a wide role and remit, and recommendations made by the Group need to be carefully considered by the Town Council to ensure they do not put an undue pressure on resources given the challenging agenda the Town Council will face in the next few years.
Despite the challenges the Council has faced, it was felt that there are good relationships within the Council although there is room for improvement in some areas. It was recognised that a minority of Councillors are not as effective at communicating via e-mails, and clearly some Councillors have more time to give to their Council activities than others. Although Councillors have received training, they need to ensure they take personal responsibility on an ongoing basis to ensure they continue to assess their knowledge and skills and seek training where required.
Conclusion
The Town Council will now have to determine whether they are satisfied the Terms of Reference of the Group have been fulfilled, and whether they are willing to accept the recommendations of the Group.
The Group has raised a number of recommendations to support the Town Council’s governance procedures, some of which touch on more fundamental aspects of the way the Town Council operates. We recognise that this list of recommendations is not exhaustive, and there are other areas that the Town Council may find helpful to explore further; for example,the group has discussed whether further consideration should be given to the current Mayor Leadership model.
The Group is hopeful that the recommendations put forward should enable the Council to take significant steps towards a more positive relationship between the Town Council and its residents, enabling strong decision making in future, and ultimately improve its reputation. However, this does not have to be the end of the governance work; there is opportunity for the Town Council to revisit this topic periodically, reflecting on how recommendations have been implemented and reviewing whether there is further action that can be taken on an ongoing basis to ensure its arrangements are as effective as they can be.
Positive Findings
The group feels that it is important to recognise some of the positive aspects it has identified during the course of its work:
- Members noted that there is a degree of mentoring on the Planning, Lighting and Highways sub-committee with more experienced Councillors helping out new Councillors; this is particularly important on this Committee which can be more legally complex
- The About Wymondham Newsletter is produced quarterly and circulated to households. This is a great way of keeping the public informed about what is going on in Wymondham, particularly those who don’t have access to the internet
- Despite the Town Council having experienced some very challenging issues, which could have resulted in significant disputes between Councillors which would have been damaging for the long term, it was generally felt that relationships remain good and Councillors are passionately committed to moving the Town Council forwards.
Appendix 1: Wymondham Town Council Governance Group: Terms of Reference
Name of Group: Wymondham Town Council Working GroupKey functions of the Group /
- Evaluate decision making processes to ensure that decisions are taken in a clear, inclusive and compliant way;
- Investigate how relations between residents and the Town Council can be improved;
- To explore the most effective governance and operational model of the Town Council
Key Objectives /
- Ensure there is a clear governance framework, which emphasises clear control and decision making processes, with which all Councillors are familiar;
- Increase the involvement and engagement of residents in Town Council decision making to help shape local services
- Ensure that Wymondham Town Council is best placed to play a key role in leading in the empowering communities
- Improve the reputation of the Council
Benefits Sought / Constraints
A clear governance framework provides a structure by which Councillors are able to make informed decisions and carry out Council functions with confidence;
The Town Council operates in the most effective way
The Town Council engages with key stakeholders, ensuring that decisions take account of local concerns and interests;
Council services become more responsive to local needs;
Wymondham Town Council has a clear vision for the Town and how it plans to achieve this. / Resident/Political acceptance of change
Key Milestones (2016) / August – Establish Working Group, draft Terms of Reference
September – Working Group meets to agree draft Terms of Reference, plan work and schedule meetings
October/November/December – Working Group meets and engages with key stakeholders.
December/January – Working Group presents recommendations on the Wymondham Town Council.
Key Stakeholders / Wymondham Town Councillors and employees
Wymondham residents
Community organisations in Wymondham
South Norfolk Council Monitoring Officer and Deputy
Key Resources / Monitoring Officer team at South Norfolk Council
Wymondham Town Council Clerk
Key Risks / Reputation of the Council
Political and public concern
Membership of the group / Three members of Wymondham Town Council;
The Wymondham Town council Mayor;
The Wymondham Town Council Clerk;
Two representatives from local community organisations;
One peer member (to be a member of a South Norfolk Parish/Town Council); and
The Monitoring Officer and Deputy Monitoring Officer of South Norfolk Council.
Approved by: / Date:
Appendix 2: Recommendations
Ref / Issue / Rationale / Town Council decisionStanding Orders and Decision Making Processes
1 / The Council should introduce clear Terms of Reference for its Working groups, with each Terms of Reference agreed by the Town Council. The Group considers that meetings should be recorded with notes or minutes produced, and the Town Council receive reports on the progress made by the Working Groups. Any reports, outcomes or minutes that result in a Town Council decision should be available for public inspection so the public can understand how the conclusions were drawn. / The Council has developed a number of working groups to enable it to look at issues in more depth and make further recommendations. This can be a very effective way of working, but at present the groups are not supported by Council staff, and there are no formal records of the meetings which means it is difficult to understand what may have been agreed, and could lead to people having different views of what they should do as a result of the meeting. As a result, when recommendations come forward from a working group, it can be challenging for Councillors and the public to understand why that is the recommended course of action.
The Council has established two working groups during the governance group’s work and has now begun to have terms of reference for each group so that it is clear what the groups are trying to achieve.
2 / The Town Council should ensure that reports presented to Committees are available for public view / Ensuring such reports accompany the meeting agendas means that members of the public are able to comment constructively on items, and understand why the Council has decided to take that particular course of action.
3 / The Council should consider how it wishes to move the Town forwards in future. There are potential options available, including whether to form a Neighbourhood Plan, or whether to have a “strategy” for the Town Council. It is recognised that forming either approach can require significant resources and the Council needs to be ensure it has determined the best option to take before proceeding. / The Strategic Plan for Wymondham, “Wymondham’s Future” expired in 2013 and at present there are no plans to develop another strategy.
The process of forming a strategic plan will help the Town Council to decide what its priorities are, and how it should allocate its financial and non-financial resources towards achieving these priorities. It will help to give residents the confidence the Council has a clear direction. Once produced, the Council can then monitor how it is being delivered to demonstrate the benefit to the Town as a result.
4 / The Council should consider how best to ensure meetings are conducted in an atmosphere of mutual respect on the part of both Councillors and members of the public. The Town Council should make it clear that it does not tolerate behaviour from anyone that is disorderly, persistently disruptive and disrespectful. Public attention should be drawn to the Council’s disruption procedures, which need to be employed when behaviour at meetings is unacceptable / Some meetings of the Town Council have become fractious and at times antagonistic on key issues. Such issues becoming commonplace without any remedying action can lead to loss of confidence in the Council and its meeting. The Council has a duty to uphold high standards of governance, and ensuring that meetings are conducted in a harmonious, respectful way that is conducive to effective decision making is a key element of this.
5 / The Town Council should clarify which of the Council’s Working Groups are standing groups and those that are temporarily appointed for a specific purpose. The Working Group suggests that standing Committees could be given an alternative style to distinguish them: “working groups” and “task and finish groups” / This recommendation helps to emphasise that many of the working groups set up by the Council have a specific purpose and outcome required, which should be delivered within a given timeframe.
6 / The Town Council should continue the practice of periodically reviewing Standing Orders to ensure they best work for the Council. In doing so, the Council needs to be aware that the standing orders are based upon a national model, designed to encourage compliance with legal requirements and consistency in working practices between Councils. However, the Council can still make changes, particularly in those areas which have greater discretion to amend. / The Town Council adopts the model standing orders developed by the National Association of Local Councils. This ensures the Council follows proper legal process and its practices are consistent with other local Councils.
However, there are some areas within the model standing orders where Councils do have the ability to amend or add to. The Council has periodically reviewed its standing orders and given there has been some concerns raised regarding potential areas of ambiguity it is recommended that this practice of review is continued
7 / The Town Council should consider how best to publicise the “model” nature of its standing orders, to draw public attention to the fact that these are not rules created by the Council itself. / The model nature of the Council’s standing orders is not fully understood. During the course of the working group’s work, the standing orders were included on the website but it would be helpful if it could be emphasised that the Council has based these on the National Association of Local Council model.
8 / The Council should refer ambiguities in the model Standing Orders to the National Association of Local Councils, which develop these. However, the Town Council should ensure that as these arise, they review to see whether amendment could be made to the Standing Orders anyway to resolve such ambiguity. / The Town Council has experienced cases where there have been ambiguities, which then means that the Mayor has to determine how they should be employed. It would be helpful if such matters could be raised with the National Association to make sure that they can rectify in future editions where appropriate