Agenda item

With reference to Article 10 of the minute of its meeting of 24^th March 2010, the Council had before it a report by the Director of Corporate Governance which discussed the possibility of continuing the 10.30am start time for Council meetings indefinitely, following a review of the last four ordinary Council meetings.

The report stated that ordinary Council meetings had started at 2.00pm for many years until June 2009, when a 10.30am start had been introduced on trial basis following a succession of lengthy meetings and a particularly turbulent previous meeting. All ordinary Council meetings had started at 10.30am since June 2009.

The report provided data pertaining to the last four ordinary Council meetings, which indicated the number of reports on the agenda, the length of the meeting, the time the meeting finished and the time the meeting would have finished if it had started at 2.00pm. The report commented that the volume of Council business had not been particularly excessive however there had been a number of contentious issues that members had spent a considerable length of time debating.

The report went on to provide further data in relation to the number of members who had contributed to the debates on such contentious issues. The report added that contentious issues frequently attracted requests for deputations and there had been nine such requests across the last four meetings of which seven had been accepted.

The report acknowledged that the 10.30am start time did not favour those members in full time employment, however until such time that it could be demonstrated that Council business could be disposed of within a reasonable length of time, returning to a 2.00pm start was not practical. The report concluded that there was undoubtedly a risk to the Council if vitally important decisions for the city continued to be taken by members towards the end of long meetings late at night when appropriate due diligence could be sacrificed in the interests of bringing the meeting to a conclusion.

The report recommended:-

that the Council agree that Council meetings, with the exception of the Budget meeting in February, start at 10.30am until further notice.

Councillor Jennifer Stewart moved, seconded by Councillor Kirsty West:-

            That the Council approve the recommendation contained within the report.

Councillor Hunter moved as an amendment, seconded by Councillor Yuill:-

That the Council agree that Council meetings start at 2pm from the December 2010 Council meeting onwards until further notice.

Following contributions from eight members of the Council, Councillor Greig moved, in terms of Standing Order 14, that the question be now put, and was seconded by Councillor McCaig.

On a division, there voted:-

For the procedural motion  (21)  -  Lord Provost Peter Stephen; and Councillors Corall, Cormack, Cormie, Farquharson, Fletcher, Greig, Jaffrey, Kiddie, Leslie, McCaig, McDonald, Milne, Noble, Penny, Jennifer Stewart, John Stewart, Wendy Stuart, Kirsty West, Wisely and Yuill.

Against the procedural motion  (13)  -  Depute Provost Dunbar; and Councillors Adam, Allan, Cassie, Collie, Crockett, Graham, Hunter, Ironside, Laing, Kevin Stewart, John West and Young.

            In accordance with Standing Order 15(6), Councillors Crockett, Graham and Young intimated their dissent against the foregoing decision.

The Council proceeded to summing up and thereafter, on a division between the motion by Councillor Jennifer Stewart and the amendment by Councillor Hunter, there voted:-

For the motion  (21)  -  Lord Provost Peter Stephen; Depute Provost Dunbar; and Councillors Corall, Cormack, Cormie, Farquharson, Fletcher, Jaffrey, Kiddie, Leslie, McCaig, McDonald, Milne, Noble, Penny, Jennifer Stewart, John Stewart, Wendy Stuart, John West, Kirsty West and Wisely.

For the amendment  (12)  -  Councillors Adam, Allan, Cassie, Collie, Crockett, Graham, Greig, Hunter, Ironside, Laing, Young and Yuill.

Declined to vote  (1)  -  Councillor Kevin Stewart.

The Council resolved:-

to adopt the motion.