Reports

1. The Democratic Services Manager will circulate a programme of forthcoming meetings indicating the actual dates by which reports must be delivered to Committee Services Officers together with a pre-meeting timetable. Pre-meetings for Ad-Hoc, Special or Sub-Committee meetings will be arranged by the Committee Services officer, in consultation with the Chairman and the appropriate Director/Head of Service, and advise those required to attend.
2. For any item of business to be presented for consideration by the full Council, or a Service Committee Directors/Head of Services prepare a report in consultation with any other Director/Head of Service with a significant interest in or expertise relevant to the issues concerned. Where corporate policy or staffing issues are concerned recommendations should be sought from the Central Management Team. Thereafter the report to be delivered to the appropriate Committee Services Officer in accordance with the approved timetable.
3. Each report to be prepared using the standard format.
4. The Monitoring Officer and/or the Democratic Services Manager may reject any report on the grounds that:-
   • The Timetable for submission has not been met;
   • The standard format has not been followed;
   • There has been or appears to have been insufficient consultation with other Directors and or Head of Services;
   • The advice contained in the report does not appear to represent the best solution that can be provided;
   • The report either does not detail the background papers to the report or does not indicate that there were no background papers;
   • The report does not set out a recommendation other than in cases where the report is either an advisory one or falls into a category where it is accepted that a recommendation would be inappropriate (i.e. a licensing matter or an application for financial assistance)
   • Where the Monitoring Officer considers the course of action recommended in the report to be ultra vires (i.e. outwith the remit of the Council) or lead to maladministration (an improper course of action).
   • Where salary points are indicated in a report the actual cash value of these salary points should be placed alongside in order to give a clear understanding of the financial implications.
5. Where a project/scheme relies on external funding for a fixed period please ensure that any report presented to a Committee included within the recommendation is that the Committee/Council confirm that there is no commitment to any future funding notwithstanding approval of a specific project.
6. Where a report relates to the establishment of a new post (APT &C Staff) it is imperative that an additional section is included in the report under the heading "Accommodation" giving an indication as to where the new post holder will be located. The additional section should be inserted into the report immediately prior to the "Consultation" section.
7. The Committee Services Officer will, following the expiry of the deadline for the submission of items, arrange for the preparation, printing and dispatch of an Agenda, wherever possible not less than seven days before the meeting, to Councillors, officers, press and such other bodies as may be deemed appropriate from time to time.
8. Additional Items - It may be necessary from time to time, on the grounds of urgency, to invite the Committee/Council to give consideration to an additional item(s) of business to be considered at a meeting.

Supplementary Items

Should such circumstances arise then in the event of a Report being available at least 4 clear working days before the meeting (3 clear days to comply with the Access to Information Act and 1 day allowed for checking by Monitoring Officer and printing) the Committee Services Officer will arrange for the issue.

Urgent Items

In the event of a Report not being available at least 4 clear working days before the meeting such reports are required to include a new section 2 under the heading "Reason for Urgency" in order to comply with the Access to Information Act. On the Committee/Council accepting the Additional Business the reason for the urgency will then be incorporated into the Minute. On receipt of the report the Committee Services Officer will endeavour to issue the report to the members of the Committee/Council and appropriate officials prior to the meeting. In the event of there being insufficient time to issue the report then it will be tabled at the meeting.

Tabled Items

In the event of a Report to be considered as Additional Business not being available within the deadlines referred to above then it will be necessary for this to be tabled at the Meeting, subject to the Chairman advising the Meeting that the item(s) requires to be considered in the grounds of urgency and stating the reasons for the urgency in order to comply with the Access to Information Act.

In the event of an urgent matter to be raised at the meeting the Committee Services Officer is to be advised in advance that a particular item is to be added to the Agenda as Urgent Business and the reasons therefore in order that he/she is fully aware of the circumstances prior to the commencement of Meeting.