Babergh and Mid Suffolk District Councils
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Agenda item

This urgent Motion proposes a constitutional change to enable the publication of a record of voting at every meeting on the Council’s website to ensure the highest level of openness and transparency.

 

 

To consider the urgent Motion on Notice received from Councillor Suzie Morley:

 

This administration has consistently pursued the use of technology to provide the public and press with an enhanced level of access and engagement in our meetings. This approach has been crucial during the covid-19 pandemic where we have maintained open, accountable and transparent democracy by fully embracing virtual meetings. Indeed, Babergh and Mid Suffolk District Councils were the first Councils in Suffolk to hold fully virtual meetings open to the public.  An extension to our use of technology in virtual meetings, is the adoption of e-voting to replace the lengthy and cumbersome process of roll call voting. Temporary alterations to the constitution to allow e-voting have already been made by the Monitoring Officer under delegation, however I firmly believe e-voting is the way forward for a robust and efficient means of voting for all our meetings whether virtual or in person. Hence, I am proposing that the Council adopts e-voting as its primary means of voting. I have also listened to the concerns raised by other Councillors about losing the current enhanced level of public access to voting, afforded by the process of roll call voting. This is essentially the ability of the public to see how each councillor votes on every item, something which we didn’t even have in face-to-face meetings without the public physically being present in the meeting room. Therefore, this urgent motion also proposes a constitutional change to enable the publication of a record of voting at every meeting on the Council’s website to ensure the highest level of openness and transparency. This will not negate the process for formally requesting a recorded vote for the purposes of the minutes or the statutory requirement to formally record the budget vote.

 

Motion:

 

“That this Council permanently adopts e-voting as its primary method of voting in all meetings and that a record of all votes cast at meetings of the Full Council, Cabinet and Committees be published on the Council’s website with immediate effect. Further, that the Monitoring Officer be authorised to make the required amendments to the Council’s constitution.”

 

Proposer: Councillor Suzie Morley, Leader of the Council

Seconder: Councillor Harry Richardson

 

Minutes:

25.1           The Chair advised that he would take Item 12 before Item 3 on the agenda.  He referred to the Tabled Papers and invited Councillor Morley, the Leader to present and move her Motion.

 

25.2           Councillor Morley provided the following introduction:

 

This administration has consistently pursued the use of technology to provide the public and press with an enhanced level of access and engagement in our meetings. This approach has been crucial during the covid-19 pandemic where we have maintained open, accountable and transparent democracy by fully embracing virtual meetings. Indeed, Babergh and Mid Suffolk District Councils were the first Councils in Suffolk to hold fully virtual meetings open to the public.  An extension to our use of technology in virtual meetings, is the adoption of e-voting to replace the lengthy and cumbersome process of roll call voting. Temporary alterations to the constitution to allow e-voting have already been made by the Monitoring Officer under delegation, however I firmly believe e-voting is the way forward for a robust and efficient means of voting for all our meetings whether virtual or in person. Hence, I am proposing that the Council adopts e-voting as its primary means of voting. I have also listened to the concerns raised by other Councillors about losing the current enhanced level of public access to voting, afforded by the process of roll call voting. This is essentially the ability of the public to see how each councillor votes on every item, something which we didn’t even have in face-to-face meetings without the public physically being present in the meeting room. Therefore, this urgent motion also proposes a constitutional change to enable the publication of a record of voting at every meeting on the Council’s website to ensure the highest level of openness and transparency. This will not negate the process for formally requesting a recorded vote for the purposes of the minutes or the statutory requirement to formally record the budget vote.

 

25.3           Councillor Morley thanked Councillor Stringer for his support of the Motion and then read out her Motion:

 

That this Council permanently adopts e-voting as its primary method of voting in all meetings and that a record of all votes cast at meetings of the Full Council, Cabinet and Committees be published on the Council’s website with immediate effect. Further, that the Monitoring Officer be authorised to make the required amendments to the Council’s constitution.”

 

25.4           Councillor Morley MOVED the Motion, which was SECONDED by and Councillor Richardson.

 

25.5         Members debated the Motion including that electronic voting and the publication of the votes would enhance democracy, public access to meetings in relation to transparency, that e-voting would make deliberation more efficient and that elected Members could demonstrate how they had voted for public access purposes.

 

25.6         Councillor Morley summed up the debate and thanked Members for their support of the Motion.

 

25.7         The Motion was put to Members for voting.

 

By a unanimous vote

 

It was RESOLVED: -

 

That this Council permanently adopts e-voting as its primary method of voting in all meetings and that a record of all votes cast at meetings of the Full Council, Cabinet and Committees be published on the Council’s website with immediate effect. Further, that the Monitoring Officer be authorised to make the required amendments to the Council’s constitution.