The Durham, Gateshead, Newcastle Upon Tyne, North Tyneside, Northumberland, South Tyneside and Sunderland Combined Authority Order 2014

Article 4

SCHEDULE 1 Constitution

Membership

1.—(1) Each constituent council shall appoint one of its elected members to be a member of the Combined Authority.

(2) Each constituent council shall appoint another of its elected members to act as a member of the Combined Authority in the absence of the member appointed under sub-paragraph (1) (“the substitute member”).

(3) The Local Enterprise Partnership shall nominate one of its members to be a member of the Combined Authority (“Local Enterprise Partnership Member”).

(4) The Local Enterprise Partnership shall nominate another of its members to act as a member of the Combined Authority in the absence of the member appointed under sub-paragraph (3) (“the substitute member”).

(5) The Combined Authority shall appoint a member nominated by the Local Enterprise Partnership as a member of the Combined Authority (“Local Enterprise Partnership Member”).

(6) The Combined Authority shall appoint another member nominated by the Local Enterprise Partnership to act as a member of the Combined Authority in the absence of the member appointed under sub-paragraph (5) (“the substitute member”).

(7) For the purposes of this Schedule any reference to a member is to be treated as including a reference to the Local Enterprise Partnership Member.

(8) A person ceases to be a member or substitute member of the Combined Authority if they cease to be a member of—

(a) the constituent council that appointed them; or

(b) the Local Enterprise Partnership that nominated them.

(9) A person may resign as a member or substitute member of the Combined Authority by written notice served on the proper officer of the constituent council that appointed them or, as the case may be, the chairman or vice-chairman of the Local Enterprise Partnership, and the resignation shall take effect on receipt of the notice by the proper officer of the council or chairman or vice-chairman of the Local Enterprise Partnership (as the case may be).

(10) Where a member or substitute member’s appointment ceases by virtue of sub-paragraph (8) or (9)—

(a) the constituent council that made the appointment shall, as soon as practicable, give written notice of that fact to the Combined Authority and appoint another of its elected members in that person’s place;

(b) the Local Enterprise Partnership shall, as soon as practicable, give written notice of that fact to the Combined Authority and nominate another of its members in that person’s place.

(11) A constituent council may at any time terminate the appointment of a member or substitute member appointed by it to the Combined Authority and appoint another one of its elected members in that person’s place.

(12) Where a constituent council exercises its power under sub-paragraph (11), it shall give written notice of the new appointment and the termination of the previous appointment to the Combined Authority and the new appointment shall take effect and the previous appointment terminate at the end of one week from the date on which the notice is given or such longer period not exceeding one month as is specified in the notice.

(13) The Local Enterprise Partnership may at any time terminate the appointment of a member or substitute member nominated by it to the Combined Authority and nominate another of its members in that person’s place.

(14) Where the Local Enterprise Partnership exercises its power under sub-paragraph (13), it shall give written notice of the new nomination and the termination of the previous appointment to the Combined Authority.

(15) The Combined Authority shall appoint a member nominated under sub-paragraph (14) and the new appointment shall take effect and the previous appointment terminate at the end of one week from the date on which the notice is given or such longer period not exceeding one month as is specified in the notice.

(16) The Combined Authority shall appoint a member nominated under sub-paragraph (10)(b) or sub-paragraph (14) at the next meeting of the Combined Authority.

(17) For the purposes of this paragraph, an elected mayor of a constituent council is to be treated as a member of the constituent council.

Chairman and vice-chairman

2.—(1) The Combined Authority must in each year appoint a chairman and a vice-chairman from among its members and the appointments are to be the first business transacted after the appointment of members of the Combined Authority, at the first meeting of the Combined Authority, and in subsequent years at the annual meeting of the Combined Authority.

(2) A person ceases to be chairman or vice-chairman of the Combined Authority if they cease to be a member of the Combined Authority.

(3) If a vacancy arises in the office of chairman or vice-chairman, an appointment to fill the vacancy is to be made at the next ordinary meeting of the Combined Authority, or, if that meeting is to be held within 14 days of the vacancy arising, at the meeting following that meeting.

Proceedings

3.—(1) Subject to the following sub-paragraphs, any questions that are to be decided by the Combined Authority are to be decided by a majority of the members and substitute members, acting in place of members, present and voting on that question at a meeting of the Combined Authority.

(2) No business shall be transacted at a meeting of the Combined Authority unless at least two members or substitute members appointed by the constituent authorities are present at the meeting.

(3) Each member, or substitute member acting in that member’s place, is to have one vote and no member or substitute member is to have a casting vote.

(4) If a vote is tied on any matter it shall be deemed not to have been carried.

(5) Members appointed from the Local Enterprise Partnership shall be non-voting members of the Combined Authority.

(6) Questions relating to the following matters require a unanimous vote in favour by all seven constituent council members, or substitute members acting in place of those members, to be carried—

(a) adoption of any strategic growth plan as provided for in the Combined Authority’s standing orders;

(b) adoption of any local transport plan under section 108(3) of the Transport Act 2000;

(c) approval of the Combined Authority’s annual budget;

(d) setting of any transport levy under section 74 of the Local Government Finance Act 1988 and in accordance with regulations made thereunder;

(e) allocation of local transport plan funding to the individual constituent authorities;

(f) approval of growth schemes set out in any adopted strategic growth plan, including the local major schemes devolved funding;

(g) approval of borrowing limits, treasury management strategy including reserves, investment strategy and capital budget of the Combined Authority; and

(h) such other plans and strategies as may be determined by the Combined Authority and set out in its standing orders.

(7) The proceedings of the Combined Authority are not invalidated by any vacancy among its members or substitute members or by any defect in the appointment or qualifications of any member or substitute member.

Committees

4.—(1) The Combined Authority shall appoint one or more committees as an overview and scrutiny committee, or as the case may be committees, of the Combined Authority.

(2) The Combined Authority shall appoint at least one member of each of the constituent councils to each overview and scrutiny committee appointed by the Combined Authority.

(3) An overview and scrutiny committee appointed by the Combined Authority may not include any member or substitute member of the Combined Authority.

(4) Each member of the overview and scrutiny committee appointed from the constituent councils is to have one vote and no member is to have a casting vote.

(5) If a vote is tied on any matter it shall be deemed not to have been carried.

(6) An overview and scrutiny committee appointed by the Combined Authority shall have the power to—

(a) invite members or substitute members of the Combined Authority to attend before it to answer questions;

(b) invite other persons, including members of the public, to attend meetings of the committee;

(c) review or scrutinise decisions made, or other action taken, in connection with the discharge of any functions which are the responsibility of the Combined Authority;

(d) make reports or recommendations to the Combined Authority with respect to the discharge of any functions which are the responsibility of the Combined Authority.

(7) The power to review or scrutinise a decision made but not implemented under sub-paragraph (6)(c) includes the power to recommend that the decision be reconsidered by the Combined Authority.

(8) Where an overview and scrutiny committee appointed by the Combined Authority makes a report or recommendation under sub-paragraph (6)(d) the committee may—

(a) publish the report or recommendations;

(b) by notice in writing require the Combined Authority to—

(i) consider the report or recommendations;

(ii) respond to the overview and scrutiny committee indicating what (if any) action the Combined Authority proposes to take;

(iii) if the overview and scrutiny committee has published the report or recommendations under paragraph (a), publish the response.

(9) A notice served under sub-paragraph (8)(b) must require the Combined Authority to comply with it within two months beginning with the date on which the Combined Authority received the reports or recommendations or (if later) the notice.

(10) The Combined Authority shall comply with a notice given under sub-paragraph (8)(b).

(11) Sub-paragraphs (8)(a) and (10) are subject to section 9FG of the Local Government Act 2000(1) and to any provision made under section 9GA(8) and the Combined Authority shall be treated as a local authority for these purposes.

Records

5.—(1) The Combined Authority must make arrangements for the names of members and substitute members present at any meeting to be recorded.

(2) Minutes of the proceedings of a meeting of the Combined Authority, or any committee or sub-committee of the Combined Authority, are to be kept in such form as the Combined Authority may determine.

(3) Any such minutes are to be signed at the same or next suitable meeting of the Combined Authority, committee or sub-committee as the case may be, by the person presiding at that meeting.

(4) Any minute purporting to be signed as mentioned in sub-paragraph (3) shall be received in evidence without further proof.

(5) Until the contrary is proved, a meeting of the Combined Authority, committee or sub-committee, a minute of whose proceedings has been signed in accordance with this paragraph, is deemed to have been duly convened and held, and all the members and substitute members present at the meeting are deemed to have been duly qualified.

(6) For the purposes of sub-paragraph (3) the next suitable meeting is the next following meeting or, where standing orders made by the Combined Authority provide for another meeting of the authority, committee or sub-committee, to be regarded as suitable, either the next following meeting or that other meeting.

Standing orders

6.  The Combined Authority may make standing orders for the regulation of its proceedings and business and may vary or revoke any such orders.

Remuneration

7.  No remuneration is to be payable by the Combined Authority to its members, other than allowances for travel and subsistence paid in accordance with a scheme drawn up by the Combined Authority.

(1)

2000 c. 22. Sections 9FG and 9GA were inserted by the Localism Act 2011 (c. 20), section 21 and Schedule 2.