Issue - meetings

This matter is the responsibility of Somerset West and Taunton Council.

This report is to provide the Charter Trustees for Taunton with an update on the proposed forthcoming review and to share the draft report being taken to SWT Full Council.

The Mayor advised that the Governance Manager of SWT was in attendance to speak to this item and explain the next steps.

The Governance Manager explained that a report was to be taken to SWT Full Council on the 30^th March 2021 requesting a cross party working group is set up to look at the Community Governance Review for the Unparished Area of Taunton. The recommendations reinforced that the former Taunton Deane Borough Council had resolved to undertake this, with a view to a new entity being set up by May 2023, and would tie into Unitarisation plans for 1^st April 2023. Whilst Charter Trustees would be kept informed via regular progress reports, the responsibility for the review still sat with Somerset West and Taunton Council. A timetable was attached to the report as an Annex.

During the discussion of this item, members made comments and asked questions which included:-

·       In regards to the Working Group, it was queried as to whether the significant number of Taunton based Councillors who had an interest in this matter would be ensured a place?

·       The decision was for SWT Full Council, but if Council was minded to agree the Group Leaders would come forward with the names of the appropriate Councillors on said Group. Members of the Executive could serve on the Working Group. Individual Councillors could respond to the consultation as well as the Charter Trustees as a body, and other Parish Councils on the boundary.

·       Concern was raised that there was sufficient staff resource to carry out this exercise?

·       The Governance team had a high workload and this project would be prioritised, a business case for extra resource would be taken to the Senior Management Team but this was not required at this moment in time. Other teams would be involved such as Communications and Elections.

·       A suggestion was made that a pre-agreement for extra resource was put in place before starting this work.

·       What would be the position of the Charter Trustees if there were multiple parishes wished to be set up being the ultimate outcome of this exercise?

·       The Charter Trustees and Taunton Mayoralty would remain in existence until any future arrangements were stood up, the Working Group would look at the options and their impact on the Taunton Mayoralty.

·       It was raised as to why the option for a Town Council had not been identified as the proposed option already, as other localities of a similar size had this form of Governance and could SWT promote this as the preferred choice?

·       No option was off the table at the moment, but once the Working Group was set up and the preferred option was a Town Council that it is narrowed down when the Terms of Reference is considered, but it is inappropriate to do so at this stage.

·       There was a need for the Charter Trustees to have on their Agenda regularly to have a discussion and collectively feedback viewpoints to the Working Group.

·       The Working  ...  view the full minutes text for item 46