Agenda and minutes

Venue: Council Chamber - Town Hall, Library Street, Wigan, WN1 1YN. View directions

Contact: Christine Charnock-Jones 

Items
No. Item

8.

Apologies for absence:

Minutes:

Councillor S Loudon.

9.

Welcome to New Member:

Minutes:

The Chairman, on behalf of the Committee welcomed new Member, Councillor Marie Morgan, to the meeting.

10.

Minutes: pdf icon PDF 115 KB

The minutes of the meeting held on 30 August 2012 are attached.

Minutes:

The minutes of the meeting of this Committee held on 30 August 2012, were approved as a correct record and signed by the Chairman.

11.

Appointment of Honorary Aldermen: pdf icon PDF 200 KB

Report of the Assistant Director, Legal attached.

Minutes:

The Committee were reminded that at minute 23(b)(September 2012) Council agreed to amend the criteria for the appointment of Honorary Alderman as follows:-

 

‘The person must have served as a Councillor of the Metropolitan Borough of Wigan for an overall minimum period of 20 years.’

 

The Committee then considered a report of the Assistant Director, Legal, John Mitchell, presented by the Democratic Services Manager, Christine Charnock-Jones, which sought the views as to whether it was appropriate to reinstate the previous offer to former Councillor John O’Neill to become an Honorary Alderman. The timeframe for acceptance of this position has now expired (see amendment to the criteria minute 17(c) (July 2011 refers) of Council refers and Mr O’Neill did not meet the revised criteria of 20 years, but did meet the 12 years’ service that was required at the time of the original offer.  

 

Mr O’Neill had requested at that time that the offer be deferred and he has subsequently requested that the offer be revisited. Mr O’Neill had submitted further information on the community work that he has been involved with since leaving the Council to support the nomination.

 

Members referred to the good work that had been undertaken by Mr O’Neill whilst he was a Member of the Council and following his retirement from the Council.

 

Councillor Ellis acknowledged the work that Mr O’Neill had undertaken and continued to do, but he was concerned that the rules had been changed since the offer had originally been made for Mr O’Neill to become an Honorary Alderman.

 

The report set out details of the alternative option to be considered which would include not considering to appoint a further Honorary Alderman.

 

Resolved:  The Honorary Alderman Nominations Committee is requested to recommend to Council:-

 

(1)       that based on the additional information received from Mr O’Neill, the Honorary Aldermen Nominations Committee is requested to recommend to the Council, the appointment of former Councillor J A O’Neill as a Honorary Alderman and therefore agree to the following:-

 

  • to agree to hold a special meeting of the Council to be held at 6.30 p.m. on the evening of a Council meeting during the 2014/15 municipal year, for the purpose of formally conferring the title of Honorary Alderman on the former Member;
  • to suspend Rule of Procedure 1.1(iii) to allow the normal meeting of the Council previously fixed for the same date to be held following the special meeting; and
  • to approve the provision of appropriate refreshments in the Mayor’s Parlour prior to the special meeting of the Council referred to above.

 

(Councillor J Ellis wished that his dissentient vote be recorded.)

 

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