Agenda item - Mayor's Communications.

73.1         The Mayor informed the meeting that Items 84 and 86(c) had been withdrawn from the agenda and that Item 84, Options for Providing Additional School Places in 2013 and 2014 was due to be brought to the 28^th March council meeting following the conclusion of the consultation process.

73.2         The Mayor then drew the council’s attention to Item 80 on the agenda, Submission City Plan, Part 1 and the proposed protocol for the debate on the matter that had been circulated separately.  In accordance with the proposed protocol, he wished to move that Standing Orders be suspended for the consideration of the item to the extent that was necessary for the business to be transacted as set out in the protocol, and that the protocol be agreed as the basis for the debate and any resolution that followed.

73.3         Councillor G. Theobald stated that he wished to move an amendment to the protocol, so that bullet point 5 on page2 was deleted.  This would then enable the Conservative Group’s amendments to the Spatial Strategy Theme and Healthy and Balanced Communities, which had been ruled as unsound to be considered and voted upon.

73.4         Councillor Peltzer formally seconded the amendment.

73.5         Councillor Mitchell stated that she could not support the amendment and noted that the protocol had been agreed at a Leaders Group meeting, in order to ensure that there was a clear process for amendments to come forward and be debated and a final plan approved.

73.6         Councillor J. Kitcat stated that he could not support the amendment and that the protocol should remain intact having been agreed by the Leaders as a mechanism for ensuring a sound and reasonable basis on which to debate the city plan and any such amendments to the plan.

73.7         The Mayor noted the comments and stated that the protocol had been drafted on the basis of previous versions and that which was used at Budget Council meetings and had been taken to the Leaders Group for agreement, in order to enable a transparent process leading up to the debate at today’s meeting.  However, an amendment had been moved by Councillor Theobald and he therefore put the amendment to the vote which was lost.

73.8         The Mayor then put the protocol for the debate of the city plan to the vote which was carried.