Agenda item - Legal Services – Orbis Public Law

Extract from the proceedings of the Policy & Resources Committee meeting held on the 21^st January 2016 (to be circulated), together with a report of the Head of Legal & Democratic Services (copy attached).

80.1.      Councillor Morgan formally moved the report and the recommendation to establish a joint committee with Surrey and East Sussex County Councils.

80.2.      Councillor Hamilton referred to the proposed terms of reference and noted that a due diligence process would need to be completed and that any recommendations agreed by his counterparts on the joint committee would need to be referred to the Policy & Resources Committee for approval.

80.3.      Councillor Wealls welcomed the report and the intention to work with other local authorities to provide services.  He noted that the council had a high performing legal service which would be able to benefit from other resources.

80.4.      Councillor Sykes stated that he had raised some concerns at the Policy & Resources Committee meeting in regard to the potential benefits of moving to joint arrangements but had been persuaded and therefore supported the report.

80.5.      The Mayor noted that the report and recommendations had been moved and put them to the council for approval.

80.6.      RESOLVED:

(1)       That the establishment of a Joint Committee as the governing body for Orbis Public Law to oversee the discharge of the Council’s Legal Services function be agreed;

(2)       That the Terms of Reference ((appendix 2 to the report) for the Joint Committee be approved and that Councillor Hamilton, Deputy Chair of the Policy & Resources Committee and Lead Member for Finance & Resources be appointed to be a Member of the Joint Committee.