The Democratic Services Manager presented a report which contained the proposed Forward Work Programme (FWP) for the Democratic Services Committee for consideration and further development.

Attached at Appendix A was a draft FWP for the Democratic Services Committee for 2023-24. Further information was at section 3 of the report.

The Chairperson asked if Members wished to suggest changes or amendments to the constitution, how would they go about this. The Democratic Services Manager stated that they would need to email the Monitoring Officer, these would then be considered by herself and the Deputy Monitoring Officer. If the reasons for amendments satisfied legal criteria then these changes would be provided to Council for approval.

A Member suggested with regards to training session length, if they could be kept to between 1 and 2 hours, as longer than this has proven to be tiring for Members to absorb the information and engage with the trainer effectively. This is particularly important when followed or preceding a committee meeting.

RESOLVED: That the Committee considered the proposed draft Forward Work Programme for the Democratic Services Committee attached at Appendix A and provide any comment or suggestions for further items for the Committee to consider at its future meetings.