Agenda and minutes

There were no announcements.

It was moved by Councillor L Kelly, seconded by Councillor J McNicholas and supported by Councillor G Ridley and Councillor E Reeves, that Councillor Rachel Lancaster be elected as Chair of the Council (being the Lord Mayor of the City) for the ensuing year.

RESOLVED that Councillor Rachel Lancaster be elected as Chair of the Council for the 2025/26 municipal year, having made the declaration of office prescribed by the Local Government Act 1972 (as amended) and having been invested with the Lord Mayor’s Chain of Office.

The Lord Mayor, Councillor Lancaster, addressed the City Council.

A vote of thanks for the retiring Lord Mayor, Councillor M Mutton, was moved by Councillor P Hetherton, seconded by Councillor M Ali and supported by Councillor G Ridley and Councillor E Reeves.

Councillor Mutton responded to the vote of thanks.

RESOLVED:

(1)  That the warmest thanks of the Council are due and are thereby given to Councillor Mal Mutton for the zeal and impartiality with which she has discharged the arduous duties of the office of Lord Mayor during the year 2024/25; and

(2)  That a copy of this resolution, under the Common Seal, be presented to Councillor Mal Mutton and Mrs Margaret Hickman.

It was moved by Councillor G Ridley, seconded by Councillor P Male and supported by Councillor G Duggins and Councillor E Reeves that Councillor R Bailey be elected as Vice Chair of the Council (being the Deputy Lord Mayor of the City) for the ensuing year.

RESOLVED that Councillor Roger Bailey be elected as Vice Chair of the Council for the 2025/26 Municipal Year, having made the declaration of office prescribed by the Local Government Act 1972 (as amended) and having been invested with the Deputy Lord Mayor’s Badge.

The City Council received a report of the Leader, Councillor G Duggins, together with a Statement, which confirmed the composition of the Cabinet, the appointment of Deputy Cabinet Members and the allocation of executive portfolios/functions within the Cabinet (detailed below):

CABINET PORTFOLIOS 2025/26

To confirm the Minutes of the Meeting held on 25 March 2025.

The Minutes of the Meeting held on 25 March 2025 were agreed and signed as a true record.

There were no declarations of interest.

The Council considered the following documents which were tabled at the meeting:

(i)  Details of Licensing and Regulatory Committee, Planning Committee, Health and Wellbeing Board, Scrutiny Co-ordination Committee, Scrutiny Boards, Audit and Procurement Committee, Ethics Committee, Coventry Shareholder Committee, Joint Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee and such other Committees as the Council considers appropriate, to deal with matters which are neither reserved to the Council nor are executive functions as set out in the Constitution.  This also includes the appointment of the Chair and Deputy Chair of those bodies

(ii)  The size and terms of reference for those Boards and Committee (as set out in the Constitution).

(iii)  The allocation of seats to political groups in accordance with the political balance rules.

(iv)  The nominations of Councillors to serve on each Scrutiny Board, Committee and Cabinet Advisory Panel.

(v)  The nominations and appointments to outside bodies.

(vi)  The programme of ordinary meetings of the Council, Cabinet, Scrutiny Boards, Committee and Advisory Panels for 2025/26 including the date and time of the next Annual Meeting and the scheme of delegations as set out in the Constitution.

RESOLVED that the City Council:

(1)  Approve the allocation of seats, appointments and programme of meetings together with the appointments to outside bodies (as appended to these minutes) and agree the scheme of delegations as set out in the Constitution.

(2)  Delegates authority to the Director of Law and Governance to make any amendments to the membership of the Licensing and Regulatory Sub Committees for Hackney Carriages & Private Hire (Taxis) Sub-Committees following consultation with the Chair of the Committee and the appropriate Group Leader.

(3)  Delegates authority to the Director of Law and Governance, following consultation with the Leader of the Council, to make any outstanding appointments and/or changes to Outside Body appointments for the Municipal Year 2025/26.

(4)  Confirms the existing Terms of Reference (as set out in the Constitution) and detailed in the document submitted, together with the addition of the following term of reference for the Coventry Shareholder Committee:

·  To ensure that the Coventry Shareholder Committee is aware of cross-party views on matters to be decided by the Committee, representatives from the opposition groups will be entitled to attend meetings of the Committee but not to vote.  There will be a maximum of four such representatives, two of whom will be nominees of the numerically-largest opposition group and one each from the next two numerically-largest opposition groups. The nominations are to be submitted by those opposition groups. Such representatives will be determined by the Council and will be entitled to nominate substitute members

There were no other matters arising.