(1) The Joint Authority shall, at each Annual Meeting, appoint the two Scrutiny Committees and their respective Chairs from those members of the Joint Authority that are not elected to the ITA Executive Board. Each Scrutiny Committee shall so far as possible have the same number of members and shall have regard to political balance requirements.
(2) The principal functions of the Scrutiny Committee (Bus Services) and the Scrutiny Committee (Integrated Transport) shall be approved by the Joint Authority at its Annual Meeting and are set out in Schedule 2 of these Standing Orders.
(3) The Scrutiny Committees shall each meet at least four times per year, discounting any Calling In Meetings that may be called.
(4) The quorum for all meetings of the Scrutiny Committees shall be at least 50% of its membership (rounded up to the nearest whole number).
(5) Where a casual vacancy occurs in the position of Chair of a Scrutiny Committee, the meeting of the ITA Executive Board or the meeting of the Joint Authority (which ever is soonest) next following the vacancy occurring (as the case may be), shall appoint the new Chair of the Scrutiny Committee (not being a member of the ITA Executive Board) from the membership of the Joint Authority.
(6) Any member of the Scrutiny Committees may appoint any other member of the Authority (not being a member of the ITA Executive Board) to attend and act on their behalf at a meeting of the Scrutiny Committee which they are unable to attend and shall have notified the Clerk accordingly before the relevant meeting.
(7) Any member of a Scrutiny Committee may require an item of business to appear on the agenda of a meeting of that committee as if it were a member’s item pursuant to paragraph 5(4).
(8) The Chair of any Scrutiny Committee or their nominee may attend any meeting of the ITA Executive Board to present any recommendations that the Scrutiny Committee considers should be brought to the attention of the ITA Executive Board and which has been minuted accordingly and notified to the Clerk in advance as if it were a member’s item under Standing Order 5(4).
CALLING IN DECISIONS OF THE ITA EXECUTIVE BOARD
(9) Where any 2 members of the Joint Authority representing two different Districts consider the matter to be of material importance or serious concern to the business of the Joint Authority, they may “call in” any decision of the ITA Executive Board for consideration by a meeting of the appropriate Scrutiny Committee (a “Calling In Meeting”).
(10) A decision may only be Called In if all of the following are complied with:
(a) the request must be in writing (including by way of email) to the Clerk specifying the decision to be Called In and setting out why the matter is of such material importance or serious concern that a Calling In Meeting is necessary; and
(b) the requests must be received within 3 clear working days of the Minutes or other summary of the meeting of the ITA Executive Board having been issued by the Clerk
and in which event the Clerk in conjunction with the Chair of the Scrutiny Committee shall convene a Calling In Meeting of the Scrutiny Committee (not later than 7 clear working days prior to the next meeting of the ITA Executive Board ) at which the only item of business shall be the matter called in. The Chair of the Joint Authority shall be notified by the Clerk that a Calling In Meeting has been convened.
(11) Where a Calling In Meeting is held the Scrutiny Committee may by a vote of the majority of its members make a recommendation in respect of that decision to the ITA Executive Board which must be considered as an item on the agenda at the next meeting of the ITA Executive Board (or of the Joint Authority if that shall occur sooner).
(12) Where a decision has been called in by a Scrutiny Committee any member of that Scrutiny Committee that is also a nominated alternative member of the ITA Executive Board (pursuant to paragraph 2(2) of Schedule 1) who, in such capacity, has been required to sit at the next meeting of the ITA Executive Board, must withdraw from that meeting whilst the Called In item is considered by the ITA Executive Board.
(13) The Calling In procedure is not intended to replace or diminish the statutory power of members to call an Extraordinary Meeting of the Joint Authority.
PETITIONS TO THE JOINT AUTHORITY
(14) Any petition to the Joint Authority shall be received in the first instance by the Clerk who, in consultation with the Chair of the relevant Scrutiny Committee will determine the most appropriate course of action for dealing with the petition.
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