Local Government Act (Northern Ireland) 2014

Section 13.

SCHEDULE 2 APPOINTMENT OF COUNCILLORS TO COMMITTEES, ETC.

Exclusion of positions of responsibility

1.  Paragraphs 2 to 4 do not apply if Schedule 1 applies.

Appointment of councillors to committees

2.—(1) Where a council appoints a committee—

(a) the council must decide how many places on the committee must be filled by councillors, being at least two-thirds of the total number of places on that committee; and

(b) the nominating officer (within the meaning of Schedule 1) of each party may nominate as members of the committee the relevant number of councillors who stood in the name of that party when elected.

(2) The relevant number must be calculated in accordance with the formula—

where—

S

=

the number of councillors who stood in the name of the party when elected;

Q

=

the quota calculated in accordance with paragraph 3.

(3) If the number produced by the formula (“N”) is not a whole number, that number must be rounded down to the nearest whole number (“W”).

(4) If insufficient members are nominated, the nominating officer of the party with the greatest remainder may nominate another councillor to be a member of the committee and so on until sufficient members have been nominated.

(5) In sub-paragraph (4) “remainder”, in relation to a political party, means N minus W.

(6) If the figures given by sub-paragraph (5) in relation to two or more parties are equal, the nominating officer of whichever of those parties is the party for which the greatest number of first preference votes was cast at the last local general election is to be treated as the nominating officer of the party with the greatest remainder for the purposes of sub-paragraph (4), then the nominating officer of whichever of those parties is the party for which the next greatest number of first preference votes was cast at the last local general election and so on.

Quota

3.—(1) The quota for the purposes of paragraph 2 must be calculated in accordance with the formula in this paragraph.

(2) Subject to sub-paragraph (3), the formula is—

where—

T

=

the number of councillors elected at the last local general election;

C

=

the number of places on the committee which must be filled by councillors (including the chair and any deputy chair).

(3) If the council by resolution passed by qualified majority voting so decides, sub-paragraph (2) has effect as if the formula were—

Vacancies

4.  Regulations may make provision in relation to the filling of vacancies on committees.

Appointment of more than one committee

5.  Standing orders shall provide for the application of paragraphs 2 to 4 in circumstances where a council decides to appoint more than one committee.

Joint committees

6.  Regulations may provide for paragraphs 2 to 4 to apply in relation to joint committees subject to such modifications as may be prescribed.