Councillors had plenty to say on planning committee changes but I am still working out the detail

I would highly recommend reading this post after listening to what was stated at the meeting of the full council yesterday; see web cast (Index Point 8 Governance Review Group 0:43;45).

Many councillors spoke out (the agenda item lasted just over an hour) and I will return to those comments in future posts.

So what is happening now?

Yesterday's posts related the detail (from the Committee Report to yesterday's full council meeting) that stated:

'2.1' being found in committee report here and noting that, "...each Committee should comprise of 11 Members (one Member from each Ward);" - the Governance Committee had suggested one committee for North Wards 1-11 and the second for South Wards 12-22.

However I have just posted the press release covering the changes to planning committees and it now states:

"The *membership of each PAC will be made up of two members from a four-member council ward and one member from a three-member council ward."

"The North PAC will involve wards 1 – 11 in Caithness, Sutherland, East Ross, the Black Isle and Skye. The South PAC will cover wards 12 – 22 in Inverness, Lochaber, Nairn and Badenoch and Strathspey. A commitment was given to monitor and review the work of the two new Committees within a 12 month period."

Listing all the wards and noting which are 4 member and 3 member it seems to me that the North PAC will now have 17 members and the South PAC 19.

(*Change to the membership composition was suggested at the full council meeting, as you will note from having listened to the web cast, by Cllr Ross , further to, as he states, 'taking soundings'. An amendment was later moved - which lost on the vote - to have 2 members from each ward whether 3 member or 4 member)