ATTENDANCE levels at a Liverpool City Region scrutiny committee is impacting how it conducts business, the Combined Authority’s monitoring officer has said.

Wednesday’s Liverpool City Region Combined Authority (LCRCA) overview and scrutiny committee was cancelled as there was not enough members present.

Despite calls from members to proceed with the meeting, monitoring officer Jill Coule said she could not proceed as the committee was inquorate.

It was the fourth scrutiny meeting in a row that was not quorate.

Members had attended a workshop that very morning to discuss quoracy, given the recent attendance issues.

Ms Coule said: “I’m very grateful for those who came to the workshop this morning to discuss the issue of quoracy because it is something that has besieged this committee for a number of months.

“And it’s beginning to impact on its ability to do business, on what’s on the agenda today.”

Cllr Ken McGlashan, Labour and Co-operative Party member for Knowsley Council, said the committee is ‘being held back by the restrictive quorum’.

For meetings of the Combined Authority to be quorate, there needs to be two thirds of members in attendance.

The last meeting in April was inquorate, but it proceeded on an informal basis at the discretion of members, although no decisions taken at such a meeting are binding.

The scrutiny meeting in October 2017 and January 2018 were also inquorate and subsequently cancelled.

At Wednesday’s meeting, 13 members were in attendance – just one short of the 14 required.

St Helens councillors Martin Bond and David Baines, ward members for Haydock and Windle respectively, were among the six members who did not attend.

The Labour councillors also missed the October and April meetings.

Councillors Carl Cashman (Knowsley), June Burns (Sefton), Mike Sullivan (Wirral) and Tom Anderson (Wirral) did not attend Wednesday’s meeting.

Cllr Kevan Wainwright, from Halton Council, said the cancellation was an ‘unfortunate situation’ and said members often work and have other commitments that take priority over meetings.

He said: “We did discuss this at length this morning and we are making strides forwards to make sure future meetings are actually quorate.”

The Labour councillor added that leaders of the respective councils in the Combined Authority are ‘aware’ there is an issue with attendance.

Cllr Sir Ron Watson, from Sefton Council, said some members may not be aware the committee requires two thirds of members to attend to be quorate, as many councils only require one third.

“I am a new member but reading through the agenda the last three meetings have not been quorate and that formed part of the discussion we had this morning,” he said.

“There were some helpful comments that came from members to seek ways in which that could be addressed.

“I am never comfortable discussing what are in my view public issues in private, so I would want to have a very early resolution to this.”

The Conservative councillor said a resolution will rely on council leaders to ensure councillors who serve on the committee ‘fully understand’ the commitments required.

The group agreed to reconvene on September 5.

A LCRCA spokesman said: “Yesterday’s scrutiny meeting was unfortunately cancelled at short notice due to the receipt of a number of late apologies from members.

“Business due to be discussed at this meeting will be deferred to the next meeting, scheduled for September.”