Council Minutes - Charnwood Borough Council

CHARNWOOD BOROUGH COUNCIL MEETING OF THE CHARNWOOD BOROUGH COUNCIL HELD IN THE PRESTON ROOM, WOODGATE CHAMBERS, LOUGHBOROUGH ON MONDAY, 6TH NOVEMBER 2017 PRESENT The Mayor (Councillor P. Ranson) The Deputy Mayor (Councillor C. Harris) Councillor T. Barkley Councillor B. Bebbington Councillor I. Bentley Councillor J. Bokor Councillor J. Bradshaw Councillor M. Brookes Councillor R. Campsall Councillor J. Capleton Councillor B. Cooper Councillor M. Draycott Councillor S. Forrest Councillor H. Fryer Councillor D. Gaskell Councillor S. Gerrard Councillor H. Hachem Councillor L. Hadji-Nikolaou Councillor C. Hamilton Councillor L. Harper-Davies Councillor K. Harris Councillor D. Hayes Councillor R. Jones

Councillor R. Jukes Councillor M. Lowe Councillor P. Mercer Councillor J. Miah Councillor J. Morgan Councillor K. Pacey Councillor B. Page Councillor A. Paling Councillor G. Parsons Councillor T. Parton Councillor J. Poland Councillor C. Radford Councillor B. Seaton Councillor M. Smidowicz Councillor L. Smith Councillor D. Snartt Councillor J. Tassell Councillor D. Taylor Councillor J. Tillotson Councillor E. Vardy

Honorary Aldermen R. Shields and J.Tormey 44.

PRESENTATION OF MEDALLION TO HONORARY ALDERMAN SHIELDS, OPENING THOUGHTS AND REFLECTIONS The Mayor opened the meeting by welcoming Councillors Draycott and Hamilton to their first meeting since being elected at the recent by-election for the Loughborough Hastings ward. The Mayor presented Honorary Alderman Shields with his official medallion and a certificate to mark his appointment to the position of Honorary Alderman. The Mayor’s Chaplain, Reverend David Owen, said prayers.

Council – 6th November 2017 Published – 20th November 2017

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45.

APOLOGIES Apologies for absence had been received from Councillors Grimley, Hampson, Huddlestone, Murphy, Rollings, Savage, Shepherd, Slater and Sutherington, and from Honorary Alderman Stott.

46.

DISCLOSURES OF PECUNIARY AND PERSONAL INTERESTS The following disclosures of pecuniary and personal interests were made: by Councillor Bentley – a personal interest as a member of Leicestershire County Council; (ii) by Councillor Fryer – personal interests as a member of Leicestershire County Council and the Carillon Committee; (iii) by Councillor Miah – a personal interest in item 13, Urgent Executive Decisions Exempted from Call-in: Prospective Pilot Scheme Participation - 100% Business Rates Retention, as a member of Leicestershire County Council; (iv) by Councillor Morgan – a personal interest in item 13, Urgent Executive Decisions Exempted from Call-in: Prospective Pilot Scheme Participation - 100% Business Rates Retention, as a member of Leicestershire County Council; (v) by Councillor Parton – personal interests as a member of Leicestershire County Council and the Loughborough Carillon Tower and War Memorial Museum Trust Committee; (vi) by Councillor Poland – personal interests as a member of Leicestershire County Council and the Loughborough Carillon Tower and War Memorial Museum Trust Committee; (vii) by Councillor Radford – a personal interest in item 13, Urgent Executive Decisions Exempted from Call-in: Prospective Pilot Scheme Participation - 100% Business Rates Retention, as a member of Leicestershire County Council; (viii) by Councillor Seaton – a personal interest in item 13, Urgent Executive Decisions Exempted from Call-in: Prospective Pilot Scheme Participation - 100% Business Rates Retention, as a member of Leicestershire County Council; (ix) by Councillor Smith – a personal interest in item 7.4, Amendment to the Capital Plan - Carillon Tower Restoration, as a member of the Loughborough Carillon Tower and War Memorial Museum Trust Committee; (x) by Councillor Taylor – a personal interest in item 13, Urgent Executive Decisions Exempted from Call-in: Prospective Pilot Scheme Participation - 100% Business Rates Retention, as a member of Leicestershire County Council. (i)


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47.

MINUTES The minutes of the meeting of Council held on 4th September 2017 were confirmed and signed.

48.

ANNOUNCEMENTS 48.1

MAYOR’S ANNOUNCEMENTS The Mayor made the following announcements. “I would like to remind Councillors that the Loughborough Armistice Day service will be held on Saturday, 11th November, and the annual Remembrance Sunday service on 12th November, both in Queen’s Park, Loughborough.” “I would also like to inform councillors that the Community Carol Service will be held on Wednesday, 20th December at 7pm at All Saints with Holy Trinity Church, Steeple Row, Loughborough.” “It gives me great pleasure to inform you that the Council’s Environmental Protection Team, part of Regulatory Services, were recently ‘Highly Commended’ within the National Noise Abatement Society Awards 2017, known as the John Connell Awards. The Team received their award on Tuesday, 31st October at a ceremony held at Westminster. It was to recognise their work to reduce the impacts of noise for our residents from major events.”

48.2

LEADER’S ANNOUNCEMENTS There were no Leader’s announcements.

48.3

CHIEF EXECUTIVE’S ANNOUNCEMENTS The Chief Executive made no announcements.

49.

PETITIONS Councillor Hayes presented a petition submitted on behalf of residents in his ward objecting to the proposal to create a new cemetery on land that residents had believed would be a recreational pitch.

50.

BUSINESS RESERVED TO COUNCIL To consider the following matters reserved to Council in accordance with Part 5 of the Constitution.


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50.1

APPOINTMENT OF LEADER OF THE COUNCIL A report of the Chief Executive, enabling the Council to consider the appointment of a Leader of the Council, was submitted (item 7.1 on the agenda filed with these minutes). Councillor Miah stated that he wished to place on record his thanks to Councillor Slater for his hard work as Leader of the Council over the last seven years. It was proposed by Councillor Bokor, seconded by Councillor Barkley and RESOLVED that Councillor Morgan be appointed Leader of the Council for the remainder of the Council term 2015/16 to 2018/19. Reason To fill the vacancy in the position of Leader of the Council, in accordance with the Local Government Act 2000 and Cabinet Procedure 10.1 of the Council’s Constitution.

50.2

PAY POLICY STATEMENT 2018/19 A report of the Personnel Committee, recommending a Pay Policy Statement for 2018/19 for approval, was submitted (item 7.2 on the agenda filed with these minutes). During consideration of the item, members discussed the extent to which a pay rise for Council employees was desirable, affordable and within the scope of the Pay Policy Statement that had been submitted. It was proposed by Councillor Barkley, seconded by Councillor Snartt and RESOLVED that the Pay Policy Statement for 2018/19, as set out in Annex A to the report considered by the Personnel Committee (attached as an appendix to the report of the Personnel Committee), be approved and adopted.. Reason To ensure that the Council meets its obligations under Section 38 of the Localism Act 2011.


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50.3 APPOINTMENT OF CO-OPTED PARISH MEMBERS OF THE MEMBER CONDUCT COMMITTEE A report of the Monitoring Officer, enabling the Council to make appointments of co-opted parish members of the Member Conduct Committee to fill two vacancies, was submitted (item 7.3 on the agenda filed with these minutes). The Mayor stated that as there were two appointments to be made any proposals would be considered individually. It was proposed by Councillor Gaskell, seconded by Councillor Tassell and RESOLVED that Councillor Dennis Marchant, a member of Quorn Parish Council, be appointed as a non-voting co-opted parish member of the Member Conduct Committee until 29th June 2019 or until he ceases to be a parish/town councillor, whichever is the sooner. Reason To fill a vacancy on the Committee, which provides the opportunity for parish/town councillors to contribute to the work of the Committee. It was proposed by Councillor Gaskell and seconded by Councillor Tassell that Councillor Cathy Duffy, a member of East Goscote Parish Council, be appointed as a non-voting co-opted parish member of the Member Conduct Committee until 29th June 2019 or until she ceases to be a parish/town councillor, whichever is the sooner. In accordance with Full Council Procedure 9.15(d), Councillors Mercer and Hachem called for there to be a named vote. For the motion – Councillors Bebbington, Bentley, Bokor, Campsall, Gaskell, Hadji-Nikolaou, Harper-Davies, Jukes, Lowe, Page, Poland, Radford, Ranson, Seaton, Smith and Tassell. Against the motion – Councillors Barkley, Bradshaw, Brookes, Capleton, Cooper, Draycott, Forrest, Fryer, Gerrard, Hachem, Hamilton, Christine Harris, Keith Harris, Jones, Mercer, Miah, Morgan, Paling, Parton, Snartt, Taylor, Tillotson and Vardy. Abstaining: – Councillors Hayes, Pacey, Parsons and Smidowicz. The motion was defeated.


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50.4 AMENDMENT TO THE CAPITAL PLAN – CARILLON TOWER RESTORATION A report of the Section 151 Officer, requesting an amendment to the Capital Plan to enable restoration work to be carried out at the Carillon, was submitted (item 7.4 on the agenda filed with these minutes). It was proposed by Councillor Barkley, seconded by Councillor Forrest and RESOLVED that a scheme for the restoration of the Carillon Tower be added to the Capital Plan and that funding of £282,000, funded from capital receipts, be allocated to the scheme. Reason To enable a programme of restoration works to be progressed ahead of a funding decision by the War Memorial Trust, to allow works to progress as the War Memorial Trust funding, if secured, is paid retrospectively after completion of works, and, if grant support is not obtained, to pay for the full restoration works to the Carillon Tower. 51.

CALL-IN REFERENCES There were no call-in references from Scrutiny.

52.

POSITION STATEMENTS No position statements had been requested.

53.

MOTIONS ON NOTICE No motions on notice had been submitted.

54.

QUESTIONS ON NOTICE The Questions on Notice and the responses of the Leader or his nominee were submitted (item 11 on the agenda filed with these minutes). 54.1

Councillor Tillotson – Families Living in One-bedroom Accommodation Councillor Tillotson stated that she had hoped that the answer would be that the number of families living in one-bedroom accommodation would be in single figures. It was disappointing that the number was 30 and all that could be said was that the majority of those people were on the transfer list. It was known that there were not enough family homes due to the right to buy. The Council could do more to look at proactively buying back properties and take full advantage of Council – 6th November 2017 Published – 20th November 2017

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opportunities to build new homes. Councillor Tillotson stated that she hoped that if she asked the same question in 12 months’ time, the number would have reduced and that this would be because the Council had rehoused the families affected. She also stated that if affected families left the transfer list then the reasons for this should be investigated. In response, Councillor Mercer stated that he had looked at the files in more detail. The number of properties involved was 0.5% of the Council’s housing stock. Of the 30 affected families none had moved into the property as a family. The number who were on the transfer list represented a snap shot at a point in time. It was hoped that that number would be lower in 12 months’ time but a better measure would be how long families had to wait on the transfer list before being found more suitable accommodation. He also stated that the total number of social housing properties in the Borough was increasing each year and was currently 8,989. 54.2

Councillor Campsall – Use of Glyphosate Herbicides by the Council Councillor Campsall thanked the Lead Member for the reply and stated that he was encouraged that glyphosate was used sparingly near children’s play areas and wildlife sites and that the Council was actively looking at other methods of weed control.

54.3 Councillor Hachem – Involvement of Councillors in Decisions Affecting Loughborough Councillor Hachem stated that he welcomed the response. The need to address the involvement of councillors representing Loughborough wards in decisions affecting Loughborough had been recognised but a town council for Loughborough would be an expensive way to address it. He stated that he looked forward to the report which was referred to in the written response. In response, Councillor Morgan stated that Councillor Hachem had raised an important point and that it was hoped that the Council could build on its existing arrangements to provide a more formal approach to involving Loughborough councillors. Experience at other authorities in Leicestershire could be used to inform any proposals. 54.4

Councillor Jones – Meeting Participation by Video Conference Councillor Jones thanked the Lead Member for the response and asked whether the Council would make a commitment to facilitating video conferencing and web-casting for its meetings. Although legislation meant that councillors could not vote unless they were present, video conferencing and web-casting would be a progressive Council – 6th November 2017 Published – 20th November 2017

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move, encouraging participation and transparency. The Council already had some resources in place that could support the implementation of the measures, for example through the officers who already attended meetings, redeployment of existing equipment and the Council’s website. Councillor Jones asked for information regarding actual costs for implementing a scheme. In response, Councillor Poland thanked Councillor Jones for her question and stated that there were no current plans to introduce video conferencing or web-casting. However this would be reconsidered if there were changes in the law, demand for the Council to provide those services increased or costs for implementing them reduced. Initial estimates for the costs associated with video conferencing or web-casting were £2,500 for video-conferencing equipment, £3,000 for basic web-casting equipment and ongoing costs of £4,000 per year for technical support based on £50 per meeting for all 80 official meetings a year. There were also a number of procedural matters that would have to be considered if video conferencing was introduced. 54.5 Councillor Bradshaw – Re-purchase of Former Council Properties by the Council Councillor Bradshaw thanked the Lead Member for the reply and stated that she was glad that information had been made available on the Council’s website. She asked whether officers were aware of all cases where the Council should be given the option to repurchase a property and how many times the Council had acted when it had the option to repurchase a property that had previously been sold under the right to buy scheme. In response, Councillor Mercer stated that providing the Council with the option to repurchase was a legal obligation and was dealt with through the conveyancing process. As a result there was no need for the Council to undertake further promotion. There were relatively few occasions where the Council exercised its option to repurchase a property, and the actual figures could be provided to Councillor Bradshaw. This was because properties that were offered might not be appropriate. There was a particular need for two-bedroomed properties in Loughborough. NOTE: the information requested in respect of the number of times the Council has exercised its option to repurchase Council properties that had previously been sold under the right to buy scheme can be found in the appendix to these minutes.


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54.6 Councillor Bradshaw – Resident Safety When Seeking Tradespeople Councillor Bradshaw thanked the Lead Member for the reply and stated that there was a scheme operating in Blackpool that involved a number of organisations working together, including Trading Standards, the Police, Care and Repair and Age Concern, to produce a directory of tradespeople who had been vetted and abided by a code of practice. Such a directory would useful for, and provide reassurance to, residents in the Borough. In response, Councillor Page stated that Councillor Bradshaw had raised a valid point and that he would put it to officers to consider. 54.7

Councillor Parton – Update on Southfields Park Renovations Councillor Parton stated that there had been consultation on improvements to the park in 2014, 2015, 2016 and 2017. Although there was work planned for 2018/19 there was also the opportunity to make improvements and tackle issues now. Southfields Park currently did not compare favourably with other parks in Loughborough but could do so if there was a vision, a plan and action. In response, Councillor Bokor thanked Councillor Parton for his question and stated that she took on board his concerns regarding the need for there to be a vision, a plan and action. She also stated that she would provide Councillor Parton with information about the work that was planned in 2018/19.

55.

MINUTE REFERENCES There were no minute references.

56.

URGENT EXECUTIVE DECISIONS EXEMPTED FROM CALL-IN: PROSPECTIVE PILOT SCHEME PARTICIPATION – 100% BUSINESS RATES RETENTION A report of the Chief Executive, informing the Council of an urgent decision made by the Cabinet that was exempted from call-in in accordance with Scrutiny Committee Procedure 11.9, was submitted (item 13 on the agenda filed with these minutes). Councillor Hayes asked for further information regarding the accountability arrangements for the scheme and whether there had been any feedback from Capita regarding the collection arrangements for the scheme. The Leader stated that the information would be provided.


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NOTE: the information requested regarding the operation of the Business Rates retention pilot can be found in the appendix to these minutes. 57.

CHANGES TO THE MEMBERSHIP OF THE CABINET AND THE DELEGATION OF EXECUTIVE FUNCTIONS A report of the Chief Executive, informing the Council of changes to the delegation of Executive functions in respect of the acquisition of additional housing revenue account properties for rental, and a supplementary report of the Chief Executive, informing the Council of changes to the membership of the Cabinet, were submitted (item 14 on the agenda filed with these minutes). In response to a question from Councillor Miah regarding the number of properties that could be acquired with the funding available, the Lead Member, Councillor Mercer, referred to the increase in the total number of social housing units that were available in the Borough.

58.

APPOINTMENTS TO COMMITTEES A supplementary report of the Chief Executive, informing the Council of proposed changes to the appointments to committees for the current Council year (2017/18), (item 15 on the agenda filed with these minutes) was submitted. It was proposed by Councillor Morgan, seconded by Councillor Barkley and RESOLVED that the following changes to committee appointments be made: Committee Name

Past representative(s)

New representative(s)

Scrutiny Management Board

Shepherd (Vice-chair)

Parsons (Vice-chair)

Smidowicz (Commissioner) Parsons (Commissioner) Jukes (Assistant Commissioner) Smidowicz (Chair)

Taylor (Commissioner

Taylor

Jones

Parsons (Chair)

Fryer (Chair)

Jukes (Vice-chair)

Lowe (Vice-chair)

Vacancy

Draycott

Overview Scrutiny Group Performance Scrutiny Panel

Fryer (Commissioner) Lowe (Assistant Commissioner) Taylor (Chair)


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Policy Scrutiny Group

Appeals and Reviews Committee Licensing

Member Conduct Committee Personnel Committee

Plans Committee

Housing Management Advisory Group

Vacancy

Hamilton

Page

Shepherd

Vacancy

Miah

Lowe (Vice-chair)

Jones (Vice-chair)

Vacancy (Vice-chair)

Tillotson (Vice-chair)

Tillotson

Hamilton

Tillotson

Forrest

Barkley

Barkley (Chair)

Miah (Vice-chair)

Draycott (Vice-chair)

Slater (Chair)

Slater

Page (Chair)

Slater (Chair)

Smidowicz

Fryer

Forrest

Draycott

Reason Following the appointment of new Leader of the Council for the remainder of the current Council term, changes to the membership of the Cabinet and the Hastings Ward by-election held on 26th October 2017, it is necessary to appoint members of the Council to the above mentioned positions in accordance with the wishes of the Leader of the Conservative Group and the Leader of the Labour Group.

Note These minutes are subject to confirmation as a correct record at the next meeting of Council, which is scheduled for Monday, 22nd January 2018.


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APPENDIX COUNCIL - 6TH NOVEMBER 2017 Responses to questions and requests for additional information

Minute No. 54.5 - Councillor Bradshaw – Re-purchase of Former Council Properties by the Council The Council’s current needs are to increase the number of two bedroom houses. Since 2014/2015 the Council has been offered the following:  

21 properties because there was a covenant requiring that the Council be offered the option to repurchase it 15 properties where there was no covenant.

To date only one two bedroom house has been offered back which unfortunately was not suitable to acquire following the completed assessment of the offer. Minute No. 54.7 - Councillor Parton – Update on Southfields Park Renovations Officers are currently working on the details of the project. Once draft proposals are available they will be shared with ward members and the local community in order to gather their views as part of a consultation exercise. Minute No. 56 - Urgent Executive Decisions Exempted from Call-In: Prospective Pilot Scheme Participation – 100% Business Rates Retention The principles of the prospective Business Rates pilot deal are outlined within the originating Cabinet report (part of the agenda papers). If the pilot application proves successful then detailed arrangements, including accountabilities, will need to be developed in line with the governance arrangements of all participating local authorities. No changes to Capita’s collection arrangements would be required should the pilot bid prove successful.


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