Agenda and minutes

Venue: Parkside, Station Approach, Burton Street, Melton Mowbray LE13 1GH

Contact: Democratic Services 

Items
No. Item

CO44

APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE

Minutes:

Apologies for absence were received from Councillors Illingworth, Pearson and Posnett.

CO45

MINUTES pdf icon PDF 166 KB

To confirm the minutes of the Council meeting held on 4 November 2019 – to follow

Minutes:

The minutes of the meeting held on 4 November 2019 were confirmed and authorised to be signed by the Chair.

CO46

DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST pdf icon PDF 50 KB

Members to declare any interest as appropriate in respect of items to be considered at this meeting.

Minutes:

Councillor Orson declared a personal interest in any matters relating to the Leicestershire County Council due to his role as a County Councillor.

CO47

MAYOR'S ANNOUNCEMENTS

Minutes:

The Mayor:

 

a)    Thanked Members that had attended the Mayor’s Christmas Carol Service and/or the Mayor’s Christmas Lunch;

b)    Noted that he had attended many festive events including starting the Santa Fun Run and Switching on the Town’s Christmas lights;

c)    Noted that he had assumed the role of Returning Officer for the General Election on 12 December, with the Chief Executive  acting as his ‘deputy’ being the Acting Returning Officer, where the Chief Executive and his team had done all the work but he had had all the glory by announcing the result;

d)    Noted that Sally Renwick, Elections Manager, would be leaving the Council on Christmas Eve.  The Council owed her a great debt in the way she had run numerous elections over the years and the assistance she had provided to Parish Councils.  The Mayor expressed his thanks for Sally’s hard work and dedication;

e)    Reminded Members that there would be light refreshments following the meeting and wished everyone in attendance a Merry Christmas.

 

CO48

LEADER'S ANNOUNCEMENTS

Minutes:

The Leader gave the following announcements:

 

a)    Wished a Merry Christmas to Reverend Ashby and all the church leaders;

b)    Following approval of the Housing Improvement Plan at the last Council meeting, the Council had started to implement the agreed actions.  The recruitment of the new Director for Housing and Communities was underway and there had been a really strong response to the advert with a significant number of applications received.  Members of the Employment Committee would be meeting the next day to agree the long list of candidates for the first stage interviews in early January.  The Council looked forward to a successful appointment by the end of January;

c)    Over the last month the Council had been in dialogue with the Social Housing Regulator, providing additional information as requested.  Their response was awaited and the Council would continue to work with them over the coming months.  He was pleased to report that the actions being taken were improving the position in relation to health and safety compliance on a daily basis, with more and more properties having new or updated assessments for electrical and asbestos safety.  Risk assessments were complete and the Council was developing work packages to implement any required actions.  A more detailed update in relation to fire safety would be reported to Cabinet in January. 

This had been a long standing serious issue and he was concerned that some Members may not have grasped the gravity of the situation.  In the current HRA Business Plan, the risk register identified “Insufficient knowledge of current stock causes unknown liabilities” as the first risk with “critical” impact and “significant” liability.  But the plan, considered by the old Community & Social Affairs Committee in January 2012, did not include enough emphasis on how to mitigate this nor did it allocate any budget to address it, nor did it return to this issue on the HRA Business Plan.  This was another prime example of how the old committee system failed to grip the issues faced quickly enough and failed to show the leadership and strategic direction necessary to bring about the change required.  The new Cabinet had shown they were ready to grip and lead this issue and the Housing Improvement Plan demonstrated that.  It should not be underestimated that there were still some challenging times ahead as the findings of the Regulator were awaited and this Council would have to account for its past failings.

d)    The Council had a history of celebrating diversity and he and the Chief Executive would be exploring how they might develop this further over the coming months.  The Council had been a Disability Confident Employer for some time but recent efforts to champion and support mental health within the council had seen the Council secure the highest possible recognition as a Disability Confident Leader.  The Council were only the 4th organisation to gain this accreditation in Leicestershire and Northamptonshire and certainly the first local authority.  Only 11 other Councils had achieved this across  ...  view the full minutes text for item CO48

CO49

PUBLIC QUESTION TIME

In accordance with the Constitution, Members of the Council may answer questions from the public of which notice has been given.

 

No questions were received by the deadline

 

Minutes:

No questions had been received from members of the public.

CO50

RECOMMENDATIONS AND REPORTS FROM COMMITTEES

There were no recommendations or reports received from Committees.

Minutes:

There were no recommendations or reports from Committees.

CO51

QUESTIONS FROM MEMBERS

In accordance with the Constitution, a Member may ask the Leader, the Chair of the Council or a Committee Chair, a question on any matter in relation to which the Council has powers or duties or which affects the Borough.

 

No questions were received by the deadline

Minutes:

There were no questions received from Members.

CO52

MOTIONS ON NOTICE

In accordance with the Constitution, motions on notice must be signed by at least two Members and be about matters for which the Council has a responsibility or which affect the Melton Borough.

 

No motions were received by the deadline

 

Minutes:

There were no motions on notice.

CO53

EQUALITY SCHEME AND EQUALITY OBJECTIVES (2020 TO 2024) pdf icon PDF 165 KB

The Portfolio Holder for Corporate Governance, Access and Engagement to submit a new Equality Scheme for approval.  The covering report sets out the background and legislative requirements together with the results from the recent consultation exercise on the new draft Equality Scheme and its objectives

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The Portfolio Holder for Corporate Governance, Access and Engagement, Councillor Freer-Jones,  introduced the report and provided a brief summary.  Councillor Freer-Jones highlighted that equalities was a legal and statutory duty and should be at the forefront of decision making and policy development.

 

Councillor Freer-Jones moved the recommendations in the report and Councillor Orson seconded the recommendations.

 

During debate the following points were noted:

  • Appendix E listed the consultees, this was the list of stakeholders that was used on all such consultations but should members have additional organisations that they thought should be added to the list, they should forward the details for inclusion on subsequent consultation exercises;
  • Councillor Holmes highlighted that the National Farmers Union should be included in the list of consultees and Councillor Posnett also suggested that rural organisations were very important to ensure that any consultations were not focused on urban areas;
  • Councillor Freer-Jones confirmed that many of the organisations consulted, such as Vista and Age UK covered all areas not just the Town Centre.

 

RESOLVED

 

1)    To APPROVE the Equality Scheme and Equality Objectives at Appendix A and Appendix B of the report covering the period 2020 to 2024.

 

2)    To DELEGATE authority to Portfolio for Corporate Governance, Access and Engagement to approve any subsequent changes to the Equality Scheme or Actions to deliver the objectives should the need arise in line with legislative and/or corporate priority changes over the next four years.

 

CO54

DECLARATION OF A CLIMATE EMERGENCY : UPDATE REPORT pdf icon PDF 120 KB

The Portfolio Holder for Environment and Regulatory Services to provide the Council with information regarding the progress made since the declaration of a “Climate Emergency” and establishment of  a Policy Development Group to develop an action plan in July 2019

Additional documents:

Minutes:

 The Leader introduced the report and moved the recommendations.  The Deputy Leader seconded the recommendations in the report.

 

The Leader, Councillor Orson, provided a brief summary of the report as the Portfolio Holder for Environment and Regulatory Services had been unable to attend the meeting.  Councillor Orson detailed the progress made since the Council’s declaration of a “Climate Emergency” and the establishment of a Policy Development Group.  The report, at Appendix A, detailed short-term and long-term proposals which would be developed further and progressed through the appropriate decision making channels of Cabinet and/or Council.  This was a long-term programme and recommendations which may not be affordable or practical in the immediate term, may be achievable later in the programme.

 

During debate the following points were noted:

  • Councillor Evans stressed the use of the word “Emergency” and noted that the current state of affairs had been caused by previous actions and industry and technology companies blocking more energy efficient options.  This Borough Council could not solve all the problems itself, but could make a local impact and must start working towards changes as soon as possible.

 

RESOLVED

 

To NOTE the progress to date made by the Climate Emergency Policy Development Group.

 

CO55

REVIEW OF POLLING DISTRICTS AND POLLING PLACES pdf icon PDF 110 KB

The Chief Executive to submit a report which notes that every council in England and Wales must undertake and complete a review of all of the polling districts and polling places in its area every five years.

 

This report seeks authority to approve the proposals made as a result of the Polling Place Review which was undertaken In accordance with the Electoral Registration and Administration Act 2013.

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The Chief Executive introduced the report and provided a brief summary.  He also thanked the staff that supported the recent election and in particular Adele Wylie, Director for Governance and Regulatory Services, who had provided exceptional leadership and support.  The Chief Executive thanked Sally Renwick, Elections Manager, who would be leaving the Council on Christmas Eve following 30 years of dedicated service.

 

Councillor Freer-Jones moved the recommendations in the report and Councillor Orson seconded the recommendations.

 

RESOLVED

 

1)    To APPROVE the proposals in respect of this review as set out in Appendix A.

 

2)    To DELEGATE authority to the Returning Officer to make, where necessary alterations to the designation of any Polling Place prior to the next full review in consultation with Ward Members and Group Leaders.

 

CO56

APPOINTMENT OF SUBSTITUTES 2019 20 pdf icon PDF 104 KB

The Director for Governance and Regulatory Services and Monitoring Officer to submit a report which requests approval for nominations for substitutes on the Audit and Standards Committee and an amendment to the Substitute Procedure Rules

 

Minutes:

The Director for Governance and Regulatory Services introduced the report and provided a brief summary.

 

Councillor Freer-Jones moved the recommendations in the report and Councillor Orson seconded the recommendations.

 

RESOLVED

 

1)    To APPROVE the Group Leaders’ nominations of substitutes for Audit and Standards Committee for 2019/20 as set out at paragraph 3.4 of the report.

 

2)    To APPROVE the minor amendment to the Substitute Procedure Rules as detailed in paragraph 3.3 of the report.

 

CO57

CABINET RECOMMENDATIONS TO COUNCIL pdf icon PDF 102 KB

To receive a report from the Cabinet on recommendations referred to the Council for determination

Additional documents:

Minutes:

1)    Mid-Year Report on the Treasury Management Activities and Prudential Indicators 2019/20.

 

The Portfolio Holder for Corporate Finance and Resources introduced and moved the recommendations in the report.  The Portfolio Holder highlighted the continuing difficult economic environment; the introduction of the statutory override to mitigate the effect of any fluctuations in investments on the General Fund; the higher than expected return on investments due to higher reserves than predicted; and that the Capital Funding requirement remained static and total debt position remained unchanged.

 

The recommendations were seconded by Councillor Orson.

 

During debate the following points were noted:

·         The conclusion of the General Election had had a positive impact on the Stock Market, this would take some time to filter through to the return on investments and would have some impact on the return currently being achieved, but it was unlikely to be significant.

 

RESOLVED

 

To APPROVE the recommendations from Cabinet:

 

a)    That the mid-year position on treasury activity for 2019-20 be noted.

b)    That the mid-year position on the prudential indicators for 2019-20 be approved.

c)    To approve that a new Treasury Management Provision Reserve be established from 2019/20, with delegated authority given to the Director for Corporate Services to determine the affordable amount to contribute into this each year during the statutory override period.

 

2)    Infrastructure Funding with Leicestershire County Council

 

The Leader introduced and moved the recommendations in the report.  The Leader highlighted that for generations people had been talking about the congestion in Melton.  In 2016 the Council started working with the County on submitting a business case to Government.  Two years later £50 million was secured to support construction of the Northern and Eastern sections.  In February this year a further £15million had been secured to support the Southern section.  The Leader paid tribute to the former MP, Sir Alan Duncan who played a pivotal role in securing both bids.  The total cost of the road would be approximately £100million, the significant local contribution of £35million would be funded through income generated by growth and developer contributions.  Over the last year the Council had been working with Leicestershire County Council to agree an infrastructure funding agreement to support and share the risks associated with meeting these costs.  The report set out the components of the agreement that had been reached.  It meant that Melton Borough Council would make a contribution of £6million up to 2035 from the benefits of growth from income received from new homes.  He confirmed that there was protection for the Medium Term Financial Strategy as only income over and above that required to support core services would be used and there would be the opportunity to review the agreement should funding streams change.  The agreement balanced the desire to support infrastructure investment in Melton with prudence and protection for the future of the Council.  All members had had the opportunity to understand the details of discussions and the basis of the agreement through informal meetings. 

 

Councillor Higgins seconded the recommendation in the  ...  view the full minutes text for item CO57

 

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