Agenda and minutes

Apologies for absence were received from Councillors Child, Evans and Pearson.

Members are asked to agree to vary Part 1, Section 17.3 of the Council’s Meetings Procedure Rules for this meeting only to allow for voting by the consent of the room.

Members were asked to agree to vary Part 1, Section 17.3 of the Council’s Meetings Procedure Rules for this meeting only to allow for voting by the consent of the room.

Councillor Orson moved the recommendation and Councillor Higgins seconded.  A vote was taken by show of hands and it was

RESOLVED

That Part 1, Section 17.3 of the Council’s Meetings Procedure Rules be varied for that meeting only to allow for voting by the consent of the room.

To confirm the minutes of the Council meeting held on 24 March 2021.

The minutes of the meeting held on 24 March 2021 were confirmed and authorised to be signed by the Mayor.

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

A personal interest in respect of County Councillors Orson and Posnett was noted as being on record for any matters which related to the Leicestershire County Council.

The outgoing Mayor, Councillor Graham

·         Referred to the last 15 months of the pandemic and the fire that destroyed the Council offices on Nottingham Road in 2008, and paid tribute to how Councillors and Officers working together as a team were able to create a Council that dealt with life-changing issues such as these whilst serving the people of the Borough and thanked Members for their support as Mayor

·         Paid tribute to his wife, Pam, who had supported him as Mayoress and gave thanks for the flowers that were delivered to their home and which were not able to be presented during the meeting due to covid restrictions

·         Thanked the Democratic Services Team for their support and thanked Victoria Clarke for arranging the staff party held in July 2019

·         Thanked his family for joining him in the sky jump in aid of his charity, Rainbows Children’s Hospice

·         Thanked Councillor Peter Faulkner and his wife, Elaine for their support as deputies

a)    To elect the Mayor for the Municipal Year 2021/22.

b)    To invest the Mayor and Mayoress.

(New Mayor in the Chair)

c)     The new Mayor to give thanks for their election.

d)    To receive a vote of thanks for the retiring Mayor.

e)    The new Mayor to make any announcements.

Councillor Cumbers proposed Councillor Faulkner be elected Mayor of the Borough until the Annual Meeting in 2022. Councillor Orson seconded the motion. 

RESOLVED

That Councillor Faulkner be elected Mayor of the Borough of Melton for the period until the Annual Meeting in 2022.

The Mayor signed the Declaration of Acceptance of Office and he and his consort, Mrs Elaine Faulkner, were invested with the Chains of Office.  Councillor Faulkner gave thanks for his election and announced that his nominated charity would be ‘Young Lives vs Cancer’ (previously known as CLIC Sargent). A short film explaining the work of the charity was shown.

Councillor Holmes proposed and Councillor Smith seconded a vote of thanks for Councillor Graham as the retiring Mayor.

a)    To elect the Deputy Mayor for the Municipal Year 2021/22.

b)    To invest the Deputy Mayor and Deputy Mayoress.

c)     The Deputy Mayor to give thanks for their election.

Councillor Holmes proposed Councillor Hewson be elected Deputy Mayor of the Borough until the Annual Meeting in 2022. Councillor Steadman seconded the motion. 

Councillor Orson also gave a short statement in support of the nomination.

RESOLVED

That Councillor Hewson be elected Deputy Mayor of the Borough of Melton for the period until the Annual Meeting in 2022.

The Deputy Mayor signed the Declaration of Acceptance of Office and he and his consort, Mrs Jane Hewson, were invested with the Chains of Office. Councillor Hewson gave thanks for his election.

The Council is requested to note the appointment of the Deputy Leader as may be announced by the Leader.

The Council is requested to note the appointment of members of the Cabinet as may be announced by the Leader.

The Council is requested to note the Cabinet Portfolios as may be announced by the Leader.

The Council is requested to note the Leaders Scheme of Delegation.

The Leader to provide a verbal review of the last municipal year and to report on the proposed policies of the Council for the forthcoming year.

Councillors Cumbers and Fisher made a statement concerning their support of the Leader of the Council.

The Leader congratulated the Mayor and Deputy Mayor on their election and thanked Councillors Cumbers and Fisher for their support and said: 

‘In keeping with public health requirements I will keep my review of the year relatively brief, before moving on to confirm the appointments to the Council’s Cabinet.

It has been a year like no other, and I have said many times how proud I am of how this Council responded to the covid crisis. We have saved lives and protected livelihoods, delivering 3,000 food parcels, 300 medical supplies, and nearly £19m in business grants. We hosted 48 remote meetings and following the ridiculous decision not to allow those to continue, we have organised a covid-secure Annual Meeting and installed new audio visual equipment to ensure the public can continue to watch our meetings on YouTube.

Earlier this month, our incredible elections team ran a covid-secure combined election for the County Council, Police and Crime Commissioner and 4 Neighbourhood Planning Referendums. We should never under estimate the amount of work involved in running an election in normal circumstances, but to do so during a pandemic is an incredible effort. I thought it all went very smoothly and whilst I know accuracy is more important than speed, I couldn’t help but enjoy seeing Melton being one of the fastest in the County to declare its results.

Other notable achievements over the last year include implementing the new digital customer self-service platform IEG4, and the continued improvement in our housing services, as we reverse the chronic decline in the quality of Council homes. This will remain a priority, as well as developing a programme to start building Council homes again.

To support the economic recovery, working with Brooksby Melton College, and the Livestock Market, we have launched a trailblazing Food Enterprise Centre and will shortly be launching a new Discover Melton website and destination map to promote all the area has to offer. We are developing a new, longer term town centre strategy, as well as providing more immediate investment in signage, floral displays and repainting the street furniture. Investment is also going into the Country Park to ensure it continues to be recognised as one of the jewels in Melton’s crown.

On infrastructure, we were one of only 15 areas to secure Reopening our Railways funding as we develop a business case for improvements between Melton and Nottingham. Discussions on the MMDR investment have continued throughout, and we will do what we can to help, but ultimately the decision whether to accept the Housing Infrastructure Funding rests with the County Council and we wait on them for next steps.

The leisure sector has been badly affected by the pandemic and we have had to provide significant financial support to Everyone Active to enable our leisure centres to stay open. This reinforces the importance of our plans to find a sustainable future for  ...  view the full minutes text for item CO8

To receive a report from the Monitoring Officer to consider:

a)    The appointment of the Scrutiny Committee and Standing Committees of the Council for the Municipal Year 2021/22.

b)    Approval of the terms of reference and number of voting places on the Scrutiny Committee and Standing Committees of the Council for the Municipal Year 2021/22.

c)     Approval of the political balance calculation.

d)    Approval of the allocation of committee seats to political groups and membership of each committee for the Municipal Year 2021/22.

e)    Election of Chairs and Vice Chairs of Committees for the Municipal Year 2021/22.

The Monitoring Officer provided a brief introduction to the report and introduced the following:

(a)  the appointment of the Scrutiny Committee and Standing Committees of the Council for the Municipal Year 2021/22;

(b)  approval of the terms of reference and number of voting places on the Scrutiny Committee and Standing Committees of the Council for the Municipal Year 2021/22;

(c)   approval of the political balance calculation;

(d)  approval of the allocation of committee seats to political groups and membership of each committee for the Municipal Year 2021/22;

(e)  election of Chairs and Vice Chairs of Committees for the Municipal Year 2021/22.

Councillor Orson moved the recommendations as set out in the report and Councillor Higgins seconded.

RESOLVED

Council:

(1)  Appointed the Scrutiny Committee and Standing Committees as set out in paragraph 5 of the report for the Municipal Year 2021/22;

(2)  Agreed the terms of reference and number of voting places on the Scrutiny Committee and Standing Committees as detailed at paragraph 5 of the report for the Municipal Year 2021/22;

(3)  Approved the political balance calculation set out at paragraph 5.2 of the report;

(4)  Approved the allocation of committee seats to political groups as set out in paragraph 5.2 of the report and notes the membership of each committee as set out in Appendix A;

(5)  Approved election of Chairmen and Vice Chairmen of Committees as set out at Appendix B.

The Monitoring Officer is to submit a report on the scheme of delegation and amendments to the Constitution.

The Monitoring Officer provided a brief introduction on the scheme of delegation and significant amendments proposed to the Constitution.

Councillor Orson moved the recommendations as set out in the report and Councillor Higgins seconded.

RESOLVED

Council :

(1)  Confirmed the Constitution and agreed the Officer Scheme of Delegation;

(2)  Approved the proposed amendments to the Constitution as detailed in Paragraph 5 of the report;

(3)  Approved the appointment of the Director for Corporate Services as the Senior Information Risk Owner;

(4)  Appointed the Assistant Director for Governance and Democracy as Data Protection Officer;

(5)  Authorised the Monitoring Officer to incorporate the revisions and changes above into the Council’s Constitution and make any minor/legislative changes as required.

The Portfolio Holder for Corporate Finance and Resources is to provide a report, the purpose of which is to approve proposed amendment to the Council’s Contract Procedure Rules.

The Portfolio Holder for Corporate Governance, Finance and Resources provided a brief introduction to the report, the purpose of which was to approve proposed amendment to the Council’s Contract Procedure Rules.

Councillor de Burle moved the recommendation as set out in the report and Councillor Orson seconded.

RESOLVED

Council :

Approved the updated Contract Procedure Rules as set out at Appendix A (summarised at paragraph 5 of the report) with immediate effect.

The Monitoring Officer to submit a report on the proposed Calendar of Meetings for the Municipal Year 2021/22.

The Monitoring Officer provided a brief introduction on the proposed programme of meetings for the municipal year 2021/22.

Councillor Orson moved the recommendation as set out in the report and Councillor Higgins seconded.

RESOLVED

Council :

Approved the programme of meetings for the municipal year 2021/22 as set out at Appendix A of the report.

The Monitoring Officer to submit a report which asks Members to consider nominations for representatives to serve on outside bodies.

The Monitoring Officer provided a brief introduction to the report which considered nominations for representatives to serve on outside bodies.

Councillor Orson moved the recommendations as set out in the report and Councillor Higgins seconded.

RESOLVED

Council :

(1)  Noted the appointments in Column A of Appendix A (designated according to the role/portfolio holder/ward member);

(2)  Appointed representatives to serve on the outside bodies and working groups listed at Appendix A (other than those in Column A).

The Monitoring Officer to submit a report on the Independent Person Recruitment.

The Monitoring Officer provided a brief introduction to the recent Independent Person Recruitment.

Councillor Orson moved the recommendations as set out in the report and Councillor Higgins seconded.

RESOLVED

Council:

(1)    Appointed the following people as Independent Persons to perform the roles set out in section 28(7) of the Localism Act 2011 and the Local Authorities (Standing Orders) (England)(Amendment) Regulations 2015 with effect from 25 May 2021 for a four year term of office until Annual Council in May 2025:

(a)  Mr Michael Gibson

(b)  Mr Richard Gough

(c)  Mr Michael Pearson

(d)  Mr Laurence Faulkner

(e)  Mr Mark Shaw

(2)    Noted the appointment of Mr Gordon Grimes that had been previously approved and authorised that the appointment Mr Gordon Grimes would continue from this point until Annual Council in May 2025 in order to synchronise all terms of office.