Agenda and draft minutes

Apologies for absence were received from Councillors Browne, S. Orson and Pritchett.

To confirm the Minutes of the meeting held on 8 February 2024.

The Minutes of the meeting held on 8 February 2024 were approved as a correct record subject to the following amendments:

Under Declarations of Interest, CO52, the words ‘which they rent out’ are added to the sentence ‘Councillor Gordon declared a disclosable pecuniary interest in relation to Minute Number CO61, as a family member owns a second property’.

Under the Leader’s Announcements, CO54, the sentence, ‘the Leader thank the Mayor’ is altered to ‘the Leader thanked the Mayor’.

Under the Leader’s Announcements, CO54, the sentence ‘he explained that he had prevented Waterfield from closing indefinitely’ is altered to ‘he explained that we had prevented Waterfield from closing indefinitely’.

Under the Leader’s Announcements, CO54, the sentence ‘the meeting was positive and he thanked the PCC for a very reasonable approach’ is altered to ‘the meeting was positive, the Leader had been thanked for his very reasonable approach and he had thanked the PCC’.

Under Questions from Members, CO56, the sentence ‘in responding, the Leader stated that the business is in his and Councillor Butcher’s ward’ is altered to ‘in responding, the Leader stated that the business is in Councillor Atherton’s and Councillor Butcher’s ward’.

Under Questions from Members, CO56, the sentence ‘the Leader thanked Councillor Evans and Councillor Simon Orson for the practical help provided during both recent storm floods’ is altered to ‘the Leader thanked Councillors Evans, Simon Orson and Sharp during recent storm floods’.

Under Questions from Members, CO56, the sentence ‘the Leader stated that spending £50,000 from reserves’ is altered to ‘the Leader stated that spending £50,000 across the Borough from reserves’.

Under Questions from Members, CO56, the following words ‘However, the parish had withdrawn the request’ is added to the sentence ‘it was arranged for Councillor Thwaites to attend’.

(For 24, Against 0, Abstentions 1)

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

An other registerable interest in respect of Councillor J. Orson was noted as being on record for any matters which relate to the Leicestershire County Council.

The Mayor informed Council that, as Mayor, he had attended the Level 1 Personal Development Diploma presentation at Phoenix House on 15 February 2024.

The Leader began his announcements by congratulating the MBC football team one winning 2-0 against Leicester. The match was played for the Arthur Rafferty Sach fund and raised £180.

The Leader informed Members that the Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) had written to the Council stating that it will receive £564k of grant funding for the capital element of establishing food waste collections.

The District Councils Network has also written providing advice, as it recognises that the new burdens funding is not enough for most Councils. The Leader stated that the allocation is insufficient and the Council intends to challenge it.

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

One question has been received.

Deadline for questions – Thursday 15 February, 12pm.

One question had been received from Mr Peter Faulkner. He asked the Portfolio Holder for Governance, Environment and Regulatory, Councillor Glancy the following:

“I understand that when there is a motion for a general uplift in Councillor allowances that members are permitted to debate and vote on these but when it is a matter of an additional allowance for a specific Councillor is it correct that the particular Councillor must declare an interest and leave the room and not take part in any debate or vote on the motion?”

In response the Portfolio Holder stated that a strict legal process applies to making Schemes of Allowances for Councillors and that the Council must appoint a Panel of independent people to meet, consider Councillors’ duties and prepare a report recommending the appropriate level of allowances. The Council must publish those recommendations and have regard to them when making its Scheme. The law requires Full Council to make the Scheme and, in common with other decisions made by a local authority, this takes place in a public meeting and must be decided by a majority of those members present and voting. 

The Portfolio Holder added that a Scheme may pay additional allowances to Councillors with special responsibilities, such as being Chair of a Committee.  The law also allows a Scheme to include an index for reviewing allowances each year, for a maximum of four years.  The Council’s current scheme is due to be reviewed later this year and, again, the Independent Remuneration Panel will support the council with this process.

The second part of Mr Faulkner’s question was hypothetical making it difficult for the Portfolio Holder to respond to it in anything other than general terms.  They stated that all members are bound by requirements to declare interests at the appropriate time and details of this are set out in the Council’s Code of Conduct, including the requirement to leave the room where an agenda item directly relates to such an interest. The Monitoring Officer is available to provide advice to individual members on such matters as they may arise.

Mr Faulkner chose to ask a supplementary question in which he stated that there had been an occasion previously that Members had voted on their own allowances. He asked the Portfolio Holder to make assurances that this wouldn’t happen again in the future. In response, the Portfolio Holder made assurances that this wouldn’t occur.

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 have been received.

Deadline for questions – Thursday 15 February

No questions from Members were received.

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.

No motions on notice were received.

The Portfolio Holder for Corporate Finance, Property and Resources is to provide the Council Tax Setting 2024/25 report.

The Portfolio Holder for Corporate Finance, Property and Resources introduced the report and moved the recommendation. The Leader seconded the motion.

During the debate, a few comments, unrelated to the report, were made on flooding.

RESOLVED

Council

Noted the calculations and set the Council Tax for the year 2024/25 made in accordance with the requirement set out in the Local Government Finance Act 1992.

The above resolution was considered through a recorded vote as follows:

FOR THE MOTION (23)

Adcock, Allnatt, I Atherton, S Atherton, Brown, Butcher, Carter, Child, Clay, Cliff, Cox, Cumbers, Evans, Glancy, Gordon, Graham, Hewson, Higgins, Lumley, Mason, Sharp, Thwaites, Webster

AGAINST THE MOTION (0)

ABSTAINING FROM THE MOTION (2)

Freer, J Orson