Agenda and draft minutes

Apologies for absence were received from Councillors Mason and Pritchett.

 

 

To confirm the Minutes of the previous meeting held on 18 April 2024.

The Minutes of the meeting held on 18 April 2024 were confirmed.

 

(23 For, 0 Against, 1 Abstention)

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

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

 

The Mayor gave an update on events he has attended since the last Council meeting.

 

·                 Stamford Civic parade and Service attended by the Deputy Mayor

·                 St Georges Day Parade attended by the Mayor

·                 Men's international cicle classic race attended by the Mayor

·                 80 D Day service and parade attended by the Mayor

 

The Mayor then made the following speech:

 

Honorary Aldermen, Guests, Fellow Councillors, Ladies & Gentlemen, these last two years have passed so quickly and although I feel a degree of sadness it is coming to an end, it will be good to have a rest! 

 

I would like to thank my wife, Jane, for all her support and encouragement throughout my term of office, for standing by me with weekends and evening events taking over our time alongside the running of the farm and our family life, I really could not have done it without her. Thank you.

 

The Mayoress and I have found it a hugely rewarding experience though and we have been very grateful for the opportunity to meet so many interesting people and visit such a variety of places, the memories will stay with us for a long time to come.

 

I have enjoyed and benefited from meeting other Civic Heads in Leicestershire and neighbouring districts; it is the people you meet that make the event so special.

 

There have been many highlights of my two years in office; and one of my proudest events was hosting the Platinum Jubilee of HM Queen Elizabeth II, in May 2022, though this was sadly followed by her death in September 2022 and my reading of the Proclamation for King Charles III and that led to the Coronation in May 2023.

 

On this final day in office as Mayor, I wish to thank all the people, organisations, and businesses of Melton Borough who continue to welcome and support the role of Mayor in our community, all invitations to the Mayor are important as someone has thought it worthwhile to invite you.

 

I would like to thank Councillors, past and present, for their support and I must extend my appreciation to Officers and Staff of this Council for their help and advice during the year and in managing the Mayoral diary and events.  I would especially like to express my thanks to Malise Graham, who, as you all know has now stepped down after 37 years from being a ward councillor, his guidance and advice has been invaluable having 3 years of Mayoralty experience to draw on. Thank you.

 

I would like to also pass my thanks, to Reverend Mary Barr from St Mary’s Parish Church, Pastor Neal Swettenham from the Melton Vineyard church and Reverend Ruth Simpson, Superintendent Minister Melton Mowbray Methodist Circuit, who have guided and assisted me on numerous occasions including the Christmas Carol Service, Armed Forces Fly the Flag service and in saying prayers at Full Council. Thank you

 

I would like to pass my thanks and appreciation to the support of the Royal Air Force  ...  view the full minutes text for item CO4

a) To elect the Mayor for the Municipal Year 2024/25.

b) To invest the Mayor and consort.

 

(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 Allnatt proposed Councillor Webster be elected Mayor of the Borough until the Annual Council meeting in 2025. Councillor Browne seconded the motion.

 

Council

 

RESOLVED

 

that Councillor Webster be elected Mayor of the Borough of Melton for the period until the Annual Council meeting in 2025.

 

(24 For, 0 Against, 0 Abstention)

 

The Mayor signed the Declaration of Acceptance of Office and he and his consort, Mrs Sally-Anne Webster, were invested with the Chains of Office. Once invested, the Mayor gave the following speech:

 

Distinguished guests, fellow Councillors, Ladies and Gentlemen,firstly, may I thank my fellow Councillors and my proposer, Cllr Pip Allnatt and seconder, Cllr Ronan Browne for their support and the trust they have placed in me, for the election of Mayor of the Borough of Melton.

 

I wish to pay tribute to Alan and Jane the out-going Mayor and Mayoress for the way in which they have carried out their numerous duties over the last 2 years above and beyond. It has been a pleasure for me and Sally-Anne to serve as your deputies for this last year, representing yourselves on several occasions throughout the year and we thank you, for all your help, advice and support in preparing us for our year as Mayor and Mayoress of the Borough of Melton.

 

Councillor Glancy proposed a vote of thanks to the outgoing Mayor and Mayoress, Councillor Allnatt seconded the proposal.

 

Council confirmed the vote of thanks to the retiring Mayor and Mayoress.

 

The new Mayor Councillor Webster then made his announcements.

 

Thank you all again.

 

Myself and my wife, Sally-Anne, are honoured to have the opportunity to promote all that is best in the Borough and the town of Melton Mowbray and all they have to offer.

 

I can promise you, that I wear this chain with great pride, and I pledge to uphold the dignity and honour that this position demands, and I look forward to severing and promoting all that is best within the Borough and the Town of Melton Mowbray. 

 

Having come from a Melton family, born, and bred, anyone who knows me, knows I am very passionate about Melton and will champion Melton wherever possible to my best ability.

 

My chosen charities are:

-        Belvoir Cricket & Countryside Trust – I invite Michael Cooke to come forward and make a 5 minute presentation, there is a short video for you to watch.

Representatives from the Belvoir Cricket & Countryside Trust gave a short presentation and a video was played.

 

-        Prostaid cancer support group – and I invite Rob White to come forward and make a 5 minute presentation.

Rob White of Prostaid gave a presentation to Council.

 

I am sure these charities are very well known to you all and I hope you agree that they deserve all the support we can give. 

 

I would also like to give thanks to Richard Griffith from Samworth Brothers for producing a ceremonial pork pie for the new mayor, which you will be able to sample  ...  view the full minutes text for item CO5

a) To elect the Deputy Mayor for the Municipal Year 2024/25.

b) To invest the Deputy Mayor and Consort.

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

Councillor R Browne proposed Councillor S Atherton be elected Deputy Mayor of the Borough until the Annual Council meeting in 2025. Councillor Allnatt seconded the motion.

 

Council

 

RESOLVED

 

that Councillor S Atherton be elected Deputy Mayor of the Borough of Melton for the period until the Annual Council meeting in 2025.

 

(23 For, 0 Against, 2 Abstentions)

 

Councillor S Atherton signed the Declaration of Acceptance of Office and she and her consort, Councillor I Atherton, were invested with the Chains of Office. Councillor S Atherton gave thanks for her election as Deputy Mayor.

 

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 Leader’s 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.

The Leader asked that:

 

Council noted the Deputy Leader, Cabinet Membership, the Portfolio Holders and the Scheme of Delegation is unchanged for the new municipal year.

 

The Leader gave thanks to the following:

 

• Councillor Alan Hewson for his work in the role of Mayor over the past year, as well as the support provided by the Mayoress. Helen Ainge behind the scenes and ensuring the Mayor knew where he ought to be.
• The new Mayor, Councillor Tim Webster and his consort Sally-Ann for the past year and high hopes for the coming one.
• Councillor Siggy Atherton for agreeing to become Deputy Mayor and to her consort, Councillor Ian Atherton for his support.
• The Caretaking team for helping to make this building tick, they are always cheerful, helpful, the first to come and the last to leave.
• The Election Services team and the wider team who ran the recent election and count for the Police and Crime Commissioner so efficiently. Melton was the first to declare the result on the Friday.
• The Leader also gave thanks to the many hundreds of residents who contribute so much to the life of the local communities. Most are unpaid, self-sacrificing, and dedicated to the job in hand. Without this volunteer army, so much of what we value would not be possible.
• The Leader congratulated to the re-elected Police and Crime Commissioner in the recent election.
• Thanks, were also given to 3 staff members as they leave the Council: Amelia Bailey, David Hayton-Hill and Pranali Parikh. We wish them all well.

 

The Leader then reflected on the past year and his consideration of the next one. He started by stating that the past year started with the tail end of the previous administration, an election with many new faces, new partnerships and for officers a period of upheaval and uncertainty. The year has been one of consolidation, preparation and focusing on both urgent issues and big-ticket items.  The coming year will continue some of that but with more detail, turning strategies into policies and policies into actions.

 

The Leader stated that on taking office, it was clear that in the short term the general position was stable but in the medium to long term it was precarious, based upon the Council’s resources and regulation by central Government. The administration agreed to not over commit on revenue or running cost expenditure, minimise drawing down from reserves, seek additional external funding and Government grants. The approach continues into this year.

 

Debt, post COVID was too high on the Housing Revenue Account. By devoting more resources this is now coming down. In doing this the Council have also been active in supporting tenants in financial difficulty. Officers are working with other agencies and charities to achieve this aim. Naturally this work will continue.

 

Part of the financial environment is of course asset management including the disposal of assets. Due to insufficient staff, record keeping and monitoring has been poor in recent years. This problem has been recognised with  ...  view the full minutes text for item CO7

To receive a report to consider:

 

a) The appointment of the Scrutiny Committee and Standing Committees of the Council for the Municipal Year 2024/25.

 

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 2024/25.

 

c) Approval of the political balance calculation.

 

d) Approval of the allocation of committee seats to political groups, non-aligned Members and membership of each committee for the Municipal Year 2024/25.

 

e) Election of Chairs and Vice Chairs of Committees for the Municipal Year 2024/25.

The Monitoring Officer introduced the report the political balance and allocation of seats to political groups. Councillor Allnatt moved the recommendations of the report and Councillor Glancy seconded the motion.

 

RESOLVED

 

Council 

 

2.1 APPOINTED the Scrutiny Committee and Standing Committees as set out in paragraph 5.1.1 for the municipal year 2024/25;

 

2.2 ESTABLISHED an additional Licensing Committee as detailed in Appendix D (Exempt document by virtue of Paragraph 5 of Part 1 of Schedule 12a of the Local Government Act 1972);

 

2.3 AGREED the terms of reference and number of voting places on the Scrutiny Committee, Standing Committees and newly established Licensing Committee as detailed at paragraphs 5.1.2 – 5.1.4 for the municipal year 2024/25;

 

2.4 APPROVED the political balance calculation at paragraphs 5.2.1 – 5.2.4;

 

2.5 APPROVED the allocation of seats on the Committees as set out in paragraph 5.3.1 and Working Groups as set out in paragraph 5.4.1.

 

2.6 RECEIVED nominations and make appointments to Committees and Working Groups as notified by the Group Leaders and set out in Appendix A;

 

2.7 AUTHROISED the Monitoring Officer to:

 

2.7.1     give effect to the wishes of the group in relation to adjustments to committee appointments where properly notified in accordance with Regulation 13 of the Local Government (Committees and Political Groups) Regulations 1990;

 

2.7.2     amend the Constitution to reflect the role of the newly established Licensing Committee;

 

2.8 APPOINTED non-aligned members to their allocation of seats on Committees and Working Groups as set out in Appendix A;

 

2.9 ELECTED the Chairman and Vice Chairman for each of the Committees as set out below.

 

2.9.1 Councillor Higgins was elected Chair of Audit & Standards Committee with Councillor Mason as the Vice Chair;

 

2.9.2 Councillor Allnatt was elected Chair of the Employment Committee with Councillor Glancy elected as Vice Chair;

 

2.9.3 Councillor Carter was elected Chair of the Licensing Committee (Taxi and General) with Councillor Lumley elected as Vice Chair;

 

2.9.4 Councillor Carter was elected Chair of the Licensing Committee (Alcohol and Gambling) with Councillor Lumley elected as Vice Chair;

 

2.9.5 Councillor Thwaites was elected Chair of the Planning Committee with Councillor Mason elected as Vice Chair; and

 

2.9.6 Councillor Brown was elected Chair of the Scrutiny Committee with Councillor Thwaites elected as the Vice Chair.

 

(Unanimous)

The Council is to receive a report to confirm the Council’s Constitution and agree the Officer Scheme of Delegation.

The Monitoring Officer introduced a report on the Scheme of Delegation and the Constitution. Councillor Allnatt moved the recommendations of the report and Councillor Glancy seconded the motion.

 

RESOLVED

 

Council

 

(1)  APPROVED the Officer Scheme of Delegation.

 

(2)  CONFIRMED the Constitution.

 

(Unanimous)

 

The Council is to receive a report on the proposed programme of meetings for the Municipal Year 2024/25.

The Monitoring Officer introduced the report on the Programme of Meetings for the Municipal Year 2024/25. Councillor Allnatt moved the recommendations of the report and Councillor Glancy seconded the motion.

 

RESOLVED

 

Council

 

APPROVED the Programme of Meetings for the Municipal Year 2024/25 (Appendix A).

 

(Unanimous)

 

The Council is to receive a report which asks Members to consider nominations for representatives to serve on outside bodies.

The Monitoring Officer introduced the report on appointments to outside bodies and working groups.

 

There was an amendment to the appointment of the Police and Crime Commissioner representative. Councillor Cox was appointed in place of the Leader, Councillor Allnatt.

 

Councillor Allnatt moved the recommendations of the report and Councillor Glancy seconded the motion with the amendment.

 

RESOLVED

 

Council

 

2.1  NOTED the appointments in Column A of Appendix A (designated according to the role/portfolio holder/ward member).

 

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

 

(For 18, Against 0, Abstentions 7)