Agenda and minutes

Apologies for absence were received from Councillors Chandler, Hurrell, and Lumley.  The Leader gave apologies for late attendance on behalf of Councillor Pearson.

To confirm the minutes of the meeting held on 22 February 2018.

Subject to the following amendment, the minutes of the meeting held on 22 February 2018 were confirmed and authorised to be signed by the Mayor:

Minute C104, para (b), page 7 to be amended to read:

Councillor Higgins referred to the minutes of  the Community  & Social Affairs Committee  held  on  23 January 2018, minute number C50: Asset of Community Value (ACV) Review – The Red Lion Car Park, Stathern. Councillor Higgins addressed  his question to the Chair of that committee, stating that there had been a number of complaints made over the way the  Council  had  dealt  with  requests  from qualifying groups to   register an amenity as an Asset of Community  Value. He asked  what steps had  been taken to improve this process.

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

Councillors Posnett, Rhodes, and Orson declared personal interests in any matters relating to the Leicestershire County Council due to their roles as  County Councillors.

The Leader referred to Councillor Pearson who would be attending the meeting later and stated Councillor Pearson would also have a personal interest having regard to his membership of the County Council.

The Mayor to present his awards to the successful nominees for the Mayor’s Awards 2018.

The Mayor

(a)  reported he had attended 24 events since the last meeting of the Council highlighting in particular the Civic Service, the Parkside Commonwealth Day Flag raising event, Melton Scouting St George’s Day service, and his visit to the Bottesford Youth Group;

(b)  referred to an invitation he had received from Dr Aman Puri, the Consul General of India to address a conference last August in Birmingham to commemorate the 70^th anniversary of the Independence of India. The Mayor stated he was delighted and honoured to welcome Dr Puri to this meeting of the Council;

(c)  referred to information received from Councillor Wyatt at the 7 February Council meeting when Members had been told that the Borough’s affiliate ship, HMS Quorn had been decommissioned in December of last year.  The Civic Officer had followed this up as the Council had not been officially notified of this event and had discovered that the Mayor of Ipswich, the ship’s other affiliate town, had been invited to and had attended a special decommissioning ceremony on 14 December.  On behalf of the Council and the Borough, the Mayor had written to the Royal Navy to express frustration and disappointment that the Council had not received a similar invitation.  A response had been received from the Royal Navy apologising sincerely for this administrative oversight and re-assuring the Mayor that the Royal Navy held all its affiliates in high regard and appreciated the support the Borough had given the Ship over the years.  An invitation had been extended to the Mayor to visit the ship and have lunch in the wardroom of HMS Nelson in Portsmouth.  The Mayor expressed his thanks to the Chief Executive and the Civic Officer for pursuing the matter on behalf of the Council;

(d)  extended his congratulations to Councillor Greenow who had completed the Brighton Marathon in just under 5 hours;

(e)  introduced the presentation of the Mayor’s Awards for 2018 and welcomed the Awardees, their nominators, family and friends to the meeting.

The Mayor's Award of Merit was given to those volunteers who have made outstanding contributions to their community; acknowledging both adult and young Citizens who have given their time and energy in helping people and showing such selfless commitment to the Borough and the communities within it.

The Mayor congratulated every winner and hoped that by accepting one of these awards they were going some way to receiving the recognition they deserved. He also hoped that through the publicity given to these Awards it would inspire others to volunteer their help for others. The nominators were also thanked for recognising the outstanding contributions made by the Awardees within their own communities and walks of life.

Awards of Merit:

Melton Community First Responders

Medical Emergency Volunteers

•           Unpaid volunteers respond to medical emergencies on behalf of East Midlands Ambulance Service providing help and reassurance to the patient, their family and friends;

•           Attends  thousands of incidents in a year, providing a very valuable and appreciated service  ...  view the full minutes text for item CO114

Members received the report of the Leader in which he gave updates on the following matters:

(a)       Early Help Review:  The Council had recently submitted its response to the County Council’s Early Help Review consultation.  Members and Officers who had contributed to the formulation of the response were thanked.  The response set out a bold offer to the County Council which would not only see them achieve their required saving in Melton but also secured the future of a more effective partnership working and created the potential for closer integration of services.  The consultation had now concluded and it was hoped that a positive response from the county would be forthcoming;

(b)       Changes to bus services in Melton:  Disappointing news had been reported last week on proposed reductions to bus services in Melton.  Centrebus intended to withdraw some of the number 14 and 15 services as well as the withdrawal of services between Melton and Corby.  The Leader stated he was aware of the initial local concern being expressed, particularly by some of the more elderly users of the service.  The County Council was already looking at this matter in some detail and this Council would offer its support in working to mitigate any negative impacts.  The Leader said he would be writing to the Managing Director of Centrebus to express the Council’s concern;

(c)        Rail connectivity to Nottingham:  The Council had submitted its business case to the LLEP for match funding to support a feasibility study into the viability of improving rail connectivity to Nottingham.  The current service was an impediment to growth and the Council wanted to see infrastructure and services improve rather than be reduced.  The outcome of the bid would be known in June and any funding would be used to establish whether there was a genuine economic argument for future investment in this area;

(d)       Local Plan:  Another positive step had been taken towards securing a Local Plan for Melton.  The Council had recently been notified of the Inspector’s package of modifications she believed necessary to make the Plan sound.  Whilst this had been a hotly debated issue, the Council was pleased that the modifications were relatively few in number and did little to alter the core aspects of the Plan.  The proposed changes would be consulted upon from early May and the Inspector would then consider any further representations before making her final determination;

(e)       Prioritisation and Governance Review:  The Leader referred to the considerable amount of work done over recent weeks to review the future direction of the Council and to improve, streamline and clarify the way in which it made decisions.  As well as holding a corporate visioning and prioritisation exercise, a Governance Development Group had been convened to reflect on the recommendations from the recent LGA Governance Review.  The Development Group was now making a number of recommendations which were due to be considered by the ad hoc Governance Committee on 30 April before being formally proposed at an Extraordinary Meeting  ...  view the full minutes text for item CO115

The Leader and Chairs of Policy Committees to answer any questions from the public of which notice has been given in accordance with Council Procedure Rule 9 of the Constitution.

No questions were received by the deadline.

There were no questions to be put.

In accordance with Procedure Rule 24.1, the Chief Executive shall report the receipt of a petition to the next meeting of the Council where there shall be no debate or comment thereon. 

No petitions were received. 

There were no petitions to report

RECOMMENDED that

(2)       Appendix A1 of the report (revised Substitute Policy) be approved, subject to the following amendment at clause 11 of the Policy

‘If sufficient notice has been given, a Member substituting on the Planning Committee will be expected to attend the Planning Site Visit and/or the Briefing.  But the Substitute Member could still take part in the Planning Committee meeting, even if they had not attended the Planning Site Visit and/or the Briefing’

And

Appendix A2 of the report (Revised Code of Conduct for Members and officers dealing with Planning matters) be approved;

The report to the Governance Committee on 27 March 2018 on the Annual Review of the Constitution and associated appendices can be found here

Governance Committee: 27 March  2018 – Minute G65: Constitution Update 2017/18

Councillor Cumbers presented the recommendation of the Governance Committee concerning an update to the Constitution and so moved the recommendation regarding the revised Substitution Policy.  Councillor Simpson seconded the motion and following a vote, the motion was carried unanimously.

RESOLVED:  that

(1)       Appendix A1 of the report (revised Substitute Policy) be approved, subject to the following amendment at clause 11 of the Policy:

‘If sufficient notice has been given, a Member substituting on the Planning Committee will be expected to attend the Planning Site Visit and/or the Briefing.  But the Substitute Member could still take part in the Planning Committee meeting, even if they had not attended the Planning Site Visit and/or the Briefing’; and

(2)       Appendix A2 of the report (Revised Code of Conduct for Members and officers dealing with Planning matters) be approved.

RECOMMENDED that the Commercial Strategy at Appendix A is adopted.

The report and Appendix A to the Policy, Finance & Administration Committee on 11 April 2018 on the Adoption of a Commercial Strategy can be found here

Policy, Finance & Administration Committee: 11 April 2018 – Minute P71: Commercial Strategy

Councillor Orson presented the recommendation from the Policy, Finance & Administration Committee concerning the formal adoption of the Council’s Commercial Strategy. 

Councillor Orson

(a)       advised that whilst the Council had managed its finances well, like all local authorities, it was under considerable pressure and therefore to remain viable needed to re-shape its approach to become more commercial.  He stressed that this was not about being reckless, but about being more business-like and this may mean taking some calculated risks.  The Council needed to recognise that borrowing to invest was going to be a fundamental component of any aspiration to either become more commercial or to positively intervene and regenerate our communities;

(b)       commented that local government had demonstrated over the last few years that it could make good commercial decisions and there were many opportunities to learn from others about what works and how additional income could be generated.  The adoption of this strategy would create a framework within which officers could begin exploring new approaches more fully.  It would create the potential to maximise the value from existing services as well as pursue new ventures which could help to meet both the Council’s social and commercial aspirations.  The development of a local authority housing company was one such venture which was under consideration.  Further new ideas would be the subject of a detailed business case and brought before Members in due course;

(c)        referred to other Councils who were also moving forward in this area, specifically the County Council who had recently bought commercial property in Nottingham and Rushcliffe Borough Council who had also acquired commercial property in Coalville.

In commending the proposal to the Council, Councillor Orson moved the recommendation on the Order Paper and this was seconded by Councillor Higgins who spoke briefly on how this fitted with the Council’s objectives.

Upon being put to the vote, the motion was carried unanimously.

RESOLVED: That the Commercial Strategy as set out in Appendix A of the report to the Policy, Finance & Administration Committee be adopted.

(a) The Chairs of Committees to answer any questions upon items of reports of Committees when those items are being received or under consideration by the Council in accordance with Council Procedure Rule 10.1 of the Constitution :-

*to follow

(b)  In accordance with Procedure Rules 10.3 and 10.5, a Member may ask the Mayor, Leader or the Chairman of any committee or sub-committee, a question on any matter in relation to which the Council has powers or duties or which affects the Melton Borough.

No questions were received by the deadline.

(a) Members had before them the reports of Committees upon which the Chairs of those Committees could be asked to answer any questions when those items were being received or under consideration by the Council in accordance with Council Procedure Rule 10.1 of the Constitution :-

(b)  Councillor Pearson apologised for his late attendance, explaining he had been at site visits for the final three bidders for the housing repairs contract;

(c)  In accordance with Procedure Rule 10.5 (c), the following question from Councillor Blase was accepted as an urgent matter due to the closure of the service coming to light after despatch of the agenda:

In light of the recent announcement of the current bus company withdrawing operating services 14 and 15 in the town, what is MBC’s plan to get the service reinstated/maintained, as this affects residents of all ages, of which this is their only means of transport into and out of town for work and leisure etc.?  For the elderly it allows for them to get out of their homes and socialise with other people in the town.

The Leader responded stating that he shared Councillor Blase’s concern about the impact on Melton.  Anything which reduced connectivity for residents, particularly the more elderly or vulnerable members of the community was something the Council should question and work to minimise the impact.  The Leader stated he would be writing to the Managing Director of Centrebus to express concern about the proposals and would be working with his County Council colleagues to see if there was a way to mitigate the impact of this proposal.

Contributions were also made by Councillors Pearson and Posnett: Councillor Pearson confirmed that consultations with Centrebus were taking place at County level and it was important that residents’ concerns were  represented and that they were kept informed.  Councillor Posnett clarified that Centrebus had notified the Traffic Commissioner of its intention to stop the Monday to Friday service, except for the last bus of the day.  The Saturday service would remain as this was subsidised.  The County Council was considering what form of transport it could provide from 1 June onwards and assured the Chief Executive she would keep him up to date with developments. 

[Councillor Pearson entered the meeting at 7.21pm during consideration of the above item.]

There were no Motions  received in accordance with Procedure Rule 11.1

There were no Motions on Notice received in accordance with Procedure Rule 11.1

[The Deputy Chief Executive had an officer interest in the following item and here left the meeting.]

The Chief Executive to submit a report regarding the appointment of a new Monitoring Officer with effect from 25 June 2018.

Councillor Orson formally advised the Council about the appointment of the two new Directors to the Council’s senior management structure.  As the new Director for Legal and Democratic Services, Ms Wylie would take on the role of the Council’s Monitoring Officer.

In seconding the motion, Councillor Higgins thanked the members of the Recruitment Committee for their work.  Upon being put to the vote, the motion was carried unanimously.

RESOLVED: In accordance with Section 5 of the Local Government and Housing Act 1989, the new incoming Director for Legal and Democratic Services, Adele Wylie, commence as the Council’s Monitoring Officer and replace the Deputy Chief Executive in this role with effect from 25 June 2018.