Agenda and minutes

Apologies for absence were received from Councillors Baguley, Freer-Jones, Hurrell, Lumley, Pearson, Posnett, and Simpson.

(a)       To confirm the minutes of the ordinary  meeting held on 26 April 2018;

(b)       To confirm the minutes of the extraordinary meeting held on 8 May 2018; and

(c)        To confirm the minutes of the Annual Meeting held on 15 May 2018.

The following sets of minutes were confirmed and authorised to be signed by the Mayor:

(1)       Full Council meeting held on 25 April 2018;

(2)       Extraordinary meeting of the Council held on 8 May 2018; and

(3)       Annual Meeting of the Council held on 15 May 2018.

In moving approval of the record of these meetings, subsequently seconded by Councillor Higgins, the Leader referred to the Annual Meeting at which the committee memberships had been determined.  The Council was asked to note that the Chief Executive had exercised his delegation for Councillor Wyatt to replace Councillor Beaken on the Governance Committee and the Governance Sub Committee 1 with effect from 17 July 2018.

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

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

The Mayor reported on her civic engagements since the Annual Meeting in May during which she

(a)       advised Members she had represented the Borough on 22 occasions both locally and further afield such as the service at Leicester Cathedral to mark the centenary of the RAF, followed a month later by a special celebration dinner at Scalford Hall hosted by the Melton branch of the Royal Air Forces Association;

(b)       spoke on how much she was enjoying all the events, highlighting a meeting last week with a couple who were embarking on a world cycling tour to promote the Prevent Breast Cancer charity.  Chris and Gabs had passed through Melton having started their challenge two days previously in Manchester despite Gabs still recovering from intensive treatment for the disease;

(c)        referred to two particularly memorable events; the Lord Lieutenant’s Final Fling at The Curve Theatre in Leicester which had been a ‘This is your life’ type format with musical entertainment to mark Lady Gretton’s retirement as HM Lord Lieutenant after 15 years of outstanding service to the county.  Lady Gretton’s successor was Mr Mike Kapur OBE, an entrepreneur from Leicester who was also closely associated with the professional sports clubs within the city and was working with them to promote sport at grass roots level to help combat anti-social behaviour.  He had already visited Melton when attending the Melton branch RAFA RAF100 Dinner. The Mayor had also accepted an invitation to attend the Final Beating Retreat and Closing Ceremony at the Defence Rehabilitation Centre at Headley Court prior to the impending move to Stanford Court near Loughborough;

(d)       mentioned the new High Sheriff for Leicestershire, Mrs Diana Thompson, lived within the Borough at Branston and was keen to be seen and support Melton where she could;

(e)       referred to her Deputy, Councillor Greenow, who would be representing her for the first time at the Leicestershire Heritage Awards in Coalville;

(f)        reminded Members that the RAVC Centenary parade would be taking place in Melton Mowbray on Friday 27 July at 11am and expressed the hope that as many people as possible would turn out to show their support and express their appreciation to the RAVC for helping to keep the town on the military map and providing employment to many local families;

(g)       thanked those who had supported her charity quiz evening in early June which had raised £670.  The Mayor particularly thanked Councillor Holmes for helping with the food for the quiz night which had been very much appreciated by the participants.

The Leader submitted his report to the Council on the following items:

(a)       the first edition of the newly revamped Members’ Bulletin which provided updates on key policy developments – one of the commitments made as part of the first phase of the governance review.  The purpose of the new Bulletin was to ensure Members were kept up to date on key policy developments and both the Leader and Chief Executive welcomed any feedback on its content.  The second phase of the Governance Review was progressing and the Governance Development group was working on identifying a number of Councils to visit with different arrangements to explore what might work best for Melton.  The group would review the findings and report back to Members in the Autumn;

(b)       the recent announcement by the County Council to pursue a single unitary council for Leicestershire was acknowledged and was the subject of two questions from Members later in the agenda.  The Leader reassured Members that it was important that issue did not become a distraction; in May the Council made some significant changes to its governance processes and also set out an ambitious delivery plan for Melton.  Good progress was being made and the Leader was determined that this should continue;

(c)        the commitment to the establishment of a Town and Place Partnership: preparation work was well underway and the steering group was to meet for the first time on 25 July.  Councillors Sheldon and Freer-Jones as Place Committee chair and vice-chair were the Council’s representatives on this group and would be working with a small number of key partners to oversee the establishment of the partnership.  Support was to be commissioned from some place marketing specialists who would undertake engagement with a much wider group and all Members would have an opportunity to feed in to the development of the partnership;

(d)       the Melton Local Plan:  the Main Modifications for the Local Plan remained subject to consultation prior to receiving the Inspector’s findings shortly afterwards;

(e)       Procurement:  the Council had recently concluded two significant procurements and was now mobilising the new waste collection and housing repairs contracts.  Both would deliver better services for residents and ensure the Council remained on a sound financial footing;

(f)        Workforce Strategy:  the new strategy had recently been adopted, reinforcing the commitment to staff who were so important to ensuring the Council could deliver its ambitions and good quality services to residents.  The Leader was pleased to welcome the two new Directors; Adele Wylie joined in June as the Director for Legal and Democratic Services, and Pranali Parikh joined in July as the Director for Growth and Regeneration.  Both Directors were now building their teams and a number of other new service managers were due to start in the next couple of months.  Given the number of recent new staff, the Leader said he would be arranging a ‘meet and greet’ in the Autumn for Members to meet the new starters and start building the all-important relationships;  ...  view the full minutes text for item CO19

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.

The Council to consider the following recommendations for approval:

Governance Committee: 12 June 2018 – Minute G81: Constitution Update 2018/19

RECOMMENDED: To approve the following for incorporation into the Council’s Constitution:

(a)       Director for Legal and Democratic Services

To note that following approval of the Senior Management Structure at Full Council on 12 December 2017 which included that a Director for Legal and Democratic Services be appointed, the Monitoring Officer has exercised his delegation to update all delegations and references in all relevant parts of the Constitution to reflect that this appointment replaces the Solicitor to the Council with effect from 11 June 2018.  

(b)       Appointment of Monitoring Officer

To note that following approval of the appointment of the Monitoring Officer to Adele Wylie by the Full Council on 25 April 2018, the Monitoring Officer has exercised his delegation to transfer all delegations and references in all relevant parts of the Constitution to Adele Wylie, the Director for Legal and Democratic Services with effect from 25 June 2018.

(c)       Part 6 – Member Allowances Scheme

To note that the Members’ Allowances Scheme for 2018/19 that was approved at Full Council on 7 February 2018 is now in place and following the recent NJC Pay Award of 2.0% the Monitoring Officer has exercised his delegated authority to update all allowances accordingly with effect from 1 April 2018 as set out at Appendix A.  The scheme has also been updated to take account of the changes to the Council’s Committee Structure approved at the Extraordinary Meeting of the Council held on 8 May 2018.

(d)       Counter Fraud and Ethical Governance Arrangements – Internal Audit  Report

To note that the Monitoring Officer had exercised his delegation to include the following two references in  the Whistleblowing Policy at Part 10 and the Officers’ Code of Conduct at Part 5 respectively of the Constitution :-

(i)         The Whistleblowing Policy should refer to the Employee Assistance service which would be available to support whistleblowers and advise that ongoing confidential support from the Monitoring Officer/Head of Internal Audit would be available throughout what could be a stressful time.

and

(ii) To review the Officer Code of Conduct and include reference to compliance with:

-Financial Procedure Rules

-Contract Procedure Rules

-Counter Fraud and Anti-Bribery policies

Also, to include a requirement to notify the Council of criminal convictions or charges received.

The report to the Governance Committee on 12 June 2018 can be found at  this link:  Constitution Update 2018/19

Governance Committee: 12 June  2018 – Minute G81: Constitution Update 2018/19

Councillor Cumbers presented the recommendations from the Governance Committee in respect of  updates to the Constitution. Before moving the recommendations en bloc, Councillor Cumbers wished to place on record her thanks to the Deputy Chief Executive, Keith Aubrey, for his support as Monitoring Officer prior to the new Director for Legal and Democratic Services taking up her post.  Councillor Faulkner seconded the motion and following a vote, the motion was carried unanimously.

RESOLVED: The following be approved for incorporation into the Council’s Constitution:

(a)       Director for Legal and Democratic Services

To note that following approval of the Senior Management Structure at Full Council on 12 December 2017 which included that a Director for Legal and Democratic Services be appointed, the Monitoring Officer has exercised his delegation to update all delegations and references in all relevant parts of the Constitution to reflect that this appointment replaces the Solicitor to the Council with effect from 11 June 2018.

(b)       Appointment of Monitoring Officer

To note that following approval of the appointment of the Monitoring Officer to Adele Wylie by the Full Council on 25 April 2018, the Monitoring Officer has exercised his delegation to transfer all delegations and references in all relevant parts of the Constitution to Adele Wylie, the Director for Legal and Democratic Services with effect from 25 June 2018.

(c)        Part 6 – Member Allowances Scheme

To note that the Members’ Allowances Scheme for 2018/19 that was approved at Full Council on 7 February 2018 is now in place and following the recent NJC Pay Award of 2.0% the Monitoring Officer has exercised his delegated authority to update all allowances accordingly with effect from 1 April 2018 as set out at Appendix A.  The scheme has also been updated to take account of the changes to the Council’s Committee Structure approved at the Extraordinary Meeting of the Council held on 8 May 2018.

(d)       Counter Fraud and Ethical Governance Arrangements – Internal Audit  Report

To note that the Monitoring Officer had exercised his delegation to include the following two references in  the Whistleblowing Policy at Part 10 and the Officers’ Code of Conduct at Part 5 respectively of the Constitution :-

(i)         The Whistleblowing Policy should refer to the Employee Assistance service which would be available to support whistleblowers and advise that ongoing confidential support from the Monitoring Officer/Head of Internal Audit would be available throughout what could be a stressful time.

And

(ii) To review the Officer Code of Conduct and include reference to compliance with:

-Financial Procedure Rules

-Contract Procedure Rules

-Counter Fraud and Anti-Bribery policies

Also, to include a requirement to notify the Council of criminal convictions or charges received.

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. 

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 of which due notice has been given.

(1)  In accordance with Procedure Rule 10.5 (b), the following question from Councillor Blase was received after despatch of the agenda:

“Following the announcement by the County Council to explore proposals for a unitary council for Leicestershire, can the Leader explain what he understands will be the implications for Melton Council’s aspirations and commitments; including the emerging Local Plan, housing strategy, relief road, our existing service contracts regarding waste and housing repairs.”

The Leader responded:

Firstly can I thank Councillor Blase for his question which follows a significant announcement from the County Council to explore the potential for a single unitary council for Leicestershire. At this stage the County Council’s proposals or justification have not yet been shared with Melton Borough Council so it is difficult to properly understand what any potential implications there might be.

In the short term, whilst inevitably we will have to commit some resources to reviewing their proposals and considering some of our own, there will be little impact and we will endeavour to maintain business as usual as far as possible. However should any structural re-organisation take place there will inevitably be some disruption and re-focussing for any new organisation that emerged and one of the great challenges of re-organisation is bringing together the different agendas, legal agreements and aspirations in to something that will work into the future.

The scale of any change cannot be under-estimated and done badly any projected savings could be quickly undermined. For now though it is important to remember that any potential change would still be some years away and at this stage any proposals need to be properly considered and robustly tested to make sure they stack up.

Melton Councillors will certainly be given the opportunity to form their own view on the proposals and I will ensure there are both informal and formal opportunities for the Council to resolve a position and then to ensure our voice is heard loud and clear in this debate.

Councillor Blasé put his supplementary question:  ‘If we go to a vote, which way will you be voting?’

The Leader responded: As a Borough Councillor?  Until all the views have been canvassed, I cannot answer that.

(2)  In accordance with Procedure Rule 10.5 (b), the following question from Councillor Graham MBE was received after despatch of the agenda:

"In view of the County Council's tight framework for their version of what they would like, with regards to a Unitary Authority, can the Leader please advise us how this Council will proceed over the coming months. and :

 a) If he would be prepared to have talks with Rutland about future working arrangements?

 b) If he is prepared, with other District  ...  view the full minutes text for item CO23

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 Director for Corporate Services to submit a report which provides a summary of the Treasury activities in 2017-18 and covers the actual position on the Prudential Indicators in accordance with the Prudential Code.

Members had before them the report by the Director for Corporate Services previously circulated with the agenda.  The Annual Treasury Report was a requirement of the Council’s reporting procedures and provided a summary of the Treasury activities in 2017/18.  The report also covered the actual position on the Prudential Indicators in accordance with the Prudential Code, providing details of the year end position for treasury activities and highlighted compliance with the Council’s policies previously approved by Members.

The Leader commended the report to Members drawing their attention to the key areas to note as summarised in the report.  He moved the recommendations as set out in the Order Paper tabled at the meeting.

In seconding the motion, Councillor Higgins thanked Councillor de Burle who had assisted in looking at the Council’s investments, referring to para c) on page 45 of the agenda pack which explained that the Council had achieved a higher rate from investment in the property fund than had been budgeted, resulting in £189K of additional income against the original budget (£43K against predicted year end position).

The motion was then put to the vote and carried unanimously.

RESOLVED:

(1)  to approve the  Treasury Management Annual Report for 2017-18, and;

(2)  the actual position on Prudential Indicators for 2017-18 be noted.