Venue: Held by remote video conference
Contact: Democratic Services
Link: YouTube Live Stream
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MAYOR'S INTRODUCTION The Mayor announced
that as the meeting was to be held as a remote conference on Zoom, any Member
participating by remote link who declared an interest in any item of business
in terms which required them to leave the room must ensure that they cannot be seen
or heard during the agenda item. He explained the
process for connection failure and that should
the link not be re-established before the end of the meeting then the
presumption would be that the meeting should continue to deal with the item
providing the meeting remains quorate. Should the meeting no longer be quorate
the meeting shall be adjourned and any remaining items of business would be
deferred. Any Member who had been absent from the debate on a particular item
due to connection failure must abstain from the vote on that item. The Mayor explained that Members would use the functionality of the software to speak and each Member would be asked in turn for their vote at the appropriate time. Should the meeting not have ended by 8 pm all those present may take part in the Clap for our Carers campaign to applaud and recognise NHS staff on the frontline against coronavirus. He advised that the meeting would be recorded and live-streamed on You Tube. |
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APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE Minutes: There were no apologies for absence. |
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DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST PDF 51 KB Members to declare any
interest as appropriate in respect of items to be considered at this meeting. Minutes: The Mayor reminded Members that they were not required to declare an interest in item 12, Review of
Members’ Allowance Scheme as there was an exemption in place that enabled them
to take part in this item. Councillors Orson, Pearson and Posnett each declared a personal interest in any matters relating to the Leicestershire County Council due to their roles as County Councillors. Councillor Holmes reported
that she would abstain from voting on the Chairs and Vice Chairs roles as she
was related to one of the Councillors nominated. |
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ELECTION OF MAYOR AND DEPUTY MAYOR To Approve that
the current arrangements for the Mayor and Deputy Mayor should remain in place
until such time as current national restrictions in relation to the Coronavirus
Pandemic are lifted or until the expiry of a period of 6 months, whichever
occurs sooner. Minutes: The Mayor handed over the Chair to the
Chief Executive who explained : ‘In
light of the current national pandemic and restrictions in relation to social
distancing, consultation has taken place with the Mayor and Deputy Mayor on
arrangements for the coming municipal year. The Mayor and Deputy Mayor are in
agreement that due to the majority of Civic Events having been cancelled at
present and uncertainty about when the Civic Calendar will be able to resume,
along with the restrictions on meetings in person and therefore the inability
to proceed with the ceremonial aspect of the Mayor making, it would be prudent
to retain the current arrangements for the time being if Council were agreeable
with this proposal.’ Councillor Orson
proposed that Council approves the
current arrangements for the Mayor and Deputy Mayor should remain in place
until such time as current national restrictions in relation to the Coronavirus
Pandemic are lifted or until the expiry of a period of 6 months, whichever
occurs sooner. Councillor Higgins
seconded the motion. RESOLVED That Council
approves the current arrangements for the Mayor and Deputy Mayor should remain
in place until such time as current national restrictions in relation to the
Coronavirus Pandemic are lifted or until the expiry of a period of 6 months,
whichever occurs sooner. (Unanimous) (The Mayor in the Chair.) |
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MAYOR'S ANNOUNCEMENTS Minutes: The Mayor · thanked Members for their support in allowing him to continue as Mayor for the time being · welcomed Members and Officers to the first virtual Council Meeting · acknowledged the NHS and all those involved in supporting the community during the current coronavirus pandemic and advised that the meeting would recognise this by pausing at 8 pm to applaud their good work · paid tribute to the groups and organisations within the Borough, officers and the waste collection service who had all continued to support individuals and the community during the pandemic · expressed his sadness for not being able to represent the Borough for the VE celebrations that were due to have been held on 8 May 2020 · thanked Keith Aubrey for his service to the Council and for requesting donations to Rainbows instead of a leaving gift and was grateful to those who had donated · advised it had been a great honour to be Mayor for the past year and he had met so many people during that time and he hoped to resume normal service as soon as possible ·
thanked Councillor Faulkner for his support as
Deputy Mayor throughout the year |
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ELECTION OF LEADER To elect the Leader of the Council for the
period until the Annual Meeting in 2023. Note: This decision will normalise the decision made
at the Annual Meeting on 16 May 2019 where the Leader should have been elected
for a period of 4 years. Minutes: The Monitoring
explained that the Council’s Constitution included provision that a Leader of
the Council should be elected for a 4 year term. At the Annual Meeting in May
2019, the Leader had been elected for one year only and she now requested that
the Council regularise the arrangement and elect a Leader with a term of office
until 2023. Councillor Browne
proposed that Councillor Joe Orson be elected Leader until 2023 and paid
tribute to his previous term as Leader and added that he believed that he was
the right person to lead the Council over the next 3 years. Councillor Faulkner
seconded the nomination. There were no other
nominations. RESOLVED that Councillor Joe
Orson be elected Leader of the Council until the Annual Meeting in 2023. (22 in favour, 6
against) |
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NOTIFICATION BY THE LEADER OF THE APPOINTMENT TO THE EXECUTIVE PDF 186 KB 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 Executive as may be announced by the Leader. The Council is requested to note the Executive Portfolios as may be announced by the Leader. The Council is requested to note the Leaders Scheme of Delegation (To follow). 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. Minutes: The Leader thanked
Members for his appointment and congratulated Councillor Evans on taking up the
leadership of the Opposition Group and added that he looked forward to working
with him for the mutual benefit of the Council. He expressed his thoughts and condolences
to those who had lost loved ones and friends to the coronavirus pandemic. He
thanked all involved at the Council in supporting residents and responding to
the many queries and calls and felt proud of the NHS, volunteers, key workers,
factory workers, neighbours and friends who were supporting people throughout
the pandemic and adhering to the government guidelines to keep people safe. The Leader stated ‘This time last year we had just emerged
from the local election and were commencing for the first time with a new form
of Cabinet governance. We approved a new brand new constitution and adopted an
entirely new set of procedure rules. I would hope members would agree with me
that for the most part these have served us well and have allowed us to conduct
our business efficiently and effectively. It is, though, always prudent to keep things
under review and mindful of the clarification the Monitoring Officer has just
made in relation to the term of appointment for the Leader, I would like to
confirm that I have asked for a report to be presented to the next Council
meeting which will seek to establish a Constitutional Review working group and
associated terms of reference. This will allow us to reflect on our experience
over the last year and make any further necessary amendments. Operating with a Cabinet system for the
first time we have seen good progress in a number of areas. We have focussed on
improving customer services, undertaking a number of service design reviews and
procured new customer engagement technology through IEG4. Despite the current
challenges, implementation of this new system is progressing well and we expect
the first phase to launch to the public in June as planned. We have fully gripped the long-standing
housing challenge and last November agreed a comprehensive Housing Improvement
Plan; representing an ambitious commitment to reinvest in our housing stock and
landlord services. Whilst we cannot be complacent, the huge amount of work done
on compliance since then has paid dividends both in terms of improving health
and safety for our tenants whilst also receiving positive validation from the
Regulator. There is much more to be done before we are satisfied and we look
forward to the Portfolio Holder and new Director continuing to lead
improvements in this important priority area. We introduced the first public spaces protection order and are taking more action now to tackle environmental crime and became the first Council in the East Midlands to secure Disability Confident Status. We have reviewed our Community Grants scheme and ensured the funding we provide better meets our local priorities and can demonstrate good value for money. We have adopted a new Debt Management Policy to ensure we get the ... view the full minutes text for item CO6 |
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POLITICAL BALANCE AND ALLOCATION OF SEATS TO POLITICAL GROUPS PDF 158 KB 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 2020/21. 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 2020/21. 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
2020/21. e)
Election of Chairs and Vice Chairs of
Committees for the Municipal Year 2020/21. Additional documents:
Minutes: The Monitoring
Officer presented her report which requested that Members approve the political balance for the
Council, elect Chairs and Vice Chairs and appoint Members to committees as well
as retain the existing scrutiny arrangements. She explained that the
recommendations had been split into 3 groups of recommendations as set out
below for Members’ consideration. Recommendations
2.1 and 2.2 Councillor Orson
proposed recommendations 2.1 and 2.2 and Councillor Higgins seconded. RESOLVED (1) To APPOINT the Scrutiny Committee and Standing
Committees as set out in paragraph 5 of the report for the Municipal Year
2020/21. (2) To AGREE the terms of reference and number of voting
places on the Scrutiny Committee and Standing Committees as detailed at paragraph
5.1 of the report for the Municipal Year 2020/21. (Unanimous) Recommendations
2.3 and 2.4 Councillor Orson
proposed revised recommendations to those in the report as there had been
dissent from Members outside of the Conservative Group with regard to the
proposal to include the non-aligned Member in the political balance
calculation. As the report clearly set
out, there must be unanimity in order to depart from the usual rules on
political balance as set out in Section 15 and 16 of the Local Government and
Housing Act 1989 and include non-aligned Members in the calculation. The
calculations set out in the report (at paragraph 5.2) represented the status
quo and showed the position if all Members agreed that the non-aligned Member
was included in the political balance calculation. As he was aware that not all
Members were in agreement with this proposal, then the motion in its current
version would fail due to lack of unanimous consensus. As a result he
presented a revision to the calculations on political balance (paragraph 5.2 of
the report) which reflected the statutory calculation regarding political
balance, and did not include the non-aligned Member in the calculations and
which could be approved through simple majority. He therefore proposed the
following revised recommendations : 2.3 Approves the political balance
calculation set out at revised paragraph 5.2 (as presented to Members at the
meeting); 2.4 Approves the allocation of committee
seats to political groups as set out in revised paragraph 5.2 and notes the
membership of each committee as set out in revised Appendix A; As mentioned these
recommendations complied with s.15 and s.16 of the 1989 Act and therefore
required a simple majority to be carried. Councillor Higgins
seconded. RESOLVED (3) To APPROVE the political balance calculation set out
at the revised paragraph 5.2 of the report as follows :
(4) To APPROVE the allocation of committee seats to political groups as set out in revised paragraph 5.2 of the report (as shown in the below table) and notes the membership of each committee as set out in revised ... view the full minutes text for item CO7 |
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MELTON BOROUGH COUNCIL CONSTITUTION To confirm the Constitution (including the Council’s Officer Scheme of Delegation at Chapter 2 – Part4). Please find link to the current version of the Council’s Constitution below: Minutes: The Monitoring Officer presented her report on the Constitution and advised that she was able to and had made minor amendments throughout the year particular around officer structures. During the pandemic she referred to use of the emergency delegated powers which had resulted from the new Coronavirus Act. She advised that a Constitutional Working Group would meet over the coming months to work on updating the Constitution further. Councillor Orson said
that in addition to confirming the Constitution he would like to add a further
proposal to the published recommendation in relation to the public speaking
rules. In order to balance the importance of providing an opportunity for
interested parties to make representations at the Planning Committee, with the
requirement to ensure that meetings are able to progress efficiently and to
maximise the decision-making capacity of the Committee, he proposed the following recommendations : 1.
That
Council confirms the Constitution (including the Council’s Officer Scheme of
Delegation at Chapter 2 – Part 4); and 2.
That
Council approves an amendment to the Public Speaking Rules (Chapter 2 – Part 9,
Section 2.8 – 2.28 MBC Constitution) to reduce the time allowed for public
speaking from four minutes to three minutes. Councillor Higgins
seconded. RESOLVED (1)
To
CONFIRM the Constitution (including the Council’s Officer Scheme of Delegation
at Chapter 2 – Part4); (2)
To
APPROVE an amendment to the Public Speaking Rules (Chapter 2 – Part 9, Section
2.8 – 2.28 MBC Constitution) to reduce the time allowed for public speaking
from four minutes to three minutes. (Unanimous) |
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PROGRAMME OF MEETINGS 2020/21 PDF 146 KB The Director for Governance
and Regulatory Services (and Monitoring Officer) to submit a report on a
proposed Calendar of Meetings for 2020/21. Additional documents:
Minutes: The Monitoring Officer presented her report on a Programme of Meetings for 2020/21 and advised that any changes would be made in consultation with the Mayor, Leader or relevant Committee Chair. Councillor Orson proposed
the programme of meetings and Councillor Higgins seconded. It was noted that
additional Planning Committee meetings may be required to accommodate the
current workload of applications. RESOLVED To APPROVE the programme of meetings for the Municipal Year 2020-2021 (Appendix A). (Unanimous) |
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APPOINTMENT OF REPRESENTATIVES ON OUTSIDE BODIES AND WORKING GROUPS PDF 142 KB The Director for Governance and Regulatory Services (and Monitoring Officer) to submit a report which asks Members to consider nominations for representatives to serve on outside bodies and working groups. Additional documents:
Minutes: The Monitoring Officer presented her report on appointment of representatives to outside bodies and working groups for 2020/21. Councillor Orson
proposed the recommendations with an amendment at 2.2 to include reference at Appendix
A at column B and to approve the appointments to the Joint Staff Working Group
as presented to Members. Councillor
Higgins seconded. RESOLVED (1) To APPROVE the appointments in Column A of
Appendix A should be designated according to the role/portfolio holder/ward
member as indicated. (2) To APPOINT representatives to serve on the
outside bodies and working groups listed at Appendix A, Column B and approves
the appointments to the Joint Staff Working Group. (Unanimous) |
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INDEPENDENT PERSONS APPOINTMENT PDF 154 KB The Monitoring Officer to submit a report on the Independent Person Panel. Minutes: The Monitoring Officer presented her report on the appointment of Independent Persons and explained that it was a requirement of the Localism Act 2011 that the Council appoints at least one Independent Person who must be consulted before decisions in respect of complaints were taken and who may be consulted by Councillors who are complained about. The report sought authority to appoint named individuals as Independent Persons who formed a pool of Independent Persons that had been through a recruitment exercise by Leicestershire District Authorities. Councillor Orson
proposed the recommendations and Councillor Higgins seconded. RESOLVED (1)
To APPOINT the following people as Independent
Persons to perform the roles set out in section 28(7) of the Localism Act 2011
with effect from 15th May 2020 until the end of the 2020/21 Council Year: (a)
Mrs Christine Howell (b)
Mr Michael Pearson (c)
Mr Richard Gough (d)
Mr Mark Shaw (2)
To NOTE that the appointment for Gordon Grimes will
remain in place. (Unanimous) |
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REVIEW OF MEMBERS' ALLOWANCE SCHEME PDF 167 KB The Director for Governance and Regulatory Services (and Monitoring Officer) to submit a report on the Review of Members’ Remuneration undertaken by the Welland Independent Remuneration Panel. Additional documents:
Minutes: The Monitoring Officer presented her report
which advised that it was a legal requirement to appoint an Independent
Remuneration Panel and seek its advice before making any changes or
amendments to the Member Allowances Scheme. The Member
Allowances Scheme was last reviewed in February 2019 in preparation for the change of governance to the Cabinet
Model. In that review the Welland Independent
Remuneration Panel (the Panel) recommended that a further review was undertaken
in January 2020 in order to evaluate the impact of the changes on the new
governance arrangements. This review was undertaken in February 2020 and the
Panel’s findings and recommendations were contained in the Panel’s report at
Appendix A. John Cade, the
Chair of the Welland Independent Remuneration Panel,
was in attendance at the meeting and presented the Panel’s findings as set out
at Appendix A. He advised that he had consulted and offered meetings with all
Members and received evidence which had helped to shape the recommendations. He
thanked the Democratic Services Manager for her support to the Panel. -oOo- At 8 pm, the Mayor invited Members to
applaud the NHS and all those who were supporting us throughout the coronavirus
pandemic -oOo- Councillor Orson
supported the Panel’s report and proposed the recommendations in the report. He
advised that he would not accept any amendments to his proposal. He explained
that the allowances scheme supported equality and helped to encourage people of
walks of life to stand for election knowing that their commitment involved a
structured level of recognition of their
time as well as recovery of expenses. He said the Panel was independent and had
been asked to review the scheme following last year’s change in governance arrangements
which had given more responsibility to the Cabinet and increased the time and
commitment of their involvement. He thanked all those who had contributed to
the review. Councillor Higgins
seconded and explained that the scheme encouraged younger people to stand for
election and Melton had a good track record in attracting Members of all ages.
He considered that ward work could take up to 18 hours per week and referred to
the increased responsibility on Portfolio Holders in listening to the community
and being proactive in understanding issues. Councillor Evans
proposed to withdraw the report as he felt uncomfortable considering an
increase in allowances at a time when thousands of people were losing their
jobs due to the current pandemic. He
recognised that Members held an important role but it was not vital for them to
receive an increase at this time. Councillor Holmes
seconded the proposal to withdraw and reserved her right to speak. Councillor Orson
responded that sometimes Members had to take uncomfortable decisions and a
professional review had been undertaken which included comparisons with other
Councils who received more than those at Melton and he therefore could not
support a withdrawal. Councillor Holmes felt that although Councillors deserved a pay rise, especially those who were not Chairs or Vice Chairs, ... view the full minutes text for item CO12 |
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CLOSING REMARKS Councillor Orson ·
thanked
the Mayor for chairing the Annual Meeting and the Chief Executive and
Democratic Services for providing support at the meeting; ·
announced
that it had been tweeted the previous evening that Galliford
Try had been appointed to the £16.3m contract for the Melton Mowbray
Distributor Road which meant that the north east section would be constructed
and completed. He referred to the Council’s ongoing commitment and plans for
the southern by pass. At this point, the
Mayor declared a personal interest due to his role with the Sir John Sedley Educational Foundation which owned land included in
the distributor road proposals. |