Minutes:
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 of the Council on 8 May. The outputs from the prioritisation exercise would also be tabled at that meeting in the form of a new Corporate Delivery Plan which would set out the key projects the Council would focus on over the coming year. The Leader stressed this was an important time for the Council as it looked to modernise and improve what it did and how it did it.
Councillor Malise Graham MBE
The Leader stated that the evening was one of celebration and presentation as, on behalf of the Council, he wished to mark Councillor Graham’s 30 years of service on the Borough Council. Councillor Graham had been elected to the Council in May 1987 for the Wymondham ward, taking over from Sir Lyonel Tollemache. He had served as Mayor of the Borough in 1993/94 when he had chosen Rainbows Children’s Hospice for his Mayor’s Appeal and set up the Friends of Rainbows for the Melton area which he still chaired and the group had raised thousands of pounds to help with the running of the Hospice.
Councillor Graham had gone on to serve as Leader of the Council in 1994/95, 1997/99, and 2001 to December 2011. He was awarded an MBE in the 2009 The Queens New Year’s Honours for services to the Borough.
The Leader first presented Mrs Pam Graham with a basket of flowers to recognise the support she had given her husband over the years. Councillor Graham was then presented with a commemorative engraved decanter and other gifts which included a framed letter of congratulations from the PM Mrs Theresa May which Councillor Graham read out to the Council.
In responding, Councillor Graham said the presentation had taken him by surprise – indeed he had not been aware that Mrs Graham was attending – and it was completely unexpected. He thanked everyone for the gifts and referred to both the high points and low points over the last 30 years, none of which he would have missed. Councillor Graham gave a mention to former Councillor and Mayor, the late John Greenslade, saying what a support he had been to him when he first joined the Council.
The Mayor then echoed the comments made by the Leader and added his own personal thanks to Councillor Graham saying that he felt the same way about him that Councillor Graham felt about the late Councillor Greenslade, considering himself blessed to serve on the Council alongside Councillor Graham.