Agenda and minutes

The Mayor’s Chaplain, The Reverend Canon, Ian Finn, Rector of St Mary’s Church, Haverhill opened the meeting with prayers.

To confirm the minutes of the meeting held on 17 July 2018 (copy attached).

The minutes of the meeting held on 17 July 2018 were confirmed as a correct record and signed by the Mayor.

The Mayor reported on the civic engagements and charity activities which she, and the Deputy Mayor and Mayoress had attended since the last orindary meeting of Council on 17 July 2018.

To receive announcements (if any) from the officer advising the Mayor (including apologies for absence)

Apologies for absence were received from Councillors Jason Crooks, Mary Evans, Jane Midwood, Alaric Pugh, Karen Richardson, Clive Pollington, Barry Robbins and Frank Warby.

Councillor Anthony Williams was also unable to attend the meeting.

Members are reminded of their responsibility to declare any pecuniary or local non pecuniary interest which they have in any item of business on the agenda no later than when that item is reached and, when appropriate, to leave the meeting prior to discussion and voting on the item.

Members’ declarations of interests are recorded under the item to which the declaration relates.

Paper No: COU/SE/18/017

(Council Procedure Rules 8.1 – 8.3)  Members may ask the Leader questions on the content of both his introductory remarks and the written statement itself.

A total of 30 minutes will be allowed for questions and responses. There will be a limit of five minutes for each question to be asked and answered. A supplementary question arising from the reply may be asked so long as the five minute limit is not exceeded.

Councillor John Griffiths, Leader of the Council, presented his Leader’s Statement as contained in Paper No: COU/SE/18/017.

In addition to his written statement, Councillor Griffiths drew attention to the following:

(a)     That he had written to the Parks Service and Waste Management Service thanking them for their sterling work in keeping the Borough’s parks attractive and tidy, particularly during difficult seasonal periods, such as during the so-called ‘Beast from the East’ and the summer 2018 drought.

(b)     Councillor Griffiths then paid tribute to Councillor Alaric Pugh, former Portfolio Holder for Planning and Growth, who had recently and reluctantly taken the decision to resign from SEBC’s Cabinet for personal reasons. Reiterating that Councillor Pugh was not resigning as a councillor, Councillor Griffiths took the opportunity to acknowledge Councillor Pugh’s many achievements and dedicated service to St Edmundsbury Borough Council and West Suffolk, and particularly for his sterling contribution towards driving the Councils’ considerable growth agenda.

Councillor Griffiths then formally welcomed Councillor Susan Glossop to her first meeting of Council as a Cabinet Member, following her recent appointment to SEBC’s Cabinet, thus replacing Councillor Alaric Pugh.

In response to questions from Councillor Terry Clements regarding car parking issues in Bury St Edmunds, Councillor Griffiths, supported by Councillor Peter Stevens, Portfolio Holder for Operations, stated his commitment to continuing to review the parking situation, but that a written reply would be provided on the specific matters raised. This response would also be circulated to other Members for their perusal.

In response to a question from Councillor Paul Hopfensperger regarding a planning application for a hot food takeaway on the St Olaves’ Precinct in Bury St Edmunds, that was due to be considered by the Council’s Development Control Committee on 4 October 2018, Councillor Griffiths stated that whilst he encouraged healthy living in general, he did not have sufficient information on the application at the time to support opposition to the addition of another food outlet in this location.

(Councillor Simon Brown joined the meeting during the consideration of this item.)

(Council Procedure Rules Section 6) Members of the public who live or work in the Borough are invited to put one question of not more than five minutes duration. A person who wishes to speak must register at least fifteen minutes before the time the meeting is scheduled to start.*

(Note: The maximum time to be set aside for this item is 30 minutes, but if all questions are dealt with sooner, or if there are no questions, the Council will proceed to the next business.

Each person may ask one question only. A total of five minutes will be allowed for the question to be put and answered. One further question will be allowed arising directly from the reply, provided that the original time limit of five minutes is not exceeded.

Written questions may be submitted by members of the public to the Service Manager (Democratic Services) no later than 10.00 am on Monday 24 September 2018. The written notification should detail the full question to be asked at the meeting of the Council.)*

*For further information, see Public Information Sheet attached to this agenda.

No members of the public in attendance had registered to speak.

Report No: COU/SE/18/018

Council considered the Referrals Report of Recommendations from the Joint Executive (Cabinet) Committee contained within Report No: COU/SE/18/018.

(A)    Referrals from Joint Executive (Cabinet) Committee: 24 July 2018

There were no referrals emanating from the Joint Executive (Cabinet) Committee meeting held on 24 July 2018.

(B)    Referrals from Joint Executive (Cabinet) Committee: 4 September 2018

1.       Annual Treasury Management Report 2017/2018 and Investment Activity 1 April to 30 June 2018

Approval was sought for the Annual Treasury Management Report for 2017/2018.

Councillor Ian Houlder, Portfolio Holder for Resources and Performance, drew relevant issues to the attention of Council.

On the motion of Councillor Houlder, seconded by Councillor John Griffiths, and duly carried, it was

RESOLVED:

That the Annual Treasury Management Report for 2017-2018, attached as Appendix 1 to Report No: TMS/SE/18/003, be approved.

(C)    Referrals from Extraordinary Joint Executive (Cabinet) Committee: 18  September 2018

1.       Barley Homes; Interim Business Plan and Changes in Governance

(Councillors Beccy Hopfensperger and Richard Rout declared local non-pecuniary interests as Cabinet Members for Suffolk County Council.  Councillors Trevor Beckwith, Robert Everitt, Paula Fox and David Roach declared local non-pecuniary interests as Members of Suffolk County Council.  Councillors Robert Everitt and Clive Springett declared local non-pecuniary interests as Board Members for Havebury Housing Partnership. All of the aforementioned councillors remained in the meeting for the consideration of this item.) 

Approval was sought for a proposed way forward to support Barley Homes in delivering its objectives following Suffolk County Council’s decision to withdraw from this joint venture and transfer its interest to the West Suffolk councils.

Barley Homes was established by Suffolk County Council (SCC), Forest Heath District Council (FHDC) and St Edmundsbury Borough Council (SEBC) and incorporated in March 2016.  Report No: CAB/JT/18/032, which was attached to the Council referral report as Appendix 1, provided background since the establishment of the company, including that each of the two West Suffolk councils owned 25% of the company, whilst Suffolk County Council was a 50% shareholder.  A five year business plan had been agreed in December 2016, identifying four potential sites for the company to develop; however since that time, SCC had decided to undertake an open market sale of one of the sites (Wamil Way, Mildenhall), with the consequence being that only three sites remained in the Barley Homes plan, namely:

·         Haverhill Town Hall Car Park (owned by SEBC)

·         Westfield School Site, Haverhill (owned by SCC)

·         Castle Hill School Site, Haverhill (owned by SCC)  

Councillor Sara Mildmay-White, Portfolio Holder for Housing, drew relevant issues to the attention of Council, including that the complexity of operating between the Councils had been recognised and, in particular, meeting the policy and financial objectives of all parties had proved difficult.  Therefore all parties had agreed that it would be more effective and efficient for the County Council to focus on its wider strategic role in the delivery of housing in West Suffolk, whilst the West Suffolk councils would lead on local scheme delivery. SCC had therefore taken the decision to withdraw  ...  view the full minutes text for item 386.

Report No: COU/SE/18/019

Council considered Report No: COU/SE/18/019, which sought approval for delegating authority to Babergh District Council to determine a planning application which spanned the border between Babergh and St Edmundsbury.

The Council had received a planning application, DC/18/0818/FUL, for Glasshouse Barn (adjacent to Willow Tree Farmhouse), Mill Road, Brockley.  Whilst the postal address was located in St Edmundsbury, the majority of the application site was located over the boundary in Babergh district. Officers had considered that the most appropriate way to determine this planning application that crossed the district boundaries was to propose to Council that it delegated its decision making powers on this application to Babergh District Council, so that only one local planning authority was making the decision on whether to grant or refuse planning permission.

Councillor Susan Glossop, Portfolio Holder for Planning and Growth, drew relevant issues to the attention of Council.

Councillor Peter Stevens, Ward Member for the ward in which the application was located (Cavendish) supported the proposed approach, acknowledging that Babergh District Council’s development management policies were similar to St Edmundsbury Borough Council’s and therefore was satisfied that the application would be considered within that context.

On the motion of Councillor Susan Glossop, seconded by Councillor David Nettleton, and duly carried, it was:

RESOLVED:

That, Babergh District  Council be given delegated authority to determine Planning Application DC/18/0818/FUL, as set out in Section 1.1 of Report No: COU/SE/18/019.

(Councillor Beccy Hopfensperger left the meeting during the consideration of this item.)

(With the agreement of the Mayor, this item was considered as a matter of urgency, in accordance with S100B(4) of the Local Government Act 1972, in order that this matter could be resolved within the necessary timescale.)

Council considered a late additional narrative item, which sought the appointment of a Vice-Chairman to the Overview and Scrutiny Committee.

As stated in his Leader’s Statement, the Leader of the Council had recently appointed Councillor Susan Glossop to the Cabinet following the resignation of Councillor Alaric Pugh.

Article 6 of the Constitution stated that ‘…The Leader and Portfolio Holders may not be members of any scrutiny committee…’.  Therefore, as a consequence of Councillor Glossop being appointed to the Cabinet, she could no longer be a full member of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee nor be a substitute member on the Performance and Audit Scrutiny Committee.

In accordance with the Constitution, appointments to committees could be made under delegated authority by the Service Manager (Democratic Services) on the nominations of Group Leaders; however, whilst being a full member, Councillor Glossop was also the Vice-Chairman of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee. Appointments of the Chairmen and Vice-Chairmen to the scrutiny committees could only be made by Council.

Councillor John Griffiths, Leader of the Council nominated Councillor Mike Chester to be appointed as Vice-Chairman of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee, which was duly seconded by Councillor Diane Hind, Chairman of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee.

No other nominations were proposed.

On the motion of Councillor Griffiths, seconded by Councillor Hind, and duly carried, it was:

RESOLVED:

That, Councillor Mike Chester be appointed Vice-Chairman of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee for the remainder of the 2018/2019 municipal year.

Members are invited to ask questions of committee Chairmen on business transacted by their committees since the last ordinary meeting of Council on 17 July 2018.

Council considered a narrative item, which sought questions of Committee Chairmen on business transacted by their committees since the last ordinary meeting of Council on 17 July 2018, as outlined below:

No questions were asked of the above Chairmen.

The Council will consider any urgent questions on notice that were notified to the Service Manager (Democratic Services) by 11am on the day of the meeting.

No urgent questions had been received.

To consider whether the press and public should be excluded during the consideration of the following item because it is likely, in view of the nature of the business to be transacted or the nature of the proceedings, that if members of the public were present during this item, there would be disclosure to them of exempt categories of information as prescribed in Part 1 of Schedule 12A of the Local Government Act 1972, and indicated against the item and, in all circumstances of the case, the public interest in maintaining the exemption outweighs the public interest in disclosing the information.

See minute 292. below.

Exempt Appendix 2 to Report No: COU/SE/18/018

Council considered Exempt Appendix 2 to Report No: COU/SE/18/018 under Agenda Item 9, however no reference was made to specific detail and therefore this item was not held in private session.