Agenda and minutes
Venue: Conference Chamber, West Suffolk House, Western Way, Bury St Edmunds, IP33 3YU
Contact: Claire Skoyles: Democratic Services Officer
Email: democratic.services@westsuffolk.gov.uk
Items
No. |
Item |
284. |
Remembrance and welcome
Minutes:
Before commencing business,
and as was custom and practice out of respect
to late members of West Suffolk Council and the predecessor
councils, all members were asked to stand and observe a
minute’s silence in remembrance of former St Edmundsbury
Borough Councillor Paul Farmer MBE who had sadly died recently. The
Chair made a statement of condolence, reflecting on the late
councillor’s contribution during his time on the Council.
The Chair then welcomed new and returning
members to West Suffolk Council’s first meeting of the new
administration. He then acknowledged the work of the outgoing
councillors and paid tribute to Councillor John Griffiths MBE for
his 20-year leadership of the Council, acknowledging Councillor
Griffiths’ remarkable dedication and commitment to the
role.
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285. |
Election of Chair of the Council for 2023 to 2024
The outgoing Chair will call for nominations
for the election of Chair for the ensuing year.
Following the seeking of other nominations, a
vote will be taken on the nomination of the Chair.
The retiring Chair will remove their Chain of
Office and acknowledge their year in office, before inviting the
incoming Chair to take the chair.
The incoming Chair will apply the Chain of
Office, take the chair and sign their Declaration of Acceptance of
Office, in the presence of the Monitoring Officer.
Minutes:
The outgoing Chair called for nominations for
the election of Chair of the Council for the 2023 to 2024 civic
year.
Councillor Diane Hind nominated Councillor
Roger Dicker.
There being no other nominations, the
nomination was put to the vote and with the vote being unanimous,
the outgoing Chair
Declared:
That Councillor
Roger Dicker be elected Chair of West Suffolk Council for the 2023
to 2024 civic year.
The retiring Chair acknowledged his year in
office which included paying tribute to fellow councillors,
officers and the work of the volunteers in the community. Special
recognition was given to his consort; Ruth Pusterla, Personal
Assistant to the Civic Office and to Councillor John Augustine,
Vice Chair for 2022 to 2023.
Before inviting Councillor Dicker to take the
chair, Councillor Chester removed the Chain of Office and placed it
on Councillor Dicker. The incoming Chair then signed his
Declaration of Acceptance of Office before passing to the
Monitoring Officer for her signature.
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286. |
Chair's announcements
To receive announcements (if any) from the
Chair, which will include acknowledging their forthcoming year in
office.
Tributes will be paid to the retiring Chair,
together with making a presentation of their past Chair’s
badge.
Minutes:
The Chair acknowledged his forthcoming year in
office, which included thanking fellow councillors for his
appointment and very much welcomed the opportunity to represent
West Suffolk at events in the ensuing year.
The Chair then recognised the work of the
retiring Chair, Councillor Mike Chester, for his outstanding
contribution and dedicated service to the Council during his term
of office in 2022 to 2023.
The Chair then presented Councillor Chester
with his Past Chair’s Badge.
|
287. |
Apologies for absence
To receive announcements (if any) from the
officer advising the Chair (including apologies for absence).
Minutes:
Apologies for absence were received from
Councillors Rachel Hood and Richard O’Driscoll.
Councillor Michael Anderson was also unable to
attend the meeting.
|
288. |
Election of Vice Chair of the Council for 2023 to 2024
The Chair will make a nomination for the
election of Vice Chair of the Council for the ensuing year.
Following the seeking of other nominations, a
vote will be taken of the nomination of Vice Chair.
The incoming Vice Chair will apply the Chain
of Office, acknowledge their forthcoming year in office, and sign
their Declaration of Acceptance of Office, in the presence of the
Monitoring Officer.
Minutes:
The Chair called for nominations for the
election of Vice Chair for the ensuing year.
Councillor Phil Wittam nominated Councillor
Pat Hanlon. The Chair sought further nominations and Councillor
Margaret Marks nominated Councillor John Augustine.
There being no further nominations, a vote was
taken on each nomination. With the votes being 35 votes for
Councillor Pat Hanlon and 25 votes for Councillor John Augustine,
and one abstention, the Chair
Declared:
That Councillor Pat
Hanlon be elected Vice Chair of West Suffolk Council for the 2023
to 2024 civic year.
Before the Chair invited Councillor Hanlon to
take the seat of the Vice Chair, Councillor Augustine removed the
Chain of Office and placed it on Councillor Hanlon. The incoming
Vice Chair then signed his Declaration of Acceptance of Office
before passing to the Monitoring Officer for her signature.
|
289. |
Election of the Leader of the Council
The Chair will call for nominations for the
election of the Leader of the Council.
Following the seeking of other nominations, a
vote will be taken on the nomination of the Leader.
The term of office for the Leader of the
Council will expire at the next post-election Annual Meeting of the
Council unless determined before then in accordance with the
provisions of the Constitution.
The outgoing Leader of the Council has
previously announced his intention not to seek re-election to this
role.
Minutes:
The Chair called for nominations for the
election of the Leader of the Council.
At this point, Councillor Nick Clarke, Leader
of the Conservative Group, requested whether it was possible for a
recorded vote to be taken on any nominations put forward for the
election of the Leader.
The Chair duly invited the Monitoring Officer
to set out the position. As the request to seek a recorded vote on
nominations for the election of the Leader did not accord with
Council Procedure Rule 13.6, ‘Voting on appointments’,
contained in Part 4 of the Constitution, it would be necessary to
suspend the Council Procedure Rules if it were the wish of the
Council to proceed with a recorded vote on this
appointment.
Councillor Nick Clarke proposed that in
accordance with paragraph 19.1 of the Council Procedure Rules of
Part 4 of the Constitution, Council Procedure Rules be suspended to
allow a recorded vote to be taken on the nominations put forward
for the election of Leader of the Council. Councillor Clarke
explained his reasons for the proposal. In addition to other views
expressed, he felt it would promote greater openness and
transparency if members were to clearly state the councillor they wished to be their new leader and
for this to be recorded in the minutes of the meeting. The proposal
was duly seconded by Councillor Cliff Waterman, Leader of the
Progressive Alliance Grouping, who responded to the views expressed
by Councillor Clarke and also felt that
in the interests of promoting openness and transparency, supported
the motion to suspend the procedure rules to allow a recorded vote
to be taken on the election of leader.
On the motion of Councillor Clarke, duly
seconded by Councillor Waterman, it was put to the vote and with
the vote being unanimous, it was
Resolved
That, in accordance
with paragraph 19.1 of the Council Procedure Rules of Part 4 of the
Constitution, Council Procedure Rules be suspended to allow a
recorded vote to be taken on the nominations put forward for the
election of Leader of the Council. Normal Council Procedure Rules
will resume immediately prior to the recorded vote being taken on
the item.
Councillor Victor Lukaniuk, Leader of the
Independents, nominated Councillor Cliff Waterman for the election
of Leader of the Council. Councillor Andrew Smith, Deputy Leader of
the Conservative Group, nominated Councillor Nick Clarke. No other
nominations were received.
As previously requested by Councillor Nick
Clarke, the nominations were put to a recorded vote. Each member
was asked to clearly state whether they were voting for Councillor
Waterman, Councillor Clarke or abstaining from the vote. The
outcome was recorded as follows:
For Councillor Cliff
Waterman:
Councillors Richard Alecock, Peter Armitage,
Mick Bradshaw, Tony Brown, Dawn Dicker, Roger Dicker, Paul
Firman, Luke Halpin, Pat Hanlon, Donna
Higgins, Diane Hind, Janne Jarvis,
Gerald Kelly, Rowena Lindberg, Jon London, Aaron Luccarini, Victor
Lukaniuk, Andrew Martin, Lora-Jane Miller-Jones, Andy Neal, Sue
Perry, Jools Savage, Marilyn Sayer, Ian Shipp, David Smith, Liz
Smith, Frank Stennett ...
view the full minutes text for item 289.
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290. |
Appointment of Cabinet members
Having regard to the provisions of the
Constitution, the Chair will invite the Leader of the Council to
announce (if practicable):
a. Up to nine members
whom they will be appointing to form the Cabinet (alongside the
Leader)
b. The name of a member
of the Cabinet to act as Deputy Leader
c. The portfolios, and
which members of the Cabinet will be portfolio holders
Minutes:
The Chair called upon Councillor Cliff
Waterman, Leader of the Council to make his announcements, which
included the opportunity to announce his Deputy Leader,
Cabinet and their respective
portfolios.
Councillor Waterman duly announced the
following appointments and their respective portfolios:
Portfolio
|
Member
|
Deputy Leader (no portfolio)
|
Councillor Victor Lukaniuk
|
Families and
Communities
|
Councillor Donna Higgins
|
Governance and
Regulatory
|
Councillor Gerald
Kelly
|
Growth
|
Councillor Indy Wijenayaka
|
Housing
|
Councillor Richard O’Driscoll
|
Leisure
|
Councillor Ian Shipp
|
Operations
|
Councillor David Taylor
|
Planning
|
Councillor Jim Thorndyke
|
Resources
|
Councillor Diane Hind
|
|
291. |
Review of political balance and appointment to committees 2023 to 2024 (Report number: AGM/WS/23/001) PDF 132 KB
Report number: AGM/WS/23/001 TO
FOLLOW
Additional documents:
Minutes:
Council considered this report, which sought
approval for the political balance and the allocation of seats to
committees for 2023 to 2024.
Members confirmed that they had received
copies of the report which had been tabled before them shortly
before the start of the meeting.
Councillor Cliff Waterman, Leader of the
Council, drew relevant issues to the attention of Council,
including that the Constitution required that at each Annual
Meeting, Council would decide which committees to establish for the
municipal year; the size and terms of reference for those
committees; the allocation of seats and substitutes to political
groups in accordance with the political balance rules; and to
receive or arrange the delegation of nominations and appointment of
councillors to serve on each committee.
Committees and the terms of reference for
those committees were included in Part 3b, section 2 of the
Council’s Constitution. A link to
this could be found within paragraph 2.1 of the report.
Following careful consideration of the rules
on calculating political balance, Council was requested to approve
the number of seats and terms of reference for the
committees.
On the motion of Councillor Waterman, duly
seconded by Councillor Diane Hind, it was put to the vote and with
the vote being unanimous, it was
Resolved:
That
1. The committees for
the 2023 to 2024 municipal year and the terms of reference for
those committees as per the West Suffolk Council Constitution, Part
3b, section 2: “Responsibility for Council (non-executive)
Functions”, be approved.
2. The
political balance and allocation of seats and substitutes on
committees as per Appendix A to Report number: AGM/WS/23/001, be
approved.
3.
Delegation be given to Group Leaders to nominate members from their
Groups to seats and as substitutes on committees.
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292. |
Appointment of Chair and Vice Chair of scrutiny committees: 2023 to 2024
In accordance with the Constitution, the
Council will appoint the Chair and Vice Chair of the:
a. Overview and
Scrutiny Committee
b. Performance and
Audit Scrutiny Committee
Minutes:
The next item of business was the appointment
of the Chair and Vice-Chairs of the Overview and Scrutiny and
Performance and Audit Scrutiny Committees for the 2023 to 2024
municipal year.
a.
Appointment of Chair of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee
Councillor Cliff Waterman nominated Councillor
Sarah Broughton as Chair of the Overview and Scrutiny
Committee.
There being no other nominations, the
nomination was put to the vote and with the vote being unanimous,
the Chair
Declared:
That Councillor
Sarah Broughton be elected Chair of the Overview and Scrutiny
Committee for 2023 to 2024.
b.
Appointment of Vice Chair of the Overview and Scrutiny
Committee
Councillor Cliff Waterman nominated Councillor
Marion Rushbrook as Vice Chair of the Overview and Scrutiny
Committee.
There being no other nominations, the
nomination was put to the vote and with the vote being unanimous,
the Chair
Declared:
That Councillor
Marion Rushbrook be elected Vice Chair of the Overview and Scrutiny
Committee for 2023 to 2024.
c.
Appointment of Chair of the Performance and Audit Scrutiny
Committee
Councillor Cliff Waterman nominated Councillor
Peter Armitage as Chair of the Performance and Audit Scrutiny
Committee.
There being no other nominations, the
nomination was put to the vote and with the vote being unanimous,
the Chair
Declared:
That Councillor
Peter Armitage be elected Chair of the Performance and Audit
Scrutiny Committee for 2023 to 2024.
d.
Appointment of Vice Chair of the Performance and Audit Scrutiny
Committee
Councillor Cliff Waterman nominated Councillor
Andy Neal as Vice Chair of the Performance and Audit Scrutiny
Committee.
There being no other nominations, the
nomination was put to the vote and with the vote being unanimous,
the Chair
Declared:
That Councillor
Andy Neal be elected Vice Chair of the Performance and Audit
Scrutiny Committee for 2023 to 2024.
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293. |
Review of representation on outside bodies (Report number: AGM/WS/23/002) PDF 162 KB
Report number: AGM/WS/23/002
Additional documents:
Minutes:
Council considered this report, which sought
approval for various member appointments to represent the Council
on outside bodies in 2023 to 2024.
Councillor Cliff Waterman, Leader of the
Council, drew relevant issues to the attention of Council,
including that the Constitution required that at each Annual
Meeting, the Council reviewed its representations on outside
bodies.
Attached as Appendix A to the
report, was the current list of outside bodies, which set out the
detail of the organisation, the meeting information (where known)
and the required representation.
An ongoing review of the list
was undertaken to ensure the outside bodies had the correct
representation to best suit their requirements. In the circumstances, it may be subject to
change.
Section 2.4 provided a
number of proposals and principles for members to consider
in respect of the proposed process for appointing appropriate
representation to the relevant outside body. This section included
a proposal to ensure representation on outside bodies continued to
be reviewed so that it remained helpful and effective to have
representation from the Council.
On the motion of Councillor Waterman, duly
seconded by Councillor Victor Lukaniuk, it was put to the vote and
with the vote being unanimous, it was
Resolved:
That
1. The
Monitoring Officer be given delegated authority to appoint the
Council’s representatives on outside bodies, in accordance
with the nominations put forward by Group Leaders.
2.
Where no representative is nominated, the Monitoring Officer be
given delegated authority to seek nominations from other bodies and
individuals to be approved by Council in due course.
3. It
be noted that where the outside organisation is discharging
executive functions, or the Council is an observer on an
organisation, these appointments will be undertaken by
Cabinet.
4. It
be noted that it is intended to continue to review representation
on outside bodies to ensure that it remains beneficial for the
organisation and for the Council.
5. It
be noted that appointments to the Suffolk County Council Health
Scrutiny Committee will be made by the Overview and Scrutiny
Committee.
(Councillor Peter Armitage left
the meeting during the consideration of this item.)
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