Agenda and minutes

To confirm the minutes of the meeting held on 20 June 2023 (copy attached).

The minutes of the meeting held on 20 June 2023 were confirmed as a correct record and signed by the Chair.

To receive announcements (if any) from the Chair.

A list of civic events/engagements attended by the Chair and Vice-Chair since the last ordinary meeting of Council held on 20 June 2023 are attached.

The Chair was delighted to welcome to the meeting Chris Wiley, Lynda Seldis, Simon Hobson and Tom Hagger, representatives of the Bury in Bloom team. Both Bury in Bloom and Brandon in Bloom were winners in this year’s Anglia in Bloom competition; however, unfortunately members of the Brandon in Bloom team were unable to attend the meeting.

On behalf of Council, the Chair formally congratulated both team’s achievements and thanked them for all their hard work in helping to aesthetically improve the towns of Brandon and Bury St Edmunds.

The Chair then reported on the civic engagements and charity activities which he and the Vice-Chair had attended since the last ordinary meeting of Council on 20 June 2023.

The Chair specifically made reference to attending Armed Forces Day in Haverhill; was delighted with the excellent attendance at his civic service in Kentford; enthused about his visit to Clare; and enjoyed attending a Civic Leaders event at RAF Lakenheath.

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

Apologies for absence were received from Councillors John Augustine, Nick Clarke, Andy Drummond, Rachel Hood, Janne Jarvis, Andrew Martin, Sarah Pugh, Sue Perry, Richard Rout, Marion Rushbrook and Tracy Whitehand.

Members are reminded of their responsibility to declare any disclosable pecuniary interest, other registerable or non-registrable 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 interest are recorded under the item to which the declaration relates.

Paper number: COU/WS/23/013

Council Procedure Rules 8.1 to 8.3. The Leader will submit a report (the Leader’s Statement) summarising important developments and activities since the preceding meeting of the council.

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 Waterman, Leader of the Council, presented his Leader’s Statement as outlined in paper number: COU/WS/23/013.

In his introductory remarks, Councillor Waterman:

a.       Environment: reported that the protection of the environment remained a key priority of the Council. The Cabinet very much welcomed the recent recommendations of the West Suffolk Environment and Sustainability Working Group and building on that initial work, which was limited to completion by September, the Leader felt it was time to pick up the pace and do more with residents and businesses to reduce carbon emissions and tackle climate change. It was intended that the Environment and Sustainability Working Group would continue to operate in an evolved form. The Group would consider how best to continue to embed environmental considerations into future decision-making, alongside wider social and economic factors, together with keeping the actions plan under review and identifying new opportunities to address both environmental, climate change and sustainability considerations. 

Engaging with the East of England Local Government Association (EELGA), the Council was endorsing the work of the East of England Hydrogen Cluster which would ensure the East was ready to take advantage of opportunities arising from this emerging technology.

Reference was also given to the Net Zero Innovation Fund which provided grants to businesses that had innovative solutions to drive the county towards its net zero target.

b.       Supporting business: reported on Government funded grants to aid the growth of Small and Medium Sized Enterprises (SMEs) in West Suffolk. The grants would be available to apply for through the New Anglia Growth Hub and were from the Government’s UK Shared Prosperity Fund and the Rural England Prosperity Fund.

c.       Cost of living support: stated that the Council was from 2 October 2023, carrying out engagement with the public and stakeholders to extend for another year the Local Council Tax Reduction Scheme to help those eligible on low incomes by giving 100 percent discount on their council tax. 

d.       Community Chest: reminded members that the deadline of 29 September 2023 for applications to be submitted for the 2024 to 2025 Community Chest round was fast approaching.

e.       A Louder Voice: stated that the Local Government Association (LGA) was beginning work on a local government white paper to be published before the next election. It was a bold ambition to develop a plan to form part of the first King’s Speech after the next General Election to secure a national local partnership in which local government could work to its full potential for its people, places and planet. The work would be underpinned by the LGA’s ‘Make it Local’ campaign which outlined how local government was key to delivering solutions to the biggest issues faced. West Suffolk intended to play a full and engaged role in this debate.

Councillor Waterman also welcomed the fact that Councillor Shipp was a full member of the LGA’s Culture, Tourism and Sport Board which demonstrated the Council’s commitment to these areas and ensured West Suffolk had a voice nationally.  

f.       Their  ...  view the full minutes text for item 310.

Council Procedure Rules Section 6. Members of the public who live or work in the district may put questions about the work of the council or make statements on items on the agenda to members of the Cabinet or any committee.

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

Each person may ask one question or make one statement only. A total of five minutes will be allowed for the question to be put and answered or the statement made. If a question is raised, one supplementary question will be allowed provided that it arises directly from the reply and the overall time limit of five minutes is not exceeded.

If a statement is made, then the Chair may allow the Leader of the Council, or other member to whom they refer the matter, a right of reply.

The Constitution allows that a person who wishes to speak must register at least 15 minutes before the time the meeting is scheduled to start.  We urge anyone who wishes to register to speak to notify Democratic Services by 9am on the day of the meeting so that advice can be given on the arrangements in place.

As an alternative to addressing the meeting in person, written questions may be submitted by members of the public to the Monitoring Officer no later than 10am on Monday 25 September 2023. The written notification should detail the full question to be asked at the meeting of the Council.

The following member of the public spoke under this agenda item:

1. Aaron Leeves, a resident in the district, made a statement in connection with “net zero emissions and the supposed climate emergency”. He felt that some of the issues the Council was addressing to reduce carbon emissions and tackle climate change should not have been implemented without public consultation, particularly as he felt there was insufficient evidence to support the declaration of a climate emergency.  He continued to air his own views on the detrimental impacts to the health and well being of society of the COVID-19 lockdowns and the COVID-19 vaccine; and that in his view, he felt there was over sexualisation of children in the education system.

He continued to speak on what he considered were the responsibilities of West Suffolk Council to protect future generations.

At this point, the total five minute time allocation permitted for making a statement under this item, as set out in the Council Procedure Rules of the Constitution, had been reached. The Chair politely asked Mr Leeves to end his statement; however, this request was ignored.

The Chair asked Mr Leeves again to conclude his statement, following which the Chair was interrupted by another member of the public. The Chair asked the two members of the public causing the disturbance to leave the meeting immediately but the situation rapidly escalated with the two members of the public shouting aggressively and moving into the area in which members were seated.  At this point the Chair considered the safety of members was at risk.

In accordance with Council Procedure Rule 18, the Chair suspended the meeting without resolution or debate at 7.40pm, requesting that all members vacate the meeting room away from the disturbance.

The meeting resumed at 8.25pm.

The Chair determined that this item on the agenda had been concluded and no further public questions were asked, or statements made under this item.

(Councillor Karen Soons left the meeting while the meeting had been suspended and did not return.)

Report number: COU/WS/23/014

A.      Referrals from Cabinet: 13 June 2023 and 18 July 2023

There are no referrals emanating from the last meetings of Cabinet held on 13 June 2023 (verbally reported at Council on 20 June 2023) and 18 July 2023.

B.      Referrals from Cabinet: 19 September 2023

These referrals have been compiled before the decisions have been taken by the Cabinet and are based on the recommendations contained within each of the reports listed below.  Any amendments made by the Cabinet to the recommendations within these reports will be notified to members in advance of the meeting accordingly.

1.       Annual Treasury Management and Financial Resilience Report 2022 to 2023

Portfolio holder: Councillor Diane Hind

2.       Treasury Management Report (June 2023)

Portfolio holder: Councillor Diane Hind

3.       De-carbonisation Initiatives Fund

Portfolio holder: Councillors Gerald Kelly and David Taylor

4.       Western Way Project

Portfolio holders: Councillors Cliff Waterman, Victor Lukaniuk, Ian Shipp and Diane Hind

Council considered the referrals report of recommendations from Cabinet, as contained within report number: COU/WS/23/014.

A.      Referrals from Cabinet: 13 June 2023 and 18 July 2023

There were no referrals emanating from the last meetings of Cabinet held on 13 June 2023 (verbally reported at the last meeting of Council) and 18 July 2023.

B.      Referrals from Cabinet: 19 September 2023

Following the publication of the agenda and papers for this meeting, which took place before the Cabinet decisions were taken on 19 September 2023, the Chair confirmed that no amendments had been made by the Cabinet to the recommendations contained in the referral report.

1.      Annual Treasury Management and Financial Resilience Report 2022 to 2023

Approval was sought for the Annual Treasury Management and Financial Resilience Report (2022 to 2023).

Councillor Diane Hind, Portfolio Holder for Resources drew relevant issues to the attention of Council.

On the motion of Councillor Hind, seconded by Councillor Rowena Lindberg, it was put to the vote and with the vote being unanimous, it was

Resolved:

That the Annual Treasury Management and Financial Resilience Report 2022 to 2023, as contained in Report number: FRS/WS/23/003, be approved.

2.      Treasury Management Report (June 2023)

Approval was sought for the Treasury Management Report (June 2023).

Councillor Diane Hind, Portfolio Holder for Resources drew relevant issues to the attention of Council.

Councillor Julia Wakelam asked a question in connection with the ethical standards of those providing the Council’s investments, particularly around their environmental impact credentials.

A written response would be provided following the meeting by Councillor Hind. In accordance with the Council Procedure Rules, this response would be circulated to Councillor Wakelam and all members and published on the Council’s website.

On the motion of Councillor Hind, seconded by Councillor Rowena Lindberg, it was put to the vote and with the vote being unanimous, it was

Resolved:

That the Treasury Management Report (June 2023), as contained in Report number FRS/WS/23/004, be approved.

3.      Decarbonisation Initiatives Fund

On 19 September 2023, the Cabinet received the report of the West Suffolk Environment and Sustainability Working Group which confirmed the Council’s commitment to addressing the Climate and Environment Emergency and to reaching net zero by 2030 in respect of Council operations. In June 2023, the Leader of the Council had also expressed the new Cabinet’s wish to consider additional actions the Council could take to support and encourage West Suffolk residents, businesses and partners to address climate change.

Approval was sought to create a £1 million fund to support third parties in pursuing decarbonisation initiatives. An initial priority area for that spending had been identified which could result in a large environmental improvement for the district in keeping with the Council’s adopted priorities. Namely, the upgrade of streetlighting owned by town and parish councils.

The Cabinet report (CAB/WS/23/040) provided background to the ownership of the majority of streetlights in the district, including the agreed actions emanating from the audit undertaken in 2022. The proposals for Council’s consideration were set out in  ...  view the full minutes text for item 312.

Report number: COU/WS/23/015

Council considered this report, which sought approval for appointing members to the Independent Remuneration Panel.

West Suffolk Council’s Members’ Allowances Scheme was required to be reviewed in full by a newly appointed independent remuneration panel. The panel would make recommendations to Council on the level of remuneration, allowances and expenses for councillors. These recommendations must be considered by Council, although the Council may wish to agree alternative proposals proposed by its own members. A new scheme must be adopted by December 2023 before the current scheme expired in February 2024. The scheme would then be subject to annual review.

On 20 June 2023, Council agreed the process for appointing a minimum of three members to the Independent Remuneration Panel (IRP), together with an advisor to the panel, for a period of up to four years.  The appointment process included forming a selection panel that would interview shortlisted applicants and would make recommendations to the Council on whom to appoint, as summarised in paragraph 1.5 of the report.

Section 2 of the report provided details of the interview process and the rationale behind the selection panel’s consideration of whom to appoint to the IRP. Short biographies of each of the recommended four individuals were contained in Appendix A. 

Councillor Gerald Kelly, Portfolio Holder for Governance and Regulatory, drew relevant issues to the attention of Council, including the reasons for not recommending the appointment of an advisor to the Panel, as set out in section 2.3 of the report.

On the motion of Councillor Kelly, seconded by Councillor Carol Bull, it was put to the vote and with the vote being unanimous, it was

Resolved: That

1.       the four individuals listed in Appendix A to Report number: COU/WS/23/015 be appointed to the Independent Remuneration Panel for a term of up to four years.

2.       No appointment be made to the role of advisor to the Independent Remuneration Panel for the reasons set out in section 2.3 of Report number: COU/WS/23/015.

Report number: COU/WS/23/016

Council considered this report which sought approval for the compulsory polling district and places review to commence from 2 October 2023, together with the proposed approach and timetable for the review.

The Electoral Administration Act 2006, as amended, introduced a duty on all local authorities in Great Britain to review their polling districts and polling places at least once every five years. The next compulsory review must be undertaken within a 16-month window between 1 October 2023 and 31 January 2025.

As a result of this and other matters explained in paragraphs 1.3 and 1.4 of the report, it was important that the polling district and places review was carried out as early as possible so that the Council had agreed polling districts and polling places to be used for the next parliamentary election, which must take place before 28 January 2025, as well as the scheduled Police and Crime Commissioner elections which would be held in May 2024.

Set out in section 2 of the report was the proposed approach to the review, together with an outline timetable setting out each stage. Attached at Appendix A was the draft schedule of polling districts and polling places, including electorate and recent polling station turnout figures and comments regarding potential changes and/or areas to be considered as part of the review.

Councillor Gerald Kelly, Portfolio Holder for Governance and Regulatory, drew relevant issues to the attention of Council, including that the review was expected to be completed in January 2024, prior to which on 19 December 2023, Council would be asked to consider and approve the revised polling districts and polling places.

On the motion of Councillor Kelly, seconded by Councillor Phil Wittam, it was put to the vote and with the vote being unanimous, it was

Resolved: That

1.       The compulsory polling district and places review be approved to commence on Monday 2 October 2023.

2.       The outline timetable and approach to the review as set out in Report number: COU/WS/23/016 and at Appendix A, be approved. 

Report number: COU/WS/23/017

Council considered this report which sought approval to formalise a change in name of the Mildenhall parish area so that the parish would be known as Mildenhall High.

Changing the name of a parish area could be achieved through a Community Governance Review process in accordance with the Local Government and Public Involvement in Health Act 2007. However, such a change may also be progressed under section 75 of the Local Government Act 1972 at the request of the relevant Parish or Town Council.

Section 1.2 of the report explained the process that must be followed to a make a change in name, which started with a decision being required by the Council approving the proposed change.

A request had been received from Mildenhall Town Council to formalise a change in the name of the parish area so that the parish would be known as Mildenhall High. The Town Council had advised that the Town had historically been known as Mildenhall High and the Town Council had, since May 2019, operated informally under the name of Mildenhall High Town Council. However, no order had been made to formalise the change of name of the parish area from Mildenhall to Mildenhall High.

With the agreement of the Chair and the Portfolio Holder for Governance and Regulatory, Councillor Richard Alecock, ward member for Mildenhall Great Heath, drew relevant issues to the attention of Council and subsequently moved the motion, which was duly seconded by Councillor Andy Neal, ward member for Mildenhall Queensway.

On the motion of Councillor Alecock, seconded by Councillor Neal, it was put to the vote and with the vote being unanimous, it was

Resolved: That

1.       The request from Mildenhall Town Council to change the name of the parish of Mildenhall, be noted.

2.       The name of Mildenhall Parish be changed to Mildenhall High Parish.

3.       The Director (HR, Governance and Regulatory) be authorised to make the necessary legal order to enact the change to the parish name. 

To consider any business, which by reason of special circumstances, should in the opinion of the Chair be considered at the meeting as a matter of urgency.

On this occasion, and by reason of special circumstances, the Chair allowed two separate items of urgent business to be considered under this item.

Tabled before each member was a paper outlining the two items of business to be considered.

1.       Dispensation sought for non-attendance of Councillor Sarah Pugh at meetings for a period in excess of six consecutive months

Section 85(1) of the Local Government Act 1972 required councillors to attend at least one meeting of the Council or act as an appointed representative of the Council every six month period, unless the failure to attend was due to a reason pre-approved by the authority.

Councillor Sarah Pugh last attended a meeting of Council on 23 May 2023. She was planning on attending this meeting; however, due to unforeseen personal circumstances was unable to attend and had given her apologies for absence.

If the ‘reserve’ Council meeting was not convened on 21 November 2023, Councillor Pugh may face automatic removal from office due to failing to attend a council meeting within six consecutive months. She was not appointed to any other statutory committees and it was not known whether she would be required to attend a meeting of the outside body she had been appointed to within this timeframe.

On the motion of Councillor Roger Dicker, Chair of the Council seconded by Councillor Pat Hanlon, Vice Chair of the Council, it was put to the vote and with the vote being unanimous, it was

Resolved:

That in accordance with Section 85(1) of the Local Government Act 1972, a dispensation for the non-attendance of Councillor Sarah Pugh at meetings for a period in excess of six consecutive months by reason of unforeseen personal circumstances be approved and that the situation be reviewed at the next ordinary meeting of Council, as necessary.

2.       Appointment of Vice-Chair of the Performance and Audit Scrutiny Committee

As required by the Constitution, the Chair and Vice-Chair of the Performance and Audit Scrutiny Committee (PASC) were appointed at the Annual Meeting of Council for the ensuing year.

On 23 May 2023, Councillor Andy Neal was elected Vice-Chair of PASC for the 2023 to 2024 municipal year. Whilst he would remain a full member of the Committee, Councillor Neal had within the last few days before the Council meeting decided to resign from the role of Vice-Chair.

Under Part 4d, paragraph 5.3 of the PASC section of the Scrutiny Procedure Rules within the Constitution, the Council was required to fill the vacancy at the next ordinary meeting of Council. Nominations were therefore sought at this meeting to appoint a new Vice-Chair of PASC.

The Chair called upon Councillor Victor Lukaniuk, Deputy Leader and Leader of the Independents Group to make his nomination for the appointment of Vice-Chair of the Performance and Audit Scrutiny Committee.

Councillor Lukaniuk duly nominated Councillor Frank Stennett. The Chair sought further nominations and Councillor Beccy Hopfensperger nominated Councillor Ian Houlder.

There being no further nominations, a vote was taken on each nomination. With  ...  view the full minutes text for item 316.