Agenda for Council on Tuesday 17 December 2019, 6.30 pm

Agenda and minutes

Venue: Conference Chamber, West Suffolk House, Western Way, Bury St Edmunds, IP33 3YU

Contact: Claire Skoyles: Democratic Services Officer  Email: claire.skoyles@westsuffolk.gov.uk

Items
No. Item

40.

Remembrance

Minutes:

Before commencing business, all Members were asked to stand in order to observe a minute’s silence in remembrance of former Mayor of St Edmundsbury, Terry Buckle, and Barbara Hill, Alderman and first female Mayor of St Edmundsbury, both of whom had sadly died recently.

41.

Minutes pdf icon PDF 265 KB

To confirm the minutes of the meeting held on 19 September 2019 (copy attached).

 

Minutes:

The minutes of the meeting held on 19 September 2019 were confirmed as a correct record and signed by the Chair.

42.

Chair's Announcements pdf icon PDF 277 KB

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 19 September 2019 are attached.

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The Chair reported on the civic engagements and charity activities which he and the Vice-Chair had attended since the last ordinary meeting of Council on 19 September 2019.

 

The Chair particularly drew attention to thanking those Members who had laid wreaths on Remembrance Sunday in the principal towns of West Suffolk; reminding Members to observe the Council’s guidance on the use of social media; and encouraged Members to attend the Civic Dinner arranged for 27 March 2020 and the 50th Anniversary celebrations of the Haverhill Silver Band on 5 May 2020.

 

43.

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 Ian Houlder, Aaron Luccarini, Elaine McManus, Robert Nobbs and Phil Wittam.

44.

Declarations of Interests

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.

Minutes:

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

45.

Leader's Statement (Paper No: COU/WS/19/013) pdf icon PDF 202 KB

Paper No: COU/WS/19/013 TO FOLLOW

 

(Council Procedure Rules 8.1 – 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.

Minutes:

Councillor John Griffiths, Leader of the Council, presented his Leader’s Statement as outlined in Paper No: COU/WS/19/013.

 

Councillor Griffiths made reference to the following in his introductory remarks:

 

(a)     He firstly congratulated former Councillor Robin Millar on his recent election as Member of Parliament for the constituency of Aberconwy in Wales.  Councillor Millar had now resigned from both West Suffolk Council and Suffolk County Council. Councillor Griffiths paid tribute to the work of Councillor Millar on West Suffolk Council and the former Forest Heath District Council, which included recognising his most recent role as Chair of the West Suffolk Environment and Climate Change Taskforce.

 

(b)     Councillor Griffiths then welcomed Councillors David Nettleton and Frank Warby to the Conservative Group, and also to Councillor David Roach to the Cabinet. Councillor Griffiths had recently appointed Councillor Roach as Portfolio Holder for Local Plan Development and Delivery.

 

(c)     That whilst the pre-election period had applied in the run up to the General Election on 12 December 2019, projects and events had continued to be developed or held, whilst ensuring the delivery of services to West Suffolk residents, including over the Christmas period.

 

(d)     Councillor Griffiths conveyed his thanks to the work of the West Suffolk Rural Taskforce, the West Suffolk Environment and Climate Change Taskforce and the Grant Working Party. The Cabinet would be considering reports from all three groups on 14 January 2020.  The work of the Overview and Scrutiny (O&S) Committee’s Car Parking Review Group was also thanked, the recommendations of which would be presented from the O&S Committee to Cabinet in the new year. 

 

The Leader responded to a range of questions relating to:

 

(a)     Whether there was potential for the construction of a railway halt and improved cycleways to provide additional infrastructure to support access to the new STEM facility and Abbeygate Sixth Form College, and the proposed new Western Way development.  In response, Councillor Griffiths stated that West Suffolk Council worked closely with Suffolk County Council (SCC), as the responsible authority for facilitating infrastructure improvements, to try and achieve practicable solutions. Through engagement with SCC, opportunities would be explored where possible, which may include having discussions with Network Rail regarding the possibility of constructing a railway halt; however, it was important to note that some opportunities came with significant challenges that would need to be overcome.

 

(b)     The adverse impact on the day-to-day lives of persons with special needs when buses were not punctual. In response, Councillor Griffiths agreed that where there was a lack of punctuality from certain bus services in the rural and urban areas, this was a concern for persons of a variety of ages and needs. This was an issue under the remit of Suffolk County Council and West Suffolk Council worked closely with the County Council to try and make improvements, where possible.

46.

Public Participation

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. 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/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.

 

Written questions may be submitted by members of the public to the Monitoring Officer no later than 10.00 am on Monday 16 December 2019.  The written notification should detail the full question to be asked at the meeting of the Council.

Minutes:

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

 

1. David Chambers of Mildenhall, made a statement in connection with an issue affecting a number of residents in the West Suffolk Council district who were UK citizens employed by United States Airforce at UK airbases in this region. Mr Chambers expressed concern that UK (and EU) citizens employed by Local National Direct Hires for the United States Visiting Forces were not eligible to the same employment rights as other UK (and EU) citizens. As RAF Mildenhall and RAF Lakenheath were based in West Suffolk, he wished to bring the matter to the Council’s attention and to seek support to change this situation.

 

In response, Councillor John Griffiths, Leader of the Council, duly acknowledged Mr Chambers’ statement and expressed his sympathy to those that had been directly affected as a result of this issue. He added however, that whilst it had an excellent relationship with them, the Council had limited jurisdiction and influence over the US airbases and how they operated in this area.  This matter appeared to be a matter of challenging employment and human rights law which would involve following a number of processes.

 

Councillor Griffiths provided suggestions in respect of ways in which Mr Chambers could take this matter forward including contacting ACAS and Matt Hancock MP; and offered his support on behalf of the Council in his endeavours.

47.

Referrals Report of Recommendations from Cabinet (Report No: COU/WS/19/014) pdf icon PDF 354 KB

Report No: COU/WS/19/014

 

(A)    Referrals from Cabinet: 8 October 2019

 

1.      West Suffolk Asset Management Strategy and Plan

 

Portfolio Holders: Cllrs Susan Glossop and Peter Stevens

 

(B)    Referrals from Cabinet: 26 November 2019

 

1.      Draft West Suffolk Strategic Framework 2020-2024

 

Portfolio Holder: Cllr John Griffiths

 

The above item was deferred by Cabinet for further consideration in early 2020 and is therefore not included as a referral on this Council agenda.

 

 

2.      Investing in Housing and Development Sites and Approval of the Barley Homes Business Plan 2019

 

Portfolio Holder: Cllr Sara Mildmay-White

 

3.      Local Council Tax Reduction Scheme (LCTRS) for 2020-2021

 

Portfolio Holder: Cllr Sarah Broughton

 

4.      Council Tax Technical Changes – Including Empty Property Reliefs and Premiums Charges

 

Portfolio Holder: Cllr Sarah Broughton

 

5.      Council Tax Base for Tax Setting Purposes 2020/2021

 

Portfolio Holder: Cllr Sarah Broughton

 

6.      West Suffolk Medium Term Financial Strategy 2020-2024

 

Portfolio Holder: Cllr Sarah Broughton

 

7.      Exempt:Investing in our Commercial Asset Portfolio (para 3)

 

Portfolio Holder: Cllr Susan Glossop

 

The above item was not considered by Cabinet due to the initial proposal contained within Exempt Cabinet Report No: CAB/WS/19/048 being no longer available for consideration and is therefore not included as a referral on this Council agenda.

 

 

 

Additional documents:

Minutes:

Council considered the Referrals Report of Recommendations from Cabinet, as contained within Report No: COU/WS/19/014.

 

(A)    Referrals from Cabinet: 8 October 2019

 

1.       West Suffolk Asset Management Strategy and Plan

 

Approval was sought for the adoption of a new West Suffolk Asset Management Strategy and Plan (AMSaP), together with proposed delegations associated with property and asset transactions.

 

The overall strategic approach to investing in, managing and disposing of land and property assets, which was attached as Appendix A to the Cabinet report was proposed to satisfactorily integrate with the Council’s wider policy framework, which comprised key policies such as the West Suffolk Strategic Framework and Medium Term Financial Strategy (MTFS).

 

The accompanying Asset Management Plan, attached as Appendix B, has been produced to satisfactorily address how the strategic approach would be applied through the Plan’s division into nine categories.

 

Appropriate delegations had also been proposed to be put in place for property and asset transactions made from the Investing in Growth Fund, which would align with those previously approved for other investments made utilising the Investing in Growth Fund.

 

Councillor Susan Glossop, Portfolio Holder for Growth, drew relevant issues to the attention of Council including that the Cabinet had recognised the benefits of the adopting the AMSaP, which supported the Council’s behaving more commercially approach contained in the MTFS and considered it would also provide the framework to enable the Council to maximise the value of its existing assets.

 

On the motion of Councillor Glossop, seconded by Councillor Peter Stevens, it was put to the vote and with the vote being 57 for the motion, 0 against and 1 abstention, it was

 

RESOLVED:

 

That:

 

(1)     The West Suffolk Asset Management Strategy attached at Appendix A to Report No: CAB/WS/19/037, be approved; and

 

(2)     the delegations for property acquisitions as outlined in the Asset Management Plan attached at Appendix B, be approved and funded through the Investing in Growth Fund to be brought in line with those for non-property transactions from the same fund, as set out in Section 2.4 of Report No: CAB/WS/19/037.

 

(B)    Referrals from Cabinet: 26 November 2019

 

1.       Draft West Suffolk Strategic Framework 2020-2024

 

Council noted that this item had been deferred by Cabinet to allow for further consideration of amendments proposed during the Overview and Scrutiny Committee meeting held on 14 November 2019. The item was now due to be presented to Cabinet on 14 January 2020.

 

 

2.       Investing in Housing and Development Sites and Approval of the Barley Homes Business Plan 2019

 

Approval was sought for the current development proposals being put forward for Barley Homes; the longer-term approach to developing a pipeline of developments for Barley Homes and endorsement was sought for the funding necessary to deliver these proposals.

 

Barley Homes (Group) Limited was established in February 2016 as a company limited by shares.  Following the Interim Business Plan agreed by councils in 2018, and the creation of West Suffolk Council on 1 April 2019, it was now 100% owned by West Suffolk Council.  ...  view the full minutes text for item 47.

48.

Review of the Political Balance and Appointment to Politically Balanced Bodies (Report No: COU/WS/19/015) pdf icon PDF 146 KB

Report No: COU/WS/19/015 TO FOLLOW

Additional documents:

Minutes:

Council considered this report, which sought approval for the political balance and allocation of seats to politically balanced bodies.

 

Since the last meeting of Council on 19 September 2019, the Monitoring Officer had received notification that Councillors Frank Warby and David Nettleton had joined the Conservative Group.  The Monitoring Officer had also received notification that the remaining Members of the Spectrum Group had joined the Independent Group.  This meant that the Spectrum Group ceased to exist and therefore a review of the allocation of seats on committees was required.

 

In addition, the Council had a vacant seat as a result of the resignation of Councillor Robin Millar following his success in the recent general election (see minute 45. above).

 

Appendix A set out proposals for the allocation of seats on politically balanced committees, with the proposed allocation of substitute member seats provided in Appendix B. Should approval be given, appointments to the committees would be made by the Monitoring Officer following the meeting, on the nominations of Group Leaders.

 

Councillor John Griffiths, Leader of the Council, drew relevant issues to the attention of Council.

 

On the motion of Councillor Griffiths, seconded by Councillor Ian Shipp, it was put to the vote and with the vote being unanimous, it was

 

RESOLVED:

 

That:

 

(1)     the political balance and allocation of seats on committees as set out in Appendix A of Report No: COU/WS/19/015, be agreed;

 

(2)     the political balance and allocation of substitutes on Committees as per Appendix B of Report No: COU/WS/19/015, be agreed; and

 

(3)     based on the agreed allocations, it be noted that Group Leaders have up to 14 days in which to notify the Monitoring Officer of their nominations to committee places, on which the Monitoring Officer will appoint Members to Committees.

49.

Any Other Urgent Business

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.

Minutes:

There were no matters of urgent business considered on this occasion.

 

50.

Exclusion of Press and Public

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 the items, 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.

Minutes:

See minute 51. below.

51.

Exempt Appendix: Referrals Report of Recommendations from Cabinet (para 3)

(B)    Referrals from Cabinet: 26 November 2019

 

2.      Exempt Appendix A to Report No: COU/WS/19/014: Investing in Housing and Development Sites and Approval of the Barley Homes Business Plan 2019

 

Portfolio Holder: Cllr Sara Mildmay-White

Minutes:

(B)    Referrals from Cabinet: 26 November 2019

 

2.       Exempt Appendix A: Investing in Housing and Development Sites and Approval of the Barley Homes Business Plan 2019

 

Exempt Appendix A to the above referral was the Barley Homes Business Plan 2019; however, this had been considered earlier in the agenda in private session (minute 47. above refers).

 

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