Agenda and minutes

Agenda and minutes

Venue: The Preston Room, Woodgate Chambers, Woodgate, Loughborough

Items
No. Item

75.

Apologies

Minutes:

Apologies for absence had been received from Councillors Bokor, Hunt and J Bradshaw, and from Honorary Alderman Bush and Stott.

76.

Disclosures of Pecuniary and Personal Interests

Minutes:

The following disclosures of pecuniary and personal interests were made:

 

      i.        Councillor Grimley disclosed a personal interest in item 6.1, Capital Plan Amendment Report, as a Queniborough Scouts Board Member.

 

    ii.        Councillor Miah disclosed a personal interest in item 6.2 Medium Term Financial Strategy 2020-2023, as a Member of Leicestershire County Council.

 

   iii.        Councillor Fryer disclosed a personal interest in item 6.2 Medium Term Financial Strategy 2020-2023, as a Member of Leicestershire County Council.

 

   iv.        Councillor Radford disclosed a personal interest in item 6.2 Medium Term Financial Strategy 2020-2023, as a Member of Leicestershire County Council.

77.

Minutes of the Previous Meeting pdf icon PDF 144 KB

To confirm the minutes of the Extraordinary Council meeting held on 4th November 2019 and the Council meeting held on 4th November 2019.

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The minutes of the Extraordinary Council meeting and the Ordinary Council meeting, held on 4th November 2019 were confirmed and signed.

78.

Announcements

79.

Mayor's Announcements

 

To receive announcements from the Mayor (if any).

Minutes:

The Mayor made the following announcements.

 

“I would first like welcome Honorary Alderman Paul Day to his first meeting of the Council since his conferment at the last meeting of the Council. Honorary Alderman Day, it is with great pleasure that Charnwood Borough Council present to you your official scroll and your Honorary Alderman medallion”

 

“I would also like to invite Members to a Race Night that has been organised in aid of the Mayor’s charity, Dementia UK. The event is on Friday 21st February at the Elizabeth Park Mansion House in Thurmaston. Please contact the Mayor’s Office if you would like to attend. I hope to see you there.”

 

80.

Leader's Announcements pdf icon PDF 43 KB

 

To consider significant, recent matters affecting the Council or the Borough (if any).

Minutes:

The Leader made the following announcements.

 

“Madam Mayor, I would first like to congratulate Edward Argar and Jane Hunt on their success at the recent General Election. Of course, Edward has been an MP representing Charnwood since 2015. Jane Hunt, on the other hand, was elected for the first time as Loughborough MP and will in fact, be making her maiden speech in Parliament this evening, hence her apologies at this meeting. For both, this is a great achievement. I would like to wish them the best of luck and I look forward to working with them.”

 

“While I am on the subject, I would also like to thank all of our staff for their hard work during the election period.  I don’t doubt that when an election is called, it does have an impact across all departments at the Council, but all that hard work ensures the election is run smoothly, whilst maintaining a high standard of service to all our residents.”

 

“Finally, I would like to bring to your attention that a project which supports the armed forces community in Charnwood, Rushcliffe and Melton and it has in fact, been selected as a finalist in the national ‘Soldering On Awards.’ The event will take place on 24th April 2020.

 

The project, which celebrates the achievements of the military community, by honouring individuals, Veterans, their families and organisations that support the armed forces community, has been selected as a finalist in the Working Together category.

Thank you Councillor Fryer for all your ongoing work as the Armed Forces Champion.”

 

81.

Chief Executive's Announcements

 

To receive announcements from the Chief Executive (if any).

Minutes:

The Chief Executive made no announcements.

 

82.

Honorary Alderman Conferment

Minutes:

Honorary Alderman Day gave a brief speech to those present to acknowledge his conferment as Honorary Alderman.

83.

Petitions

To allow councillors to formally submit petitions for consideration under the Council’s petition scheme, as set out in Full Council Procedure 9.8.

Minutes:

No petitions were submitted.

84.

Business Reserved to Council

To consider the following matters reserved to Council in accordance with Section 5 of the Constitution:

84.1

Capital Plan Amendment Report pdf icon PDF 138 KB

 

A report of the Cabinet, seeking approval for changes to the 2019/20 to 2021/22 Capital Plan and its financing, is attached.

Additional documents:

Minutes:

A report of the Cabinet, seeking approval for changes to the 2019/20 to 2021/22 Capital Plan and its financing, was submitted (item 6.1 on the agenda filed with these minutes).

 

It was proposed by Councillor Barkley, seconded by Councillor Taylor and

 

RESOLVED that the new scheme Investment in Commercial Property for £10m to be funded as appropriate following a finance option appraisal split £5m in 2019/20 and £5m in 2020/21, be added.

 

Reason

 

To enable the scheme budget to be available in 2019/20 and 2020/21 to allow the Investment in Commercial Property to be funded in a financially advantageous manner.

84.2

Medium Term Financial Strategy 2020-2023 pdf icon PDF 102 KB

 

A report of the Cabinet, enabling the Council to consider a Medium Term Financial Strategy for 2020-2023, is attached.

Additional documents:

Minutes:

A report of the Cabinet to consider a Medium Term Financial Strategy for 2020-2023, was submitted (item 6.2 on the agenda filed with these minutes).

 

It was proposed by Councillor Barkley, and seconded by Councillor Fryer, and

 

RESOLVED that the Medium Term Financial Strategy 2020-2023, be approved.

 

Reason

 

To identify the financial issues affecting the Council and the Borough in the medium term in order to provide a base for priorities to be set and to inform the Council’s budget-setting process.

84.3

Treasury Management Update - Mid-Year Review for the six months ended 30th September 2019 pdf icon PDF 134 KB

 

A report of the Cabinet, enabling the Council to consider the mid-year review of the Treasury Management Strategy and Annual Investment Strategy, plus the various Prudential Borrowing and Treasury Indicators for the first six months of 2019/20, is attached.

Additional documents:

Minutes:

A report of the Cabinet to consider the mid-year review of the Treasury Management Strategy and Annual Investment Strategy, plus the various Prudential Borrowing and Treasury Indicators for the first six months of 2019/20, was submitted (item 6.3 on the agenda filed with these minutes).

 

It was proposed by Councillor Barkley, seconded by Councillor Rollings, and

 

RESOLVED

 

1.    That the Prudential Borrowing limits (the Operational Boundary and Authorised limits) are both increased by £15m to cover the financial implications of the Investment Strategy Cabinet Report (minute ref 32, 19th September 2019) and the Purchase of Fleet Cabinet Report (minute ref 29, 13th September 2018).

 

2.    That the mid-year review of the Treasury Management Strategy Statement, Prudential Borrowing and Treasury Indicators plus the Annual Investment Strategy, as set out in Part B of the report to the Cabinet, attached as an Annex, be noted.

 

Reasons

 

1.    To ensure that the Treasury Management Strategy and Prudential borrowing limits are updated to cover the proposed £10m Investment in Commercial Property recommended in the Investment Strategy Cabinet report 19th September 2019 and £5m to cover the purchase of fleet for Environmental Services Contract; this will expand the borrowing headroom limits to meet the relevant financial implications.

 

2.    To ensure that the Council’s governance and management procedures for Treasury Management reflect best practice and comply with the revised CIPFA Treasury Management in the Public Services Code of Practice, Guidance Notes and Treasury Management Policy Statement, that funding of capital expenditure is taken within the totally of the Council’s financial position, and that borrowing and investment is only carried out with proper regard to the Prudential Code for Capital Finance in Local Authorities.

84.4

Annual Pay Policy Statement pdf icon PDF 99 KB

 

A report of the Personnel Committee, recommending that the Pay Policy Statement for 2020/21 be approved and adopted, is attached.

Additional documents:

Minutes:

A report of the Personnel Committee to consider the approval and adoption of the Pay Policy Statement for 2020/21, was submitted (item 6.4 on the agenda filed with these minutes).

 

It was proposed by Councillor Boldrin, seconded by Councillor Morgan, and

 

RESOLVED that the Pay Policy Statement for 2020/21, as set out in theAppendix to the report considered by the Personnel Committee, be approved and adopted.

 

Reason

 

To ensure that the Council meets its obligations under Section 38 of the Localism Act 2011.

85.

Call-in References

There are no references to Council following the call-in of a Cabinet decision under Scrutiny Committee Procedure 11.7.

Minutes:

There were no call-in references from Scrutiny.

86.

Position Statements

No requests for position statements have been received.

Minutes:

No position statements had been requested.

87.

Motions on Notice

No motions on notice have been received.

Minutes:

No motions on notice had been submitted.

88.

Questions on Notice pdf icon PDF 137 KB

To deal with the following questions on notice, submitted under Full Council Procedure 9.9(a):

Minutes:

The questions on notice and the responses of the Leader or his nominee were submitted (item 10 on the agenda filed with these minutes).

89.

Guidance on Recycling

 

Question submitted by Councillor Gerrard.

Minutes:

Councillor Gerrard did not have a supplementary statement or question.

90.

Bin Provisions at Houses in Multiple Occupation

 

Question submitted by Councillor Parton.

Minutes:

Councillor Parton stated that there had been 360 bins scattered across public highways in Southfields and a neighbouring ward for four days. He acknowledged the efforts of the Council to overcome such issues and stated that there was a multi-agency approach required to improve this. He invited the Council and the Lead Member for Performance of Major Contracts to engage with Loughborough University, the Student’s Union and local landlords in order to identify solutions.

 

Councillor Harper-Davies thanked Councillor Parton and offered to participate in a ward walk to understand the issue better in Southfields ward. She also agreed to liaise with Council Officers regarding the proposals made by Councillor Parton.

91.

Student Blocks and Council Tax Exemption

 

Question submitted by Councillor Parton.

Minutes:

Councillor Parton stated that there was a surplus of purpose-built student housing in Loughborough, which the Council had exempted from a Council Tax obligation. This resulted in a reduction in funding for the Council itself of approximately £4.5M, but also for Leicestershire County Council, the Police and the Fire and Rescue Service. This policy was also affecting the housing market and those in temporary accommodation. Councillor Parton requested that the Cabinet reconsidered the policy in place with regards to the Council Tax exemption of purpose-built student accommodation.

 

Councillor Barkley responded by suggesting a Councillor development session could be beneficial in allowing Councillors to understand the Council Tax system in more detail.

92.

Anti-Social Behaviour

 

Question submitted by Councillor Bolton.

Minutes:

Councillor Bolton thanked the Lead Member and Officers for the comprehensive response provided. She enquired about the possibility of a Member development workshop on anti-social behaviour, covering aspects such as key contacts at the Council for case work on anti-social behaviour.

 

Councillor Taylor responded by suggesting a Councillor development session covering anti-social behaviour could be beneficial.

 

93.

Bulky Waste

 

Question submitted by Councillor Hamilton.

Minutes:

Councillor Hamilton thanked the Lead Member and Officers for the response received. He believed that the Council should have increased the frequency of inspections, in anticipation that there would be an increase in bulky waste fly-tipping, following the introduction of a £20 charge for collection. He requested that the inspection schedule be reviewed in respect of this. In addition, Councillor Hamilton believed that the hardship scheme had not been widely communicated and requested that this be more effectively communicated to eligible residents.

 

Councillor Harper-Davies thanked Councillor Hamilton for his question. She stated that she had seen the fly-tipping that he had referred to but that inspections and collections were regular. She agreed to liaise with Officers to encourage promotion of the hardship scheme.

 

94.

Planning Consultations

 

Question submitted by Councillor Radford.

Minutes:

Councillor Radford expressed disappointment in the communication of details with regards to the Draft Local Plan Consultation 2019-36. She stated that the exhibition in Shepshed was poorly advertised and difficult to access and that there was no literature for residents to take away. Residents in Shepshed were not aware of the exhibition until Councillor Radford had promoted this through social media.

 

Councillor Morgan was due to meet with Councillor Radford following the meeting and suggested that they discuss further then. He also stated that during the period of time that the Draft Local Plan Consultation 2019-36 was live, a General Election was called and this had an impact on time and resources.

95.

Minute References

There are no minute references.

Minutes:

There were no minute references.

96.

Urgent Executive Decisions Exempted from Call-in

97.

Acquisition of Properties pdf icon PDF 115 KB

 

A report of the Chief Executive to note a decision taken by the Head of Strategic and Private Sector Housing to acquire properties which were exempted from call-in in accordance with Scrutiny Committee Procedure 11.9.

Additional documents:

Minutes:

A report of the Chief Executive, informing the Council of an urgent decision made by the Head of Strategic and Private Sector Housing which were exempted from call-in in accordance with Scrutiny Committee Procedure 11.9, was submitted (item 12 on the agenda filed with these minutes).

98.

Member Grants Scheme pdf icon PDF 110 KB

 

A report of the Chief Executive to note decisions taken by the Lead Member for Communities, Safety and Wellbeing to award grants which were exempted from call-in accordance with Scrutiny Committee Procedure 11.9.

Additional documents:

Minutes:

A report of the Chief Executive, informing the Council of an urgent decision made by the Lead Member for Communities, Safety and Wellbeing to award grants which were exempted from call-in in accordance with Scrutiny Committee Procedure 11.9, was submitted (item 12 on the agenda filed with these minutes).

 

99.

Appointments to Committees pdf icon PDF 103 KB

To approve changes to the membership of Committee for the current Council year (2019/20).

Minutes:

It was proposed by Councillor Poland, seconded by Councillor Grimley, and

 

RESOLVED that Councillor Gerrard be appointed to the Neighbourhoods and Community Wellbeing Scrutiny Committee to replace Councillor Parton.

 

Reason

 

To reflect the wishes of the Conservative Group in making appointments to committees and to comply with sections 11.2(d) and 12.4(a) of the Council’s Constitution.