Council - Wednesday 22 January 2025, 2:00pm - Cotswold District Council Webcasting
Agenda
Slides
Transcript
Map
Resources
Forums
Speakers
Feedback
Votes
Speaking:
Agenda item :
Start of webcast
Slide 1
Agenda item :
1 Apologies
Agenda item :
2 Declarations of Interest
Share this agenda point
Agenda item :
3 Minutes
Share this agenda point
-
Councillor Len Wilkins
-
Councillor Angus Jenkinson
-
Councillor Nikki Ind
Agenda item :
4 Announcements from the Chair, Leader and Chief Executive
Agenda item :
5 Unsung Heroes Award
Agenda item :
6 Public Questions
Agenda item :
7 Member Questions
Share this agenda point
-
Councillor Julia Judd
-
Councillor Joe Harris
-
Councillor Nikki Ind
-
Councillor Gina Blomefield
-
Councillor Joe Harris
-
Councillor Nikki Ind
-
Councillor David Fowles
-
Councillor Mike Evemy
-
Councillor Nikki Ind
-
Councillor Gina Blomefield
-
Councillor Joe Harris
-
Councillor Gina Blomefield
-
Councillor Nikki Ind
-
Councillor Jeremy Theyer
-
Councillor Tristan Wilkinson
-
Councillor Nikki Ind
-
Councillor Daryl Corps
-
Councillor Tristan Wilkinson
-
Councillor Nikki Ind
-
Councillor Daryl Corps
-
Councillor Nikki Ind
Agenda item :
8 Counter Fraud and Enforcement Unit Collaboration Agreement
Share this agenda point
-
Councillor Mike Evemy
-
Councillor Nikki Ind
-
Councillor Nigel Robbins
-
Councillor Nikki Ind
-
Councillor Tom Stowe
-
Councillor Nikki Ind
-
Councillor Patrick Coleman
-
Councillor Nikki Ind
-
Councillor Julia Judd
-
Councillor Nikki Ind
-
Councillor Mike Evemy
-
Councillor Nikki Ind
-
Councillor Nigel Robbins
-
Councillor Patrick Coleman
-
Councillor Nikki Ind
-
Councillor Joe Harris
Agenda item :
9 Report of the Constitution Working Group
Share this agenda point
-
Councillor Nikki Ind
-
Councillor Gina Blomefield
-
Councillor Nikki Ind
-
Councillor David Fowles
-
Councillor Nikki Ind
-
Councillor Patrick Coleman
-
Councillor Nikki Ind
-
Councillor Tristan Wilkinson
-
Councillor Nikki Ind
-
Councillor Paul Hodgkinson
-
Councillor Nikki Ind
-
Councillor Mark Harris
-
Councillor Nikki Ind
-
Councillor Joe Harris
-
Councillor Nikki Ind
-
Councillor Nikki Ind
Agenda item :
10 Moreton-in-Marsh Working Group Membership
Share this agenda point
-
Councillor Joe Harris
-
Councillor Nikki Ind
-
Councillor Daryl Corps
-
Councillor Nikki Ind
-
Councillor Nikki Ind
-
Councillor Angus Jenkinson
-
Councillor Nikki Ind
-
Councillor Daryl Corps
-
Councillor Joe Harris
-
Councillor Nikki Ind
Agenda item :
10 Moreton-in-Marsh Working Group Membership
Share this agenda point
-
Councillor Joe Harris
-
Councillor Nikki Ind
-
Councillor Daryl Corps
-
Councillor Nikki Ind
-
Councillor Angus Jenkinson
-
Councillor Nikki Ind
-
Councillor Ian Watson
-
Councillor Nikki Ind
-
Councillor Nikki Ind
Agenda item :
11 Community Governance Review - Upper Rissington
Share this agenda point
-
Councillor Joe Harris
-
Councillor Nikki Ind
-
Councillor Andrew Maclean
-
Councillor Nikki Ind
-
Councillor Joe Harris
-
Councillor Nikki Ind
-
Councillor Nikki Ind
Agenda item :
12 Programme of Meetings for 2025/26
Share this agenda point
-
Councillor Joe Harris
-
Councillor Mike Evemy
-
Councillor Nikki Ind
-
Councillor Dilys Neill
-
Councillor Dilys Neill
-
Councillor Mike Evemy
-
Councillor Nikki Ind
-
Councillor Gina Blomefield
-
Councillor Nikki Ind
-
Councillor David Fowles
-
Councillor Nikki Ind
-
Councillor Tom Stowe
-
Councillor Nikki Ind
-
Councillor Mike Evemy
-
Councillor Nikki Ind
-
Councillor Mike Evemy
-
Councillor Nikki Ind
-
Councillor Nikki Ind
-
Webcast Finished
Disclaimer: This transcript was automatically generated, so it may contain errors. Please view the webcast to confirm whether the content is accurate.
Councillor Nikki Ind - 0:00:00
Councillor Nikki Ind - 0:00:00
Are we there, Andrew?Good afternoon and welcome to this meeting of Cotswold District Council's full council on Wednesday 22nd January.
My name is Councillor Nicky Inge and I am the Chair of Council.
I'd like to welcome all members, public in attendance and those watching online.
You are very welcome.
Members of the public present are entitled to record the meeting themselves, providing
this isn't disruptive to our proceedings.
For those watching at home, the electronic voting results will be displayed on screen
and will be announced at the end of each vote.
Should anything go wrong with the electronic voting, which cannot be resolved, we will
a vote to vote by a clear show of hands. We move to the first item on the agenda. Apologies.
1 Apologies
Nickie Mackenzie-Daste, Officer - 0:01:08
Apologies, Nicky. We have apologies from Councillor Ray Brasington,Councillor Juliet Layton, David Cunningham and Chris Twelves.
Councillor Nikki Ind - 0:01:20
Thank you. Many thanks. I understand that Councillor Spivey may be delayed. Next we2 Declarations of Interest
go on to declarations of interest. Are there any declarations of interest from members
please? As normal, if you become aware of any interest during the meeting, then please
declare it at that time. The gender item through the minutes. We're going to avoid
3 Minutes
going through these page by page. Does anyone have any amendments to the
minutes which have been circulated? No. Well can I have a proposer to accept the
minutes please? Councillor Fowles and seconded by Councillor Bloomer. So the
recommendation is that full Council accept the minutes of the meeting of the 27th of
November 2024 as a correct record. I now call for the vote to be opened. Thank you, Keira.
Councillor Len Wilkins - 0:02:24
Councillor Angus Jenkinson - 0:02:26
Councillor Nikki Ind - 0:02:49
Thank you. That's 25, 4 and 2 abstentions. Thank you, colleagues.4 Announcements from the Chair, Leader and Chief Executive
We move on to announcements now. Firstly, my announcements. Not too much from me, but
Firstly, I would like to take this opportunity to say Happy New Year to colleagues and residents
as we all work together in 2025 to support and improve our district in the coming year.
I'd also like to welcome our new Councillor for Chesterton,
Andrea Pellegrin. Where are you, Andrea? There you are. Welcome. You're very welcome.
And I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate all the recipients throughout
our district who were recognised in this year's New Year's honours list.
Today marks a profoundly significant moment. It's the 80th anniversary of the liberation
of Auschwitz and this is an opportunity for us to reflect on one of what is one of the
darkest chapters in our history. So on the 27th of January 1945 the Soviet forces liberated
the Auschwitz -Birkenau concentration and extermination camp, exposing those unimaginable horrors.
Over 1 .1 million lives were lost there alone, the majority of them Jewish, but also political
prisoners, members of the LGBTQ plus individuals and anyone else who was targeted and persecuted.
Their courage and resilience have ensured
that the world never forgets the atrocities they endured.
Through their stories, they've become beacons of hope
and reminders of the strength of human spirit.
As the number of survivors diminish, it is essential
that we continue to carry forward their testimonies.
And this anniversary reminds us of our collective responsibility
to confront hatred, antisemitism,
and discrimination wherever they are.
Even today, prejudice and division exists.
But I did want to make sure that we noted this today.
We must challenge that intolerance, stand against any injustice and promote inclusivity
within our communities.
Thank you.
Finally, on a happier note, I was proud to represent the District Council at the Christmas
celebrations in the Forest of Dean and in Syrinsester.
and last Friday evening it was a joy to go to the official opening of the Grace Network,
the Long Table project which is in the old Rackhams building here in the marketplace
at Syrinsester. This is a welcome addition to our district and I look forward to watching
how we can all work together and as this project grows and supports our community. Thank you.
Mr Weaver over to you. Thank you very much chair and again happy new year to those of
CEO Rob Weaver - 0:05:47
I've not yet had the opportunity to wish it to. I would just like a couple of announcements from me really.Firstly, welcome Andrea, great to have you on the council and I'd like to thank all the elections team.
Keira in particular who was manning the polling station throughout the day and then came back to
help with the count in the evening along with all the other election staff for making sure the
Chesterton by -election ran smoothly. So thank you very much indeed for that.
Thank you and now over to the Leader, Councillor Harris.
Councillor Nikki Ind - 0:06:16
Councillor Joe Harris - 0:06:18
Thank you, Chair. Happy New Year to everyone. Can I start by welcoming Nicky Mackenzie -Dastein her new role as one of our Democratic Services team. Nicky is known to many of you. She has
come from within the organisation, so what is our Chief Executive's loss is definitely
our gain, because Nicky is absolutely fantastic. If you're going on holiday, she's a fluent
French speaker, so if you need any tips or to brush up, then make sure you give her a
Can I also, of course, welcome Councillor Andrea Pellegran to her seat today.
You ran a stunning by -election campaign.
It was called A Difficult Circumstances.
It was called over the Christmas period, but you worked really, really hard.
It was a fantastic result.
I have to say, it did make me laugh.
As you can probably tell if you talk to Andrea, it's not a broad Gloucestershire accent that
she has.
It is, in fact, an American accent.
And when I found out that the conservative candidate was
from a Canadian background, I thought, oh, crikey,
we've got a Donald Trump fever dream going on,
haven't we, here in Chesterton.
And the only question left is, yes, Andrea won Chesterton,
but what is going to happen to Greenland?
But luckily, we don't need to worry about that.
So, huge congratulations to Andrea.
You'll be a brilliant candidate.
And can I thank the candidates and other parties
and what I think was a really clean and fair fight.
And, yeah, it was a credit to democracy, I'd say.
But congratulations, Andrea.
I want to start by talking very quickly about planning.
Now, in the flurry of activity before Christmas,
clearly the devolution announcement gained the most
traction and press coverage.
But what we mustn't forget is that the government also
announced their new housing targets for local authority
areas, and it's fair to say that for our area in particular,
They are staggering.
We had assumed already a significant increase in our
housing numbers of around 500 a year.
Since the initial announcement in the summer and now the
announcement just before Christmas,
our area will have to find nearly 1 ,000 houses a year.
My message to government is clear.
What planet are you on?
80 % of our district is area of outstanding natural beauty.
And what does that mean? Well it means it's really hard to build on. In fact you
can't. There are protections in place to protect the area of outstanding natural
beauty, the Cotswold National Landscape as it's now called, from development. So
we're now in a situation where we have to find find 1 ,000 extra homes a year in
20 % of our district. And if we look at the communities we're talking about, they
They are communities that have been transformed by development over the last few years.
Tetbury, Syrinsester, Fairford, Lechlade, Morton to name but a few.
And I think the message needs to be very clear from this council and on behalf of all of us I hope I speak.
It is not a deliverable target.
It is not achievable.
It is not achievable because the land simply isn't available.
It is not achievable fundamentally because we have a crisis in this country when it comes
to planning and development.
There aren't the workers out there to build all of these houses across the country.
And of course we have the ongoing economic uncertainty fueled by, whether it's Trump's
trade tariffs or the legacy of Brexit, we still have a deeply unstable situation.
You know me, I talk about housing a lot.
I am passionately committed to delivering new housing in our district.
We have a housing crisis.
My friends, the people that I've grown up with, people's sons, daughters, families,
are struggling to not only get on the housing ladder, but also find somewhere affordable
to live in.
So we absolutely have to meet this challenge.
But I want to make clear, arbitrary housing targets that aren't going to solve the root
cause of the issue aren't the answer.
The answer is targeting the type of housing we are delivering here in the Cotswolds.
So in response to this, we're going to double down on the upgrade of our existing local plan.
We have to make that a document that responds to this.
But make no doubt about it, if the government plough on with their housing target as announced before Christmas,
we will have the rug pulled from out beneath us.
And the danger is it becomes an open season for developers once again,
Like we saw in the dark old days 10, 15 years ago.
We do not want to return to that.
But I'm afraid Angela Rayner and her announcement back in December might well push us into that position.
So of course we will report back to councillors and administration.
We will look at how we respond to this.
But I think it's absolutely critical that we put on record our concern about this announcement of housing numbers and the constraints that we have.
On the other big issue, on devolution, clearly the government's proposals for English devolution
and local government reorganisation will profoundly shape the future of local government in our
area.
Let me start by saying that this administration that I lead and the Lib Dems, we are fundamentally
committed to devolution.
It's in our DNA.
We want power, money and investment at the lowest level.
We want local communities deciding how this should be spent.
Decisions affecting communities are best made by those who understand them and who are accountable
to local electorates.
Devolving power is essential to strengthening local democracy.
We recognise the Labour government's mandate for the creation of mayors.
They made a lot about it in the run -up to the election and it was clearly set out in
their manifesto.
However, it is important to recognize that no such mandate for local government reorganization and the abolition of district councils was mentioned not one mention of it.
The government's current proposals risk undermining democracy.
They propose consolidating power in the hands of one elected mayor and a strategic authority covering a regional footprint.
Now they say bigger isn't always better.
Just ask Wiltshire Council, a huge council area and you only have to talk to some of
their members about the frustration that they have trying to get the attention for their
areas.
In fact, one council equipped me, you have to Google, you need Google Maps to find your
local councilor because it is such a big area.
What on earth does Cricklade have in common with Salisbury?
It is a huge, huge area.
Large unitary authorities can become disconnected and remote from the people they serve.
In district councils like ours, we deliver excellent value for money, I think, close to residents.
I know not all residents would agree with that, but objectively speaking, we absolutely do.
From housing and planning to waste collection to tackling climate change,
district councils, including ours, are vital to providing services that residents rely on.
We also champion the needs of our community, whether that's on the cost of living crisis or whether that's the response to the Covid pandemic.
We stood up to the plate, we stepped up to the plate.
In terms of Gloucestershire, Gloucestershire then specifically, Gloucestershire is far from ready from the kind of sweeping changes that we're talking about.
The County Council's recent request to delay May's local elections is, in our view, outrageous and it's been done for political reasons.
We've joined other District Council leaders across Gloucestershire in writing to the Secretary of State Jim McMahon to oppose the delay.
It feels like it's prioritising political advantage over the interests of residents.
And I'm clear that we will not stand for that.
The truth is, here in Gloucestershire, I've had many meetings, we are not ready for this change.
Predominantly because we can't agree on what we want.
And for me, that is the worst of all worlds.
If we have a delay, if we've got a few months up until the autumn to make a submission,
then we can come up with a solution that works for Gloucestershire, that doesn't
centralise power all in Gloucestershire. However, we recognise that there will be
a decision next week. We will know here in Gloucestershire if we're going to be
in the first wave of reorganisation or the second wave later, a year or so later.
If we are in the first wave then we have to be honest, we have to be honest as a
council, we will have no choice but to get on with it. That is the truth. So we
will have to get behind one unitary authority for Gloucestershire and that is a clear position
of mine. However, if we are invited as part of the second wave, we will have until the
autumn to decide. And I think it's absolutely right that we look at other alternatives to
one huge mega council across Gloucestershire, perhaps looking at two. We recognise that
reorganisation will happen, but it's important that we don't lose that community link and
community connection. On mayors, if we are to join a mayoral strategic authority
area, our preference will be to look south to either Swindon and perhaps east
to Oxfordshire or indeed to the existing West of England combined authority. But
at this stage no discussions have been had at all by the County Council. Finally
no decisions will be made lightly. I recognize that this is a sensitive topic
and everyone has a view. So any proposals we will bring back to full council if we
asking for an official position statement at this council we will come
back to full council. Our priority will always be to ensure that any changes
work for the people that we represent here in the Cotswolds. They strengthen
local democracy and protect high quality services that councils provide. I want us
to shape a future for local government here in the Cotswolds and here in
Gloucestershire that is rooted in our communities, responsive to their needs
and fit for the challenges ahead. Thank you.
Councillor Nikki Ind - 0:16:32
Thank you, Councillor Harris. I'd just like to remind members of the need to be disciplined with any comments,avoid repetition during debate and be succinct with any questions that you raise this afternoon.
The length of the meeting is capped at four hours and after three hours have elapsed,
if we get to that point, we will take a vote on whether to continue for the final hour.
After four hours we will finish the item we're dealing with in the normal way but
the other remaining business will fall. We will also take a comfort break after
approximately two hours and the break will not count towards the time limit. So
we move forward now to a very happy moment for me at every council meeting,
5 Unsung Heroes Award
the Unsung Hero Awards and before I call our recipients forward I'm just going to
give you a little bit of background. So once again I'm delighted to introduce
are Cotswold District Council and Sanguihero Awards, the stories of ordinary people doing
extraordinary work throughout the district. It's heartwarming and makes the decision
very difficult for the cross party judges. All nominees receive a letter of congratulations
and thanks for their commitment to our district. And if anybody is here or watching online
knows of anyone working hard in their town or village, please visit our website and nominate
them for an award. Today I'm delighted to present the following
residents with their certificate and badge as an acknowledgement and with
grateful thanks for all the work that they're doing in our district. Our
first award and our person that came first this time is Phil Miles. Sadly Phil
can't be with us today but we're thrilled to announce that he was he's a
dedicated community first responder with Southwestern Ambulance and has been
awarded the first prize in our Unsung Heroes Awards
for January 25.
Phil's been volunteering as a community first aider
for nearly a decade, tirelessly supporting his community
in their times of greatest need.
Despite the role being entirely voluntary,
Phil is on call almost every day and night when he is home,
ready to respond to 999 emergencies
at a moment's notice.
From attending to falls to being first on the scene
for cardiac arrest, Phil's unwavering commitment
ensures timely care and support for patients. His impact goes beyond the
immediate assistance he provides. He often stays with patients for hours
until further resources arrive offering comfort and care during their most
vulnerable moments. He truly embodies selflessness and compassion making a
profound difference in people's lives even when he is not officially on call.
Community first responders like Phil are often the unsung heroes of emergency
care and we are honoured to shine a spotlight on his incredible contribution.
As I said, unfortunately he is unable to be with us today but we thank him for his dedication,
kindness and life changing support that he brings to his community.
We would like to invite Councillor Andrew McLean, the ward member for the Rissington's
to present Phil's badge and certificate in person.
Thank you Councillor McLean for agreeing to do this.
So firstly, please give our congratulations to Phil on this well -deserved recognition.
And our two runners up this month, I will tell you about them and then we'll call them
forward to make their presentation.
So firstly, we've got John Lawrence.
And again, we're delighted tonight that John is a tireless promoter of Syrinsester and
Cotswolds and he has been named in our awards for this month. John's dedication to his community
is nothing short of remarkable. As Siren Sester's beloved town crier he promotes the town at every
opportunity lending his voice to open events shops and even championing individuals all in his free
time. But John's contributions don't stop there. He is a proud member of Siren Sester Male Voice
Choir performing across the country and putting Sire and Sester in the spotlight wherever
he goes. During the week John serves as Warden and volunteer at St John the Baptist Church
offering both his time and care to support the church's operations. On Monday evenings
John volunteers at Beam gymnastics helping children with additional needs thrive in this
inclusive club. His kind heart and dedication to others make him a treasured part of our
community. Above all, John is a much loved husband, grandad, great grandad and a friend
to many in Syrinsester. His selfless spirit is an inspiration to us all. So please join
me in congratulating John. I'll call you forward in a minute, John.
And our other watch goes to the Community Speedwatch Blockly team and their coordinator
Louise Boles. Louise and her team are recognised because across the Cotswolds, speeding vehicles
are a major concern, but few step forward to address the issue. Louise and her dedicated
team are among the brave few who not only stand up to tackle this problem, but also
make a real difference. Community speedwatch volunteers often face negativity from a small
minority while carrying out their vital role. Despite this they remain unwavering in their
commitment, supporting each other and focusing on the greater good. Their work has directly
impacted vehicle speeds, making roads safer for everyone in the village.
Community speed watch, sorry, under Louise's exceptional coordination the group has achieved
incredible results. She keeps the team motivated, handles data and administration, ensures compliance
and gracefully manages the challenging personalities they encounter along the way.
Louise's perseverance, despite the direct abuse she and her team sometimes face, is truly admirable.
The group's efforts have gone beyond immediate safety improvements.
The information they collected has supported a successful grant application for a community speed watch plus camera,
and helps the parish council direct resources effectively.
This is an opportunity for us to thank not only Louise but every community speed watch volunteer across the district.
These individuals embody the spirit of action over complaint, taking on a difficult and often thankless task to protect their communities.
Unfortunately Louise is unable to join us today but Stephen Link is here on her behalf and we applaud him, Louise and the entire team for their remarkable contributions. Thank you.
Councillor Nikki Ind - 0:23:17
Would you both please come forward and we'll give you a presentation..
.
Councillor Nikki Ind - 0:24:47
Thank you. Yes, Councillor Harris.Councillor Joe Harris - 0:24:50
Yeah, I'm going to respond on behalf of the Lib Dem group to our people who have won awards.Well, first of all, massive congratulations to all three recipients.
The strength of the Cotswolds is we have such strong communities and the glue that binds those communities together is often people that go above and beyond.
And I think we've got three great examples, haven't we,
that we've given awards to today.
We are so lucky right across the coxswells.
That was particularly borne out during the COVID pandemic
when neighbors came and helped help neighbors.
But the great thing is that has continued.
And I know all three recipients,
this is not something they started doing during a pandemic.
It's sort of ingrained in them.
So it's wonderful to see.
I'm aware of Phil up in upper Risington.
I know that he is basically, if you've got a medical episode, you want Phil nearby, don't you?
You're going to be in good hands.
I only wish during my issue over Christmas he had been nearby.
I'm there.
Yeah, that's true. Thank you for coming.
You're not, you're a teethy little guy.
No, quite. So, you know, a huge congratulations to Phil and I know he means an awful lot to his community.
I mean, that part of the course was to Louise as well.
It's really weird, isn't it, that people get abuse for volunteering in their community.
The amount of correspondence I know that we get on speeding on the doorstep, people really
don't like speeding.
Yet when people are caught, some people see fit to dish out abuse, which I think is just
really, really strange.
So to all of our community speed wash teams, well done.
And to Louise in particular, what a great example of somebody that's not taking any
It really, really is.
So congratulations to Louise,
and I know Claire, I'm sure you'll pass that on
on behalf of our group.
And then how can I forget,
our very own town crier, John Lawrence.
Well, anybody that lives in Sire and Cestor
has been here for a few years
knows that John is an absolute stalwart in our community.
It was the vice chair of this council
that first started driving at the idea
of having a town crier. Can you believe it? We had to borrow Fairford's in Cire and Cessna.
A very good job he did, but we didn't think it was right that we didn't have our own town
crier. I think in both of our minds, and I know in the town council, there was one person
that we wanted in that role in particular. We were lucky because we only had one application
in the end and it happened to be from John. But no, John has been an incredible member
our community for many, many years and I think he's a brilliant town crier and I'm only disappointed
that we haven't had the opportunity to hear him cry today. You know, we could have got
him doing the, I could have got him to do my leaders announcements, couldn't I?
So no, on behalf of everybody on this side of the chamber, I'm sure I speak on behalf
of the whole council, huge congratulations to all three of our recipients. It's great
to see you and John I know you, huge congratulations.
Really, really appreciate it. Thank you for coming on behalf of the police.
Councillor Nikki Ind - 0:28:16
Right, we move on to agenda item six, public questions. Now I'm aware of one6 Public Questions
public question from Mr Hindle. Does anyone else wish to ask a public
question? Would you like to make your way forward Mr Hindle please?
.
Public Speaker - 0:29:02
I'd emphasise that this is, the question is about Cotswold District Council, so my nameis David Hindle, I'm from Tettbury.
I'm obviously very aware of the phase one restructuring which has happened.
So unlike a series of restructurings, including major ones, that the way I went through in
22 years in local government the grouping of services the management structure and a pay
did not seem to get appropriately approved by
Cabinet
Nor the full council nor did it seem to go through
O and S. I
noticed in a
council report on the 31st of July
about there being a director being agreed across the various districts, so each district would actually have a director.
But what I didn't see was anything about what the structure of the council, i .e. the CDC, would be.
So my two questions which really are linked for Councillor Harris
are from where did the authority come from for the grouping of services,
the management structure at various levels and relative pay?
Surely like other substantial reorganisations in local government,
those decisions should have been decided in public by the Cabinet
with overview and scrutiny oversight than the Council.
So, the second very linked question is does Councillor Harris accept that the constitution
of CDT was fit for purpose when only a handful of employees were directly employed by CDC,
but is not now for the current situation with a high emphasis on directly employed staff
and where different types of decisions are needed including decisions on the grouping
of services, management structures and pay.
Councillor Joe Harris - 0:31:18
Thank you David. First of all it is nice to put a face to a name because David you arevery good at emailing and keeping us on our toes. I do appreciate that, the fact that
people take time to look at what is happening at the Council and offer a view I think is
incredibly welcome. Thank you for coming along today as well.
So, yeah, two questions there.
I think on the process, I think actually I'm fairly certain all of the decisions we've
made, certainly when it comes to future structures, phase one of the public process and in a few
weeks phase two of the public process and the associated implications or so, have gone
to overview and scrutiny.
And I'm looking at the chief exec, have gone to overview and scrutiny, have gone to, have
been made in public.
So I'm not sure, I may have missed something, but I'm more than happy to follow up on that
after this meeting and make sure that you're in full possession of the facts and we will
certainly check on our end.
As far as I'm concerned though, we've done everything by the book when it comes to that
and that includes involving Scrutiny, we've got the chair of Scrutiny over there.
So I'm more than happy to get clarity and give you some key dates and figures in case
you've missed that.
I think your second point was around the Constitution and making sure it's fit for purpose.
Absolutely, you're right.
We had a constitution that was set up to reflect the public structure that we had.
Clearly, we've still got a bit of that and it needs to change.
We've got a constitution working group that have been doing just that job.
We haven't got a specific item on the public transition today, but we have updated our
constitution to take account of the move to publica and the new
staff and competencies that some of our directly elected
employees have faced.
So what I would suggest, David, why don't we finally get a cup
of tea.
I invite you back here.
Let's have a cup of tea.
I'm more than happy to talk through some of these things.
But I want to reassure you all of the processes that need to be
followed have been, and of course we're updating our
constitution to reflect the fact that there are material changes.
So I hope that goes away to asking your question.
Public Speaker - 0:33:27
I mean, if you just permit me just one clarification is what I'm primarily concerned about isthat there must be a series of assistant directors, which I can't find any decision for.
When I went to structure chart of the Council today, all I can see is the old structure.
I can't see the new structure.
So there must be a new structure.
And it is that decision which I am questioning.
That's absolutely fair enough.
Councillor Joe Harris - 0:34:06
Clearly we need to make sure that the information on our website is up to date.Angela, I'll let you come in in a second.
But in a nutshell, yes, we do, we all have a set of new directors.
We've got obviously Rob and David as our chief and deputy chief executive,
supported by Angela, our director of governance and something else.
And we've also got a new communities and planning director joining us in the next few weeks.
But what we'll do, David, we'll follow up on the information you require.
But I really appreciate you taking the time to come and join us today.
Thank you very much.
Councillor Nikki Ind - 0:34:45
Before you go, David, I think Mrs. Carriage has got something she would like to add.Angela Claridge - 0:34:52
Mr. Hindle, welcome. You and I have emailed in the past as well, I recall.Just a couple of points, if I may. The constitution was updated to reflect the first phase of the staff being in -sourced.
If you go on to our website and have a look, you will see there is a version that is dated 1st November.
and that's the new version but it will change again as things evolve and next
month at this meeting next month which is predominantly focusing on the budget
we also have a report coming which we have to do by law every year called the
pay policy and the pay policy has all the details in there about the council's
new structure for the senior officers so appreciate you may well meet with the
leader before then and be able to talk over your issues but keep an eye on
February's council agenda as well
Thank you very much.
Public Speaker - 0:35:38
Councillor Nikki Ind - 0:35:41
Thank you very much, Mr Hindle, for taking the time to come and see us today.Right, members, we move on to Agenda Item 7, Member Questions.
So, first question.
7 Member Questions
So, the Member Questions that have been submitted
have been responded to in writing and are on the desks and on the website.
And the questions on the agenda are presented in the order they receive.
Each questionnaire will be asked whether they have a supplementary and that's for
one minute and must arise out of the original question or the response. I will
then invite the cabinet member to respond to each supplementary question.
So the first question was from Councillor Julia Liggett to Councillor Layton,
cabinet member for housing and planning on this sill process. Now I understand
that obviously Councillor Layton's not here so Councillor Harris, Joe Harris
will be responding. Councillor Judd, did you have a supplementary question regarding
Councillor Julia Judd - 0:36:37
sale? Thank you chair, yes just a very quick one. Councillor Layton didn'treally answer my question, it was more about the process about for parish
councils going through the correct procedure to spend the money. So in
In the instance I am talking about, my parish has received the money into their account.
Do they have to get the way they spend the money validated by the council before they
spend it?
If so, why put the money in their account before they have had that?
I just think it is a rather strange way, but can they just go ahead and spend it hoping
that they meet the criteria?
or I'm concerned that they might get reprimanded
retrospectively if they spend it thinking
that they've met the criteria,
but CDC don't actually think they have met the criteria.
It's confused.
It's just a bit obfuscated.
Councillor Joe Harris - 0:37:45
Thank you, Councillor Judd.Clearly quite a technical question,
and I think what we'll do is we'll set you up a meeting
with our SIL team and I think it's probably best that you sit down with them and go through
it.
I apologise once again that your parish council didn't get a response from officers, that's
not good enough, so you have my commitment that we'll look to improve that.
But I think the best course of action, as it is a technical matter and I don't have
the knowledge off the top of my head, is to set you up with one of our SIL team and maybe
Rob as well, all right?
Thank you, Councillor Harris.
Councillor Nikki Ind - 0:38:20
question number two comes to from Councillor Gina Bloomfield to againCouncillor Layton and this is regarding landlords. Councillor Bloomfield do you
have a supplementary question? Yes thank you chair I do have a
Councillor Gina Blomefield - 0:38:34
supplementary andI'll see it will be Councillor Jo Harris and Councillor Layton's absence. Rogue
landlords continue to be a problem in the housing sector exploiting tenants
and failing to meet basic standards of safety and maintenance.
It is important local authorities take a strong stance on holding these landlords accountable
to ensure that tenants are not living in substandard conditions.
More than 100 local councils have not prosecuted a rogue landlord in the last five years
for not having fulfilled these obligations to provide decent homes to their tenants.
Does the Cotswold District Council keep a record of bad land boards?
And has it had made any prosecutions in the last five years?
Thank you.
Councillor Joe Harris - 0:39:23
I don't have the answer to that to hand, so I'll follow up with a written response.What I would say is it's definitely worth you having a chat, certainly in the first instance with Alan Hope,
who's our strategic housing manager and also Caroline Glisold who does a lot in her
housing and homelessness role. So we'll set you up with officers, I will get you a
formal written response to that answer. Thank you.
Councillor Nikki Ind - 0:39:50
Thank you Councillor Harris. Third question comes from Councillor DavidFowles to Councillor Mike Evermy, Deputy Leader and cabinet member for finance
and transformation on the refurbishment of the Trinity Road offices. Councillor
I do, thank you, John.
Councillor David Fowles - 0:40:06
I thank Councillor Ebony for his very fulsome answerand actually I'd like to thank you for all your answers.
They are always very full of useful facts
and gives us absolute clarity on where we are with this building.
I'm quite concerned because obviously we projected income
for this space very early on and I won't say it's an admission
but clearly we're going to have to revisit those figures
because they were perhaps over ambitious
and perhaps that's a demonstration that when we step outside our core service functions
as a council, it becomes difficult for us to earn money.
I do note that knowing a little bit about this marketplace, that that space obviously
is not ideal and it is difficult to let.
I think that Waltermore Point has done an excellent job to get to where they are.
But I'm particularly concerned about the configuration of the open plan area, which you've already
acknowledged is going to be difficult to let.
and I wonder whether there is a plan B in the event that it isn't actually let, because
obviously quite a large space is devoted to co -working.
Thank you.
Councillor Mike Evemy - 0:41:16
Thank you, Councillor Fowles, for your question.Clearly, officers are meeting regularly with Watermore Point, who are marketing the space
and over half and I think in the answer that I gave here we're seeing
significantly more interest coming through. I know some of those people who
have already signed up are using the sort of essentially renting a desk in the
open space part of the building. So I think it's too early for a plan B because
you know we are very much working closely with Watermoor Point and we are
seeing more people showing interest and hopefully we will see more people signing and using
the space that we have there. But I'm sure that clearly what we want to do is to generate
revenue from that space and we will continue to work hard to be able to do that in the
coming months. I'm sure you'll ask me another question in a few months if we're still in
a similar position. But I'm confident that the officers are working hard together with
to my point to get the space occupied. Thank you councillor Evermy.
Councillor Nikki Ind - 0:42:30
Questionnumber four comes from councillor Blomfield to again councillor Layton to be
answered by councillor Harris on developing social and affordable housing.
councillor Blomfield you have a supplementary. Yes thank you chair and
Councillor Gina Blomefield - 0:42:43
first of all in her absence I'd like to thank our councillor Layton for her veryfull and clear answer and I can see that the officers are working hard there is
there is a lot of work going on looking towards providing the essential affordable housing.
It is the part which in the Cotswolds we know many people who are either born and bred here
who can't afford the housing, which is what Councillor Harris was alluding to in his opening
announcements.
I understand actually that housing associations are facing financial challenges due to the
rising costs with maintaining their existing properties, including meeting the Government's
requirement of improving energy efficiency to an EPC of C by 2030. As a result, that's
taking a certain amount of their funds, which they then can't put into buying the affordable
housing.
I was wondering whether you were also exploring other people who might be able to provide
the affordable housing. I know that dioceses of Gloucester is on some of its
land is looking to do this and I know it's not our area but Blenheim Estates
they did a lot of that as a private land owner actually developed housing on
their own estate and retained ownership. Just exploring other ways of trying to
get and we need to get the right housing more of it in this district. Thank you.
Thank you, Gina.
Councillor Joe Harris - 0:44:16
Yes is the answer.Alan Hope, our strategic housing manager,
this is one of the key tasks that Rob and I said when he
started, was not only to look at our registered providers and how
we can work with them, but also those smaller providers that
provide a lot of value, actually.
I do think we need to perhaps look back in time as well.
We've seen in recent years a big trend towards almshouses.
So new album sizes being built and I think that's something that I know people has a bit of a movement in siren system start looking at
Smaller units like that again, but equally those smaller providers that I know we have here in the district
It's really really important that we work with all of them
So a key part of what Alan is doing is what networking in the first instance finding out who's out there?
Who's willing to work with us?
And and then putting a bit of a plan in place to what we can do
I think it will be really handy, actually,
as if I know we tend to have briefings fairly regularly,
but give Alan and the work that he's doing a full member
briefing so we can properly understand and interrogate what
Alan is doing on our behalf, because I know he does lots of
great work, but quite often, as is always the case,
we don't hear about it.
So in answer to your question, Gina, yes is the answer,
and we'll have Alan talk us through some of those other
partners we could look with partnering with. Thank you. I just wanted
Councillor Gina Blomefield - 0:45:39
to thank you for that andactually say that I thought my time was running out I did want to mention arms
houses in particular so I'm delighted that you brought them up as well because
I do think they're a very good way of providing that housing. Thank you. I have
Councillor Nikki Ind - 0:45:52
a personal interest in arms houses as well because I chair a charity which wehave arms houses so you know they're all over our district and little pockets
of just small units but really strategically important to help provide housing for our
residents.
Right, we move on to question number five.
Councillor Thayer is to Councillor Wilkinson, the cabinet member for economy and environment.
On waste rezoning, do you have a supplementary Councillor Thayer?
Councillor Jeremy Theyer - 0:46:24
Thank you, Councillor Wilkinson, for your reply.That's much appreciated.
The figures which are collected, are they actually as correct or that as with residents
logging on and putting a complaint in for the property and the surrounding properties
then struggle to actually put a complaint in as well so that area and street is then
sort of zoned out, so we don't actually know how much information is actually right with
this collection because the figures are like 99 .9 % or whatever you said was so precise.
Is there any way of looking at making this a bit more sort of precise to see actually
where these zones are, where we keep getting the same problems time after time? Thank you.
Councillor Tristan Wilkinson - 0:47:20
Thanks for your question. I think there's two sources of data. One is there's quitesophisticated sort of in -cab system that tracks where the vehicles have been and the routes
et cetera, so we can look at that. We know whether a truck has driven past the house,
there are cameras on board et cetera, so we can go back and interrogate that. The other
one is people complaining, which is kind of the loudest kind of number in my head, as
it were. I think this side of the chamber, they've heard me use this phrase before, I
think this service at the moment is like a watermelon. It's green on the outside, but
when it comes into it, there's some red areas. And I think that my objective short term is
It's becoming clear in this new regime that there are some pockets where the service is
clearly not where we want it to be. We need to identify them, document them, and have
a plan to address those specifically because the overall numbers remain robust, but there
are some areas where there are problems. We need to know where they are and what the root
causes of those problems are so some of those problems are legitimate and
completely understandable but we need a plan to rectify that and that's exactly
what we're working on with you okay
Councillor Nikki Ind - 0:48:48
Thank You councillor Wilkinson and on to the final question question six thiscomes from councillor core against councillor Wilkinson on the maintenance
of public areas on new housing developments Councillor called you had a
supplementary question. Yes chair I do thank you. Thank you council
Councillor Daryl Corps - 0:49:04
Wilkerson for your response. I know you took a long time to get back to me on that so thank you. I don't mean a delay I mean you took a long time with your response.I did have one supplementary question which was you say that local authorities typically assume responsibility for dog waste bins. When do you anticipate taking responsibility for the unadopted dog waste bins in Morton?
Councillor Tristan Wilkinson - 0:49:29
I'm going to have to get back to you on that one.I don't want to make anything up on the fly.
I think that this is an area that I need to pay more attention to.
It is being reviewed as part of our whole service review, so this is part of that.
On that specific one, I'll get back to you and announce that specifically.
Thank you, that's brilliant.
Councillor Nikki Ind - 0:49:56
I'll let you know exactly where they are as well,Councillor Daryl Corps - 0:49:57
if that helps with you doing that.But I'll get the car out.
Some people have done that already.
Thank you very much.
Councillor Nikki Ind - 0:50:06
So that concludes the member questions this month.We move on to agenda item number eight,
8 Counter Fraud and Enforcement Unit Collaboration Agreement
which is the Counter -Fraud and Enforcement
Unit Collaboration Agreement.
So the purpose of this is to seek approval
to the Counter -Fraud and Enforcement
Unit Partnership Collaboration Agreement
between Cheltenham and Shrewksbury Borough
and Cotswold, Forest of Dean of Stroud and West Oxfordshire District Councils.
This is being proposed by Councillor Evermy. Would you like to start Councillor Evermy?
Councillor Mike Evemy - 0:50:37
Thank you chair. Colleagues the paper before us this afternoon is asking us toagree to enter into a new partnership agreement for the provision of our
counter fraud and enforcement services.
The report outlines the history of that service.
So we have been working in partnership with six other councils.
That partnership started, five other councils, sorry, six in total.
The partnership started seven years ago.
And it does incredibly important work on behalf of us as councillors and our residents in
preventing fraud and corruption,
and investigating when allegations
are made of those things,
and also importantly helping our teams
to supporting them in setting up systems
that prevent fraud and corruption.
I know how important this service was to us
from that point of view
when we were issuing the business grants,
grants to businesses through the COVID pandemic and the integral work that was put in by the
Counter Fraud Service assisting us to prevent fraud in our district. And we managed to keep
it to a very low level and members may recall at a national level that wasn't quite the case
and there were many, many billions were defrauded from the national government.
But we have an excellent service led by Emma Cathcart.
That service is hosted by us, so the members, employees in that service work for Cotswold District Council
and Emma reports into the Deputy Chief Executive.
What this report proposes is that we will continue to operate that service in the partnership
for a further 10 years, with the opportunity to extend that for three years at a point
in that cycle, at the end.
It also proposes that we continue to be the host authority and that it notes that we will
have be able to give 18 months notice if we wish someone else to take on that responsibility.
I think it's pretty self -explanatory in terms of the detail and you've got the actual contract
there, collaboration agreements, that obviously if we agree with this in this resolution that
officers will go ahead and sign on our behalf and that obviously there details how the partnership
works.
So the Deputy Chief Executive sits on the partnership board on our behalf.
So I will commend this to the Council and stop and obviously hear what other members
have to say on the matter.
Thank you, Chair.
Thank you, Councillor Evermy.
Councillor Nikki Ind - 0:53:52
Firstly, are there any questions for clarity for Councillor Evermy?No? I understand that the second year for this will be Councillor Nigel Robbins.
Did you want to speak now, Councillor Robbins?
Yes, I'll just say a bit at the moment.
Councillor Nigel Robbins - 0:54:10
The Counterford Unit reports, it's fully accountable, it reports to the Order in Governance Committee.I think it's three times a year, but David will correct me.
It's a highly competent outfit.
It's very well led.
I think it brings quite a lot of kudos to the District Council,
being the lead member of this particular partnership.
Well, it certainly will continue to do so while it's so effective.
It brings a little bit of money into the authority.
Largely, it helps the cash flow.
And also it helps succession planning too.
That's one of the features of these broader partnerships.
Instead of having just a council -owned function with two
or three staff, there is a broad representation of skilled people.
And that means also that training and the induction of
new people is well looked after.
So I commend this as an excellent example of a partnership
and I'm very pleased that we're leading it. Thank you. Thank you
Councillor Nikki Ind - 0:55:20
CouncillorRobbins. Councillor Stair, you understand I'd like to speak? Yes thank you chair and we fully
Councillor Tom Stowe - 0:55:26
support these proposals and counter fraud and enforcement is clearly acrucial activity for this council upholding trust, tackling fraudulent
activity and ultimately protecting public resources. So this agreement is an
effective and both operationally and economically efficient way of delivering
this service and by pooling the various partners resources each partner benefits
from the efficiencies of scale knowledge and resource which would be impossible to
deliver as a standalone council and CDC here seems to be leading the way as that
host councils I think that's something that the that the service delivery team
should be very proud of given the challenging financial circumstances that
this council currently faces the potential to generate additional revenue
streams through this service could be of interest. Clearly we need to ensure that
the service is primarily able to deliver against its partner authorities
priorities but I'll be interested to hear from Councillor Evermy about the
potential for developing this service further and could it be
extended to support local authorities further afield or broaden its scope to
Councillor Nikki Ind - 0:56:35
other sectors. Thank you. Thank you Councillor Stowe. Councillor Coleman. Thank youCouncillor Patrick Coleman - 0:56:41
I served for a long time on and off on the audience and governance committee and it'salways a high point to see the counter -fraud unit on the agenda.
It's a real success story, not over a short term but over the long term.
It's also helpful that the nature of their job meant that they never had to join public
as I understand it, not the leading people.
That bit of it is a seamless transition.
But I think the point I would like to respond in a way to Councillor Stowe is I'm not certain
that the net financial benefit to this Council of the work of the County of Fraud unit is
going to be all that huge.
From my limited knowledge of these things, the two biggest areas of fraud which need
to be sorted out by Council initiatives are first of all claiming a single person to be
and discount for your social housing on your rent when in fact you have more than one adult
in the house. It's very tempting to do and it's not that difficult to catch these days
I believe. But I can't pretend that the sums involved are huge. I'm not even certain that
they go to us. They may go to a government department or they may even go to a housing
association. Kind of when the money has been come in and the criminals been caught, the
main thing is to get some publicity so that people know that you will get
caught and the second worst area for account for fraud again in my
understanding it's the illegal letting subletting of social housing properties
and again since we don't own the social housing properties I'm not certain we'll
get a lot of money back and that is a much larger scale in the nature of it in
terms of money and I'll be very encouraged actually council stuff you
come along and ask a question like that at the next meeting of Councillor
Robbins's Audit and Governance Committee because any publicity we can get for the
fact that you will get found out will help to deter others. Thank you.
Councillor Nikki Ind - 0:58:50
Councillor Julia Judd - 0:58:56
Thank You councillor Coleman. Councillor Jurd. Thank you chair. So what I have to say islargely anecdotal. I don't really know much about this unit other than I know
that our superb ERS officer has, with their support
and collaborating with the police and opening up
dialogue and working collaboratively with all
these units, they have managed to prosecute fly
tippers in a way that has been unseen in the Cotswolds before.
It's not just the amount of money that's brought in
from those prosecutions.
It is the story that we care.
It has to stop.
It is illegal and we will do everything we can to stop fly tipping.
But this group have enabled our ERS officer to fulfil his dream to bring these people to book
and without their help he wouldn't have been able to do that.
Thank you, Councillor Judd.
Councillor Nikki Ind - 0:59:52
Does anyone else wish to speak?If not, we'll go back to Councillor Evermeade to sum up.
Councillor Evermade.
Councillor Mike Evemy - 1:00:02
Thank you chair and thank you colleagues for your contributions. Nigel as ever with your experience on the audit and governance committee and many years in public service always valuable to hear.and your particular personal reflections on how well we are served by our Counter Fraud Unit.
To Councillor Stowe, I just point him to Power 3 .1 where we do already do work for Royal
Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead who aren't part of the partnership and I know from speaking
and is referenced in there and from speaking to Emma that we do work for housing associations
picking up on the point that Councillor Coleman was making about illegal subletting.
I guess it is always a balance about the core, doing the core bit of work and then going
out and doing that for other authorities.
But I'm certain that the Deputy Chief Executive has heard that as the line manager for the
unit and is part of those discussions with his peers at other councils when they're balancing
what the you the overseeing what the unit is doing and the work it's doing for
partner councils and for other councils but obviously we would all would welcome
more income so that our fee goes down a little bit but obviously that has to be
balanced against how spending that spreads the resource that we do have and
just to add to to counter common I think you were talking about your first point
Council tax discount fraud which isn't quite what you said but I think that's
what we took it to mean and that's a really a significant area as Councillor
Coleman has said where sometimes people seek to pay less council tax than they
should. And final point yes to Councillor Judd yeah this team does
excellent work working with the EnviroCrime Officer and Prosecutor. Thanks to them for
the work that they do in prosecuting people who despoil our district and bringing them
to account. So I would conclude there, Chair, just by bringing people back to the recommendations
on page 17 that we approve the Council entering into the Counter Fraud and Enforcement Unit
Partnership Collaboration Agreement. Thank you.
Councillor Nikki Ind - 1:02:34
Thank you, Councillor Evamir. The Council is resolving to approve the Council enteringinto the Counter Fraud and Enforcement Unit Partnership Collaboration Agreement.
I call for the voting to be opened. Thank you, Keira.
Councillor Nigel Robbins - 1:02:49
Councillor Patrick Coleman - 1:03:07
Councillor Nikki Ind - 1:03:25
Thank you colleagues. That's unanimous with 26 -4. Thank you. Next we move on to agendaItem 9 the report of the Constitution working group. This is going to be proposed by councillor Joe Harris councillor Harris
Councillor Joe Harris - 1:03:43
Thank you very much. It's fair to say that matters of the Constitution don't oftenSet the heart beating little faster, but it is important none the less and I want to thank the Constitution working group
for the
9 Report of the Constitution Working Group
They do and continue to do and my thanks to councillor me in particular for taking up the mantle of chairing it
and giving me a bit of free time.
So we've got two recommendations today from the Constitution
Working Group.
I think both of them will improve the overall governance
of this council and really appreciate the value
of local council members.
So the first comes after a request from the July meeting
of council in that there's a request to amend the delegation
emergency powers part which...
Oh, got a phone.
There we go, Tristan.
Don't really happen to all of us at least once.
So, yes, so basically all county, all councils, sorry,
have to have provisions in them for the chief executive in
their, sorry, I'm going all over the shop today, aren't I?
Right, let me start again.
All council constitutions have to provide scope for the chief
executive to take decisions and take action in cases of
So this is a good example of this might be where there's not enough time to call a council
meeting or a cabinet meeting, but they have to make a decision then and there, and this
is urgent, and it has happened a few times in the past.
In order to exercise these powers, the chief executive has to take action after consultation
with myself as leader of the council, the chair of the council, or the appropriate cabinet
member and the relevant ward member.
Now, owing to the fact that we run a cabinet system here and a
political cabinet at that, we believe it's only right that the
leader of the opposition is also informed of any decisions that
are made.
The leader of the opposition, I think that's absolutely critical.
So we are putting in an amendment,
proposing an amendment today to the Constitution Working Group
with the following wording, and have notified the leader,
of the largest opposition group in the event that no party has
no overall control of the council,
all group leaders shall be notified.
So that is the recommendation from the Constitution Working
Group, and that follows on from a request at full
council last Friday.
So if, for example, Rob had to take an emergency decision next
week, you consult with me and the other relevant people listed,
and of course let Councillor Stowe or Councillor Fowles know
as the leader of the largest opposition group, which I think is absolutely sensible and fair.
Second recommendation, I think is really important actually. Quite often ward members are left
in the lurch about decisions in their ward. So, to take a good example recently, which
I know has irked Councillor Hodgkinson, a planning application perhaps comes to planning
committee and first Councillor Hodgkinson finds out about it is when the
when the press or a local resident approaches him and asks asks him for
comment so that's a really good example recently so whether it's a property
issue let's say the council's disposing of a property or making some changes or
whether it's a planning issue it is absolutely right that if it pertains to
a ward members ward they should be in the know provided there's not some very
good reason owing to confidentiality, they shouldn't.
So we need to get back into the habit of that.
We used to be very good at this council and notifying
ward members.
I remember when I first became a councillor, I
seemed to have represented the central
of Sire ancestor.
We had lots of leases and every time one of those
has changed I'd be consulted or at least I would
be informed of what was happening.
So I think that's a really important principle.
Now I know just popping it in the constitution is not
necessarily the silver bullet.
It has to be followed by staff.
I'm absolutely certain that our great team of officers at the front will be pushing this from the top to the bottom of the
organization and making sure it make sure it happens so
So yeah two recommendations and one around emergency powers and the other on
notifying award members
Details of which could be found in the report so with that I propose the two recommendations
and I think we've got David and Mike between them second.
David and I, well you can, why don't you both second?
There's no reason we can't do that, isn't there?
Councillor Nikki Ind - 1:08:23
Thank you, Councillor Harris. Before I go to you, Councillor Fowles, are there any questions for clarity from colleagues?Councillor Bloomfield?
Councillor Gina Blomefield - 1:08:37
Thank you, Chair. It may be just me and my reading of it, but in item 4 .5,I am not quite sure why it says, however, and then officers, must have aimed to avoid
situations where a member is contacted by the resident or by the media for comment or
assistance on a council issue affecting their lecture ward.
I also feel it would read better of which the member had no previous knowledge.
I just felt that it is absolutely clear, as Councillor Harris has pointed out, it is this
thing of something happening in your ward, you are asked questions about it and you have
absolutely no idea what is going on. I felt it was clearer. I am not being picky about
Councillor Nikki Ind - 1:09:21
the thing, but just clarity. Thank you, Councillor Springfield. CouncillorFowls, are you going to second this, I understand? Yes, thank you very
Councillor David Fowles - 1:09:27
much. If I am sharingthat with the Councillor, all is good. It is interesting to note that the leaders referred
to it as a committee that doesn't actually set your heart rate going fast. When I was
asked to go on it, I thought similarly, but my heart does race when I sit in a meeting
with my colleagues, chaired by Mike Ebermeek, because he does an excellent job. But more
importantly, before we had this group, what tended to happen was our constitution was
suspended in Aspect, somewhere in a cupboard, and yet now we have a mechanism to keep it
up to date and we've been looking
at some really exciting things.
For example, attendance at meetings,
should that be done virtually and so on.
And we have some really interesting debates.
And it sounds like I'm sucking up to you, Mike,
but Mike chairs it brilliantly and it's great.
I wouldn't want anyone to think that we amended the item to do
with the decisions taken by the chief executive on the basis
that we're hoping that at some point there won't be an overall
majority of this in this council.
But I do know from bitter experience that when covid happened,
if we haven't had those powers in place, we would have been
in a in a sorry state.
I do would like to point out on the second item though
that on page 57, I think we ought to send this to the deputy
prime minister where it says the basic building blocks of
Democratic representation or award level.
Therefore members of need to be aware of significant developments
within their wards.
it is absolutely critical that the role that ward members have.
And when one's talking to parish councils about devolution,
there is a genuine concern that the organization
that may replace it, as the leader said
in his opening remarks, will be too big and won't have
that local representation that we all hold dear.
So I'd like to second it and in that moment thank the chair
of our working group and the other members
of it for the work they do.
Thank you.
Councillor Nikki Ind - 1:11:28
Thank you Councillor Fowls. Councillor Coleman.Councillor Patrick Coleman - 1:11:33
Just very briefly Madam Chair, it's really important that we have this involvement of local members.I was present, I will say some years ago in another council, but the ward affected was represented by a former leader of the Conservative group, a very highly respected chap,
who was a little bit shocked to say the least to turn his radio on one morning and find that Her Majesty's prisons were about to build one in his ward.
Now, clearly you don't get to that stage without the chief executive in those old -fashioned
days when the officers kept things to themselves, at least said as soon as men did, as far as
members were concerned.
And he was remarkably calm and pleasant about it.
And eventually the prison didn't get built because of some nasty poison in anthrax, I
think, in the soil outside Westbury, if anybody wants to stay away.
The serious point is this government wants to build some more prisons.
So if they are building one round here, I'm sure our chief executive will let the lucky member know in advance
So don't wake up in the morning to find on local radio. They're building a prison in his room
Councillor Nikki Ind - 1:12:38
Thank You councillor Coleman would anyone else like to speak councillor WilkinsonCouncillor Tristan Wilkinson - 1:12:46
I'm feeling slightly queasy because I think I'm about to agree with DavidI think
Representing three parishes there's absolutely nothing more undermining to
what we do to turn up a parish council completely blindsided on something that
is really important to them is really vexing them and it's the first you're
hearing of it so we should have already been doing this let's get back to it
Councillor Nikki Ind - 1:13:14
it's a really important move. Thank you. Councillor Hodgkinson. Yeah no I reallyCouncillor Paul Hodgkinson - 1:13:18
welcome this obviously the leader did reference me so I feel obliged to saysomething I think the phrase no surprises is really good I mean it's a
great it's a great phrase also a really really good track by Radiohead for
anyone who remembers that also called no surprises excellent if you listen to my
radio show you might hear it
But what I wanted to say was, just to be serious for a minute,
just to echo what Joe said, there have been a couple of
occasions where planning applications have gone, from my
ward, have gone into the planning committee, and it's
only because an objector or the applicant themselves have said,
are you going to be there next week, that I actually knew about
it. So something in the process was just failing there.
Fortunately, I was able to be there last week, for instance.
So that's one thing where I wouldn't want that to happen again.
Secondly, assets of community value.
There were some issues, again, with a pub in my ward in Shedworth, where, again, I didn't
feel I was being communicated with effectively.
And I also know that Councillor Spivey has had some issues around a similar thing in
her ward.
We're getting to grips with that, with a new process, which is great.
So I think it's really important that there are no surprises.
Equally, there's some excellent communications by some officers.
So in my cabinet role, often the officers will tell me about a specific issue,
say at the leisure center in San ancestral Borton or wherever it is, and they tell me,
and so I'm ahead of the game on that in understanding it.
So I think it's, you know, it is a two -way street there.
But thank you. I think that's a really good thing.
Councillor Nikki Ind - 1:14:59
Thank you, Councillor Hodgkinson. Councillor Mark Harris.Councillor Mark Harris - 1:15:03
Yes, the danger of repeating, I absolutely agree with that. I'd just like to say thatJo, in the middle of town, I'm now getting a view of all the leases that are going on,
so it's good work doing that and every planning application we get notified about it and after
a while you can sort of sense which ones are going to be contentious or not, but surely
certainly at the beginning it's harder. But it's getting consistent across the board because
I was a trustee for the RAU Student Union and I'd go up there and people ask me about
things that they were doing with the council, for example, over maybe the Triangle, and
I had absolutely no idea and I wasn't being briefed at all.
It's kind of embarrassing.
So I thoroughly welcome this.
I think it's fantastic.
And of course, it's down to making sure that the officers do do it rather than just having
it in my constitution.
So I'm sure, Rob, you will make sure that that cascades down and across.
Councillor Nikki Ind - 1:16:00
Thank you, Councillor Harris. If there are no other comments, Councillor Joe Harris,would you like to sum up? Not really. Happy to.
Councillor Joe Harris - 1:16:07
Councillor Nikki Ind - 1:16:09
Okay, that's absolutely fine. So the recommendation is that the Council resolves to, number one,authorise the Director of Governance and Development, Monitoring Officer, to update Part D8, matters
of urgency in the Constitution and two that the Council approves the addition of a local
ward member protocol into the Constitution.
I now call for the voting to be opened.
Thank you, Keira.
Councillor Nikki Ind - 1:16:52
Thank you colleagues that's unanimous of 27 votes. Thank you very much. We move on toagenda item 10 which is the Morton in Marsh working group membership. The purpose of this
10 Moreton-in-Marsh Working Group Membership
report is to confirm the membership of the Morton in Marsh working group and to approve
an updated working group in terms of reference. This is being presented by Councillor Joe
Harris. Councillor Joe Harris over to you.
Councillor Joe Harris - 1:17:17
Thank you. You recall quite a while ago now and we gave a commitment that owingto the quite understandable concern around planning and development in the
North Cotswolds, in particular Morton, we should have a working group sit alongside
any local plan process. First of all an apology that it has taken such a long
time to get to this point, but I believe there are good reasons.
Clearly, there's been a lot of debate as to terms of reference
of the group.
There's been discussion about who the members should be.
There's been a number of planning and engagement events
in Morton itself.
And of course, we've had the rather large material change of
a new government with new priorities on planning.
So I think the first thing I should say is, you know,
I'm sorry that it's taken such a while to get to this point.
However, we are here now, which is really, really good news.
Clearly, all settlements, but in particular Morton,
are probably going to have new development
in the next few years.
At this stage, clearly, we don't know
what the size and the scale of any proposed developments
would look like.
And indeed, notwithstanding the council
being abolished, potentially, and notwithstanding the fact
that we've got this new housing target number,
there is a lot of uncertainty in the process.
So, you know, clearly that will have a material impact on how we're doing planning here and indeed what any local plan
New local plan will look like what is important though is in areas that are going to see
significant growth potentially
We have a forum in order for local people local key stakeholders
Ward members here and so on and so forth to feed into that so I very much see this group
acting as a forum to gather feedback, to influence development proposals that our planning team are working on,
to make recommendations to the council around any ideas, thoughts, potential policies. I think that's absolutely key.
And I think the most important part is actually that this group needs to foster communication
between each of the parties.
I know there's a lot of frustration in Morton about the way in which the council has proceeded
with our local plan consultation last year.
I totally understand that and I get that.
I want the message to be today that we hear you.
And we hope that this is one step in the right direction,
trying to foster a new relationship.
It is one way in which we can, as I say, open dialogue
and begin a dialogue.
Every settlement in the Cotswolds
is going to have new development.
And it might well be that we're setting up
one of these groups for Cirencester,
for Tepbry, for Fairford, for Lechlade,
for Stowe, and other settlements.
So I hope that in this instant we can use this
as a real guide on how we proceed going forward
There's going to be a lot of engagement needed.
In terms of the membership of this group, as I said, it has been subject to quite a
lot of debate.
And in particular, I want to thank Councillor Angus Jenkinson and Councillor Daryl Corr
for the pragmatic and sometimes difficult discussions that have been had on this.
But a lot of the membership is sort of as a recommendation from engagement at a community
event held on the 9th of October, 2024.
unfortunately I couldn't make but I know was a really engaging and useful event for all concerned.
So in this in these recommendations we are recommending that we include 20 members with 10 to 15 participating per meeting.
I think the key thing is that we get a range of views from different interest groups in the town,
whether that's residents, businesses, community groups and so on and so forth and of course the town council in Moreton.
And it's important that within that we build in substitutes so if they can't make it we recognize that.
I know that we had a bit of discussion in our group around the membership just before this meeting.
And I know that it's taken quite a lot to get to this point.
So what I will say is, Councillor Neill, you made a really good point around Stowe.
It does affect Stowe, of course it does.
And I want to be clear, I don't want to sort of, I don't want to limit people that can attend,
but clearly we need to have some parameters in place.
But of course we can invite people on as observers and to make sure that they can take part at least in some of the discussions
So we will look at them. We will aim to we will aim to look at neighbors
But today we need to pass this and we'll look going forward at how we integrate that
We also had a great contribution from Andrea our newest counselor Brian and appreciate the time
So if the chair will if the chair will permit me
We have a commitment to nature and biodiversity. I appreciate if you look on this
There's not a specific group looking at that
But again, we can bring people to the table as and when we need them and I think all of us across party are committed to
That biodiversity and nature emergency that we have and of course our officers are well versed on making sure that we're representing
That view so I appreciate I have run out of time, but I commend this to you
I thank everybody for the work that they've done
I know Councillor
Jenkinson has a very small amendment, but he'd like to put forward which I think has cross -party
Support, but all I'll say is that I commend this to you and I think it would be a really useful exercise
And I hope that residents community groups and so on and so forth in Morton will find it useful to
Thank You councillor Harris and before I go to
Councillor Nikki Ind - 1:23:00
Items for clarity just to let colleagues know that in your papers. There's a reference to a Morton community eventThis is proposed to be held on the 13th of March just so that in case you're
going to ask that's when that date is currently proposed for. So firstly can I
just ask are there any questions for clarity before we go further? No? Well I
understand I've got two seconders for this so I've got Councillor Cawe and
Councillor Jenkinson. Councillor Cawe would you like to speak now or reserve the
I reserve the right.
Councillor Daryl Corps - 1:23:35
Councillor Nikki Ind - 1:23:36
Councillor Jenkinson, would you like to speak now or reserve your right?I reserve the right.
Councillor Nikki Ind - 1:23:41
Okay, thank you very much.So, would anyone like to speak in the debate?
Councillor Jenkinson.
Councillor Angus Jenkinson - 1:23:51
Thank you, Chair. Thank you, everyone.and I'd like to thank the officers who've been doing a sterling job in managing a very
difficult situation as the national profile has changed over the course of months and
things have evolved.
Councillor Cawle will know as well as I do that it is a difficult situation for the town
and therefore these matters are of great importance.
I'd therefore like to welcome the appointment of the leader as the chair of this working
group.
I think that this recognizes the importance of the development
that is being conceived that might involve Morton for the district,
and equally it recognizes the significance to Morton
of what is going on in that area.
There was a comment about biodiversity and so on,
and I think it's worth noting that one of the companies that is on the list
is in fact a national leader in the provision of
Meadow lay seeds grass seeds
It's recognized internationally for what it does in this particular field and it's also
sponsored and created an educational farm
That is internationally recognized
So we all do have some record some on -the -spot expertise in that area to call on
I'd like to ask the leader, if he agrees, that for the working group to be effective,
it will need some training and familiarisation support on matters important for judging plans
and options.
I can tell the leader that I have discussed this with the forward planning officer, who
agrees the necessity of this requirement, and it is with that in mind that I make this
I will also wish to raise a proposal for a modification in the membership in the list.
I agree that the Morton Agricultural Show is a major event in the annual calendar,
and it has in fact put Morton in Marsh on the map for some decades.
But it is a very specific annual event.
There was in the notes, you will see that there was an indication of a wish for a more general business body,
one that was more disinterested and would be able to reflect the needs of retailers in the centre and people across the town,
other businesses across the town.
The Morton Business Association does in fact represent this group.
The note suggests that there isn't such a body, but there is.
It exists.
It has a bank account.
And it's simply that because of a transitional process, a difficulty in finding a leadership
for a period, it has not been meeting for a while.
That has now been resolved.
And there is a leader for this group.
And it is, it has been reported in town council that it is renewing and it is going forward.
I should therefore like to recommend that given the cap on the numbers that would be present in the group,
that we make an exchange of the agricultural show to the Morton Business Association.
This is on item number 18.
So the text of the change would simply be a replacement of the words Morton Show, which is not a correct name anyway, with Morton Business Association.
Councillor Nikki Ind - 1:27:46
Thank you, Councillor Jenkinson. Councillor Caw.Yes, thank you.
Councillor Daryl Corps - 1:27:51
And thank you to the officers again for all your hard work onthis, and thank you to what the leaders said about engaging with
Morton, it will be very much appreciated.
I did just want to ask regarding why we have to replace a charity
established in 1949 in Morton, a charity that does run one event
a year that attracts 16 ,000 people to the town.
But it also runs charitable events throughout the year in
the cosmoids, raising money for the likes of Cancer UK Research.
This is something that goes on throughout the year.
It's not just a one -day event.
It's a fantastic local organization,
and I think it rightfully has its place at this table,
as does the local business group that Councillor Jenkinson has
mentioned. I think the addition of one more member because as we say as it says
here on 2 .3 it would include 20 people with all members not expected to attend
at every event so I think the addition of one more member wouldn't have a
detrimental effect to the setting up of this organization and I believe
Councillor Jenkins' recommendation of them joining would be a benefit.
I'm going to make a recommendation then we have a five minute
Councillor Joe Harris - 1:29:14
adjournment, we can have a refreshment break and then between Councillor Ford, Jenkinson and I we can just agree away from what is on the right.Councillor Nikki Ind - 1:29:25
Yes I think that would be very sensible Councillor Harris so that we've got our wording, we know what we're voting on.So if we give it five minutes if you could come back please at 25 to 4. Thank you very much.
10 Moreton-in-Marsh Working Group Membership
Welcome back everybody. Thank you for your patience. And we return to agenda item 10,
the Morton in Marsh Working Group membership, where after discussion we have an amendment
coming forward. Is that coming forward via yourself, Councillor Harris?
Councillor Joe Harris - 1:30:05
Yes, I had a really useful chat with Angus and Daryl that lasted the best part of 10seconds and there's consensus that we are happy to add on the
Morton Business Association rather than replace the show.
So we're just adding the Morton Business Association on.
I understand that's constitutionally signed,
as it's under seven words.
Okay, we're not from Nicky, so that's good news.
So, yeah, I'm happy to defer to Angus and to Daryl to propose
that amendment.
We can then vote on it and then vote on the sustainability
divide.
Thank you Councillor Harris. Any more comments before I go to
Councillor Nikki Ind - 1:30:42
Councillor Cawe and CouncillorJenkinson? Councillor Cawe would you like to go first?
Yes thank you. As Councillor Harris said it was a very brief
Councillor Daryl Corps - 1:30:50
conversation and CouncillorJenkinson and I are happy to proceed with retaining the Morton show and adding in the
business group so thank you for the time to do that Chair.
Have you got anything further to add in sort of summing up? No.
Councillor Nikki Ind - 1:31:06
Councillor Jenkinson, overto you. Thank you, Chair. I'd like to take the opportunity
Councillor Angus Jenkinson - 1:31:13
of confirming my support for the modification that's just been made. I was informed of acap as by the officers and as a mere mortal. I accepted that. I'm very glad to find that
there are those who can overcome those kinds of limitations.
The comment I'd like to make in seconding and supporting this
is that both Councillor Cawre and I know very well
that the development in the town over the course of the last 20
years has at times been difficult and somewhat
unbalanced.
And we also know that the nature of the town and its location
and situation and the national priorities that
are imposed upon us willy -nilly does
mean that it is more vulnerable to more development.
Therefore, that we take the trouble as a local
democratic organization to be concerned for our
neighborhoods, to make sure that we do the very best
we possibly can to develop our neighborhoods in
support of the people who live there, their working
lives, their education, their social life, that we
can bring that kind of intimacy and work closely
is an important part of what a local district council can do.
And therefore, I would like to join with Councillor Cawe
in seconding this motion and asking for your support.
Thank you.
Right, colleagues.
Councillor Nikki Ind - 1:32:42
So, what we need to do now is firstly vote on that amendment.So, the amendment is to add Moreton Business Association
to working group. That gives us seven words. So proposed by Councillor Corr, seconded by
Councillor Jenkins. Can I ask Keira to open the voting please?
Councillor Ian Watson - 1:33:13
Thank you colleagues. That is unanimous. There are 27 votes. We willCouncillor Nikki Ind - 1:33:23
go straight on to thesubstantive recommendation which was that the Council resolves to approve the membership
of the Morton in Marsh working group and two, to approve an updated Morton in Marsh working
group terms of reference. Thank you. Thank you colleagues. That's unanimous again with
Councillor Nikki Ind - 1:33:55
27 votes. Thank you. And thank you to those watching at home for their patience whilewe had our adjournment. We move on to item number 11, community governance
11 Community Governance Review - Upper Rissington
review for Upper Risington. The purpose of this report is to approve and
adopt the terms of reference for a community governance review with draft
proposals. This is again coming forward with Councillor Joe Harris's name.
Councillor Harris. Thank you. We have quite a few things coming to council about Upper Risington.
Councillor Joe Harris - 1:34:24
Don't worry.So, Andrew, you're very lucky.
Yeah, this is relatively straightforward.
We've had a request from Upper Islington Parish Council.
I understand there is a skate park in Upper Islington,
and it's actually in the neighbouring parish of Great
Islington.
So there's a request just to move the boundary so that the
Upper Islington skate park is in the correct parish.
That seems reasonably reasonable as far as I'm concerned. I'm not aware of any objection from Great Rislington.
So I propose this to you. I'm sure I think Councillor McLean is going to second and can mop up any inaccuracies or points of clarity for you.
Thank you.
Thank you, Councillor Harris. Before I go to Councillor McLean, are
Councillor Nikki Ind - 1:35:11
there any questions for clarity?No. Councillor McLean, would you like to speak now? Would you like to reserve your right?
I'll speak now.
Councillor Andrew Maclean - 1:35:23
I think it's a very simple issue. Just background, Little Rizzingtonairfield was carved out not just from three parish councils but from two
counties. It has County boundaries going right across it. The MOD don't worry
about things like that. And when they created Upper Rizzington the village just
follows where the original Air Force fence between the base and the airfield
was and it happened to cut into Great Risington as well as Upper Risington.
The rest of the bulk of where Upper Risington houses are was in Little
Risington before. The boundary has been drawn very tight around Upper Risington
with very good reason because it's bang in the middle of the national landscape
in a very high exposed position. So I think the idea was very much to control
additional development there because there aren't really services there. It's
pretty substantial community now with with 900 plus houses but it could get
much bigger if they haven't done that but this one in particular only has a
skate park on it there are no houses and I don't think this change is going to
have any long -term effect it just makes sense to put it in upper
is it and not great Brazilian both parish councils agree I don't really
even understand why we have to consult because everyone agrees but um we have
to follow the book. So I just propose, I'd like to propose what we've accepted and instead of just mopping up all of the Unsung Hero Awards, here's something else you can do for a project. Thank you.
Councillor Nikki Ind - 1:36:59
Thank you Councillor McLean. Does anyone wish to speak on this matter? No? Councillor Harris did you want to sum up?Just clarifying then that we're resolving to approve and adopt the
Councillor Joe Harris - 1:37:09
terms of reference for the consultations.We're not making a final decision, we are agreeing to go out and consult the terms of reference thereof.
Councillor Nikki Ind - 1:37:22
Thank you very much. So this is the recommendation that the Council resolves to approve and adopt the terms of reference for consultation.If we go to the vote please Keira, the many thanks.
Thank you colleagues.
Councillor Nikki Ind - 1:37:59
That's 26 -4 and one abstention.Many thanks.
We move on to agenda item 12 which is the program of meetings for 2025 -2026
12 Programme of Meetings for 2025/26
and it's a busy afternoon for Councillor Joe Harris.
I'm going to invite Councillor Efony to introduce this one as it's one
Councillor Joe Harris - 1:38:18
of those tasks that he's pretty good at trying to gather consensus on.So I've left him to deal with this with the Democratic Service Officers so if you don't mind he'll introduce this item.
Councillor Mike Evemy - 1:38:35
Thank you. Thank you Joe and thank you chair. So we have a schedule of meetingsfor our next municipal year following on from the annual meeting which we the
date of which we agreed last year so you will see on page 89 the dates of the
meetings proposed from June 25 all the way through to May of 26.
And they're also shown in a sort of tabular format later on on the papers.
So we're asked colleagues to agree to that schedule this afternoon.
The other big substantive thing is a request that we change the date of our next meeting.
That's the meeting when we would consider and make a budget and set our council tax.
Now I think if this paper had come to the November meeting we would have agreed it then.
So I'm apologising that this is rather later than we would have hoped to be making this request to council.
But the reason that we are asking council to agree that is to give essentially a little bit more time for our officers once we have agreed the council tax to carry out the billing.
26 February is quite close to the end of the month, so it's a short February this year as well.
And billing needs to go out very early in March.
So I'm asked the Council to agree that we move the date of the budget meeting to Monday
24 February, still starting at 6pm as normal. Programmer meetings I've mentioned. The
substantive change members will see is that we have fewer cabinet meetings. Now the number
of cabinet meetings is under the determination of the leader, but he and I had a conversation
about reducing those in number as we felt that with nine meetings a year we
could cover the business that the council and the cabinet needed to cover
and we felt that would take two meetings out that are currently in the calendar
and what they would also do was enable the overview and scrutiny committee
meetings which are currently and have this year been looking at items from the
cabinet agenda would enable them to mirror the cabinet every meeting. This year we've
got a couple of times where the cabinet's meeting and the ONS isn't meeting prior to
that. So we feel that that would be an improvement from the perspective of the ONS committee
that they will be able to meet in advance of all of the meetings of the cabinet without
increasing the number of their meetings. So hopefully those changes will be welcomed to
members. You'll see also in the recommendations a delegation to the Director of Governance and Development
to make changes to the meetings if there needed to be
and to set meetings of the Performance and Appointments Committee
to the Head of Democratic and Electoral Services. Looking over his new title over there, Andrew.
And
clearly also to the
Director of Governance and Development to set dates for training and briefing sessions.
And I'm also going to propose that we make no changes to the meeting start times,
that they continue as they have done in this municipal year.
And those are shown in paragraph 5 .1 of the report.
I'll stop there, happy to take any questions that any colleagues have. Thank you.
Councillor Nikki Ind - 1:42:22
Thank you, Councillor Evermy. First of all, have we got any questions for clarity?Councillor Neill.
It's only just a very minor question. I note that for the February
Councillor Dilys Neill - 1:42:33
meeting next year, in 26th,you've also moved that to a Monday. Presumably that's for the same reason as doing it this year, to make it slightly earlier in the month?
Yes, it is, yeah.
Councillor Bloomfield.
Councillor Mike Evemy - 1:42:46
Councillor Dilys Neill - 1:42:46
Councillor Nikki Ind - 1:42:48
It was a question but it was actually just a thank you because ICouncillor Gina Blomefield - 1:42:51
actually am very pleased that we're going to have these theoverview and scrutiny meetings more in sync with the cabinet and it will be a good thing going forward because it
Thank you for that. I appreciate it
Thank you, Councillor Fowls for clarity
Councillor Nikki Ind - 1:43:06
Yeah, just just one suggestionCouncillor David Fowles - 1:43:10
Parish councils is the only place that they get to hear about the meetings by looking on the websiteI just wondered because sometimes we've had clashes in evening meetings with colleagues who want to go to their parish council meetings
And it's talk about local representation
I wonder whether with the final list we could just send that list to the parish class
So they've got it when they're scheduling their own meetings. Thank you
Thank you
lovely
Councillor Nikki Ind - 1:43:35
Seconding this I think is cancer still thanks the stone you want to speak now or reserve your right? I'll speak nowThank you chair and I'm going to be very very brief. I'm sure you'll be pleased to hear
Councillor Tom Stowe - 1:43:44
Historically, there's been a bit of back and forth from this group about some evening meetings etcBut we have seen to have settled into a rhythm. So we're happy now we're going to
stay on and there were obviously concerns previously raised that David fouls has just
Alluded to about the start time of both O &S and auditing governments. They were heeded those
Those sort of queries from members that the start times will move back to 4 p .m. So I think it's it's good
I'm happy to support it and I think we should probably just get on with that with a vote now chair. Thank you
Councillor Nikki Ind - 1:44:20
Thank You councillor Stowe would anyone else like to speakCouncillor Everly, would you like to sum up?
Councillor Mike Evemy - 1:44:28
Thank you chair just to add up to the point that councillor Fowlesmade. I'm sure once we agree this that Democratic Services could advise, send
out something to the clerks of our town and parish councils advising them of
when our meetings are. So when they are they are looking to avoid
clashing schedules they can do that. That's absolutely fine and I thank other
comments, particularly Councillor Stowe, for his supportive comments and
seconding this recommendations. Thank you. Thank you, Councillor.
Councillor Nikki Ind - 1:45:02
Ever me. So I will read the resolutions that the vote will be taken on block as there'sno request for separate votes. So that Council resolves to number one agree to move the date
of the next budget meeting from Wednesday the 26th of February 2025 to Monday the 24th
February 2025 at 6pm. 2. Agree the programme of meetings for 2025 -26
as set out in Annexes A and B. 3. Delegate authority to the Director of Governance
and Development, Monitoring Officer, in consultation with group leaders to make changes to the
programme of meetings in the event that there is any future decision of the Council to change
the committee structure or committee remits that impacts the programme of meetings.
Four, delegate authority to the Democratic Services Business Manager to set the meeting
dates for the Performance and Appointments Committee.
Five, delegate authority to the Director of Governance and Development, Monitoring Officer,
to set dates for member training and briefing sessions, any working groups established by
Council and at any meetings of the Licensing Subcommittee, Licensing Act 2003 matters,
and the Standards Hearing Subcommittee if required.
And six, agree that subject to any alternative proposals, Council considers and agrees meeting
start times will be rolled forwards from 2024 -25.
Councillor Evermy?
I just clarified.
Councillor Mike Evemy - 1:46:35
On the last one, it should now be agreed that meeting start times will be rolled forwards from 2024 -25because no alternative proposals were presented.
Thank you very much.
Councillor Nikki Ind - 1:46:46
Right, Keira, can we open the voting please?Councillor Nikki Ind - 1:47:22
Thank you colleagues. That's 2541 abstention so that has passed.On to agenda item 13, motions. There are no motions that have been received for consideration
at this Council meeting. Before I finish the meeting I'd just like to thank Andrew,
Kiera and Nicky for Nicky on her first Council meeting. Thank you very much for this afternoon.
And the next meeting of the Council will now be held on Monday the 24th of February 2025
at 6pm. Thank you and I now close the meeting.
- Minutes , 27/11/2024 Council, opens in new tab
- 2025 01 22 Council Members questions with responses for Full Council V2, opens in new tab
- CDC Council Report January 2025, opens in new tab
- Annex A - Draft Counter Fraud and Enforcement Unit Collaboration Agreement, opens in new tab
- Full Council 22012025 Constitution Updates, opens in new tab
- Annex A Ward Member Protocol V2, opens in new tab
- Council Report - Moreton-in-Marsh Working Group Membership and Terms of Reference (Jan 2025), opens in new tab
- Annex A Working Group ToR, opens in new tab
- Annex B Summary of feedback, opens in new tab
- Community Governance Review - Upper Rissington, opens in new tab
- Annex A - Community Governance Review - Terms of Reference, opens in new tab
- Draft Programme of Meetings 202526, opens in new tab
- Annex A - DRAFT Programme of meetings calendar view 202526 CDC, opens in new tab
- Annex B - DRAFT Programme of meetings list view 202526 CDC, opens in new tab
There are currently no votes to display