A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

Council and councillors

Agenda and minutes

Venue: Council Chamber, Catmose, Oakham, Rutland, LE15 6HP. View directions

Contact: Natasha Brown, 01572 720991  Email: nbrown@rutland.gov.uk

Link: Audio recording

Items
No. Item

496.

APOLOGIES

To receive any apologies for absence from Members.

Minutes:

Apologies were received from Mrs Fox.

 

The Chairman had been notified that Mr Arnold would arrive late to the meeting due to travel arrangements.

497.

CHAIRMAN'S ANNOUNCEMENTS

To receive any announcements by the Chairman.

Minutes:

The Chairman announced that the list of engagements had been circulated.

498.

ANNOUNCEMENTS FROM THE LEADER, MEMBERS OF THE CABINET OR THE HEAD OF PAID SERVICE

To receive any announcements by the Leader, Members of the Cabinet or the Head of Paid Service.

Minutes:

Mr Hemsley, Acting Leader, made the following announcement:

 

As you will be aware, following the resignation of Tony Mathias, I decided to remove Oakham Town Centre from the Forward Plan. It is not however the intention of the Council that we do not look at how we can improve Oakham Town Centre.

 

With this is mind, I have spoken to the Chairs of Scrutiny and in particular, Cllr Lammie who is Chair of the Growth, Infrastructure and Resources Scrutiny Panel and have agreed that the way forward with the Oakham Town Centre regeneration scheme will be to refer the matter to the appropriate Scrutiny Panel which is Growth, Infrastructure and Resources Scrutiny Panel. They will be able to convene a Task and Finish Group which will include members of the community and relevant stakeholders to look at the future regeneration of Oakham Town Centre.

499.

DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST

In accordance with the Regulations, Members are invited to declare any disclosable interests under the Code of Conduct and the nature of those interests in respect of items on this Agenda and/or indicate if Section 106 of the Local Government Finance Act 1992 applies to them.

Minutes:

Members were invited to declare any disclosable interests under the Code of Conduct and the nature of those interests and/or indicate if Section 106 of the Local Government Finance Act 1992 applied to them.

 

Mr Bird declared a pecuniary interest in item 10 of the agenda as his daughter had a business on Oakham Enterprise Park.  It was his intention to leave the meeting during debate and voting on this item.

 

Mr Bird also declared an interest in item 6 of the agenda in respect of any debate on Oakham Town Centre as he was Chairman of Oakham Town Partnership, but this would not prevent him taking part on debate on this item.

 

Mrs Stephenson declared an interest in item 14 of the agenda as she was employed as a teacher at Leighfield Academy.

 

Mr Oxley requested confirmation that members of the Planning and Licensing Committee were not prevented from taking part in debate and voting on item 10 of the agenda in respect of Oakham Enterprise Park, this was confirmed by the Monitoring Officer.

500.

MINUTES OF PREVIOUS MEETING

To confirm the Minutes of the 267th meeting of the Rutland County Council District Council held on 13 November 2017.

Minutes:

The minutes of the 267th meeting of the Rutland County Council District Council held on 13 November 2018 were confirmed by the Council and signed by the Chairman. 

 

501.

PETITIONS, DEPUTATIONS AND QUESTIONS FROM MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC

To receive any petitions, deputations or questions received from members of the public in accordance with the provisions of Procedure Rule 28. The total time allowed for this is 30 minutes.  Petitions, deputations and questions will be dealt with in the order in which they are received and any which are not considered within the time limit shall receive a written response after the meeting.

 

Following verification of the petition entitled “Local Referendum on Oakham One-Way Scheme”, the Council has received notice from the petition organiser that the petition will be presented to the January Council meeting.

 

The petition can be viewed at:

https://www.rutland.gov.uk/my-council/have-your-say/petitions/

 

In accordance with Procedure Rule 29 (2) the total time allowed for valid petitions containing over 1500 signatures which have been accepted for a Full Council Debate shall be 20 minutes (This is in addition to the 30 minute time limit noted above).

 

 

Minutes:

There were no deputations or questions from members of the public.

 

Following verification of the petition entitled “Local Referendum on Oakham One-Way Scheme”, the Council had received notice from the petition organiser that the petition would be presented to the Council meeting by Mr G Robinson.

 

Mr E Baines indicated his intention to propose a motion without notice under Procedure Rule 36 of the RCC Constitution.  The wording of the motion was:

 

That Council set up a task group to research and evaluate proposals to enhance and improve Oakham Town Centre

 

Mr Gale confirmed that he would second this motion with the slight amendment to the wording to remove the word “Centre”.  Mr Baines agreed to this change.

 

Mr Hemsley proposed an amendment to the motion.  Mr Hemsley referenced his announcement made at Item 3) and requested that Council support the following amendment to the motion put forward by Mr Baines:

 

That Council ask Growth, Infrastructure and Resources Scrutiny Panel to convene a Task and Finish Group to consider the future of Oakham Town

 

This amendment was seconded by Mr Foster.

 

During debate on the amended motion, the following points were raised:

 

i.               Mr Begy noted that a Scrutiny Task and Finish Group appeared to be the most appropriate way to take this forward;

ii.              Mr Baines confirmed that his intention was to ensure that any review/further proposals were subject to a proper democratic process and enabled, rather than restricted, by the Council and that a Scrutiny Task and finish Group would satisfy this;

iii.            The Scrutiny Panel would decide on the membership, scope and terms of reference of the task and finish group, as well as membership.

iv.            Membership would not be restricted to members of the Scrutiny Panel and would include external stakeholders;

v.             Mr Lammie, Chair of Growth Infrastructure and Resources Scrutiny Panel, welcomed the opportunity for the panel to agree the terms of reference and membership of the task and finish group and confirmed that membership would be wider than the Panel itself;

vi.            Mr Walters suggested that it would be more appropriate to establish membership of the task and finish group and then that group could decide on the terms of reference.  These terms of reference could then be ratified by the Scrutiny Panel;

vii.           Confirmation was provided to Miss Waller that the usual process would be followed and the task and finish group would be expected to provide regular updates to the Scrutiny Panel.  The final recommendations of the group would be compiled in a report to Cabinet and/or Council;

viii.         Mr Bird expressed that it would be unfortunate to lose the momentum that had been gained on the need to improve the town and that any task and finish group should be representative of those living and working in Rutland; and

ix.            Mr Baines highlighted the importance of the role of elected members in representing the wishes of the community they serve.  He had proposed the motion to demonstrate the commitment of the  ...  view the full minutes text for item 501.

502.

QUESTIONS FROM MEMBERS OF THE COUNCIL

To receive any questions submitted from Members of the Council in accordance with the provisions of Procedure Rules 30 and 30A.

Minutes:

There were no questions from members of the Council.

503.

CALL-IN OF DECISIONS FROM CABINET MEETINGS DURING THE PERIOD FROM 11 NOVEMBER 2017 to 12 JANUARY 2018 (INCLUSIVE)

To determine matters where a decision taken by the Cabinet has been referred to Council by the call-in procedure of Scrutiny Panels, as a result of the decision being deemed to be outside the Council’s policy framework by the Monitoring Officer or not wholly in accordance with the budget by the Section 151 Officer, in accordance with the provisions of Procedure Rules 206 and 207.

Minutes:

No call-ins were received.

504.

EXCLUSION OF THE PUBLIC AND PRESS

Council is recommended to determine whether the public and press be excluded from the meeting in accordance with Section 100(A)(4) of the Local Government Act 1972, as amended, and in accordance with the Access to Information provisions of Procedure Rule 239, as the following item of business (Oakham Enterprise Park Development Strategy) is likely to involve the disclosure of exempt information as defined in Paragraph 3 of Part 1 of Schedule 12A of the Act.

 

Paragraph 3: Information relating to the financial or business affairs of any particular person (including the authority holding that information).

Minutes:

The Chairman indicated that it was his intention to keep the meeting in public session.  Should discussion on the exempt appendices to Report 14/2018 be required, members would be asked to determine whether the public and press be excluded from the meeting.

505.

REPORT FROM THE CABINET pdf icon PDF 63 KB

To receive Report No. 14/2018 from the Cabinet on recommendations referred to the Council for determination and to note the Key Decisions taken at its meetings held on 21 November 2017 and 19 December 2017.

Additional documents:

Minutes:

Report No. 14/2018 from the Cabinet was received, the purpose of which was to consider the recommendations of Cabinet referred to Council for determination and report the Key Decisions made by Cabinet since the publication of the agenda for the previous ordinary meeting of the Council on 13 November 2017.

 

1)    Council NOTED the Key Decisions made since the publication of the agenda for the previous ordinary meeting of the Council on 13 November 2017, as detailed in Appendix A to Report No. 14/2018.

 

2)         i)  21 November 2017

Decision No. 401

Report No. 199/2017

CHILDREN LOOKED AFTER AND CARE LEAVERS STRATEGY 2017-2022

 

Mr Foster introduced and moved the recommendations in the report.  Mr Wilby seconded the recommendations.

 

During his introduction Mr Foster confirmed that the safety and well-being of vulnerable children looked after was a very important topic and re-emphasised the corporate responsibility that Members had to these young people.  A number of training sessions had been arranged for members on this topic and Mr Foster asked that members communicate any issues with attending these sessions to him.

 

During debate of the recommendations, points raised included:

 

                                              i.     Miss Waller requested that significant notice was given regarding any training/briefing sessions.  It would be helpful to resume the practice of holding training sessions on the second Monday monthly where Full Council meetings were not scheduled or no longer required.

 

RESOLVED

 

To APPROVE the Children Looked After and Care Leavers Strategy 2017-22. (Appendix B Report 14/2018).

 

--o0o--

Mr Bird left the meeting.

--o0o—

 

ii) 19 December 2017

Decision No. 476

Report No. 170/2017

OAKHAM ENTERPRISE PARK DEVELOPMENT STRATEGY

 

Mr Hemsley introduced and moved the recommendations in the report.  Mr Brown seconded the recommendations.

 

During debate of the recommendations, points raised included:

 

i.      The return on investment for the entire site (after the investment) would be 4.03% after borrowing charges;

ii.     There was a need to be able to move quickly in order to meet demand as it arises;

iii.    A contingency had been built into the budget to deal with possible contamination on the site;

iv.   The units would be built in stages, with work commencing on the second unit only when the first unit was fully committed;

v.     Mr Conde requested clarification on why different figures were quoted in the report with regards funding; why Council were not being asked to approve the funding for the road; and whether members would receive regular project updates?  Mr Hemsley confirmed that the answers would be provided following the meeting;

vi.   There was a need to encourage growth and employment in the County and development of Oakham Enterprise Park (OEP) was a positive step; and

vii.  The development of OEP was not intended to create competition for other providers, but to meet demand for specific units.

 

RESOLVED

 

To APPROVE £1.77m capital funding to facilitate the infrastructure works & construction of new buildings under development Phase 2a of the Oakham Enterprise Park Development Strategy.

 

--o0o--

Mr Bird returned to the meeting.

--o0o--

 

 

 

 

 

 

506.

REPORTS FROM SCRUTINY COMMISSION / SCRUTINY PANELS

To receive the reports from the Scrutiny Commission / Scrutiny Panels on any matters and to receive questions and answers on any of those reports.

Minutes:

No reports were received.

507.

JOINT ARRANGEMENTS AND EXTERNAL ORGANISATIONS

To receive reports about and receive questions and answers on the business of any joint arrangements or external organisations.

Minutes:

i.      Mr Baines – Rutland Water Partnership

Meeting on 12 January 2018, there had been some debate earlier in year regarding future role of this group, unanimous in those attending that was still a worthwhile group and process, and welcomed that it was not subject to formalities.  Discussion on whether there could be some semi-formal arrangements with St Georges Barracks Group and ongoing issues at Lyndon Top were reported, which members were already aware of.

ii.     Mr Bool – Combined Fire Authority

The next meeting would be held within the next 10 days to discuss the budget, an update would be provided at the next Council meeting.

iii.    Miss Waller – SACRE

Meeting on 9 January 2018, discussion on agreed syllabus for Religious Education which was being developed jointly with Peterborough, Cambridgeshire and Northamptonshire.  This would be approved by Council at a later date.  Also started preparation of the Annual report and wanted to thank Councillor Stephenson for her assistance.

iv.   Miss Waller – Rutland Access Group

Meeting on 10 January 2018, helpful to have Mr Brown, Director for Places, present.  Would be helpful to have better attendance by elected members.  It was hoped that nominations next year would be for councillors who were able to attend on a regular basis.  The task and finish group on Oakham town should include consultation with RAG to address concerns over pavements.

 

508.

LGBCE DRAFT RECOMMENDATIONS FOR ELECTORAL REVIEW - RCC RESPONSE TO CONSULTATION pdf icon PDF 68 KB

To receive Report No. 13/2018 from the Director for Resources.

Additional documents:

Minutes:

Report No. 13/2018 was received from the Director for Resources, the purpose of which was to approve the RCC response to the Draft Recommendations on new electoral arrangements for Rutland County Council published by the Local Government Boundary Commission for England (LGBCE) on 5 December 2017.

 

Mrs Mogg, Director for Resources, provided a brief introduction highlighting that the proposal put forward to the Boundary Commission in September had met the LGBCE criteria with minimal changes required, but that the draft recommendations of the LGBCE were significantly different to those proposed by RCC.  The Constitution Review Working Group (CRWG) had met in December and agreed that the Councils original proposal was still the most effective in meeting the criteria, in particular in protecting the identities and interests of the community.

 

Miss Waller (Member of CRWG) confirmed that the group felt strongly that the original RCC proposal satisfied the needs of the community, particularly in relation to Oakham and Barleythorpe; and that the LGBCE proposal to combine Martinsthorpe and Braunston did not meet their own criteria in terms of community interest, or equality of representation.  The original RCC proposal was considered the best approach, but would only work with 28 Councillors.

 

Miss Waller proposed the recommendations in the report.  Mr Gale seconded the recommendations.

 

During debate of the recommendations, points raised included:

 

i.      Mr Gale re-iterated the importance of Barleythorpe having its own 2 member ward, the Parish Council were keen to keep governance arrangements separate from Oakham North West;

ii.     Mr Baines highlighted the importance of all members encouraging Parish Councils to respond to the consultation;

iii.    Mr Bool emphasised that as elected members, who understood the County, the RCC proposal should be the one taken forward;

iv.   Mr Oxley encouraged individual Councillors to respond to the consultation;

v.     Mr Cross highlighted that there had been considerable member and officer time dedicated to coming up with the original proposal;

vi.   Mr Walters confirmed that he had submitted his own response and suggested that the response letter to the LGBCE might be accompanied by more specific evidence on the proposed changes which were considered to be inappropriate and reasons for this view; and

vii.  Members were asked to forward any detailed examples to accompany the letter as soon as possible.

 

RESOLVED

 

Council APPROVED the RCC response to the LGBCE consultation on draft recommendations (Report No. 13/2018 Appendix A).

 

 

509.

SCHOOL ADMISSION ARRANGEMENTS 2019 pdf icon PDF 63 KB

To receive Report No. 15/2018 from the Director for People.

Additional documents:

Minutes:

Report No. 15/2018 from the Director for People was received, the purpose of which was to inform Council of the outcomes of the formal consultation on Rutland County Council Admission Arrangements 2019 for maintained voluntary controlled schools in Rutland so that Council can approve the Arrangements.

 

Mr Wilby introduced and moved the recommendations in the report.  Mr Hemsley seconded the recommendations.

 

RESOLVED

 

Council:

1)    APPROVED Rutland County Councils Admission Arrangements 2019.

2)    AUTHORISED the Director for People, in consultation with the Portfolio Holder for Lifelong Learning, to approve Admission Arrangements annually if no changes are to be made.

510.

ANY URGENT BUSINESS

To receive items of urgent business which have been previously notified to the person presiding.

Minutes:

No matters of urgent business were received.