Agenda and minutes

To receive apologies for absence.

Apologies for absence were received from Councillors Steve Shaw-Wright and Welburn.

A copy of the Register of Interest for each Selby District Councillor is available for inspection at www.selby.gov.uk.

Councillors should declare to the meeting any disclosable pecuniary interest in any item of business on this agenda which is not already entered in their Register of Interests.

Councillors should leave the meeting and take no part in the consideration, discussion or vote on any matter in which they have a disclosable pecuniary interest.

Councillors should also declare any other interests. Having made the declaration, provided the other interest is not a disclosable pecuniary interest, the Councillor may stay in the meeting, speak and vote on that item of business.

If in doubt, Councillors are advised to seek advice from the Monitoring Officer.

Councillor Mackman declared a personal non-pecuniary interest in relation to item 9, report of the Executive Lead Member for Finance and Resources as he was Chair of the Selby and District Housing Trust.

Councillor Duckett declared a personal non-pecuniary interest in relation to item 9, report of the Executive Lead Member for Finance and Resources as she was a member of the Selby and District Housing Trust.

To approve as a correct record the minutes of the meeting of the Council held on 17 September 2019.

The Council considered the minutes of the meeting held on Tuesday 17 September 2019.

RESOLVED:

To approve the minutes of the Council meeting held on 17 September 2019 for signing by the Chairman.

The Chairman, Leader of the Council or the Chief Executive will deal with any communications which need to be reported to the Council.

There were no communications.

To receive any announcements from the Chairman, Leader or Members of the Executive.

The Chairman announced that he would be proposing that the date of Annual Council be moved from Tuesday 12 May 2020 to Monday 18 May 2020.

To receive any petitions.

There were no petitions received.

To receive and answer questions, notice of which has been given in accordance with rule 10.1 of the Constitution.

There were no public questions received.

Councillor Questions Process:

·         Councillors can ask questions in accordance with rule 11.2 of the Constitution.

·         An answer to a question submitted may take the form of:

a)    A direct oral answer;

b)   Where the desired information is in a publication of the Council or other published work, a reference to that publication; or

c)    Where the reply cannot conveniently be given orally, a written answer circulated later to all members of the Council.

·         A councillor asking a question may ask one supplementary question, without notice, of the councillor to whom the first question was asked. The supplementary question must arise directly out of the original question or the reply.

Four questions from Councillors have been submitted for consideration and additionally one question has been listed which was deferred from the last meeting.

It was noted that four questions from Councillors had been submitted for consideration and one question had been deferred from the last meeting.

Question One

Councillor John McCartney asked question one in relation to the Programme for Growth as outlined on the agenda. The Lead Executive Member for Finance and Resources explained that the Programme for Growth fund was monitored through quarterly updates to the Executive and regular updates to the Overview and Scrutiny Committee. Council was informed that any decisions made in relation to the Programme for Growth were made at public meetings of the Executive. The Lead Executive Member for Finance and Resources offered to brief any Member individually if they had any queries on the Programme.

Question Two

Councillor Mary McCartney asked question two in relation to the development of new sports facilities at the former Eggborough Power Station site. The Leader of the Council explained that new facilities would be better than the current facilities on offer however it would be difficult for all of the facilities to be grouped together in one location. Additionally, Council was informed that work was being done together with the St Francis Group and that there was encouragement at the proposals from the developers.

In response to a supplementary question regarding sustainability, the Leader of the Council explained that the Council would be offering its support to the developers and that any developments needed to involve local people which would allow a better chance of sustainability.

Question Three

Councillor John McCartney asked question three in relation to the possible development of a roundabout on the A19 / Roall Lane junction. The Lead Executive Member for Place Shaping explained that a planning application for the site had not been received however that he had spoken with relevant officers at the Council to ensure all relevant issues were raised and that work would be done with North Yorkshire County Council to address these issues.

Question Four

Councillor John McCartney asked question four in relation to the introduction of fixed penalty notices for fly-tipping offences. The Lead Executive Member for Housing, Health and Culture explained that the introduction of fixed penalty notices was an additional tool to tackle fly tipping and would act as a deterrent for households from unwittingly using illegal waste disposal methods. Council was informed that where similar systems had been introduced across the region, a positive impact against fly tipping had been reported.

In response to a supplementary question concerning going to court being a greater deterrent than a fixed penalty notice, the Leader of the Council explained that on occasions fines handed out by the courts were lower than the ones being proposed under the fixed penalty notices. The Leader of the Council stated that he and the Chief Executive were arranging a meeting with the Magistrates Court in York to discuss issues such as this. Additionally, Council was informed that fly tipping offences were shown to be reducing in the district.

Question Five

Councillor Mary McCartney asked  ...  view the full minutes text for item 49.

The Leader of the Council, and other members of the Executive, will report on their work since the last meeting of the Council and will respond to questions from Councillors on that work.

Councillor Mark Crane, Leader of the Council

The Leader of the Council presented his update on the work he had recently undertaken, as outlined in his report.

Discussion took place on the inclusion of appendices in reports on the agenda which then made agendas larger in length. It was agreed that in future, links would be inserted for any appendices and that only the reports would be attached with the agenda.

Councillor Richard Musgrave, Deputy Leader of the Council and Lead Executive Member for Place Shaping

Councillor Musgrave, Deputy Leader of the Council and Lead Executive Member for Place Shaping, provided an update on the work he had recently undertaken, as outlined in his report.

Concern was raised at the circulation of a letter to residents regarding the demolition of the old civic centre building and that no communication had been provided to the ward members. The Lead Executive Member for Place Shaping explained that he had not seen a copy of the letter however the site was owned by Tesco.

A query was raised regarding the development of Olympia Park around whether it would still be going ahead and if this was the case, then the Council should cease paying consultants involved in the work on the site. The Lead Executive Member for Place Shaping informed Council that the site owner was confident that a scheme for the site could be brought forward. It was noted that since the agreement to develop a new Local Plan, this would place less pressure on the Olympia Park site in terms of housing delivery. In relation to consultants, the Lead Executive Member for Place Shaping explained that it was right that the Council got the best planning and legal advice it required.

A query was raised regarding whether Sherburn would be included in the district wide transport assessment in relation to the work being done on the new Local Plan. The Lead Executive Member for Place Shaping explained that the work for the assessment had not yet been commissioned yet as the first stage was the preparation of the Issues and Options Document.

In relation to demolition notices, it was felt that all Councillors should be made aware of such notices in their area as it was important Members were aware if this was happening in their area.

Councillor Cliff Lunn, Lead Executive Member for Finance and Resources

Councillor Lunn, Lead Executive Member for Finance and Resources presented his update on the work he had recently undertaken, as outlined in his report.

Concern was raised that the savings target was not being achieved and the implications of this affecting the planning service.  The Director of Economic Regeneration and Place explained that the planning review was designed to look at ways the service could be improved going forward.

Discussion took place on the figure of £11.6m figure relating to housing loans for the Selby and District Housing Trust and it was felt that clarification was needed why the loans were not being used  ...  view the full minutes text for item 50.

To receive reports from the Council’s committees which need to be brought to the attention of Council. To receive questions and provide answers on any of those reports.

Councillor Steve Shaw-Wright, Chairman of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee

Councillor Nichols on behalf of S Shaw-Wright, Chairman of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee provided an update on the work of the Committee as outlined in the report.

Councillor Andrew Lee, Chairman of the Policy Review Committee

Councillor Lee, Chairman of the Policy Review Committee provided an update on the work of the Committee as outlined in his report.

Councillor K Arthur, Chairman of the Audit and Governance Committee

Councillor Arthur, Chairman of the Audit and Governance Committee provided an update on the work of the Committee as outlined in his report.

RESOLVED:

To receive and note the reports from the Committees.

To consider any motions.

No motions were received.

Report C/19/07 outlines the proposed Council Tax Support Scheme for 2020/21. 

The Lead Executive Member for Finance and Resources presented the report which outlined the proposed Council Tax Support Scheme for 2020/21.

The Lead Executive Member for Finance and Resources explained that the Council had a duty to review the scheme every year and that the scheme affected people of working age only. Council was informed that the weekly income of an individual would be added together under the new scheme and that it was predicted that around 50 current claimants would not qualify for the new scheme. The Lead Executive Member for Finance and Resources explained that for the small number of individuals who would receive less under the new scheme, a discretionary hardship scheme was available for them to apply for.

In response to a query concerning support for individuals using a room in their property to store medical equipment, it was clarified that would be a council tax banding issue rather than an issue coming under the proposed scheme.

RESOLVED:

To approve the new Council Tax Support Scheme for 2020/21 for commencement on 1 April 2020.

REASON FOR DECISION:

The Council has to adopt a new Council Tax Support Scheme for each financial year which forms part of the council’s budget and policy framework.

Report C/19/08 outlines the proposed Housing Revenue Account (HRA) Business Plan.

The Lead Executive Member for Housing, Health and Culture presented the report which outlined the proposed Housing Revenue Account (HRA) Business Plan.

RESOLVED:

To approve the final HRA Business Plan 2020-2025.

REASON FOR DECISION:

Approving the HRA Business Plan 2020-2025 allows the Council to detail our ambitions over the next five years and beyond as to how we manage and look to improve our housing stock, ensuring as much as possible that the needs of our residents are met now and in the future.

Report C/19/09 outlines the proposed Council Plan 2020-30.

The Leader of the Council presented the report which outlined the proposed Council Plan 2020-30.

The Leader of the Council explained that the proposed plan had four main themes and that there would be an opportunity review the plan in three years.

Discussion took place on the plan. It was felt that that residents should be referenced before businesses in any element of the plan and that although there was some mention of green and environmental issues, there could be scope to include more topics relating to these issues in the plan. It was also felt that it was important to include details about community as problems would be caused if there were only references to employment and business growth.

RESOLVED:

To approve the proposed Council Plan 2020-30.

REASON FOR DECISION:

The Council Plan is a key part of the Corporate Budget and Policy Framework and sets out our big ambitions for our district. It focuses our work on delivering the things that are important.

Full Council is responsible for the approval of the individual policies and strategies which form the statutory Budget and Policy Framework as set out in the Council Constitution.

Report C/19/10 outlines the Community Engagement Forum Annual Reports for 2018-19.

The Lead Executive Member for Communities and Economic Development presented the report which outlined the Community Engagement Forum (CEF) Annual Reports for 2018/19.

Discussion took place on the report. It was felt that future review of CEFs should include a review of the area they covered as it was felt that each CEF covered too large an area. The Lead Executive Member for Communities and Economic Development explained a review would take place in the new year.

RESOLVED:

To note the contents of the reports

REASON FOR DECISION:

To ensure that the work of the CEFs is recognised and they are working towards the delivery of their Community Development Plans.

Report C/19/11 outlines the report of the Monitoring Officer for 2019 regarding the standards arrangements of the Council.

Alison Hartley, Monitoring Officer presented the annual report of the Monitoring Officer for 2019 regarding the standards arrangements of the Council.

The Monitoring Officer informed Council that the Members’ code of conduct would be reviewed and that would be brought to Council for approval.

RESOLVED:

                        To note the content of the report.

REASON FOR DECISION:

To ensure that high standards of conduct by Councillors and co-optees are promoted and maintained.

The Chief Executive will report on any instances where she has acted in urgent or emergency situations under the functions delegated to her in the Constitution.

The Chief Executive reported that she had taken the following urgent action since the last meeting:

·         On 7 November 2019, in consultation with the Leader of the Council had taken the urgent decision to revoke both the Private Hire and Hackney Carriage Driver Licences of a taxi driver in the Selby District against whom serious safeguarding concerns had been raised.