Agenda, decisions and minutes

Councillor Sue Ellington, Chairman of the Council, reported that the Council’s Ecology Consultancy Officer, Rob Mungovan, had recently been presented with the Wild Trout Trust’s ‘Wild Trout Hero 2016’ national award.  Councillor Ellington, on behalf of the Council, commended Mr Mungovan for his much deserved achievement.  All Members of the Council gave him a congratulatory round of applause.

Councillor Ellington also reported that Graham Watts, Democratic Services Team Leader, would shortly be leaving the authority and that this would be his last meeting of the Council.  She thanked him for his service over the last four years and, on behalf of the authority, wished him well with his future endeavours.  All Members of the Council gave Mr Watts a round of applause in appreciation of his service to the authority.

To receive apologies for absence from Members.

Apologies for absence were received from Councillors Brian Burling, Simon Crocker, Mervyn Loynes, Cicley Murfitt, Des O’Brien, Tony Orgee, Deborah Roberts, Edd Stonham, David Whiteman-Downes and Tim Wotherspoon.

To receive any declarations of interest.

Reference was made to the comprehensive interests declared by Members at the meeting of Council held on 13 March 2014 when the Local Development Plan was initially being considered for submission.  Members took the interests they declared at that meeting as read in respect of the Local Development Plan’s further work and consequential modifications for consideration at this meeting.

In addition to those interests:

·         Councillor Tumi Hawkins declared that the house where she resided backed onto Bourn Airfield;

·         Councillor Edwards declared that he was a member of the Royal British Legion;

·         Councillor Graham Cone declared that he was an employee of Addenbrooke’s Hospital.

Members are requested to inform Democratic Services of any changes in their Register of Members’ Financial and Other Interests form.

The Chairman reminded Members that they needed to update their register of interests whenever their circumstances changed.

To authorise the Chairman to sign the minutes of the previous meeting held on 22 September 2016 as a correct record.

The minutes of the previous meeting held on 22 September 2016 were confirmed and signed by the Chairman as a correct record. 

To receive any announcements from the Chairman, Leader, the Executive or the Head of Paid Service.

Councillor Sue Ellington, Chairman of the Council, announced that this meeting would be adjourned to the 21 November 2016 at 7.30pm in respect of the item on Cambridgeshire and Peterborough devolution.  Appendix A1 marked ‘to follow’ in the report for that item had been circulated on 15 November 2016, however, a technical issue with the Council’s email system had prevented some Members of the Council being able to access the document.  She therefore felt it necessary to adjourn consideration of this item so that all Members had sufficient time to properly consider Appendix A1.

To note that no questions from the public have been received. 

No questions from the public were considered. 

To note that no petitions for consideration by Council have been received since the last meeting.

No petitions had been received. 

Council is invited to consider the attached report and recommendations for consideration by Cabinet subsequent to the meeting of Council on 17 November 2016. 

The report recommends Cabinet to:

(i)         Consent to the Secretary of State making an Order to establish the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority (Appendix A).

(ii)        Consent to the Council being a constituent member of the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority with effect from the commencement date determined by the final Order.

(iii)       Authorise the Chief Executive, in consultation with the Leader of the Council, to consent to the final draft Order and associated documents, specifically:

-       to agree minor drafting amendments to the Combined Authority Order to be laid before Parliament;

-       to consent to the Council being included within the draft Parliamentary Order thereby reflecting this Council’s decision.

(iv)       Authorise the Combined Authority to have a power to issue a levy to the constituent Councils in respect of any financial year. (This will be subject to the inclusion of a unanimity clause in the Combined Authority constitution on this specific matter).

(v)       Recommend to the Combined Authority that the costs of establishing the Combined Authority, holding the elections in May 2017 and running the Combined Authority (including Mayoral Office) for 2016/17 and 2017/18 are funded from the gain share grant provided by Government (as outlined the financial implications section of the report).

(vi)       Appoint Councillor Peter Topping, Leader of the Council, to act as Council's appointee to the Shadow Combined Authority and once established, to the Combined Authority.

(vii)      Appoint a Member of the Council to act as the substitute to the above.

(viii)     Note the outcome of the public consultation on the establishment of the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority as outlined in paragraph 5.1 and 5.2 and Appendices 2A - 2D.

(ix)       Note the timetable for the implementation of the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough devolution Order as summarised in paragraph 16.

(x)        Note the Government's response to the outline business case for Housing capital investment funds secured as part of the devolution deal as set out in Appendix 3.        

(xi)       Agree, in principle, for a protocol requiring the Council Leader and the representative on the Overview and Scrutiny Committee to report to each meeting of Council setting out the activities and decisions related to their respective roles within the Combined Authority.

(xii)      To request that the Chairman and Vice-Chairman of Civic Affairs Committee engage their fellow committee members with a view to devising and agreeing the wording of a protocol for inclusion in the Council’s constitution.

Council ENDORSED the recommendations to Cabinet that it:

(i)         Consent to the Secretary of State making an Order to establish the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority (Appendix A).

(ii)        Consent to the Council being a constituent member of the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority with effect from the commencement date determined by the final Order.

(iii)       Authorise the Chief Executive, in consultation with the Leader of the Council, to consent to the final draft Order and associated documents, specifically:

-       to agree minor drafting amendments to the Combined Authority Order to be laid before Parliament;

-       to consent to the Council being included within the draft Parliamentary Order thereby reflecting this Council’s decision.

(iv)       Authorise the Combined Authority to have a power to issue a levy to the constituent Councils in respect of any financial year. (This will be subject to the inclusion of a unanimity clause in the Combined Authority constitution on this specific matter).

(v)        Recommend to the Combined Authority that the costs of establishing the Combined Authority, holding the elections in May 2017 and running the Combined Authority (including Mayoral Office) for 2016/17 and 2017/18 are funded from the gain share grant provided by Government (as outlined the financial implications section of the report).

(vi)       Appoint Councillor Peter Topping, Leader of the Council, to act as Council's appointee to the Shadow Combined Authority and once established, to the Combined Authority.

(vii)      Appoint Councillor Nick Wright, Deputy Leader of the Council, to act as the substitute to the above.

(viii)      Note the outcome of the public consultation on the establishment of the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority as outlined in paragraph 5.1 and 5.2 and Appendices 2A - 2D.

(ix)       Note the timetable for the implementation of the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough devolution Order as summarised in paragraph 16.

(x)        Note the Government's response to the outline business case for Housing capital investment funds secured as part of the devolution deal as set out in Appendix 3.        

(xi)       Agree, in principle, for a protocol requiring the Council Leader and the representative on the Overview and Scrutiny Committee to report to each meeting of Council setting out the activities and decisions related to their respective roles within the Combined Authority.

(xii)      To request that the Chairman and Vice-Chairman of Civic Affairs Committee engage their fellow committee members with a view to devising and agreeing the wording of a protocol for inclusion in the Council’s constitution.

The Council adjourned its meeting on 17 November 2016 at 8.57pm. and agreed to consider this item at a reconvened meeting of Council on 21 November 2016 at 7.30pm.

The following Members were in attendance on 21 November 2016:

Councillors Sue Ellington (Chairman), David McCraith (Vice-Chairman), David Bard, Val Barrett, Henry Batchelor, John Batchelor, Anna Bradnam, Brian Burling, Tom Bygott, Nigel Cathcart, Doug Cattermole, Grenville Chamberlain, Graham Cone, Pippa Corney, Simon Crocker, Christopher Cross, Kevin Cuffley, Simon Edwards, Jose Hales, Roger Hall, Lynda Harford, Philippa Hart, Tumi Hawkins, Mark Howell, Sebastian Kindersley, Douglas de Lacey, Janet Lockwood, Mervyn Loynes, Ray Manning, Mick Martin, Cicley Murfitt, Charles Nightingale, Des O'Brien, Tony Orgee, Alex Riley, Deborah Roberts, Tim Scott, Ben Shelton, Bridget Smith, Hazel Smith, Peter Topping, Ingrid Tregoing, Richard Turner, Bunty Waters, Aidan Van de Weyer, David Whiteman-Downes, John Williams and Nick Wright.

Alex Colyer (Interim Chief Executive), Tom Lewis (Monitoring Officer) and Graham Watts (Democratic Services Team Leader) were also in attendance.

Apologies for absence for the reconvened meeting were received from Councillors Francis Burkitt, Neil Davies, Caroline Hunt, Peter Johnson, Raymond Matthews, Edd Stonham, Robert Turner and Tim Wotherspoon.

Councillor Sue Ellington, Chairman of Council, proposed that Standing Orders be suspended to facilitate an informal question and answer session on the proposed Cambridgeshire and Peterborough devolution deal.  This was seconded by Councillor David McCraith, Vice-Chairman of Council, and unanimously agreed by Council.

Questions were asked and answers provided as follows during the informal question and answer session:

Councillor Douglas de Lacey, Convenor of the Independent Group, referred to three documents which had been circulated setting out different voting rights for the constituent authorities in relation to Transport Plans, particularly Cambridgeshire County Council and Peterborough City Council.  He asked for some clarity on this issue.  Alex Colyer, Interim Chief Executive, confirmed that the Statutory Order set out that the majority of the Combined Authority would need to approve Transport Plans, which had to include Peterborough City Council.  He added that the document included provision for Standing Orders to be amended by the Combined Authority.

Councillor Alex Riley reflected on the proposed scrutiny arrangements of the Combined Authority, of which he had some concerns.  He was keen for South Cambridgeshire District Council to take a leading role on this aspect of the deal as a project in its own right in order to provide some constructive responses to some of the unresolved issues and questions that had recently arisen.  He queried, for example, the role of independent members on the Overview and Scrutiny Committee and questioned their purpose given they would not be entitled to voting rights.  Councillor Topping reminded Council that this was a collaborative effort but agreed that further work would be undertaken on this issue.

Councillor John Williams asked what would happen if the elected Mayor resigned or was otherwise unable to hold office.  Mr Colyer reported that an  ...  view the full minutes text for item 8a

The Audit and Corporate Governance Committee RECOMMENDED the adoption of Public Sector Audit Appointments Ltd (PSAA) as the appointing person for the Council, subject to receiving a satisfactory invitation to opt into the PSAA’s appointing person arrangements.

Council APPROVED the adoption of Public Sector Audit Appointments Ltd (PSAA) as the appointing person for the Council, subject to receiving a satisfactory invitation to opt into the PSAA’s appointing person arrangements.

Councillor Andrew Fraser, Chairman of the Audit and Corporate Governance Committee, proposed that Council approved the adoption of Public Sector Audit Appointments Ltd (PSAA) as the appointing person for the Council for the purposes of external auditing.  He reported that the Committee had considered this issue at length, which included looking into a range of options, before agreeing the recommendation to Council.

Councillor Grenville Chamberlain, Vice-Chairman of the Audit and Corporate Governance Committee, seconded the proposal.

Council unanimously APPROVED the adoption of Public Sector Audit Appointments Ltd (PSAA) as the appointing person for the Council, subject to receiving a satisfactory invitation to opt into the PSAA’s appointing person arrangements.

Council is RECOMMENDED to endorse the proposed modified Standing Orders for the Greater Cambridge City Deal Joint Assembly and Executive Board.

Council ENDORSED the proposed modified Standing Orders for the Greater Cambridge City Deal Joint Assembly and Executive Board, as set out in the appendices to the report.

Councillor Francis Burkitt, Portfolio Holder for the Greater Cambridge City Deal, presented a report which set out proposed changes to the Standing Orders for the Greater Cambridge City Deal Joint Assembly and Executive Board.  He proposed that the Council endorsed the amendments to Standing Orders, as set out in the report, which sought to improve the way in which public questions were considered and received at meetings of the Assembly and Board.  He emphasised that the changes were being proposed in response to an open letter by a range of individuals from organisations who regularly submitted questions to the Assembly and Board and who had become increasingly dissatisfied with the answers they were being provided with.  The changes to Standing Orders would mean that more notice would need to be given to the Assembly and Board of the content of the question, rather than the current arrangement of being able to provide only 24 hours notice, in order that officers and Members had sufficient time to provide a more comprehensive response to the issues raised.

Councillor Kevin Cuffley seconded the proposal.

Councillor Sebastian Kindersley was concerned that questions were being limited to 300 words as part of the proposed changes.  He felt that this was patronising and stifled the public in being able to put forward meaningful questions to the Assembly and Board.  He proposed an amendment that this element of the changes be removed.

Councillor Bridget Smith, Leader of the Opposition, seconded the amendment.

Councillor Burkitt did not agree with the suggestion that a word limit was patronising or stifling, making the point that this proposal came directly from those individuals who had signed the open letter and who regularly asked questions at the Assembly and Board.  They were Cambridge Past, Present and Future, the Federation of Cambridge Residents’ Associations, Cambridge Cycling Campaign, Smarter Cambridge Transport, Coton Parish Council and Madingley Parish Council.  He referred to the pages of documentation often submitted as part of questions where the actual question had been difficult to identify and said that there was a differential between a question and supporting material.  A word limit on the question would add clarity around a specific question, with supporting material still able to be submitted.

Councillor Bridget Smith, as a Member of the Joint Assembly, said that she had never experienced any problems in understanding questions from members of the public and questioned where the provision for supporting materials was set out in the proposed changes to Standing Orders.  Councillor Anna Bradnam echoed these sentiments and agreed that supplementary documents should be able to be supplied in support of any questions.

Councillor Peter Topping, Leader of the Council, made the point that the proposed changes were seeking the facilitation of clarity and succinctness and therefore felt that a word limit seemed like a useful, reasonable, practical and sensible thing to introduce.  Councillor Ray Manning supported the inclusion of a word limit.

Anna Bradnam proposed an amendment to retain the existing form of words regarding  ...  view the full minutes text for item 8c

The Planning Portfolio Holder RECOMMENDED that Council:

(a)        Agrees that the Proposed Modifications, set out in Appendix A of the report, including:

i)              that the proposal to prepare Area Action Plans for Waterbeach New Town and Bourn Airfield New Village, is replaced by a proposal to produce Supplementary Planning Documents, that the village separation policy wording at sub-section 3 and paragraph 3.37 be refined in the case of Waterbeach, and that necessary and consequential modifications are made to the Local Plan policies;

ii)             that changes are proposed to the Bourn Airfield new village Major Development Site boundary in respect of parcels 1, 2, and 5 only as shown on the map attached to Appendix A of the report from the Joint Director for Planning and Economic Development, that parcel 3 be rejected, and that parcel 4 be considered subject to additional wording relating to boundary treatment;

iii)            that land south of Cambridge Biomedical Campus as shown on the map attached to Appendix A of the report is allocated as an extension to the employment site allocated in the submitted Cambridge Local Plan.

and the Sustainability Appraisal Screening, as set out in Appendix B to the report, subject to any recommended changes by the Portfolio Holder, be submitted to the Inspectors examining the Local Plan.

(b)        Delegates authority to the Joint Director of Planning and Economic Development to propose Modifications in respect to Travelling Showpeople to the examination consistent with the approach set out in paragraphs 51 to 53 of the report, in consultation with the Portfolio Holder and any material changes to be brought back to Members for consideration.

(c)        Agrees that the documents attached to the report as Appendices C to Iare noted and submitted as part of the evidence base for the submitted Local Plan.

(d)        Notes that if recommendation (a)(i) is agreed, a report will be brought to the Planning Portfolio Holder meeting on 13 December 2016 to revise the Local Development Scheme to delete the AAPs and to also consider the most appropriate way to prepare the proposed SPDs.

(e)        Agrees that delegated authority be given to the Joint Director of Planning and Economic Development to make any subsequent minor amendments and editing changes, in consultation with the Planning Portfolio Holder.

A copy of the report considered at the Planning Portfolio Holder Meeting is attached to this agenda pack, together with Appendices A, D and F.  Appendices B, C, E, G, H and I are attached to the electronic version only.  The electronic version of the agenda can be viewed by visiting www.scambs.gov.uk and following the links from ‘The Council’.

A supplement in response to the Planning Portfolio Holder’s recommendation to Council is included in the agenda pack for this meeting.

Council:

(a)        AGREED that the Proposed Modifications, set out in Appendix A of the report, including:

i)              that the proposal to prepare Area Action Plans for Waterbeach New Town and Bourn Airfield New Village, is replaced by a proposal to produce Supplementary Planning Documents, that the village separation policy wording at sub-section 3 and paragraph 3.37 be refined in the case of Waterbeach, as set out in paragraph 3 of the supplement, and that necessary and consequential modifications are made to the Local Plan policies;

ii)             that changes are proposed to the Bourn Airfield new village Major Development Site boundary in respect of parcels 1, 2, 4 and 5 only as shown on the map attached to Appendix A of the report from the Joint Director for Planning and Economic Development, that parcel 3 be rejected, with parcel 4 included subject to the additional wording contained in paragraph 5 of the supplement relating to boundary treatment being considered further by the Portfolio Holder;

iii)            that land south of Cambridge Biomedical Campus as shown on the map attached to Appendix A of the report is allocated as an extension to the employment site allocated in the submitted Cambridge Local Plan.

and the Sustainability Appraisal Screening, as set out in Appendix B to the report, be submitted to the Inspectors examining the Local Plan.

(b)        DELEGATED authority to the Joint Director of Planning and Economic Development to propose Modifications in respect to Travelling Showpeople to the examination consistent with the approach set out in paragraphs 51 to 53 of the report, in consultation with the Planning Portfolio Holder, and agreed that any material changes to be brought back to Members for consideration.

(c)        AGREED that the documents attached to the report as Appendices C to Iare noted and submitted as part of the evidence base for the submitted Local Plan.

(d)        NOTED that a report will be brought to the Planning Portfolio Holder Meeting on 13 December 2016 to revise the Local Development Scheme to delete the AAPs and to also consider the most appropriate way to prepare the proposed SPDs.

(e)        DELEGATED authority to the Joint Director of Planning and Economic Development to make any subsequent minor amendments and editing changes, in consultation with the Planning Portfolio Holder.

Councillor Robert Turner, Portfolio Holder for Planning, presented a report which he had considered at his Portfolio Holder Meeting held on 9 November 2016 in respect of proposed modifications to the submitted Local Plan.  He took this opportunity to thank the Council’s Planning Policy Manager and her team for all the work they had done with regard to the Local Plan at this stage of the process.

Councillor Turner highlighted the sections in the report relating to further planning guidance for new settlements and specifically Waterbeach, Bourn Airfield, land south of the Cambridge Biomedical Campus and gypsy and traveller and travelling showpeople policies as the key areas where modifications were proposed, outlining the details of each case.

Councillor Turner proposed that Council:

(a)        Agreed that the Proposed Modifications, set out in Appendix A of the report, including:

(i)         that the proposal to prepare Area Action Plans for Waterbeach New Town and Bourn Airfield New Village, is replaced by a proposal to produce Supplementary Planning Documents, that the village separation policy wording at sub-section 3 and paragraph 3.37 be refined in the case of Waterbeach, as set out in paragraph 3 of the supplement, and that necessary and consequential modifications are made to the Local Plan policies;

(ii)        that changes are proposed to the Bourn Airfield new village Major Development Site boundary in respect of parcels 1, 2, 4 and 5 only as shown on the map attached to Appendix A of the report from the Joint Director for Planning and Economic Development, that parcel 3 be rejected, with parcel 4 included subject to the additional wording contained in paragraph 5 of the supplement relating to boundary treatment being considered further by the Portfolio Holder;

(iii)       that land south of Cambridge Biomedical Campus as shown on the map attached to Appendix A of the report is allocated as an extension to the employment site allocated in the submitted Cambridge Local Plan.

and the Sustainability Appraisal Screening, as set out in Appendix B to the report, be submitted to the Inspectors examining the Local Plan.

(b)        Delegated authority to the Joint Director of Planning and Economic Development to propose Modifications in respect to Travelling Showpeople to the examination consistent with the approach set out in paragraphs 51 to 53 of the report, in consultation with the Planning Portfolio Holder, and agreed that any material changes to be brought back to Members for consideration.

(c)        Agreed that the documents attached to the report as Appendices C to Iare noted and submitted as part of the evidence base for the submitted Local Plan.

(d)        Noted that a report will be brought to the Planning Portfolio Holder Meeting on 13 December 2016 to revise the Local Development Scheme to delete the AAPs and to also consider the most appropriate way to prepare the proposed SPDs.

(e)        Delegated authority to the Joint Director of Planning and Economic Development to make any subsequent minor amendments and editing changes, in consultation with the  ...  view the full minutes text for item 8d

A period of up to 30 minutes will be allocated for this item, to include those questions where notice has been provided and questions which may be asked without notice.

Members wishing to ask a question without notice should indicate this intention to the Democratic Services Team Leader prior to the commencement of the item.  Members’ names will be drawn at random by the Chairman until there are no further questions or until the expiration of the 30 minute time period.

Questions without notice were asked and answered as follows:

Question by Councillor Bridget Smith

Councillor Bridget Smith, Leader of the Opposition, asked when officers had been appointed in respect of the proposed Combined Authority relating to the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough devolution deal and who their employers were.

Councillor Peter Topping, Leader of the Council, reported that the Combined Authority would be created as a result of the Statutory Order that had recently been made available should an agreement be made for a devolution deal.  He emphasised that this was not yet a body but made the point that it was necessary and sensible to commence with preparations in advance should a Combined Authority be formally established.  Leaders and officers from the partner Councils included as part of the proposed devolution deal had met regularly to take forward this work, further to which it had been deemed as sensible to the Leaders to collectively decide that some officers should take on additional responsibilities.  He reflected that those specific officers had put a great deal of effort into supporting the work associated with the proposed devolution deal.

Councillor Smith sought clarity that these officers continued to be employed by their respective Councils.  Councillor Topping confirmed that this was correct.

Question by Councillor Douglas de Lacey

Further to his question at the previous meeting of Council in relation to card payments, Councillor de Lacey asked the Portfolio Holder to explain why the Council still used Capita to process card payments when it had to pay for the privilege and the company was essentially practicing extortion on the district’s residents.

Councillor Simon Edwards, Portfolio Holder for Finance and Staffing, agreed to provide Councillor de Lacey with a written response.

Question by Councillor Aidan van de Weyer

Councillor Aidan van de Weyer, following calls by a local Member of Parliament to extend the deadline for spending for the first phase of the Greater Cambridge City Deal, asked whether the Portfolio Holder could inform the Council what discussions he had held on this with the City Deal Executive Board and the Government.

Councillor Francis Burkitt, Portfolio Holder for the Greater Cambridge City Deal, explained that no discussions had yet taken place.  Heidi Allen MP had agreed to facilitate a meeting with the relevant Minister but as of yet Councillor Burkitt had not received an agenda for such a meeting.

Question by Councillor Sebastian Kindersley

Councillor Sebastian Kindersley expressed his concern in what he and some of his colleagues perceived as a move towards the removal of the democratic role of Members when sitting on the authority's Planning Committee.  He understood that applications should be judged on material planning grounds, but said that Members also had to consider an element of protecting the district's parishes and that it was down to individual Members to decide the greater or lesser weight in their consideration of applications in this respect.  Councillor Kindersley raised this issue in response to the consideration of a recent application where there had  ...  view the full minutes text for item 9.

To note that no Notices of Motion have been received. 

No Notices of Motion had been received. 

To note engagements undertaken by the Chairman and Vice-Chairman since the last Council meeting:

Those engagements attended by the Chairman and Vice-Chairman since the last meeting were noted.  The Chairman reported that the Vice-Chairman had raised the flag at South Cambridgeshire Hall on 11 November 2016 as she had been otherwise engaged with another remembrance service.

NOTE - This meeting adjourned at 8.57pm and reconvened on 21 November 2016 at 7.30pm.  Item 8(a) above incorporates the minute of the reconvened meeting, which closed at 9.13pm