Agenda, decisions and minutes

To receive any declarations of interest for items on this agenda.

Councillors Sebastian Kindersley, Tony Orgee and Jim Stewart declared a non-pecuniary interest in minute number 61 as members of Cambridgeshire County Council.

Councillor Jonathan Chatfield declared a non-pecuniary interest in minute number 71(a) as he was employed by the Association of Train Operating Companies.

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 meeting held on the 26 September 2013 as a correct record.

The minutes of the meeting held on 26 September 2013 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.

Members noted the result of the Comberton by-election held on 21 November 2013 and welcomed Councillor Tim Scott to his first meeting of full Council.

Councillor Sue Ellington, Vice-Chairman, agreed to write to the former Councillor for Comberon, Stephen Harangozo, expressing the Council’s thanks for his contributions, particularly with regard to climate change, conservation and the way in which he served the area he represented. 

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

 No questions from the public had been received.

To note that no petitions for consideration by Full Council have been received.

 No petitions for consideration by full Council had been received.

The Licensing Committee RECOMMENDED that the revised Licensing Policy be adopted.

Council ADOPTED the revised Licensing Policy, subject to the correction of a formatting error in the document.

Consideration was given to the revised Licensing (2003 Act) Policy, which the Licensing Committee considered at its meeting on 17 October 2013 and recommended for adoption.

Councillor Alex Riley, Chairman of the Licensing Committee, proposed that the revised Licensing Policy be adopted.  The proposal was seconded by Councillor Mick Martin, Portfolio Holder for Environmental Services.

A formatting error in the document was highlighted and the proposer and seconder agreed to amend their original motion to ensure that the document could be amended prior to its adoption.

With a unanimous vote Council ADOPTED the revised Licensing Policy, subject to the correction of a formatting error in the document.

The report considered by Cabinet on 19 November 2013 is attached.

Cabinet RECOMMENDED:

a)    The adoption of the pilot proposal and action plan.

b)    Approval to advance £7m of funding to South Cambs Ltd on a secured basis funded from prudential borrowing in line with individual investment appraisals being developed before property acquisitions are made, requiring the prior approval of the Executive Director and Director of Housing in consultation with the Finance and Staffing Portfolio Holder.

c)    To instruct the Executive Director (Corporate Services) and the Director of Housing to develop the business case(s) for the further expansion of South Cambs Ltd and to report back with detailed recommendations to Cabinet by the Autumn of 2015.

Council:

(a)  ADOPTED the pilot proposal and action plan.

(b)  APPROVED the advance of £7m of funding to South Cambs Ltd on a secured basis funded from prudential borrowing in line with individual investment appraisals being developed before property acquisitions are made, requiring the prior approval of the Executive Director (Corporate Services) and Director of Housing in consultation with the Finance and Staffing Portfolio Holder.

(c)  INSTRUCTED the Executive Director (Corporate Services) and the Director of Housing to develop the business case(s) for further expansion of South Cambs Ltd and to report back with detailed recommendations to Cabinet by the Autumn of 2015.

(d)  REQUESTED that the relevant Portfolio Holder set up a Portfolio Holder Advisory Group to work with the Executive Director (Corporate Services) and colleagues to explore the business case.

Council considered the report presented to Cabinet on 19 November 2013 which outlined a pilot scheme for taking forward the Council’s new housing company.

Councillor Mark Howell, Portfolio Holder for Housing, moved the following proposal:

“That Council:

(a)  Adopts the pilot proposal and action plan.

(b)  Approves the advance of £7m of funding to South Cambs Ltd on a secured basis funded from prudential borrowing in line with individual investment appraisals being developed before property acquisitions are made, requiring the prior approval of the Executive Director and Director of Housing in consultation with the Finance and Staffing Portfolio Holder.

(c)  Instructs the Executive Director (Corporate Services) and the Director of Housing to develop the business case(s) for the further expansion of South Cambs Ltd and to report back with detailed recommendations to Cabinet by the Autumn of 2015.”

Councillor Howell explained that the development of the company could enable the Council to meet a number of objectives, including:

·         the generation of a revenue stream and capital gains for the benefit of wider Council services;

·         meeting housing need and addressing gaps in the housing market, particularly in respect of those people who were unlikely to be granted an affordable housing tenancy or who did not wish to join the housing register and were experiencing difficulties buying a house or finding a rental home;

·         assisting economic development in the district by helping to provide good quality, flexible rental housing for the many local businesses that had workforces with a high turnover of staff;

·         demonstrating place leadership and supporting community development by investing in the local district and working alongside other private and public sector bodies.

Councillor Edwards, Deputy Leader and Portfolio Holder for Finance and Staffing, seconded the proposal and reflected on the significance of the proposed investment.  He outlined a number of options available for the financing of South Cambs Ltd, such as through a bond issue, a loan by the Public Works Loan Board or pooling with other local authorities. 

Councillor Sebastian Kindersley moved an amendment to the motion, inserting an additional paragraph to read:

“That the relevant Portfolio Holder set up a Portfolio Holder Advisory Group to work with the Executive Director (Corporate Services) and colleagues to explore the business case.”

This amendment was accepted by the proposer and seconder and became the substantive motion.

The following points against the motion were noted during debate:

·         the proposal was being promoted as the Council meeting housing need, when it was really about creating revenue;

·         there was currently not a business plan in place, meaning that there was no indication as to what the return on the investment would be and how long it would take to breakeven;

·         a risk assessment should be carried out before the commencement of the pilot in order to identify major risks at the earliest possible opportunity;

·         it was unclear what experience the Council had with regard to business management;

·         it could be argued that the Council had a conflict of interest due to its responsibility  ...  view the full minutes text for item 59b

This report will be published following the results of the Comberton By-election on 21 November 2013.

Council APPROVED:

(a)  The allocation of seats, as set out in Appendix A to the report.

(b)  The nominations of the political groups to seats on committees, as set out in Appendix B to the report.

Consideration was given to a report which provided the Council with an opportunity to review the authority’s political balance and allocation of seats to committees following the Comberton by-election held on 21 November 2013.

Having been proposed by Councillor Ray Manning, Leader of the Council, and seconded by Councillor Simon Edwards, Deputy Leader and Portfolio Holder for Finance and Staffing, Council unanimously APPROVED:

(a)  The allocation of seats, as set out in Appendix A to the report.

(b)  The nominations of the political groups to seats on committees, as set out in Appendix B to the report.

At the request of the Chairman of the Corporate Governance Committee, Council is invited to receive an update on recent changes to the governance arrangements of the Cambridgeshire Fund.

Council considered a briefing note on the Cambridgeshire Local Government Pension Scheme following a recent presentation to the Council’s Corporate Governance Committee.

Councillor Francis Burkitt, Chairman of the Corporate Governance Committee, proposed that the briefing note be received and presented some key highlights regarding governance, administration, investments and performance of the Scheme, together with information on the current financial position and contributions made by South Cambridgeshire District Council.

Councillor David McCraith, Vice-Chairman of the Corporate Governance Committee, seconded the proposal.

In discussing the content of the briefing note Members thanked Councillor Burkitt for the report and suggested that the Council should continue to monitor the Cambridgeshire Local Government Pension Scheme’s performance.

Council RECEIVED the briefing note.

Councillor Sue Ellington, Vice-Chairman, informed Council that an update report by Councillor Robert Turner on the Swaffham Internal Drainage Board had been circulated to Members outside of the meeting, for information.

A report by Councillor Peter Johnson was considered on the Farmland Museum.

Council NOTED the report.

A report by Councillor Peter Johnson was considered on the Waterbeach Level Internal Drainage Board.

Council NOTED the report.

A report by Councillor Bridget Smith on the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Clinical Commissioning Group Overview and Scrutiny Committee Liaison Group was considered.

Council NOTED the report.

A report by Councillor Sue Ellington on the Cambridgeshire Health and Wellbeing Board was considered.

Council NOTED the report.

To consider the following proposed dates for meetings of full Council in 2014/15:

Thursday 5 June 2014 (Annual General Meeting)

Thursday 24 July 2014

Thursday 25 September 2014

Thursday 27 November 2014

Thursday 29 January 2015

Thursday 26 February 2015

Thursday 23 April 2015

Council AGREED:

(a)  That meetings of full Council in 2014/15 be held as follows:

Thursday 5 June 2014 (Annual General Meeting) – 2pm

Thursday 24 June 2014 – 2pm

Thursday 25 September 2014 – 2pm

Thursday 27 November 2014 – 2pm

Thursday 29 January 2015 – 2pm

Thursday 26 February 2015 – 2pm

Thursday 23 April 2015 – 2pm

(b)  That an extraordinary meeting of full Council be held on Thursday 13 March 2014 to consider the Local Plan.

Council unanimously AGREED:

(a)  That meetings of full Council in 2014/15 be held as follows:

Thursday 5 June 2014 (Annual General Meeting) – 2pm

Thursday 24 July 2014 – 2pm

Thursday 25 September 2014 – 2pm

Thursday 27 November 2014 – 2pm

Thursday 29 January 2015 – 2pm

Thursday 26 February 2015 – 2pm

Thursday 23 April 2015 – 2pm

(b)  That an extraordinary meeting of full Council be held on Thursday 13 March 2014 to consider the Local Plan.

 To note that no formal joint meetings have been held since the last meeting of the Council.

There were no questions by Members on joint meetings. 

"Could we know what steps the Council is taking to prevent the future of South Cambridgeshire being compromised by opportunistic development proposals on sites which are not identified in the upcoming Local Plan as suitable for development?"

Councillor Sebastian Kindersley asked the Portfolio Holder for Localism and Planning Policy the following question:

"Could we know what steps the Council is taking to prevent the future of South Cambridgeshire being compromised by opportunistic development proposals on sites which are not identified in the upcoming Local Plan as suitable for development?"

Councillor Pippa Corney, Localism and Planning Policy Portfolio Holder, said that the Council’s Local Plan would be its biggest defence against opportunistic development.  She reminded Members that the consultation closed on 14 October 2013, the results of which would be published shortly.  A Localism and Planning Policy Portfolio Holder Meeting was scheduled to be held in February 2014 to consider and discuss the responses received to the consultation.  An extraordinary meeting of the Council on 13 March 2014 would then be held to determine whether or not the Plan was suitable for submission to the Planning Inspectorate.  Councillor Corney emphasised that the quicker the Local Plan was submitted the more weight it would have and the more confident she would be in the Council being able to defend itself.

“Please could the Leader give an update on the progress that is being made in the current consultation between South Cambridgeshire District Council and City with the County Council about the provision for Housing Support for Elderly People and indicate how, now that this provision is to be available to people living in their own homes as well as those in sheltered housing, we might cope with the extra demand?”

Councillor Bridget Smith asked the Leader of the Council the following question:

“Please could the Leader give an update on the progress that is being made in the current consultation between South Cambridgeshire District Council and City with the County Council about the provision for housing support for elderly people and indicate how, now that this provision is to be available to people living in their own homes as well as those in sheltered housing, we might cope with the extra demand?”

Councillor Mark Howell, Housing Portfolio Holder, answered this question and stated that Cabinet had considered this issue as part of an exempt report at its last meeting.  He confirmed that the Council had entered into a tendering process and would be holding discussions with Cambridgeshire County Council regarding the provision of these services.

Councillor Smith claimed that only 5% of elderly people living in their own homes currently received support, meaning that the remaining 95% potentially needed support to ensure that they too remained in their own homes.  As a supplementary question she asked whether this could be achieved with existing staffing levels. 

Councillor Howell responded by saying that existing staff were currently coping with demand and there was capacity to take on more customers.  He added that if demand did exceed capacity then it would be necessary for people to join a waiting list. 

“Members will be aware that the 2 year period of wage protection for those staff adversely affected by Job Evaluation is about to come to an end.  There is no doubt that this Council has sought to carry out this regrettably necessary project in exemplary fashion but it has nonetheless had a significant impact on our staff.  May we please be told what proportion of those originally identified as facing salary cuts remain in the Council’s employment?”

Councillor Lynda Harford asked the Portfolio Holder for Finance and Staffing the following question:

“Members will be aware that the two year period of wage protection for those staff adversely affected by Job Evaluation is about to come to an end.  There is no doubt that this Council has sought to carry out this regrettably necessary project in exemplary fashion but it has nonetheless had a significant impact on our staff.  May we please be told what proportion of those originally identified as facing salary cuts remain in the Council’s employment?”

Councillor Simon Edwards, Deputy Leader and Portfolio Holder for Finance and Staffing, explained the process undertaken as part of Job Evaluation that the Council went through over two years ago.  He reported that 47 employees received increases in their salaries, with 114 having their salaries reduced as a result of posts being evaluated.  In order to support those employees whose salaries had been reduced he explained that salary protection was put in place for a period of two years.  This was due to end in April 2014 and employee’s wage slips had been specifically designed to highlight the exact amount per month that had been protected so that they were aware of the revised amount they would receive from the end of the salary protection.  Councillor Edwards set out some of the other supportive measures that had been put in to assist those members of staff adversely affected by Job Evaluation such as training and development, one-to-one coaching and career guidance, study leave and access to flexible retirement.  Of the 114 employees whose salaries had reduced, Councillor Edwards reported that 82 would remain employed by the Council with reduced salaries as a consequence of the Job Evaluation process.

Councillor Harford was concerned that some service areas seemed to have suffered more than others in going through Job Evaluation and questioned as a supplementary whether this presented any risks with regard to a loss of skills and experience.

Councillor Edwards referred to the recently approved Organisational Development Strategy which outlined the Council’s culture and workforce planning.  He highlighted talent management initiatives that were currently in place and stated that the Council would continue to support personal development and provide employees with opportunities to widen their expertise through avenues such as participation in corporate project teams or secondments into other service areas.

"Will the Leader please update this Council on the current situation regarding Police Community Support Officers?"

Councillor Sue Ellington, Vice-Chairman, asked the following question to the Leader of the Council on behalf of Councillor James Hockney:

"Will the Leader please update this Council on the current situation regarding Police Community Support Officers?"

Councillor Ben Shelton answered this question as the Council’s Police Champion and stated that Police Community Support Officers were a vital part of the local community.  A high number of responses from the public were received to a consultation held in the summer as part of a review that was being undertaken.  A decision on this review was scheduled to be made soon, the outcome of which would be reported to the Police and Crime Panel in due course.  Councillor Shelton stated that he would update the Council on this decision at the relevant time.

“This Council continues to prioritise the provision of a new railway station at Chesterton sidings to serve the Cambridge Science Park and the northern part of Cambridge city and South Cambridgeshire. This station will not only unlock employment potential for South Cambridgeshire residents by enabling the Cambridge Science Park to be fully developed, but also ease traffic congestion for our residents and link the guided bus way more directly to the national rail network. It is a vital part of the emerging Local Plans for both this district and the city. This council seeks reassurance from the Secretary of State for Transport that the project continues to have the highest priority within Government to enable the Cambridge sub region to support the UK economy going forward.”

Council AGREED the following motion:

That this Council continues to acknowledge the necessity of a new railway station at Chesterton sidings to serve the Cambridge Science Park, Cambridge City and South Cambridgeshire.  This station will not only unlock employment potential for South Cambridgeshire residents by enabling the Cambridge Science Park to be fully developed, but also ease traffic congestion for our residents and link the guided bus way more directly to the national rail network.  It is a vital part of the emerging Local Plans for both this district and the city.  This Council seeks reassurance from Cambridgeshire County Council that the project continues to have the highest priority to enable the Cambridge sub-region to support the UK economy going forward.

(Councillors Tom Bygott, Pippa Corney, Neil Davies, Douglas de Lacey, Janet Lockwood, Charles Nightingale, Ben Shelton, Jim Stewart and Aidan Van De Weyer declared non-pecuniary interests in this item as members or substitute members of the Cambridge Fringes Joint Development Control Committee and did not participate in the discussion or voting of this motion).

Councillors Tom Bygott, Pippa Corney, Neil Davies, Douglas de Lacey, Janet Lockwood, Charles Nightingale, Ben Shelton, Jim Stewart and Aidan Van De Weyer declared non-pecuniary interests in this item as members or substitute members of the Cambridge Fringes Joint Development Control Committee and did not participate in the discussion or voting of this motion.

Councillor John Williams moved the following motion:

“This Council continues to prioritise the provision of a new railway station at Chesterton sidings to serve the Cambridge Science Park and the northern part of Cambridge City and South Cambridgeshire. This station will not only unlock employment potential for South Cambridgeshire residents by enabling the Cambridge Science Park to be fully developed, but also ease traffic congestion for our residents and link the guided bus way more directly to the national rail network. It is a vital part of the emerging Local Plans for both this district and the city. This Council seeks reassurance from the Secretary of State for Transport that the project continues to have the highest priority within Government to enable the Cambridge sub region to support the UK economy going forward.”

Councillor Williams thought it was very timely to reaffirm a commitment towards a new railway station at Chesterton sidings and highlighted that it would contribute to the regeneration of the wider area.

The motion was seconded by Councillor Susan van de Ven.

Councillor Simon Edwards supported the concept of the motion, but wanted to make it clear that this was an issue which the District Council had no jurisdiction over.  He therefore moved a number of amendments so that the motion read as follows:

“That this Council continues to acknowledge the necessity of a new railway station at Chesterton sidings to serve the Cambridge Science Park, Cambridge City and South Cambridgeshire.  This station will not only unlock employment potential for South Cambridgeshire residents by enabling the Cambridge Science Park to be fully developed, but also ease traffic congestion for our residents and link the guided bus way more directly to the national rail network.  It is a vital part of the emerging Local Plans for both this district and the city.  This Council seeks reassurance from Cambridgeshire County Council that the project continues to have the highest priority to enable the Cambridge sub-region to support the UK economy going forward.”

The proposer and seconder of the motion accepted these amendments, which became the substantive motion and was unanimously AGREED by Council.

To note the Chairman’s engagements since the last Council meeting:

Council noted those engagements attended by the Chairman and Vice-Chairman since the last Council meeting, as set out on the agenda.