Agenda, decisions and minutes

To elect the Chairman of the Council for the 2015/16 Civic Year.

Council RESOLVED that Councillor Sue Ellington be elected as Chairman of the Council for the 2015/16 civic year.

The outgoing Chairman, Councillor David Bard, informed the Council that he had raised £3,000 for his chosen charities during his term of office.

 

Councillor Bard invited nominations for the election of Chairman of the Council for the 2015/16 civic year.

 

On the nomination of Councillor Ray Manning, seconded by Councillor Bridget Smith and there being no further nominations, Council RESOLVED that Councillor Sue Ellington be elected as Chairman of the Council for the 2015/16 civic year.

 

Councillor Ellington signed the acceptance of office.  She reported that her theme during her term of office would be ‘promoting independence’ and that her chosen charity was Dogs for the Disabled.

To elect the Vice-Chairman of the Council for the 2015/16 Civic Year.

Council RESOLVED that Councillor David McCraith be elected as Vice-Chairman of the Council for the 2015/16 civic year.

The Chairman invited nominations for the election of Vice-Chairman of the Council for the 2015/16 civic year. 

 

On the nomination of Councillor David Bard, seconded by Councillor Charles Nightingale and there being no further nominations, Council RESOLVED that Councillor David McCraith be elected as Vice-Chairman of the Council for the 2015/16 civic year.

 

Councillor McCraith signed the acceptance of office.

To receive any apologies for absence.

Apologies for absence were received from Councillors Brian Burling, Pippa Corney, Tumi Hawkins, James Hockney, Peter Johnson, Mervyn Loynes, David Morgan, Robin Page, Alex Riley and Peter Topping.

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

No declarations of Members’ interests were made. 

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  26 February 2015 as a correct record.

The minutes of the previous meeting held on 26 February 2015 were confirmed and signed by the Chairman as a correct record.

To RECEIVE the attached report on the results of the local elections held on 7 May 2015.

 

The Returning Officer’s report was NOTED and Councillors Grenville Chamberlain, Graham Cone, Christopher Cross, Des O’Brien and Richard Turner were welcomed to the Council.  The Chairman also congratulated all returning Councillors who were re-elected.

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

Political group leaders and other Members of the Council paid tribute to Richard Barrett, Jonathan Chatfield, Alison Elcox, Neil Scarr and Jim Stewart as outgoing Councillors and thanked them for their service to the Council.

 

Councillor Ray Manning, Leader of the Council, made the following announcements:

 

·         Councillor Manning and the Chief Executive had met with representatives of the Boundary Commission for the first time since receiving notice of the South Cambridgeshire boundary review.  He reported that the meeting was very positive and that an informal workshop would be held for Members, details of which would be confirmed in due course;

·         the Inspector appointed to examine the Council’s Local Development Plan had requested a suspension of the examination.  Notification had only very recently been received of this decision and a briefing for Members was scheduled to be held on 28 May 2015 at 6pm.  Councillor Bridget Smith, Leader of the Opposition, took this opportunity to present the Chairman with a requisition signed by five Members for an extraordinary meeting of the Council to be held to consider the suspension of the examination of the submitted Local Plan.

 

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

No questions from members of the public had been received. 

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

No petitions due for consideration by Full Council had been received since the last meeting. 

To APPROVE the re-appointment of Stephen Hills as Director of the Council’s housing company, Ermine Street Housing Ltd, for a further 12 months alongside his role as Director of Housing for the Council

Council APPROVED the re-appointment of Stephen Hills as Director of Ermine Street Housing Ltd, the Council’s Housing company, for a further 12 months alongside his role as Director of Housing for the Council.

Councillor Mark Howell, Portfolio Holder for Housing, proposed the re-appointment of Stephen Hills as Director of Ermine Street Housing Ltd for a further 12 months.  Councillor Simon Edwards, Deputy Leader of the Council and Portfolio Holder for Finance and Staffing, seconded the proposal and Council unanimously APPROVED the re-appointment of Stephen Hills as Director of Ermine Street Housing Ltd, the Council’s Housing company, for a further 12 months alongside his role as Director of Housing for the Council.

To APPROVE:

 

(a)          The allocation of seats on committees.

 

(b)          The nominations of the political group leaders to seats on committees.

 

(c)          The appointment of Chairmen and Vice-Chairmen of committees.

 

(d)          The re-appointment of Grant Osbourn as the Council’s lead independent person and Gillian Holmes as the Council’s deputy independent person.

 

(Appendices C and D of the report will follow).

Council APPROVED:

 

(a)        The allocation of seats on committees and joint bodies, as follows:

           

	No. of seats	Conservatives	Liberal Democrats	Independents
Civic Affairs	12	9	2	1
Corporate Governance	9	6	2	1
Employment	9	6	2	1
Licensing	15	10	3	2
Planning	12	9	2	1
Partnerships Review	9	6	2	1
Scrutiny and Overview	9	6	2	1
Total	75	52	15	8

 

	No. of seats	Conservatives	Liberal Democrats	Independents
Joint Development Control –  Cambridge Fringes	6	4	1	1
Northstowe Joint Development Control	6	4	1	1

 

(b)        The nominations of the political group leaders to seats on committees and joint bodies, as set out below:

 

Civic Affairs Committee

Conservative             Liberal Democrats    Independent Group  Non-Group

David Bard                  Sebastian Kindersley  Deborah Roberts        Nigel Cathcart

Simon Edwards          Bridget Smith                                                  (Seat offered by

Sue Ellington                                                                                       the

James Hockney                                                                                 Conservatives)

Ray Manning

Raymond Matthews

Charles Nightingale

Bunty Waters

See Non-Group

 

Substitutes in hierarchical list:

Conservative             Liberal Democrats    Independent Group 

Kevin Cuffley              Jose Hales                  Douglas de Lacey

Roger Hall                   Janet Lockwood         Neil Davies

Grenville Chamberlain                                    Edd Stonham

Christopher Cross                                           Peter Johnson

                                                                        Robin Page

 

Corporate Governance Committee

Conservative             Liberal Democrats    Independent Group 

Francis Burkitt             Bridget Smith              Douglas de Lacey

Tom Bygott                 John Williams 

Andrew Fraser           

Roger Hall

David McCraith

Tony Orgee

 

Substitutes in hierarchical list:

Conservative             Liberal Democrats    Independent Group  Non-Group

Charles Nightingale     Philippa Hart               See Non-Group          Nigel Cathcart

Des O’Brien                                                    Edd Stonham              (Substitute seat

Ben Shelton                                                    Neil Davies                  offered by the

                                                                        Peter Johnson             Independent

                                                                        Robin Page                 Group)

 

Employment Committee

Conservative             Liberal Democrats    Independent Group 

Val Barrett                   Sebastian Kindersley  Edd Stonham

Simon Edwards          Bridget Smith

Lynda Harford

James Hockney

Caroline Hunt

Alex Riley

 

Substitutes in hierarchical list:

Conservative             Liberal Democrats    Independent Group 

Graham Cone                                                 Douglas de Lacey

Charles Nightingale                                         Neil Davies

                                                                        Peter Johnson

                                                                        Deborah Roberts

                                                                        Robin Page

 

Licensing Committee

Conservative             Liberal Democrats    Independent Group  Non-Group

Val Barrett                   Anna Bradnam            Deborah Roberts        Cicely Murfitt

Graham Cone             Jose Hales                  See Non-Group          (Seat offered by

Kevin Cuffley              Janet Lockwood                                             the Independent

Andrew Fraser                                                                                    Group)

Roger Hall

Mervyn Loynes

Raymond Matthews

Charles Nightingale

Alex Riley

Richard Turner

 

Substitutes in hierarchical list:

Conservative             Liberal Democrats    Independent Group 

Mick Martin                 Tumi Hawkins             Douglas de Lacey

                                                                        Peter Johnson

                                                                        Neil Davies

                                                                        Edd Stonham

                                                                        Robin Page

 

Planning Committee

Conservative             Liberal Democrats    Independent Group 

David Bard                  Anna Bradnam            Deborah Roberts

Brian Burling               Sebastian Kindersley

Pippa Corney

Kevin Cuffley

Lynda Harford

Des O’Brien
Tim Scott

Ben Shelton

Robert Turner

 

Substitutes in hierarchical list:

Conservative             Liberal Democrats    Independent Group 

Caroline Hunt              Tumi Hawkins             Robin Page

David McCraith           Aidan Van de Weyer   Douglas de Lacey

Val Barrett                   Jose Hales                  Peter Johnson

Christopher Cross       Henry Batchelor          Edd Stonham

Charles Nightingale     Hazel Smith                Neil Davies

 

Partnerships Review Committee

Conservative             Liberal Democrats    Independent Group 

David Bard                  Henry Batchelor          (See Liberal Democrat

Kevin Cuffley              Jose Hales                  Group)

Andrew Fraser            (Seat offered by

Roger Hall                   Independent

James Hockney         Group)

Ben Shelton                Janet Lockwood

 

Substitutes in hierarchical list:

Conservative             Liberal Democrats    Independent Group 

Bunty Waters              Aidan Van de Weyer   Deborah Roberts

Tony Orgee                 Tumi Hawkins             Douglas de Lacey

Grenville Chamberlain                                    Peter  ...  view the full decision text for item 12.

Councillor Ray Manning, Leader of the Council, presented a report on the allocation of seats to committees for 2015/16 and proposed that Council approved the allocation of committee seats set out in Appendix A to the report, which reflected a reduction in the size of the Civic Affairs Committee and Planning Committee and an increase in the size of the Corporate Governance Committee and Employment Committee.  Councillor Manning referred to the great deal of work the Civic Affairs Committee would be undertaking over the coming year in respect of the South Cambridgeshire boundary review and was of the view that committee sizes should support efficient and effective meetings.  Councillor Simon Edwards, Deputy Leader of the Council, seconded this proposal.

 

The Chairman invited a second proposition, and Councillor Bridget Smith, Leader of the Opposition, proposed that Council approved the allocation of committee seats set out in Appendix B of the report.  This reflected the same increase in the Corporate Governance Committee and Employment Committee, but also proposed a decrease in the membership of the Civic Affairs Committee and an increase in the Planning Committee.  Councillor Smith felt that the Planning Committee was going to be concerned with a very large number of complex, large scale applications in the coming years and that this would require the committee’s membership to be made up of the most experienced and best qualified Councillors, drawn from all three political groups.  Councillor Anna Bradnam seconded the proposal. 

 

Discussion ensued on the size of the two Joint Development Control Committees, which were larger than the Leader’s proposed Planning Committee size of 12 members.  It was pointed out, however, that Joint Development Control Committees had to include representatives from each of the respective partner Councils.  This made it necessary for Joint Development Control Committees to have a slightly larger membership in order that a fair representation, taking into account political proportionality, could be achieved on each committee. 

 

Speaking in favour of the Leader of the Opposition’s proposal, Councillor Sebastian Kindersley was concerned at the message that would be portrayed to members of the public, developers and agents should the Planning Committee reduce its membership to 12 Members.  Councillor Nick Wright reflected on the size of a jury in a court of law being 12 and felt that this was an appropriate size for the Council’s Planning Committee. 

 

Voting on the two proposals, with 30 votes in favour of the Leader of the Council’s proposal, 16 votes in favour or the Leader of the Opposition’s proposal and 1 abstention, Council APPROVED the allocation of seats on committees and joint bodies, as follows:

           

	No. of seats	Conservatives	Liberal Democrats	Independents
Civic Affairs	12	9	2	1
Corporate Governance	9	6	2	1
Employment	9	6	2	1
Licensing	15	10	3	2
Planning	12	9	2	1
Partnerships Review	9	6	2	1
Scrutiny and Overview	9	6	2	1
Total	75	52	15	8

 

	No. of seats	Conservatives	Liberal Democrats	Independents
Joint Development Control –  Cambridge Fringes	6	4  ...  view the full minutes text for item 12.

To APPROVE appointments to outside bodies for 2015/16.

 

(Recommendations from Group Leaders will follow).

Council APPROVED the below appointments to outside bodies:

 

Name	Representative
Cambridge Airport Consultative Committee	Caroline Hunt
Cambridge and County Folk Museum Committee of Management	Charles Nightingale
Cambridge & District Citizens’ Advice Bureaux Management Committee Trustee Board	Lynda Harford
Cambridge City, South Cambs & County Council Strategic Transport & Spatial Planning Group	Sebastian Kindersley Robert Turner Tim Wotherspoon Ray Manning (Substitute)
Cambridgeshire & Peterborough Waste Partnership	Mick Martin (as Portfolio Holder) Alex Riley (Substitute)
Cambridgeshire County Council Health Committee	Sue Ellington Andrew Fraser (Substitute)
Cambridgeshire Historic Churches Trust Advisory Council	Roger Hall
Cambridgeshire Water Forum	Tim Wotherspoon
Cambridgeshire Police and Crime Panel	Ben Shelton
Comberton Village College Governing Body Sub-Committee	Tim Scott
Conservators of the River Cam	Tim Wotherspoon
County Advisory Group on Archives & Local Studies	Roger Hall
Emmaus Cambridge Community	Hazel Smith
Friends of Milton Country Park	Anna Bradnam
Greater Cambridge City Deal Executive Board	Ray Manning Simon Edwards (Substitute)
Health and Wellbeing District Members Forum	Sue Ellington
Natural Cambridgeshire	Tim Scott
Needingworth Quarry Liaison Committee	Brian Burling
Over & Willingham Internal Drainage Board	Christopher Cross
Papworth Hospital NHS Foundation Trust	Nick Wright
Responsive Repairs Partnership Management Board	Val Barrett Bunty Waters Hazel Smith
Sawston Patient Reference Group	David Bard
Swavesey Internal Drainage Board	Brian Burling Sue Ellington
Swavesey Village College Community Committee	Mark Howell Sue Ellington

 

Having been moved by Councillor Ray Manning, Leader of the Council, and seconded by Councillor Simon Edwards, Deputy Leader of the Council, Council unanimously APPROVED the below appointments to outside bodies:

 

Name	Representative
Cambridge Airport Consultative Committee	Caroline Hunt
Cambridge and County Folk Museum Committee of Management	Charles Nightingale
Cambridge & District Citizens’ Advice Bureaux Management Committee Trustee Board	Lynda Harford
Cambridge City, South Cambs & County Council Strategic Transport & Spatial Planning Group	Sebastian Kindersley Robert Turner Tim Wotherspoon Ray Manning (Substitute)
Cambridgeshire & Peterborough Waste Partnership	Mick Martin (as Portfolio Holder) Alex Riley (Substitute)
Cambridgeshire County Council Health Committee	Sue Ellington Andrew Fraser (Substitute)
Cambridgeshire Historic Churches Trust Advisory Council	Roger Hall
Cambridgeshire Water Forum	Tim Wotherspoon
Cambridgeshire Police and Crime Panel	Ben Shelton
Comberton Village College Governing Body Sub-Committee	Tim Scott
County Advisory Group on Archives & Local Studies	Roger Hall
Emmaus Cambridge Community	Hazel Smith
Friends of Milton Country Park	Anna Bradnam
Greater Cambridge City Deal Executive Board	Ray Manning Simon Edwards (Substitute)
Health and Wellbeing District Members Forum	Sue Ellington
Natural Cambridgeshire	Tim Scott
Needingworth Quarry Liaison Committee	Brian Burling
Over & Willingham Internal Drainage Board	Christopher Cross
Papworth Hospital NHS Foundation Trust	Nick Wright
Responsive Repairs Partnership Management Board	Val Barrett Bunty Waters Hazel Smith
Sawston Patient Reference Group	David Bard
Swavesey Internal Drainage Board	Brian Burling Sue Ellington
Swavesey Village College Community Committee	Mark Howell Sue Ellington

 

Councillor Ray Manning proposed Councillor Tim Wotherspoon as the Council’s representative on the Conservators of the River Cam, which was seconded by Councillor David Bard.

 

Councillor Douglas de Lacey proposed Councillor Peter Johnson as the Council’s representative on the Conservators of the River Cam, which was seconded by Councillor Deborah Roberts.

 

With 32 votes compared to 15 votes, Council APPOINTED Councillor Tim Wotherspoon as the authority’s representative on the Conservators of the River Cam.

To APPROVE the joint Scrutiny & Overview Committee and Partnerships Review Committee Annual Report for 2014/15.

Council APPROVED the joint Scrutiny and Overview Committee and Partnerships Review Committee Annual Report 2014/15.

Councillor Roger Hickford proposed the Scrutiny and Overview Committee’s section of the joint Scrutiny and Overview Committee and Partnerships Review Committee Annual Report for 2014/15.  Councillor Kevin Cuffley seconded the proposal.

 

Councillor Ben Shelton proposed the Partnerships Review Committee section of the joint report.  Councillor Andrew Fraser seconded the proposal and Council unanimously APPROVED the joint Scrutiny and Overview Committee and Partnerships Review Committee Annual Report 2014/15.

 

Councillor Shelton, on behalf of both Committees, thanked the Democratic Services team for its support over the past year.

To RECEIVE the Major Opposition Group Leader’s Annual Statement.

Council NOTED the Major Opposition Group Leader’s Annual Statement.

Councillor Bridget Smith, Leader of the Opposition, presented her annual statement.

 

Councillor Smith acknowledged that in certain areas the Council was performing well, despite the ongoing pressure to make cuts which inevitably resulted in reduced services.  She cited the homelessness, benefits and housing teams in particular who continued to excel despite an ever increasing and complex workload.

 

However, Councillor Smith referred to some concerns she had in respect of the following:

 

·         the fact that the Local Plan had plunged the Council into a Planning Policy void, the results of which threatened to do untold damage to many of the district’s beautiful villages through unplanned, unwanted and undesirable development;

·         the new town of Northstowe and the lack of affordable housing provision;

·         the lack of democratic rigour within the Greater Cambridge City Deal, particularly with regard to the inclusion of rural cycling schemes as part of proposals for infrastructure improvements;

·         the lack of transparency and accountability over certain issues, such as an informal group that had been set up to provide a political steer in respect of Northstowe Section 106 contributions for which it was unclear whether Terms of Reference had been agreed, whether minutes of meetings were available or how this Council’s representatives had been appointed onto the group.

 

Councillor Smith informed the Council that she and her group would act as a critical friend and hoped that the administration would welcome this approach.  She added that her group would continue to ask challenging questions and speak the truth, as well as continue to give a voice to those people who found the Council’s bureaucracy impenetrable and question the need to make cuts over and above quality of service.

 

Councillor Smith closed by saying that she and Members of her group would continue to represent the welfare of all residents of South Cambridgeshire to the very best of their ability and uphold the shared aspiration of all Members that South Cambridgeshire was the best place to live in Great Britain.

 

Council NOTED the Major Opposition Group Leader’s Annual Statement.

Council is RECOMMENDED:

 

(a)       To amend the Officer Employment Procedure Rules in accordance with Appendix 1 of the report.

 

(b)        To amend the terms of reference of the Employment Committee in            accordance with Appendix 2 of the report.

 

(c)        To invite the Independent Remuneration Panel to consider   whether the annual allowance of the lead and deputy independent persons should be increased to acknowledge their new responsibilities under this legislation, or to consider a fixed payment should it be necessary for them to act in this capacity.

 

(d)          To provide the Employment Committee with the delegated authority to       consider and make a decision on the Independent Remuneration Panel’s          recommendations in relation to the annual allowance of the lead and deputy           independent persons, or the introduction of a fixed payment.

Council AGREED:

 

(a)       To amend the Officer Employment Procedure Rules in accordance with Appendix 1 of the report.

 

(b)       To amend the terms of reference of the Employment Committee in accordance with Appendix 2 of the report.

 

(c)        To invite the Independent Remuneration Panel to consider whether the annual allowance of the lead and deputy independent persons should be increased to acknowledge their new responsibilities under this legislation, or to consider a fixed payment should it be necessary for them to act in this capacity.

 

(d)       To provide the Employment Committee with the delegated authority to consider and make a decision on the Independent Remuneration Panel’s recommendations in relation to the annual allowance of the lead and deputy independent persons, or the introduction of a fixed payment.

NOTE – The Chief Executive and Executive Director (Corporate Services) left the meeting for the consideration of this item.

 

Councillor Simon Edwards, Deputy Leader of the Council and Portfolio Holder for Finance and Staffing, presented a report which set out changes approved by Parliament to the rules relating to the dismissal of the Head of Paid Service, Chief Finance Officer and Monitoring Officer.  He moved the recommendations contained within the report, which Councillor Ray Manning, Leader of the Council, seconded.

 

Appendix 1 of the report showed the current wording of the Officer Employment Procedure Rules, compared with the proposed revised wording.  A question was raised as to why reference to ‘Executive Directors’ had been removed from this part of the Employment Procedure Rules in the newly proposed wording.  Councillor Edwards explained that the new regulations referred only to statutory Chief Officers, namely the Head of Paid Service, the Chief Finance Officer and the Monitoring Officer.  There would still be a process in place to be followed for Executive Directors, and other senior officers of the Council, but these new rules had to be in place for the Council’s Chief Officers.  Members were reminded that the Council’s only Executive Director was also the Council’s Chief Finance Officer.  Councillor Edwards informed the Council that he would request that this issue be highlighted to the Employment Committee alongside the matter of remuneration for the lead and deputy independent persons.

 

Council unanimously AGREED:

 

(a)        To amend the Officer Employment Procedure Rules in accordance with Appendix 1 of the report.

 

(b)        To amend the terms of reference of the Employment Committee in accordance with Appendix 2 of the report.

 

(c)        To invite the Independent Remuneration Panel to consider whether the annual allowance of the lead and deputy independent persons should be increased to acknowledge their new responsibilities under this legislation, or to consider a fixed payment should it be necessary for them to act in this capacity.

 

(d)        To provide the Employment Committee with the delegated authority to consider and make a decision on the Independent Remuneration Panel’s recommendations in relation to the annual allowance of the lead and deputy independent persons, or the introduction of a fixed payment.

To NOTE the Council’s Risk Management Strategy and the Strategic Risk Register.

Council NOTED the Risk Management Strategy and Strategic Risk Register.

Councillor Francis Burkitt presented a report on the Council’s Risk Management Strategy and Strategic Risk Register and proposed that the two documents be noted.  Councillor David McCraith seconded the proposal.

 

Reference was made to the recent announcement regarding the suspension of the examination of the Local Plan and a request was put forward for an urgent meeting of the Corporate Governance Committee to re-consider this aspect of the Strategic Risk Register.  It was noted that the Risk Register was a Cabinet responsibility, with the Corporate Governance Committee being responsible for the Risk Management Strategy.  Councillor Simon Edwards, Deputy Leader of the Council and Portfolio Holder for Finance and Staffing, added that the Register was risk aware and sought to mitigate risk as far as possible, but emphasised that it was impossible to completely eliminate all risks.

 

Council NOTED the Risk Management Strategy and Strategic Risk Register.

(The report for this item will follow).

Council NOTED the amounts written off under delegated powers for 2014/15.

Councillor Simon Edwards, Deputy Leader of the Council and Portfolio Holder for Finance and Staffing, presented a report which notified Council of debts written off under powers delegated to the Portfolio Holder and Chief Finance Officer as required by the Constitution.  He moved that the report be noted, which was seconded by Councillor Ray Manning, Leader of the Council.

 

Councillor Edwards reported that the Council had an excellent record of recovering monies owed to it and took this opportunity to congratulate the Executive Director (Corporate Services) and his team.

 

Council NOTED the amounts written off under delegated powers for 2014/15.

“We do not have many statutory obligations. One key such obligation is to provide a waste collection service. Please would the Portfolio Holder explain why for nearly three weeks at Easter we failed in our duty to empty the public rubbish and dog bins in Girton, leading to piles of dog faeces at the foot of every bin, an unsightly health hazard?”

Councillor Douglas de Lacey asked the following question:

 

“We do not have many statutory obligations. One key such obligation is to provide a waste collection service. Please would the Portfolio Holder explain why for nearly three weeks at Easter we failed in our duty to empty the public rubbish and dog bins in Girton, leading to piles of dog faeces at the foot of every bin, an unsightly health hazard?”

 

He had originally submitted the question in March 2015, but explained that the problem still existed.

 

Councillor Mick Martin, Portfolio Holder for Environmental Services, reported that the refuse collection team had unfortunately experienced a significant bout of illness which meant that 25% of loaders and vehicle drivers had been off on sick leave.  He thanked the dedication of the team during this difficult period of time.  Councillor Martin also praised the efforts of two officers who voluntarily went out on the rounds to offer assistance. 

 

Councillor de Lacey, as a supplementary question, asked whether money spent on various projects within the Council could be transferred to cover for these front-line members of staff whenever other significant illnesses occurred in the future.

 

Councillor Martin noted the suggestion, but made the point that any organisation of any size would struggle to cover for 25% of its workforce.

“In response to the Syrian refugee crisis, in which 4 million people have fled Syria for neighbouring countries, the Government set up the Syrian Vulnerable Persons Relocation (VPR) scheme to help a few of the most vulnerable, such as those requiring medical attention unavailable in the initial host country or those who are otherwise at risk. This scheme depends on the cooperation of local councils to provide small numbers of houses and other services. What action has this Council taken to explore participation in the VPR scheme and in particular to assess the resource requirements and the consequences of providing such help to the Council’s other work?”

 

Councillor Aidan Van de Weyer asked the following question:

 

“In response to the Syrian refugee crisis, in which 4 million people have fled Syria for neighbouring countries, the Government set up the Syrian Vulnerable Persons Relocation (VPR) scheme to help a few of the most vulnerable, such as those requiring medical attention unavailable in the initial host country or those who are otherwise at risk. This scheme depends on the cooperation of local councils to provide small numbers of houses and other services. What action has this Council taken to explore participation in the VPR scheme and in particular to assess the resource requirements and the consequences of providing such help to the Council’s other work?”

 

Councillor Mark Howell, Portfolio Holder for Housing, responded by saying that the Council had taken no action on this issue.

 

Councillor Van de Weyer, as a supplementary question, asked whether this could be explored in order that the consequences could be understood.

 

Councillor Howell said that the Council’s allocation was very clear and that South Cambridgeshire residents would come first and take priority.  It was noted, however, that there was very little the Council could do if anything was imposed by the Government.

“In responding to a question about the reduced waste and recycling collections over the Christmas period at the full council meeting on 26 February 2015 the then Portfolio Holder for Environmental Services expanded his response to include the affect the changes are having on staffing and the budget; however he made no mention of the adverse affect the new arrangements are having on other front line street services under his responsibility such as road sweeping. Could the Leader explain why this important adverse affect of the delivery of the new waste and recycling service was not also made known to all members of this council at that meeting?”

Councillor John Williams asked the following question:

 

“In responding to a question about the reduced waste and recycling collections over the Christmas period at the full council meeting on 26 February 2015 the then Portfolio Holder for Environmental Services expanded his response to include the affect the changes are having on staffing and the budget; however he made no mention of the adverse affect the new arrangements are having on other front line street services under his responsibility such as road sweeping. Could the Leader explain why this important adverse affect of the delivery of the new waste and recycling service was not also made known to all members of this council at that meeting?”

 

Councillor Mick Martin, Portfolio Holder for Environmental Services, referred to the answer he had provided to Councillor Douglas de Lacey in an earlier question which explained the sickness issues that the refuse collection team had experienced.

 

Councillor Martin picked up on the inference that he had hidden something from Full Council when answering a previous question, which he emphasised was not the case.  He confirmed that street cleansing was not included as part of the changes to the waste and recycling service and that the team had suffered recently as a result of sickness absence and a need to recruit.  The process of recruiting street cleaners and drivers was now underway.

 

Councillor Williams referred to April’s meeting of the Scrutiny and Overview Committee where officers had reported that these issues had not been going on for only a few weeks but had actually been going on for a few months, with staff shortages being evident since Christmas.  He claimed that this was nothing to do with sickness and was of the view that it was a plan to save money at the end of the financial year.

 

Councillor Mick Martin refuted this claim but said that Councillor Williams was entitled to his personal opinion.

“The Government plans to extend the Right to Buy scheme to tenants in properties owned by Registered Social Landlords.

 

I am sure we all fully support the aspiration of homeownership.  However, extending Right to Buy to housing associations is the wrong solution to our housing crisis.  Following 40 years of successive governments’ failure to build the homes the country needs, soaring rents and house prices and the biggest baby boom since the 1950’s, ensuring that there are enough homes today and tomorrow must be our nation’s top priority.

 

Will the Portfolio Holder and/or Leader make representation to the highest level of Government highlighting grave concerns about this plan which will do nothing to help people into quality housing and which is likely to bring the number of affordable homes built crashing down as banks withdraw funding from the RSL sector?”

Councillor Sebastian Kindersley asked the following question:

 

“The Government plans to extend the Right to Buy scheme to tenants in properties owned by Registered Social Landlords.

 

I am sure we all fully support the aspiration of homeownership.  However, extending Right to Buy to housing associations is the wrong solution to our housing crisis.  Following 40 years of successive governments’ failure to build the homes the country needs, soaring rents and house prices and the biggest baby boom since the 1950’s, ensuring that there are enough homes today and tomorrow must be our nation’s top priority.

 

Will the Portfolio Holder and/or Leader make representation to the highest level of Government highlighting grave concerns about this plan which will do nothing to help people into quality housing and which is likely to bring the number of affordable homes built crashing down as banks withdraw funding from the RSL sector?”

 

Councillor Mark Howell, Portfolio Holder for Housing, responded by saying that at the moment it was far too early to make such representatives as the full facts had not yet been received, although he understood the concerns.  Councillor Howell would consider a response to the Government’s consultation on this issue at a future Portfolio Holder Meeting, which all Members would be invited to attend.

 

Councillor Kindersley took this opportunity to re-emphasise his gravest concerns in respect of the Right to Buy scheme being opened up to tenants in properties owned by Registered Social Landlords and Almshouses. 

 

Councillor Howell reported that 28 Council houses were sold last year through the Right to Buy and that only 14 villages within South Cambridgeshire would qualify under the current rules relating to the Right to Acquire for housing associations.  Based on current trends for Right to Buy under the current rules, this could equate to approximately 9 housing association properties per year being sold.  He emphasised, however, that the existing rules were subject to change.

 

He also highlighted that, according to national research, a third of the residents living in housing association properties were retired with the majority of housing association tenants on the lower quartile of incomes.  He felt that this was extremely significant, given that South Cambridgeshire was an expensive area to live.

To note the engagements attended by the Chairman or Vice-Chairman since the last meeting:

 

Date	Event	Attended by
5 March 2015	Annual Awards Ceremony. South Cambridgeshire Hall	Chairman
7 March 2015	Opening of new Whittlesford & Duxford Scouting Headquarters, Duxford	Chairman
9 March 2015	Fly a Flag for the Commonwealth, South Cambridgeshire Hall	Vice-Chairman
7 April 2015	Swifts/Windmill Estate Regeneration completion event, Fulbourn	Chairman
11 April 2015	WI Annual Council Meeting, Comberton	Vice-Chairman
19 April 2015	Mayor of Peterborough Civic Service, St John’s Church Barnack	Vice-Chairman
23 April 2015	St George’s Day Flag Raising, South Cambridgeshire Hall	Chairman
24 April 2015	RAF Wing Commanders Spring Reception, RAF Alconbury	Chairman
25 April 2015	Opening of Lt Shelford Sports Pavilion	Chairman
29 April 2015	Swifts Estate Fulbourn Celebration Event	Chairman
1 May 2015	Mayor of Huntingdon Charity Event Ladies Evening, Medway Centre Huntingdon	Vice-Chairman
9 May 2015	Mayor of Huntingdon Charity Event Mad Hatters Tea Party, Holiday Inn Huntingdon Racecourse	Vice-Chairman

 

Council noted engagements attended by the Chairman and Vice-Chairman since the last meeting, as set out on the agenda, subject to the addition of the Chairman officially opening the Little Shelford Fun Run on 26 April 2015.