Issue - meetings

(i)              To consider the report of the Director of Resources (copy enclosed).

Please note: Where appropriate this report contains links to the relevant Committee agenda, reports and Minutes.

(ii)            Minutes of meetings of Committees

To note that since the last meeting of the Council, up until Wednesday 30 August 2017 (Council agenda dispatch) the following Committees have met, and to receive any questions in accordance with Council and Committee Procedure Rule 6(2).

Minutes NOT finalised for publication:

* Please note that these Minutes contain recommendations previously dealt with by the Council at its last meeting.

** Please see item (i) above as these Minutes contain recommendations to the Council.

(a)            Report of the Chief Executive

The Council considered the report of the Chief Executive presenting recommendations of Committees to the Council. 

Finance and Corporate Services Committee (25 July 2017)

Minute 287 – Human Resources Policy and Procedure

RESOLVED that the Probation Policy and Procedure, attached to the report, be approved.

(b)       Minutes of meetings of Committees

The Council noted the list of Committees that had met before and since the last meeting of the Council, up until Tuesday 30 August 2017 for which Minutes had been published.

(i)        To consider the report of the Director of Resources (copy enclosed).

Please note: Where appropriate this report contains links to the relevant Committee agenda, reports and Minutes.

(ii)       Minutes of meetings of Committees

To note that since the last meeting of the Council, up until Tuesday 28 March 2017 (Council agenda dispatch) the following Committees have met, and to receive any questions in accordance with Council and Committee Procedure Rule 6 (2).

Minutes NOT finalised for publication:

* Please see item (i) above as these Minutes contain recommendations to the Council.

(a)       Report of the Chief Executive

The Council considered the report of the Chief Executive presenting recommendations of Committees to the Council. 

Joint Standards Committee (23 February 2017):

Minute 1019 – Constitutional and Operating Arrangements for the Joint Standards Committee

Members discussed the proposed changes to the constitutional and operational arrangements of the Joint Standards Committee and a number of concerns were raised.

In response to a question regarding whether a person being investigated could request the matter be dealt with in a public session, the Deputy Monitoring Officer advised that this was not a straightforward matter and suggested he provide a written response to Members outside of the meeting.  This was noted.

Councillor A S Fluker raised concern regarding the proposed response to hearings within 28 days.  He felt this period of time could cause further stresses to persons involved.  Councillor Fluker proposed that the proposed changes be sent to the Corporate Governance Working Group for them to review.  This proposal was duly seconded.  Some concern was raised regarding the appropriateness of sending the work done by a Committee to a Working Group.

In response to the proposal, Councillor Mrs M E Thompson, Chairman of the Joint Standards Committee, advised that her understanding was that notification of whether an investigation was to proceed or not would be provided to the relevant person within five days of the Committee taking place.  She felt that reviewing the proposed changes should be a Standards matter and dealt with by that Committee in open session to which all Members would be invited.

In light of the discussion, Councillor Fluker withdrew his earlier proposition and proposed that the matter be referred back to the Joint Standards Committee for further review. 

Further debate ensued and in response to comments made regarding a recent matter considered by the Committee Councillor Mrs Thompson provided further clarification.  It was agreed that the Committee’s recommendation be not accepted and the revisions to the constitutional and operating arrangements of the Joint Standards Committee be referred back to the Committee for further review.

RESOLVED

(i)             that the revisions to the constitutional and operating arrangements of the Joint Standards Committee not be agreed but referred back to the Committee for further review.

Community Services Committee (28 February 2017):

Minute 1036 – Project Update – Maldon Health Hub

RESOLVED

(ii)           that the Community Hospital Working Group is dissolved.

(iii)     that a standing item be included on the Community Services Agenda on the Maldon Health Hub Project.

Minute 1038 – Community Led Housing Programme

In response to a question, Councillor R Pratt, Chairman of the Community Services Committee, advised that the seminar referred to in recommendation (ii) of the report had already taken place, but he was unable to provide a reasoning as to why it had pre-empted this recommendation.  The Leader of the Council provided Members with further information and requested that the presentation received at the seminar be given to the newly formed Strategic Housing Group and an  ...  view the full minutes text for item 1155

(i)        To consider the report of the Director of Resources (copy enclosed).

Please note: Where appropriate this report contains links to the relevant Committee agenda, reports and Minutes.

(ii)       Minutes of meetings of Committees

To note that since the last meeting of the Council, up until Wednesday 7 December 2016 (Council agenda dispatch) the following Committees have met, and to receive any questions in accordance with Council and Committee Procedure Rule 6 (2).

Minutes reported to the last meeting and now published:

Minutes published:

Minutes NOT finalised for publication:

* Please note that the these Minutes contain recommendations previously dealt with by the Council at its last meeting.

** Please see item (i) above as these Minutes contain recommendations to the Council.

The Chairman agreed to consider item (b) Minutes of Meetings of the Committees first.

(b)       Minutes of meetings of Committees

The Council noted the list of Committees that had met before and since the last meeting of the Council, up until Wednesday 7 December 2016.

It was noted that Minutes of the Central Area Planning Committee on 19 October 2016 would be presented to the January meeting of this Committee for approval.

Planning and Licensing Committee – 17 November 2016 (Minute 705 – 2017 / 18 Revenue Budget and Fees and Charges)

A question was raised regarding the proposed removal of £5,000 relating to Historic Building Grants from the budget and whether the Finance and Corporate Services Committee had considered obtaining sponsorship to replace it as this had been raised during discussions at the recent Planning and Licensing Committee meeting.  In response, the Chief Executive advised that the Finance and Corporate Services Committee (F&CS) had agreed to remove the £5,000 from the 2017 / 18 budget.  The revised budget was due to be considered by the F&CS in January (and then the Council) and currently excluded the £5,000.  If Members were mindful to overturn the decision to remove the grant the matter of sponsorship could be discussed at this point.  Councillor I E Dobson, Vice-Chairman of the Finance and Corporate Services Committee advised that he was not aware of any discussion around sponsorship when this matter came before the F&CS but would check the Minutes and respond to the relevant Member direct.

Community Services Committee – 11 October 2016 (Minute 631 – Leisure Contract Refurbishment Final Account)

In response to a question regarding concerns raised regarding the Leisure Contract and the actions considered by the Community Services Committee to ensure that such matters did not reoccur, Councillor R Pratt, Chairman of the Community Services Committee advised that he would ask for this to be added to the agenda for a future meeting.

(a)         Report of the Director of Resources

The Council considered the report of the Chief Executive presenting recommendations of Committees to the Council which were agreed. 

Planning and Licensing Committee (17 November 2016):

Minute 706 – Neighbourhood Plan Updates for Great Totham, Wickham Bishops and Burnham-on-Crouch and Proposed Updates to the Council’s Scheme of Delegation for Designating Neighbourhood Areas

RESOLVED

(i)                 that the Planning and Licensing Committee Terms of Reference, Section (c) Scheme of Delegation – To the Director of Planning and Regulatory Services, paragraph 28 be updated as set out below, taking into account the change in legislation:

28        To determine neighbourhood area applications where no representations objecting to the proposal have been received to a public consultation, or where public consultation is not required by regulation, and where the area to be designated is coterminous with or wholly within the area of a civil parish.  Any such decisions made are to be reported to the Members of the Planning and Licensing Committee.

Finance and Corporate Services Committee (29 November 2016):

Minute  ...  view the full minutes text for item 824

(i)         To consider the report of the Director of Resources (copy enclosed).

Please note: Where appropriate this report contains links to the relevant Committee agenda, reports and Minutes.

(ii)        Minutes of meetings of Committees

To note that since the last meeting of the Council, up until Wednesday 19 October (Council agenda dispatch) the following Committees have met, and to receive any questions in accordance with Council and Committee Procedure Rule 6 (2).

Minutes reported to the last meeting and now published:

Minutes published:

Minutes NOT finalised for publication:

* Please note that these Minutes contain recommendations previously dealt with by the Council at its last meeting.

** Please see item (i) above as these Minutes contain recommendations to the Council.

(a)         Report of the Director of Resources

The Council considered the report of the Director of Resources presenting recommendations of Committees to the Council.  An addendum and a further update to this report was circulated at the meeting and detailed recommendations arising from both the Planning and Licensing Committee meeting on 15 September 2016 and the Community Services Committee on 30 August 2016 and 11 October 2016.

Community Services Committee (30 August 2016):

Minute 426 – Terms of Reference and Scheme of Delegation Update

RESOLVED

(i)                 that the delegation of items 15 to 20 of part (c) of the Committee’s Scheme of Delegation be transferred to the Director of Planning and Regulatory Services together with a replication of item 12, and also the deletion of item 2 of part (d) as no longer required;

(ii)               that item 5 of part (a) of the Committee’s Terms of Reference – The Community Legal Service Partnership – be deleted as no longer required.

Minute 427 - Maldon Community Services and Community Hospital Project

It was noted that this recommendation linked to Planning and Licensing Committee Minute 526 (15 September 2016). 

RESOLVED

(iii)             That the preparation of a business case for the provision by the Council of a new community hospital to serve the local community of the Maldon District be considered

Planning and Licensing Committee (15 September 2016):

Minute 525 - Magnox Socio-Economic Scheme - New Bid for Grant Funding to Mitigate the Impact of Bradwell Power Station Moving Into Care and Maintenance:

RESOLVED

(iv)             that the projects outlined in the report are supported, in principle, with specific support being given to the following projects and excluding the Feasibility Study for the use of the Bradwell Reactor Cladding.

·                     Enterprise Centre and Growth Hub;

·                     Saltmarsh Hub;

·                     Circular Off-Road Cycle Path;

·                     Ferry Provision between Bradwell, Mersea Island, Wallasea, Burnham-on-Crouch and Tollesbury;

·                     Tourism Ambassadors;

·                     Maldon District Wine Region.

Minute 526 - Maldon Community Services and Community Hospital Project:

It was noted that this recommendation linked to Community Services Committee Minute 427 (30 August 2016). 

RESOLVED

(v)               that the preparation of a business case for the provision by the Council of a new community hospital to serve the local community of the Maldon District be considered.

Minute 531 – Review of Delegation Arrangements:

In response to a question about whether the revised scheme of delegation would only come in to force once training had been provided, the Chairman and Councillor Channer advised that this was not the intention.

In response to a question regarding the number of Parish Council’s using the incorrect pro-forma, Councillor Channer advised that she did not have this information but would find out.

The Chairman, in response to a question, advised that he would seek clarification from the Director of Planning and Regulatory Services as to when the Parish / Town Council handbooks would be issued and ask him to respond to Members.

RESOLVED

(vi)             that a revision be made to the ‘Parish Trigger’ procedure, item (b)(i)4  ...  view the full minutes text for item 660

(i)              To consider the report of the Director of Resources (copy enclosed).

(ii)            Minutes of meetings of Committees
To note that since the last meeting of the Council, up until Wednesday 31 August (Council agenda dispatch) the following Committees have met, and to receive any questions in accordance with Council and Committee Procedure Rule 6(2).

Minutes published:

Minutes NOT finalised for publication:

The Council considered the report of the Director of Resources presenting recommendations of Committees to the Council.  An addendum to this report was circulated at the meeting and detailed recommendations arising from the special Planning and Licensing Committee meeting on 1 September 2016.

Councillor D M Sismey declared a pecuniary interest as the Addendum referred to the Local Development Plan and left the meeting at this point.

It was requested that where reports provided hyperlinks to other documents / web pages that these also be shown in full to allow easy navigation.

RESOLVED

(i)                 that the Council agree the transfer of the power to approve temporary road closures and the making of orders under section 21 of the Town Police Clauses Act 1847 from this Committee to the Community Services Committee and to be exercisable by the Director of Customers and Community, be agreed;

(ii)               that Member Task and Finish Working Groups be set up to progress the work on the three elements of the Rural Allocations Development Plan Document, namely, Gypsy and Travellers, Rural Housing and Rural Employment;

(iii)             that a Member Task and Finish Working Group be set up to progress the work on the Heybridge and Maldon Central Area Masterplan;

(iv)             that the proposed terms of reference (APPENDIX 1 to these Minutes) for these and subsequent Task and Finish Working Groups to support the progression of work on policy matters with respect to the Local Development Plan, any Development Plan Document, any policy related matter including supplementary planning guidance and action plans and related local issues as identified by the Planning and Licensing Committee requiring an input on a geographical (ward) basis be agreed;

(v)               that the Council agrees that the Working Groups as set out in (ii) and (iii) above will report to the Planning and Licensing Committee.

Councillor Sismey returned to the Chamber at this point.