Issue - meetings

Councillor Mrs B F Acevedo asked the Leader of the Council if he would agree that Members of the Council who were not part of the Conservative Group should have been given information on the progression of the Council’s restructure and transformation.  She referred to a meeting with the Corporate Leadership Team (CLT) to address this.  In response the Leader of the Council provided some detail regarding some of the information which was regularly circulated to staff and advised at this time that all matters relating to human resources were confidential.  He thanked the independent members for having a meeting with CLT and advised that all queries should be directed to the Head of Paid Service or Programme Director.  The Leader advised that further updates could be provided but that these would be under the proviso of Procedure Rule 10.

Councillor Miss M R Lewis referred to the Council’s Transformation Programme and asked the Leader of the Council if he could confirm that the recent redundancies would not affect the day to day working of the Council and to what extend the Council was relying on agency staff.  Councillor Miss Lewis also made reference at this point to Minutes of particular meetings and the delay in them being available.  In response the Leader of the Council referred to the performance indicators that the Council had adopted, that frontline services were being maintained and the Directors monitored resilience on a regular basis.  He reported that the Corporate Leadership Team were satisfied from an operational point of view that the Council was delivering in respect of the Transformation programme.

Councillor M S Heard asked the Leader of the Council if he could assure the Council that all Members would be kept informed.  In response the Chairman of the Council advised that this assurance had been given.

Councillor S J Savage, referring to the last item of business, asked the Leader of the Council a question but was advised by the Chairman that he could not raise a question about something which the Council had just discussed.  Councillor Savage then asked if the Leader of the Council would agree with him that the same amount of money to this commercial company should go to grant funding of our organisations and charities within the district.  The Leader of the Council responded no.

Councillor B S Beale asked the Leader of the Council if he would agree that it would be good value if the Council managed to improve the mobile signal on the Dengie and other areas of Maldon where it was low on signal.  In response the Leader of the Council advised that he had already put into traction possible meetings with airtime providers and that this was a problem he was very much aware of.

Councillor Mrs P A Channer asked if the Leader of the Council would be happy and prepared to attend meetings of her Parish Council, when he was available, during the public session to discuss or speak with them about some matters they may be interested in regarding Maldon District Council.  In response, the Leader advised that he would be more than happy to attend any Parish Council meetings and talk to them.

Councillor Miss M R Lewis asked the Leader of the Council if he could explain how the Maldon District Council Scheme of Delegation was applied resulting in the removal of the Heybridge Flood Alleviation Scheme from the North Heybridge Garden Suburb and Officers accepting the same as an amendment rather than a new application without input or discussion from Members.  She also asked if the Leader would agree that in the benefit of public interest a new application could have been a more open and transparent approach?  Councillor Miss Lewis further questioned whether the decision had been made with the Leaders’ agreement.

In response the Leader of the Council referred to a presentation to the Council from the Director of Planning and Senior Solicitor regarding the planning application where it was explained how it would be dealt with as an amended application as opposed to a variation.  The Leader provided further information regarding this and proposed that Councillor Miss Lewis and himself met with the Director of Strategy, Performance and Governance and Senior Solicitor to go over what had been discussed at that presentation as Councillor Miss Lewis had been unable to attend.

Following further discussion the Chairman clarified the proposal from the Leader of the Council.

Councillor M W Helm asked if the Leader of the Council would agree with him that as the Council was trying to make savings that Members should as well by reducing their allowance and special allowances.

In response the Leader advised Councillor Helm that he was welcome to make a proposal or present a motion regarding this.  He further reminded Members that a meeting of the Council’s Independent Remuneration Panel was due to take place shortly and the Panel would be making a recommendation to the Council regarding Area Planning Committee Chairmen and other Member allowances. 

The Chairman of the Council advised Members that no Member was required to draw their expenses if they did not want to.

Councillor R Pratt asked the Leader of the Council if he agreed that as a District Council we should congratulate Maldon in Bloom in gaining gold.

The Leader of the Council agreed that the Council should pay tribute to the enormous hard work and referred to this being the fourth or fifth time Maldon in Bloom had been awarded gold.

Councillor Mrs M E Thompson asked the Leader of the Council for any information or update he could provide regarding the planning application at the Blackwater Leisure Centre featured in the local paper.

The Leader of Council advised Members that this was a serious issue which the Council and Senior Officers had not been aware of.  He referred to meeting with the Section 151 Officer and that a report would be brought to a future meeting of the Council in respect of this.