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Agenda and minutes

Venue: Tewkesbury Borough Council Offices, Severn Room

Contact: Democratic Services Tel: 01684 272021  Email:  democraticservices@tewkesbury.gov.uk

Items
No. Item

68.

Announcements

1.       When the continuous alarm sounds you must evacuate the building by the nearest available fire exit. Members and visitors should proceed to the visitors’ car park at the front of the building and await further instructions (during office hours staff should proceed to their usual assembly point; outside of office hours proceed to the visitors’ car park). Please do not re-enter the building unless instructed to do so.

 

       In the event of a fire any person with a disability should be assisted in leaving the building.  

 

2.       To receive any announcements from the Chair of the Meeting and/or the Chief Executive.

Minutes:

68.1          The evacuation procedure, as noted on the Agenda, was advised to those present.

68.2          The Mayor indicated how sorry he was to hear of the recent passing of Honorary Alderman Pearl Stokes who had been a great servant of both the Borough Council and Churchdown Parish Council; she was well known and well loved and would be missed.  These sentiments were echoed by Members and the Leader of the Council, Councillor Vines and Councillor Sztymiak shared their memories of Honorary Alderman Stokes.  It was agreed that the Mayor would send a letter of condolence to her family on behalf of the Council.

69.

Apologies for Absence

Minutes:

69.1          Apologies for absence were received from Councillors C L J Carter, C F Coleman, A Hegenbarth, M L Jordan, P D McLain, P W Ockelton and G M Porter.

70.

Declarations of Interest

Pursuant to the adoption by the Council on 24 January 2023 of the Tewkesbury Borough Council Code of Conduct, effective from 1 February 2023, as set out in Minute No. CL.72, Members are invited to declare any interest they may have in the business set out on the Agenda to which the approved Code applies.

Minutes:

70.1          The Committee’s attention was drawn to the Tewkesbury Borough Code of Conduct which was adopted by the Council on 24 January 2023 and took effect on 1 February 2023

70.2          There were no declarations made on this occasion.

71.

Minutes pdf icon PDF 405 KB

To approve the Minutes of the meeting held on 26 September 2023, the Special meeting held on 7 November 2023 and the Extraordinary meeting held on 21 November 2023.

Additional documents:

Minutes:

71.1          The Minutes of the meeting held on 26 September 2023 and the Extraordinary meeting held on 21 November 2023, copies of which had been circulated, were approved as correct records and signed by the Mayor.

71.2          The Minutes of the Special meeting, held on 7 November 2023 was approved as a correct record, subject to an amendment to record apologies for Councillor P D McLain, and signed by the Mayor. 

72.

Items from Members of the Public

a)   To receive any questions, deputations or petitions submitted under Council Rule of Procedure.12.

 

(The deadline for public participation submissions for this meeting is Wednesday 6 December 2023.).

 

b)   To receive any petitions submitted under the Council’s Petitions Scheme.

Minutes:

72.1          There were no items from members of the public. 

73.

Member Questions properly submitted in accordance with Council Procedure Rules pdf icon PDF 10 KB

To receive any questions submitted under Rule of Procedure 13. Any items received will be circulated by 5pm on Monday 11 December 2023.

 

(Any questions must be submitted in writing to Democratic Services by, not later than, 10.00am on Monday 4 December 2023).

Minutes:

73.1          The following question was received from Councillor Cody to the Lead Member for Clean and Green Environment, Councillor Sarah Hands.  The answer was given by the Lead Member for Clean and Green Environment and was taken as read without discussion.

Question 1

The Gloucestershire Local Nature Partnership held a Whole Partnership Gathering on 28 November 2023.  The Forest of Dean, Stroud, Cheltenham and Cotswold Districts, plus County all had officers present.   

Additionally, GFirst LEP held a Gloucestershire Net Zero Conference on 29 November at which Tewkesbury Borough Council didn't appear to have any officers either.  

As we have now extended our climate emergency to include the whole borough as well as an ecological emergency, please could we make sure that there is officer representation and engagement at events such as these in the future.

Answer

The Council will always endeavour to ensure attendance at partner led meetings by appropriate officers from across the Council where resources are available and existing commitments do not take priority.

73.2           The Mayor invited a supplementary question and the Member asked the following which was answered by the Lead Member for Clean and Green Environment:

Supplementary Question

I appreciate it may not always be possible to send representation; however, it was quite embarrassing to hear that it is often Tewkesbury Borough Council and Gloucester City Council who do not send Officers to these types of events, the merits of which are many: collaboration, sharing ideas and best practice, support and information.  Nature, ecology and the climate emergency have no borders; we need to work together and forge good relationships.  Tewkesbury Borough Council has some excellent new initiatives to share, therefore, I implore the Council to make sure that Officers are present; learning and showing that we understand the importance of what we have signed up to.  What assurances can the Lead Member give me please?

Answer

In January, Tewkesbury Borough Council will be advertising for a new Climate Officer to add to the team and, with these additional resources, the Council will be better able to ensure Officers can attend these events.  Officers are in regular contact so, whilst the resources may not always be available to send someone to meetings, there is collaboration before and after events.

74.

Recommendations from Executive Committee

The Council is asked to consider and determine recommendations of a policy nature arising from the Executive Committee as follows:- 

74a

Medium Term Financial Strategy pdf icon PDF 129 KB

At its meeting on 29 November 2023, the Executive Committee considered the Medium Term Financial Strategy 2024/25-2028/29 and RECOMMENDED TO COUNCIL that it be ADOPTED.

Additional documents:

Minutes:

74.1           At its meeting on 29 November 2023, the Executive Committee considered the Medium Term Financial Strategy 2024/25-2028/29 and recommended to Council that it be adopted.

74.2           The report which was considered by the Executive Committee had been circulated with the Agenda for the current meeting at Pages No. 28-50.

74.3           As Chair of the Executive Committee, the Leader of the Council proposed the recommendation of the Executive Committee and it was seconded by the Lead Member for Finance and Resources.  The Leader of the Council indicated that Members would be well aware of the financial challenges faced by all local authorities and Tewkesbury Borough Council, having a particularly low Council Tax, was no exception to this.  It was important to understand that, although the report referred to a budget deficit of £6.14m over the next five years, that was based upon a set of assumptions which at this point were unknown.  Many Members would have attended other sessions in the past two weeks on this key piece of financial planning for the Council, either in a stand-alone briefing, at Executive Committee or the Transform Working Group.  It was very important at this point to note the comment at Page No. 31, Paragraph 1.5 of the report, which stated that the Council was not in immediate danger of a S114 notice being required and that the next two budgets looked manageable as long as a range of sensible and careful decisions were made.  The Lead Member went on to explain that this was an update to the MTFS approved at Council in January 2023 and reflected the latest information and financial assumptions.  The strategy had been brought forward to set the scene for Members ahead of the 2024/25 budget round which was about to begin in earnest.  He stressed that it was merely a financial forecast and its approval did not bind the Council to anything, for example, setting Council Tax for the next five years or staffing budgets.  Local government funding continued to remain uncertain with no assurance over any funding stream in the medium term and the MTFS focused on a ‘likely’ funding scenario based on previous government communication and consultations which resulted in a £3.5m funding ‘cliff edge’ in 2026/27.  Given uncertainties, there were potentially many different scenarios – some worse but many better.  Costs had been projected forward using latest estimates of inflation and reflecting known unavoidable cost increases such as external audit and the Materials Recovery Facility (MRF) gate fee.  Whilst the Council had a £3m reserve which could support the financial challenges faced, 2026/27 going into 2027/28 looked particularly challenging based on current funding projections.  This Council, along with many others, would be reliant on the government finding a longer term solution for funding.  The Chancellor’s Autumn Statement had indicated that no additional funding would be coming forward to help local government and an article in The Times on Monday had focused on the “Council crisis being faced in an election year” which made  ...  view the full minutes text for item 74a

74b

Tewkesbury Garden Town Programme Delegations pdf icon PDF 150 KB

At its meeting on 29 November 2023, the Executive Committee considered the Tewkesbury Garden Town Programme Delegations and RECOMMENDED TO COUNCIL that authority be delegated to the Chief Executive to:

i)               prepare bids for external revenue funding to support the delivery of the Garden Town programme;

ii)                accept grants of external revenue funding of up to £50,000 and agree any terms and conditions associated with those awards;

iii)              seek specific Council approval for the acceptance of grants of external revenue funding of over £50,000 and any terms and conditions associated with those awards;

iv)              deploy the revenue resources in line with the funding bids and the Garden Town programme following the Council’s normal procedures for procurement and the appointment of staff;

v)               ensure continued stakeholder engagement related to the programme takes place informed by production of a Tewkesbury Garden Town Charter for subsequent, specific approval by Council in February 2024;

vi)              undertake activities to progress the Garden Town programme, including sourcing potential partner capital funding, whilst seeking specific Council approval for:

·      acceptance of any partner grant for capital works; and

·      acting as lead for delivery of infrastructure elements of the programme where necessary; and

vii)             in consultation with the Leader of the Council and the Lead Member for Built Environment, provide quarterly update reports to Council on progress with the Garden Town programme. 

Minutes:

74.7           At its meeting on 29 November 2023, the Executive Committee considered the Tewkesbury Garden Town programme delegations and recommended to Council that authority be delegated to the Chief Executive to prepare bids for external revenue funding to support the delivery of the Garden Town programme; accept grants of external revenue funding of up to £50,000 and agree any terms and conditions associated with those awards; seek specific Council approval for the acceptance of grants of external revenue funding of over £50,000 and any terms and conditions associated with those awards; deploy the revenue resources in line with the funding bids and the Garden Town programme following the Council’s normal procedures for procurement and the appointment of staff; ensure continued stakeholder engagement related to the programme takes place informed by production of a Tewkesbury Garden Town Charter for subsequent, specific approval by Council in February 2024; undertake activities to progress the Garden Town programme, including sourcing potential partner capital funding, whilst seeking specific Council approval for: acceptance of any partner grant for capital works and acting as lead for delivery of infrastructure elements of the programme where necessary; and in consultation with the Leader of the Council and the Lead Member for Built Environment, provide quarterly update reports to Council on progress with the Garden Town programme. 

74.8           The report which was considered by the Executive Committee had been circulated with the Agenda for the current meeting at Pages No. 51.54.

74.9           As Chair of the Executive Committee, the Leader of the Council proposed the recommendation of the Executive Committee and it was seconded by the Lead Member for Clean and Green Environment.  The Leader of the Council indicated that Members would be aware that delegations had been brought back to Council following the gateway review of the Garden Town.  Since that time, a significant amount of work had been undertaken as part of the Council’s new approach, with community engagement at its heart; the Garden Town team was now reporting to a new Executive Director: Place and there was a new governance structure, which gave openness and transparency to the key stakeholders, including the local Parish Councils. Community groups and landowners/developers were also represented via specific liaison groups.  He was pleased to report there had been a huge amount of work undertaken by the team, led by the Chief Executive working closely with the Associate Director: Transformation, and he thanked them for their hard work on this.  The Assurance Board and the Oversight Board had both had their first meetings and the new draft charter outlining Council and community expectations of any new garden communities was now out for consultation.  The Charter was an important part of creating a vision and set of expectations that could be measured against any proposals brought forward by developers.  It was a positive sign of the renewed confidence from Homes England that it had recently awarded the Council £214,000 which would continue funding the project at its current capacity until March 2024.  This  ...  view the full minutes text for item 74b

74c

Infrastructure Funding Statement and Annual Community Infrastructure Levy Rate Summary Statement pdf icon PDF 223 KB

At its meeting on 29 November 2023, the Executive Committee considered the Infrastructure Funding Statement and Annual Community Infrastructure Levy Rate Summary Statement and RECOMMENDED TO COUNCIL that publication of the Infrastructure Funding Statement, relating to the financial year ending 31 March 2023, by 31 December 2023, be APPROVED, subject to appropriate amendments to the IFS if necessary to clarify what had been brought forward, received, spent and allocated for future maintenance thereby arriving at the closing balance, and that the Annual Community Infrastructure Levy Rate Summary Statement be published alongside the Infrastructure Funding Statement by 31 December 2023. 

Additional documents:

Minutes:

74.12        At its meeting on 29 November 2023, the Executive Committee considered the Infrastructure Funding Statement (IFS) relating to the financial year ending 31 March 2023 and the Annual Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) Rate Summary Statement and recommended to Council that their publication, by 31 December 2023, be approved.

74.13         The report which was considered by the Executive Committee had been circulated with the Agenda for the current meeting at Pages No. 55-105.

74.14         As Chair of the Executive Committee, the Leader of the Council proposed the recommendation of the Executive Committee and it was seconded by the Lead Member for Clean and Green Environment.  The Leader of the Council advised that the Executive Committee had recommended that the Council approve the publication of this year’s IFS for the financial year ending 31 March 2023; and the annual CIL Rate Summary Statement, stating the impact that inflation has had on the rates for the calendar year ahead.  The CIL Regulations required both to be published by 31 December each year.  The IFS contained three chapters: the CIL Report – answering set questions on income and expenditure during the reported year; the Section 106 Report – answering questions set in the regulations on agreements entered into and undertakings made, contributions received and spent; and non-financial obligations secured and delivered; and an infrastructure list – a statement of the infrastructure projects or types of infrastructure which the charging authority intended would be, or may be, wholly or partly funded by CIL.  A summary of CIL and Section 106 income and expenditure was provided at Page No. 57, Paragraph 2 of the report, with greater detail at Appendix 1.   The Leader stressed that the purpose of this report was not to forensically examine specific Section 106 income or projects, nor Section 106 processes or approach. Any queries about specific Section 106 Agreements could be taken away from the meeting. An internal audit had recently been carried out in relation to Section 106 processes and Officers were considering the draft findings with a view to reporting back to the Audit and Governance Committee early in 2024.  It should be borne in mind that the infrastructure list included was not exhaustive or definitive; the projects had been compiled by Officers at Cheltenham Borough, Gloucester City and Tewkesbury Borough Councils and decisions around CIL spend would be made by the Joint CIL Governance Committee which was in the process of being set up with a separate report due for consideration by the Executive Committee and Council in January 2024.  Finally, it was important to point out the new Strategic and Local Plan would be underpinned by a lot of detailed work on infrastructure planning and would identify the long term infrastructure requirements to support planned development.  This would include working with communities to understand aspirations. CIL charges would also be reviewed to ensure that the Councils were maximising the planning gain that could be secured through new developments. 

74.15         A Member asked how much CIL money  ...  view the full minutes text for item 74c

75.

Notices of Motion

75a

Ban on Pets as Prizes

Councillor Skelt will propose and Councillor Pervaiz will second:

England’s’ local authorities have the opportunity to ban the giving of live animals as prizes on Council-owned land to ensure the welfare of these animals is not compromised. They can also assist by raising public awareness of the issue and can lead the way in terms of prohibiting this outdated practice.

Animal ownership is a big responsibility - one that should be planned and well thought out.  Animals often do not have their welfare needs met prior to, during, and after being given as prizes. Because of this, we actively discourage people against taking on an animal in a spontaneous, ill-planned manner.

Prospective owners should have a clear understanding of their responsibilities involved in animal ownership, they should carefully consider whether they have the necessary facilities, time, financial means and level of interest to care for these animals. This is often not the case when an animal is suddenly thrust into your hand as a prize. Being given away as a prize can be extremely detrimental to the welfare of an animal. Sadly, many goldfish will die before even getting back to their new homes, or shortly after.

RSPCA England believes the current legislative provisions under the Animal Welfare Act 2006 do not go far enough, and would like to see England introduce legislation similar to Scotland’s.  The Animal Health and Welfare (Scotland) Act 2006 makes it is an offence to give an animal as a prize to anyone, regardless of their age, except within the family context - such as a parent rewarding their child’s achievements with a new pet, for example

By issuing an outright ban of such activities on Council-owned or operated land, or their properties, the Council will send a clear message of its commitment to ensure the welfare of animals and help reinforce the message that these practices are no longer desirable in our community, these small changes could make a big difference; 36 of England’s’ local authorities have already taken this step.

We as a local authority have an ideal opportunity with this Motion to ban the giving of live animals as prizes on all Tewkesbury Borough owned land.

This Council:

·        Is concerned about the number of cases reported to the RSPCA each year regarding pets given as prizes via fairgrounds, social media and other channels.

·        Is concerned about the welfare of those animals being given as prizes.

·        Recognises that many cases of pets being as prizes may go unreported each year.

·        Supports a move to ban the giving of live animals as prizes, in any form, in TewkesburyBorough.

The Council therefore agrees to:

·        Ban outright the giving of live animals as prizes, in any form, on Tewkesbury Borough land.

·        Write to the UK Government, urging an outright ban on the giving of live animals as prizes on both public and private land.

Minutes:

75.1           The Mayor referred to the Notice of Motion, as set out on the Agenda, and indicated that, in accordance with the Rules of Procedure, it was necessary for the Council firstly to decide whether it wished to debate and determine the Motion at this evening’s meeting, or whether it wished to refer the Motion, without debate, to a Committee for consideration with authority either to make a decision on the matter or bring a recommendation back to Council.

75.2           Upon being proposed and seconded, it was

RESOLVED          That the Motion would be discussed at this evening’s meeting.

75.3           It was proposed and seconded that England’s local authorities have the opportunity to ban the giving of live animals as prizes on Council-owned land to ensure the welfare of these animals is not compromised. They can also assist by raising public awareness of the issue and can lead the way in terms of prohibiting this outdated practice.  Animal ownership is a big responsibility - one that should be planned and well thought out.  Animals often do not have their welfare needs met prior to, during and after being given as prizes. Because of this, the Council actively discourages people against taking on an animal in a spontaneous, ill-planned manner.  Prospective owners should have a clear understanding of their responsibilities involved in animal ownership, they should carefully consider whether they have the necessary facilities, time, financial means and level of interest to care for these animals. This is often not the case when an animal is suddenly thrust into your hand as a prize. Being given away as a prize can be extremely detrimental to the welfare of an animal. Sadly, many goldfish will die before even getting back to their new homes, or shortly after.  RSPCA England believes the current legislative provisions under the Animal Welfare Act 2006 do not go far enough, and would like to see England introduce legislation similar to Scotland’s.  The Animal Health and Welfare (Scotland) Act 2006 makes it an offence to give an animal as a prize to anyone, regardless of their age, except within the family context - such as a parent rewarding their child’s achievements with a new pet, for example.  By issuing an outright ban of such activities on Council-owned or operated land, or their properties, the Council will send a clear message of its commitment to ensure the welfare of animals and help reinforce the message that these practices are no longer desirable in our community, these small changes could make a big difference; 36 of England’s local authorities have already taken this step. As a local authority, Tewkesbury Borough Council has an ideal opportunity with this Motion to ban the giving of live animals as prizes on all Tewkesbury Borough owned land. This Council is concerned about the number of cases reported to the RSPCA each year regarding pets given as prizes via fairgrounds, social media and other channels; is concerned about the welfare of those animals being given as  ...  view the full minutes text for item 75a

75b

Ban on Puppy Farms

Councillor Skelt will propose and Councillor Adcock will second that:

Tewkesbury Council believes Puppy Farms – in which dogs are bred purely for profit with little concern for their welfare – are cruel and inhumane. They are often run illegally without the correct licensing and monitoring from the local Council.

Dogs on puppy farms are more likely to be over-bred, kept in poor conditions and not receive adequate food or vet care. Research from the Naturewatch Foundation estimates that 400,000 farmed puppies are brought every year in the UK.

Tewkesbury Borough Council fully supports efforts to crack down on illegal puppy farms, such as the introduction of ‘Lucy’s Law’ in 2020 banning the third-party sale of puppies in the first six months of their life. Tewkesbury Borough Council expresses its disappointment in the Government’s decision in May 2023 to break its promise to introduce a ‘Kept Animals Bill’ to add further protections to prevent dogs from being exploited on puppy farms.

Tewkesbury Borough Council recognises the legal role it has to provide licenses to all dog breeders who sell puppies for a profit. Tewkesbury Borough Council further believes it can help make sure those wishing to buy puppies do so from reputable, licensed breeders. 

The Council therefore agrees to:

·        Publish an up to date list of locally licensed dog breeders on its website so local residents who wish to buy a puppy are signposted to reputable breeders.

·        Undertake a dedicated publicity campaign to raise awareness of illegal puppy breeding and signs to look for when buying a puppy that suggest it might come from a puppy farm, and how to report suspicious activity.

·        Instruct the Chief Executive to write to the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs calling for the Kept Animals Bill to be revived to make it more difficult for puppy farmers to operate.

Minutes:

75.9           The Mayor referred to the Notice of Motion, as set out on the Agenda, and indicated that, in accordance with the Rules of Procedure, it was necessary for the Council firstly to decide whether it wished to debate and determine the Motion at this evening’s meeting, or whether it wished to refer the Motion, without debate, to a Committee for consideration with authority either to make a decision on the matter or bring a recommendation back to Council.

75.10         Upon being proposed and seconded, it was

RESOLVED          That the Motion would be discussed at this evening’s meeting.

75.11         It was proposed and seconded that Tewkesbury Council believes puppy farms – in which dogs are bred purely for profit with little concern for their welfare – are cruel and inhumane. They are often run illegally without the correct licensing and monitoring from the local Council.  Dogs on puppy farms are more likely to be over-bred, kept in poor conditions and not receive adequate food or vet care. Research from the Naturewatch Foundation estimates that 400,000 farmed puppies are brought every year in the UK.  Tewkesbury Borough Council fully supports efforts to crack down on illegal puppy farms, such as the introduction of ‘Lucy’s Law’ in 2020 banning the third-party sale of puppies in the first six months of their life. Tewkesbury Borough Council expresses its disappointment in the Government’s decision in May 2023 to break its promise to introduce a ‘Kept Animals Bill’ to add further protections to prevent dogs from being exploited on puppy farms.  Tewkesbury Borough Council recognises the legal role it has to provide licenses to all dog breeders who sell puppies for a profit. Tewkesbury Borough Council further believes it can help make sure those wishing to buy puppies do so from reputable, licensed breeders. The Council therefore agrees to publish an up to date list of locally licensed dog breeders on its website so local residents who wish to buy a puppy are signposted to reputable breeders; undertake a dedicated publicity campaign to raise awareness of illegal puppy breeding and signs to look for when buying a puppy that suggest it might come from a puppy farm, and how to report suspicious activity and instruct the Chief Executive to write to the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs calling for the Kept Animals Bill to be revived to make it more difficult for puppy farmers to operate.

75.12         In speaking to the Motion, the proposer of the Motion stated that the UK was a nation of animal lovers and many of her fellow Councillors in this room would have a pet; they brought them into their homes and most treated them like one of the family.  As an owner-servant of rescued animals she could not imagine the trauma they may have faced in their young lives and the lack of understanding of what was happening to them. Dogs in puppy farms could lose their fur from the stress and their teeth from  ...  view the full minutes text for item 75b

76.

Standards Committee Membership pdf icon PDF 110 KB

To agree to increase the membership of the Standards Committee to three Independent Persons and three Parish Councillors.

Minutes:

76.1          Attention was drawn to the report of the Monitoring Officer, circulated at Pages No. 106-107, which proposed to increase the number of independent persons and Parish Councillors on the Standards Committee.  Members were asked to agree to increase the number of independent persons assisting the Monitoring Officer and Standards Committee from two to three and to increase the number of Parish Council members on the Standards Committee as non-voting members from one to three. 

76.2          In proposing the recommendation in the report, the Chair of the Standards Committee advised that the Standards Committee currently had two independent persons, both of whom had indicated they would be stepping down over the next year or so.  It was important to retain at least one Member who was knowledgeable in the field and therefore it was necessary to encourage new independent persons to come forward.  It was also intended to increase the number of Parish Councillors from one to three and the Monitoring Officer had received a positive response from Parish Councils who had been approached to establish whether anyone would be interested in taking up a position, pending the outcome of tonight’s meeting.  It was intended there would be an interview process in the New Year carried out by the Monitoring Officer and the Chair and Vice-Chair of the Standards Committee.  The Standards Committee currently met twice per year but a number of those meetings had been cancelled in recent years and, when the Committee had met in October, it was agreed the number of meetings should be increased to three per year going forward.  It was important there was renewed focus on the Committee and there were currently insufficient members to achieve that, hence the recommendation today.  The proposal was seconded by the Lead Member for Customer Focus.

76.3           A Member sought clarification as to the reason for the existing independent persons wanting to resign from their duties and the Monitoring Officer explained that the two current independent persons had been in their roles for a number of years and were ready to stand down.  It was preferable to avoid a situation whereby they were replaced by two new independent persons with no experience so, by increasing the number at this stage, it would be a more gradual process of replacement.  The Committee on Standards in Public Life had reported to the government in 2019 there should be two independent persons as a minimum, although more than two was preferable.  There was one slot for a Parish Councillor on the Standards Committee but that was currently vacant so it was important to address that issue in order to have a Parish Council view when dealing with complaints.  He stressed that the Standards Committee was not a political Committee.

76.4           A Member asked for the rationale behind the proposal to increase the number of Parish Councillors and the criteria for selection.  In response, the Monitoring Officer advised that it would be preferable to have a spread through the borough but, as  ...  view the full minutes text for item 76.

77.

Appointment to Lower Severn Internal Drainage Board

To appoint a Member to represent the Council on the Lower Severn Internal Drainage Board.

Minutes:

77.1          It was proposed, seconded and

RESOLVED          That Councillor M J Williams be appointed as the Council’s representative on the Lower Severn Internal Drainage Board.