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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

6.

Apologies for Absence

Minutes:

6.1             Apologies for absence were received from Councillors D W Gray and S A T Stevens.

7.

Declarations of Interest

Pursuant to the adoption by the Council on 26 June 2012 of the Tewkesbury Borough Council Code of Conduct, effective from 1 July 2012, as set out in Minute No. CL.34, 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:

7.1             The Committee’s attention was drawn to the Tewkesbury Borough Council Code of Conduct which was adopted by the Council on 26 June 2012 and took effect from 1 July 2012.

7.2             The following declaration was made:

Councillor

Application No./Item

Nature of Interest (where disclosed)

Declared Action in respect of Disclosure

K J Cromwell

Item 13 – Garden Community Programme – Garden Town Status for Tewkesbury at Ashchurch

Has a disclosable pecuniary interest.  

Would not speak or vote and would leave the room for consideration of the item.

7.3             There were no further declarations of interest made on this occasion.

8.

Minutes pdf icon PDF 201 KB

To approve the Minutes of the meeting held on 16 April 2019.

Minutes:

8.1             The Minutes of the meeting held on 16 April 2019, copies of which had been circulated, were approved as a correct record and signed by the Mayor.  

9.

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:

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

9.2             The Mayor indicated that she had used her discretion to amend the order of the Agenda so point 3 under Item 11 would be taken as point 1; the remaining items would follow consecutively.

10.

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 21 May 2019).

 

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

Minutes:

10.1           There were no items from members of the public on this occasion.  

11.

Member Questions properly submitted in accordance with Council Procedure Rules

To receive any questions submitted under Rule of Procedure 13. Any items received will be circulated on 28 May 2019.

 

(Any questions must be submitted in writing to Democratic Services by, not later than, 10.00am on the working day immediately preceding the date of the meeting).

Minutes:

11.1           There were no Member questions on this occasion.  

12.

State of the Borough Presentation

To receive a presentation on the ‘State of the Borough’ from the Leader of the Council for the Council year 2018/19.  

Minutes:

12.1           The Mayor invited the Leader of the Council for the 2018/19 Council year, Councillor R A Bird, to present his ‘State of the Borough’ report.

12.2           The presentation covered the following key points:  

·        Introduction – the State of the Borough presentation provided an annual synopsis of the Council’s achievements in the last year and a way forward for the forthcoming year. Currently the Council was at the end of the third year of the 2016-2020 Council Plan, as such, work would commence on the new Council Plan towards the end of this year. The overarching achievement was the fact that the Council Tax remained one of the lowest in the country; it seemed that the Council was an expert at doing more with less and had been successful in reinventing itself to be more flexible and innovative in how it approached its finances.

·        Year Three Achievements: Finance and Resources – the Council had a property portfolio of £39.5 million which generated an annual gross income of £2.4 million. In addition, the Council Offices building had been revamped and its nature changed to ensure it was possible to gain income from the lettable spaces and that had achieved income of £270,000 per year and was a boost to the Council’s finances. Mace Group Ltd, which was a company that specialised in redevelopment, had been appointed to explore the options for Tewkesbury Town Centre; a new commercialisation strategy had been approved which would explore new income generation initiatives and efficiency savings and a new car pool pilot had been launched which would reduce mileage and emissions, remove unnecessary journeys and combine trips to save time, money and the environment.

·        Year Three Achievements: Promoting and Supporting Economic Growth – the new Growth Hub was now operational – with Tewkesbury Borough being the first Council in the country to incorporate a Growth Hub within its main Council building – the Growth Hub sought to offer an open invitation to businesses to come and make use of the facilities and the support it could provide. In addition, 30 projects had been approved under the ‘LEADER’ Project Scheme which had a total value of over £755,000 across Tewkesbury Borough and the Forest of Dean District; the concept masterplan for Junction 9 of the M5 had been approved for consultation; an all-ways Junction 10 business case had been submitted to the government – this was seen as being exceptionally important for driving the economic growth of the Borough; and the Tewkesbury Town Supplementary Planning Document (SPD) had been consulted upon and was to be considered by the Council.

·        Year Three Achievements: Growing and Supporting Communities – it was felt the Council was good at influencing government to help it develop its area for the benefit of local residents and this was demonstrated by the achievement of Garden Town status being one of only five locations to receive that award. The preferred options for the Tewkesbury Borough Plan had been approved and consulted upon; the Joint Core  ...  view the full minutes text for item 12.

13.

Election of Leader of the Council

To elect a Leader of the Council (who will also be the Chair of the Executive Committee) for the ensuing Municipal Year.   

Minutes:

13.1           Upon being proposed and seconded it was        

                  RESOLVED          That Councillor R A Bird be elected as Leader of the Council,                            and therefore Chair of the Executive Committee, for the                                          ensuing Municipal Year. 

13.2          Councillor Bird thanked the Council for having confidence in him and undertook to perform his role as Leader in accordance with their expectations. 

14.

Election of Deputy Leader of the Council

To elect a Deputy Leader of the Council (who will also be the Vice-Chair of the Executive Committee) for the ensuing Municipal Year.   

Minutes:

14.1          Upon being proposed and seconded it was

                  RESOLVED          That Councillor J R Mason be elected as Deputy Leader of the                          Council, and therefore Vice-Chair of the Executive Committee,                               for the ensuing Municipal Year. 

14.2          Councillor Mason thanked the Council for his appointment and promised to fulfil the role to the best of his ability for the good of the Council and the Borough of Tewkesbury. 

15.

Appointment of Deputy Mayor

To appoint the Deputy Mayor for the ensuing Municipal Year. 

Minutes:

15.1           It was proposed and seconded that Councillor A S Reece be appointed Deputy Mayor of the Borough of Tewkesbury for the ensuing Municipal Year.

15.2           Accordingly, it was

                  RESOLVED          That Councillor A S Reece be appointed as Deputy Mayor for                            the ensuing Municipal Year.

 

16.

Membership of Committees, Working Groups, Panels and Boards, Lead Members and Appointment to Outside Bodies pdf icon PDF 126 KB

Any papers available prior to the meeting will be circulated to all Members.

1.      To determine the Membership of the:

  • Executive Committee.
  • Overview and Scrutiny Committee.
  • Audit and Governance Committee.
  • Planning Committee.
  • Licensing Committee.
  • Standards Committee.
  • Ad-hoc Committees:

o   Employee Appeals Committee;

o   Employee Appointments/Disciplinary Committee; and

·         Panels and Liaison Groups as follows:

o   Gloucestershire Police and Crime Panel;

o   Shared Legal Services Joint Monitoring and Liaison Group; and

o   Shared Building Control Joint Monitoring and Liaison Group.

2.      To determine the Membership of Working Groups, Panels and Boards.

3.      In accordance with the Constitution, to receive a report from the Leader of the Council and take any action necessary including the naming of Lead Members.

4.      To determine the Outside Bodies to which the Council should make appointments and the representation on those Bodies.

5.      The Council will at this stage adjourn for a brief period to allow each Committee, as set out below, to hold a formal meeting to conduct the business set out in the enclosed Agenda: 

           

1.     Overview and Scrutiny Committee.                                  

2.     Audit and Governance Committee.                         

3.     Planning Committee.                                               

4.     Licensing Committee. 

5.     Standards Committee.     

Additional documents:

Minutes:

Report from the Leader of the Council

16.1          The Leader of the Council indicated that, as part of the Constitution, he was required to report at the Annual Council meeting on the number of Lead Members, and the scope of their Portfolios for the coming year, and any other matters in relation to the political management of the Council.  He proposed that the number of Lead Members increase from nine to 11 with a Support Member for each and these were set out on the chart which had been circulated around the table. He indicated that this would reflect the change of the make-up of the Council and promote the Council’s long-held tradition of working effectively together irrespective of political labels; it should also help to spread the workload more evenly, taking account of the significant changes to the Council’s priorities. 

16.2           Accordingly, it was

RESOLVED          1. That the Leader’s report be NOTED.

2. That the number of Lead Members be increased from nine to 11 with the names of Lead Members and their portfolios being as set out below:

·         Councillor R A Bird – Leader / Economic Development/Promotion.

·         Councillor G F Blackwell – Housing.

·         Councillor M Dean – Customer Focus.

·         Councillor L A Gerrard – Organisational Development.

·         Councillor M A Gore – Built Environment.

·         Councillor E J MacTiernan – Commercial Transformation.

·         Councillor J R Mason – Clean and Green Environment.

·         Councillor C Softley – Community.

·         Councillor R J Stanley – Health and Wellbeing.

·         Councillor M G Sztymiak – Corporate Governance.

·         Councillor R J E Vines – Finance and Asset Management.

                  Membership of Committees 2019/20

16.3          Upon being proposed and seconded it was

                  RESOLVED          That the following Committee Memberships be AGREED:

Executive (11)                            

R A Bird                                      

G F Blackwell                              

M Dean                                       

L A Gerrard                                 

M A Gore                                    

E J MacTiernan                          

J R Mason                                   

C Softley

R J Stanley

M G Sztymiak

R J E Vines                                 

Licensing Committee (15)               

G F Blackwell                                     

G J Bocking                                        

C L J Carter                                        

P A Godwin                                        

D W Gray                                           

M L Jordan                                         

E J MacTiernan                                  

J W Murphy                                        

P W Ockelton                                     

C Reid                                                

J K Smith                                            

R J G Smith                                        

C Softley                                            

M G Sztymiak

M J Williams                                       

Planning (19)

R A Bird

G F Blackwell                              

R D East                                     

J H Evetts                                   

M A Gore

D J Harwood                               

A Hollaway

M L Jordan                                  

E J MacTiernan                          

J R Mason

P W Ockelton                              

A S Reece                                   

P E Smith                                    

R J G Smith

S A T Stevens                             

P D Surman                                

R J E Vines

M J Williams                                

P N Workman                             

Overview and Scrutiny (15)            

G J Bocking

C L J Carter                                        

K J Cromwell                                      

P A Godwin                                        

H C McLain

P D McLain                                        

H S Munro                                          

J W Murphy

P W Ockelton

J K Smith

R J E Smith

S A T Stevens                                    

P D Surman                                       

M J Williams                                       

P N Workman

 

Standards Committee (7)

C M Cody

M Dean

L A Gerrard

J W Murphy

C Reid

P E Smith                                    

P D Surman  ...  view the full minutes text for item 16.

17.

Mayor of Tewkesbury's Appeal Fund

To appoint three Members of the Council as Trustees of the Mayor of Tewkesbury’s Appeal Fund for the ensuing Municipal Year.

 

The Mayor and Chief Executive are automatically Trustees and as such Councillor Blackwell cannot be one of the named Trustees for this year.

 

NB: The Fund is officially called the Mayor of Tewkesbury’s Appeal Fund but this does of course refer to Tewkesbury Borough.    

Minutes:

17.1          It was proposed, seconded and

                  RESOLVED          That Councillors M A Gore, E J MacTiernan and J R Mason be                          appointed as Trustees of the Mayor of Tewkesbury’s Appeal                                   Fund for 2019/20. 

18.

Garden Community Programme - Garden Town Status for Tewkesbury at Ashchurch pdf icon PDF 149 KB

To agree the decision-making process regarding the delivery of the Garden Town at Ashchurch Tewkesbury as part of the government’s Garden Community Programme.

Minutes:

18.1           The report of the Head of Development Services, circulated at Pages No. 12-17, advised Members that the Council had been successful in its bid for Garden Town Status for Tewkesbury at Ashchurch. Members were asked to make the necessary decisions to put in place arrangements for the delivery of the Garden Town for Tewkesbury at Ashchurch as part of the government’s Garden Communities Programme.

18.2           The Head of Development Services explained that, in August 2018, the government had announced a third round of its Garden Communities Programme and local authorities had been invited to bid for Garden Community Status. Tewkesbury Borough Council had submitted its bid based on the concept masterplan for Ashchurch. In April 2019, the Council had heard that its bid had been successful which would allow the Council to engage additional resources to develop the garden community. Further reports and presentations would be made on the programme in due course but this report was the first stage of what promised to be an extremely exciting opportunity.

18.3           In proposing the recommendation within the report, the Leader of the Council felt this was an exciting opportunity for the Borough and was a huge project. He considered it to be a considerable achievement to have been awarded Garden Community Status and the report before the Council was an important element, and necessary step, to ensure the initial work was undertaken and effectively delivered to progress the project. In seconding the proposal, the Deputy Leader felt this was an exciting opportunity to develop a twenty first century town for twenty first century living without exacerbating problems in existing communities. A Member suggested an amendment, which was agreed by the proposer, so the third recommendation would read ‘…are to be made by the Council and those that relate to the determination of any planning applications) to deliver develop the necessary plans to support the delivery of the Garden Town for Tewkesbury at Ashchurch…’. In response to a query, the Chief Executive advised that the Member making the amendment wanted to ensure the resolution at this stage was about development of plans rather than actual development which was perfectly acceptable; for that reason, the project would remain within the remit of the Executive Committee as set out within the report.

18.4           During the discussion which ensued, a number of Members questioned what the outcome of the consultation on the Ashchurch masterplan had been; they considered that it would be difficult to make a decision on the current project without having seen the results of that important consultation. In response, the Head of Development Services advised that the Garden Town programme and the Ashchurch masterplan were separate processes which had just so happened to start to align. The Ashchurch masterplan consultation had closed approximately two months ago and Officers were still going through the responses to bring to Members. In terms of the area of the designation, Officers would be in conversation with all stakeholders across the entire site.  The Ashchurch masterplan  ...  view the full minutes text for item 18.

19.

Down Hatherley, Norton & Twigworth Neighbourhood Development Plan pdf icon PDF 336 KB

To adopt the Down Hatherley, Norton & Twigworth Neighbourhood Development Plan following the community referendum.  

Additional documents:

Minutes:

19.1           The report of the Planning Policy Manager, circulated at Pages No. 18-58, explained that the Down Hatherley, Norton and Twigworth Neighbourhood Development Plan had been the subject of a referendum in the local area and the Council was now asked to resolve that the Plan be made part of the Development Plan for Tewkesbury Borough; and to delegate to the Head of Development Services, in agreement with the Parish Council acting as the Qualifying Body, the correction of any minor errors such as spelling, grammar, typographical errors that did not affect the substantive content of the Plan.

19.2           The Head of Development Services explained that the Plan had received the required majority in favour at referendum and it was the Council’s duty to agree that the Plan be made part of the Development Plan for Tewkesbury Borough.

19.3           Upon being proposed and seconded, it was

                  RESOLVED          1.  That the Down Hatherley, Norton & Twigworth                                                    Neighbourhood Development Plan be made part of the                               Development Plan for Tewkesbury Borough.

                                                 2.  That authority be delegated to Head of Development                                                           Services, in agreement with the Parish Council acting as                                                     the Qualifying Body, to correct any minor errors such as                                                spelling, grammar, typographical or formatting errors that                                                     do not affect the substantive content of the plan 

20.

Separate Business

The Chairman will move the adoption of the following resolution:

That under Section 100(A)(4) Local Government Act 1972, the public be excluded for the following items on the grounds that they involve the likely disclosure of exempt information as defined in Part 1 of Schedule 12A of the Act.

Minutes:

20.1          The Mayor proposed, and it was

                  RESOLVED          That, under Section 100(A)(4) of the Local Government Act                               1972, the public be excluded from the meeting for the following                              items on the grounds that they involve the likely discussion on                                   exempt information as defined in Part 1 of Schedule 12A of the                          Act.  

21.

Separate Minutes

To approve the separate Minutes of the meeting held on 16 April 2019.

Minutes:

21.1           The separate Minutes of the meeting held on 16 April 2019, copies of which had been circulated, were approved as a correct record and signed by the Mayor.