Agenda and minutes

Prior to requesting the Deputy Monitoring Officer to undertake the formal roll-call to confirm all Members were in attendance, having offered Prayers for HRH The Duke of Edinburgh, prior to the start of the meeting, the Chairman opened the meeting sombrely. He asked that Members join him in a minute’s silence, as mark of respect to Britain’s longest serving Consort and beloved husband of Her Majesty The Queen.

 

Both the Chairman and Leader of the Council paid tribute to the Duke and spoke of his service and dedication to both Queen and Country. 

 

The roll-call for both Members and Officers was undertaken, during which apologies were noted from Councillors Lesley Rollings.  Councillor Tracey Coulson had indicated she may need to leave the meeting prior to it’s conclusion.

 

 

To confirm as a correct record the Minutes of the previous meeting held on 1 March 2021.

 

 

a)      Minutes of the Meeting of Full Council held on 1 March 2021

 

Having being moved and seconded, and with no questions raised, it was: -

 

RESOLVED that the Minutes of the Meeting of Full Council held on 1 March 2021 be confirmed and signed as a correct record.

 

 

 

Members may make any declarations of interest at this point and may also make them at any point during the meeting.

 

 

No declarations of interest were made at this point of the meeting. 

The Chairman introduced the report advising Members that the report would be taken “as read” unless Members had any questions.

 

Members commented on the notably brief response received from the United Lincolnshire Hospital Trust, appended to the report.

 

With no further comments or questions and with no requirement for a vote, the Matters Arising were DULY NOTED.

 

 

 

i)             Chairman of Council

ii)            Leader of the Council

iii)           Chief Executive

Chairman

 

 

The Chairman started his announcements advising that Civic commitments for obvious reasons continued to be limited.  He was hopeful for more positive times ahead due to the successful vaccine rollout.  However the Chairman had had the pleasure of supporting the Armed Forces Charity, who would usually hold a local event at Hemswell Court.  This year the event had taken place virtually, and had been a national event. 

 

The Chairman had also joined the Leader of the Council in a visit to the vaccination centre at the Lincolnshire Showground. Both had been tested on entry, providing negative results, before both then having the opportunity to see behind the scenes and thank all involved for their amazing efforts to deliver a successful roll-out.

 

 

Leader

 

The Leader made the following address to Council: -

 

“To begin with the coronavirus pandemic, or more specifically the recovery from it, it is hugely reassuring to note that progress is still in full alignment with the roadmap originally set out by Government.  The vaccination programme continues to be delivered at pace and scale with increasing focus on second doses for older age groups and with younger economically active ages being invited for their first appointments.  Thinking around self-testing using lateral flow devices has evolved to make the kits much more widely available with people encouraged to collect a supply and to adopt their own testing routine.  The devices are simple to use and hugely valuable for the reassurance they provide as well as for the data.   

 

May I take this opportunity to thank the team for the remarkable work they have done so far in preparation for the delivery of a Covid-safe Elections day on Thursday, 6th May?  Whilst more electors than usual may opt for a postal or proxy vote others will undoubtedly prefer to follow the traditional route of visiting a polling station, many of them in buildings that have been either fully or partially closed since the announcement of the initial lockdown last year.  Members will be aware that the regulations allowing Council meetings to be held remotely are due to expire on 6th May.  There is a legal challenge, to be heard in the High Court, seeking an extension beyond that date and having implications for all tiers of local government.

 

I’m delighted that, in March, Lea Fields Crematorium received a prestigious and highly regarded Civic Trust Award for ‘demonstrating excellence in architecture and design, whilst being sustainable, accessible and providing a positive civic contribution’.  This adds to the award last year of ‘Best Service Team of the Year: Cemetery and Crematorium Services’ by APSE, the Association of Public Service Excellence.  It again reflects great credit on all those involved in the delivery, opening and running of the facility, which is genuinely an initiative that the District Council collectively can take enormous pride in.  

 

On 3rd March the Chancellor announced two new grant schemes, the UK Community Renewal Fund (CRF) and the Levelling Up Fund (LUF) to which Councils  ...  view the full minutes text for item 70.

The Chairman advised the meeting that no public questions had been received.

 

 

The Chairman advised the meeting that no questions, Under Council Procedure Rule No.9, had been received for consideration.

 

 

Support for Farmers

 

“Chairman, Councils in England dealt with 976,000 fly-tipping incidents in 2019-20, according to figures released by Defra. These figures account for waste illegally dumped on public land, reported to the local authorities and represent a 2% increase from the 957,000 reported incidents in 2018-19.

 

Just under two thirds (65%) of these fly-tips involved household waste. The most common place for fly-tipping was on pavements and roads, which accounted for 43% of total incidents in 2019-20. Fly-tipping incidents in England have risen by nearly 40% in the past five years, according to official council figures. Significantly, these figures do not include incidents of dumping on private land and there is therefore widespread under-reporting.

 

Farmers and landowners are plagued by fly-tipping and there is widespread anger and frustration that existing laws do not go far enough in supporting victims.

 

Responsibility for dealing with fly-tipping on private land rests with the private landowner and is not subject to mandatory data reporting, so is not included in the Defra report and cases of fly-tipping on privately owned land are significantly more than on public land.

 

When litter and fly tipping occur on private land such as farmers’ fields, it is down to the owner to have it removed – and to foot the bill for doing so. The costs involved are huge. The effects are not all financial either. Fly tipping takes time to clear responsibly, can block access and can cause safety issues not only for farmers and their employees, but also for livestock and wildlife.

 

Part of the problem is that it’s currently too simple to gain a waste-carriers licence, these are issued by the Environment Agency to businesses who wish to transport waste. Residents may check online whether a business has one of these licences, however there is no guarantee that their waste will be disposed of responsibly. This system needs urgent reform in order that residents can be reassured their waste is being disposed of in the correct way. A revamped system would act as a deterrent; in addition, there should be new legislation which would allow farmers to recover the cost of fly tipping on private land when it is obviously household waste.

 

I ask that Councillors support a motion to write to the Government and ask for new legislation around waste carriers licences and farmers rights to help with removal of household waste. We should also commission our Member representative on Lincolnshire Waste Partnership to encourage partners in that forum to similarly raise concerns with the Government.

 

I so move.

Councillor Anne Welburn”

 

The Chairman advised the meeting that one motion pursuant to Council Procedure Rule No.10 had been submitted to the meeting, this was as set out in the agenda.

 

Councillor Anne Welburn, Ward Member for Cherry Willingham, was invited to put her motion to the meeting, as follows: -

 

Support for Farmers

 

“Chairman, Councils in England dealt with 976,000 fly-tipping incidents in 2019-20, according to figures released by Defra. These figures account for waste illegally dumped on public land, reported to the local authorities and represent a 2% increase from the 957,000 reported incidents in 2018-19.

 

Just under two thirds (65%) of these fly-tips involved household waste. The most common place for fly-tipping was on pavements and roads, which accounted for 43% of total incidents in 2019-20. Fly-tipping incidents in England have risen by nearly 40% in the past five years, according to official council figures. Significantly, these figures do not include incidents of dumping on private land and there is therefore widespread under-reporting.

 

Farmers and landowners are plagued by fly-tipping and there is widespread anger and frustration that existing laws do not go far enough in supporting victims.

 

Responsibility for dealing with fly-tipping on private land rests with the private landowner and is not subject to mandatory data reporting, so is not included in the Defra report and cases of fly-tipping on privately owned land are significantly more than on public land.

 

When litter and fly tipping occur on private land such as farmers’ fields, it is down to the owner to have it removed – and to foot the bill for doing so. The costs involved are huge. The effects are not all financial either. Fly tipping takes time to clear responsibly, can block access and can cause safety issues not only for farmers and their employees, but also for livestock and wildlife.

 

Part of the problem is that it’s currently too simple to gain a waste-carriers licence, these are issued by the Environment Agency to businesses who wish to transport waste. Residents may check online whether a business has one of these licences, however there is no guarantee that their waste will be disposed of responsibly. This system needs urgent reform in order that residents can be reassured their waste is being disposed of in the correct way. A revamped system would act as a deterrent; in addition, there should be new legislation which would allow farmers to recover the cost of fly tipping on private land when it is obviously household waste.

 

I ask that Councillors support a motion to write to the Government and ask for new legislation around waste carriers licences and farmers rights to help with removal of household waste. We should also commission our Member representative on Lincolnshire Waste Partnership to encourage partners in that forum to similarly raise concerns with the Government.

 

I so move.

Councillor Anne Welburn”

 

 

The Leader of the Council made an initial response to the motion: -

 

“Thank you Chairman and thank you Cllr Mrs Welburn for bringing  ...  view the full minutes text for item 73.

To note the number of Members to be appointed to serve on each Committee in accordance with the provisions of Section 15 of the Local Government Act.

 

 

The Chairman presented the report, which set out details of the political groups on the Council, the number of Members to be appointed to serve on each Committee, and the allocation of seats on each of the Committees based on political groupings.

 

The requirement to review the allocations was as a result of Councillor Paul Howitt-Cowen giving due notice under regulation 10 of the Local Government (Committees & Political Groups) Regulations 1990 that he no longer wished to be treated as a member of the Conservative Group nor the Administration. Councillor Jeff Summers had also given due notice under Regulation 9b that he wished to be treated as Member of both the Conservative Group and the Administration.  

 

This was a matter, which had been determined by the Head of Paid Service under his delegated authority, and as such, there was no requirement for a vote.

 

With no questions posed, the following was DULY NOTED: -

 

(a)    the details of the political groups, as set out in Appendix A of the report,

 

(b)     the number of Members to be appointed to serve on each committee and sub-committee; and

 

(c)     the allocation to different political groups of seats on committees/sub-committees, as set out in Appendix B of the report.

 

 

In accordance with the provisions of Section 16 of the Local Government and Housing Act 1989, to appoint Members to Committees for the Civic Year, in accordance with the wishes expressed by the Political Groups.

 

 

The Chairman of the Council presented the report which set out the wishes expressed by the political groups in respect of the appointment of Members to serve on each of the Council’s formal Committees for the remainder of the 20/21 Civic Year.

 

Requests had been received that the Overview and Scrutiny be not politically balanced.

 

Members were asked to suspend the rules relating to proportionality in respect of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee and appoint the Members named in the report to the respective Committees.

 

Whilst the Council had had the need to re-appoint the Committees in accordance with its duty to make appointments to Committees in accordance with the wishes expressed by political groups, all Group Leaders had indicated they have no wish to amend the Chairmen and Vice-Chairmanship appointments previously made.

 

In light of this position, Members were merely asked to re-affirm the appointments previously made to these positions.

 

With no questions posed, following a unanimous vote in favour it was

 

RESOLVED that: -

 

(a)     the rules relating to proportionality be suspended in relation to the Overview and Scrutiny; and

 

(b)    in accordance with the provisions of section 16 of the Local Government and Housing Act 1989 and the wishes expressed by political groups, the following members be appointed to serve on the Council’s committees for the remainder of the civic year as follows:

 

Chief Officer Employment Committee (10 Members)

 

Councillor Owen Bierley (Vice-Chairman)

Councillor Jackie Brockway – Chairman

Councillor Mick Devine

Councillor Cherie Hill

Councillor Angela Lawrence

Councillor Diana Rodgers

Councillor Lesley Rollings

Councillor Anne Welburn

Councillor Angela White

Councillor Trevor Young

 

 

Corporate Policy and Resources Committee(14 Members)

 

Councillor Owen Bierley

Councillor Matthew Boles

Councillor Stephen Bunney

Councillor David Cotton

Councillor Mick Devine

Councillor Ian Fleetwood

Councillor Paul Howitt-Cowan

Councillor Giles McNeill

Councillor John McNeill

Councillor Mandy Snee

Councillor Jeff Summers – Vice-Chairman

Councillor Robert Waller

Councillor Anne Welburn –Chairman

Councillor Trevor Young

 

 

Governance and Audit Committee (7 Members)

                       

Councillor Jackie Brockway – Vice Chairman

Councillor Stephen Bunney

Councillor Tracey Coulson

Councillor David Dobbie 

Councillor Caralyne Grimble

Councillor John McNeill – Chairman

Councillor Angela White

 

 

Licensing Committee (11 Members)

 

Councillor David Cotton

Councillor Liz Clews

Councillor Tim Davies

Councillor Caralyne Grimble

Councillor Paul Howitt-Cowan

Councillor Angela Lawrence – Vice Chairman

Councillor Cordelia McCartney

Councillor Jessie Milne – Chairman

Councillor Judy Rainsforth

Councillor Jim Snee

Councillor Jeff Summers

 

 

Regulatory Committee (11 Members)

 

Councillor David Cotton

Councillor Liz Clews

Councillor Tim Davies

Councillor Caralyne Grimble

Councillor Paul Howitt-Cowan

Councillor Angela Lawrence – Vice Chairman

Councillor Cordelia McCartney

Councillor Jessie Milne – Chairman

Councillor Judy Rainsforth

Councillor Jim Snee

Councillor Jeff Summers

 

 

Planning Committee (14 Members)

 

Councillor Owen Bierley

Councillor Matthew Boles

Councillor David Cotton

Councillor Mick Devine

Councillor Jane Ellis

Councillor Ian Fleetwood – Chairman

Councillor Cherie Hill

Councillor Cordelia McCartney

Councillor Jessie Milne

Councillor Keith Panter

Councillor Roger Patterson

Councillor Judy Rainsforth

Councillor Robert Waller – Vice Chairman

Councillor Angela White

 

                       

Prosperous Communities Committee (14 Members)

 

Councillor Owen Bierley – Chairman

Councillor Stephen Bunney

Councillor Tracey Coulson  ...  view the full minutes text for item 75.

As advised within the accompanying report, now active within West Lindsey are the Gainsborough Transport Strategy Delivery Board (GTSDB) and the Lincoln Transport Strategy Delivery Board (LTSDB).

 

Both meetings of, and attendance at these Boards, had to date, been on an ad hoc basis.

 

In order that the Council could maintain effective partnerships within these Boards and in recognition that WLDC holds the role of a key stakeholder it was recommended to Members that Membership of these Boards be formalised beyond the current ad hoc arrangements.

 

Members were therefore asked to formally recognise the Gainsborough Transport Strategy Delivery Board (GTSDB) and the Lincoln Transport Strategy Delivery Board (LTSDB) as formal outside bodies and to formally appoint Members to serve on each of the Boards as set out within the report.

 

Members were made aware of a recent appointment made to the North Notts Community Rail Partnership, which was a welcomed development.

 

A Councillor who had attended some of the meetings questioned the description of the Gainsborough group.  The report suggested that the Group looked at an area wider than Gainsborough, however this had not been the case. As such he was disappointed that Gainsborough Members were not being proposed for appointment. 

 

The Chief Executive confirmed the description of the Group had been provided by the organiser of the meetings at the County Council, however further investigations could be undertaken.

 

The Chief Executive at the request of a Member clarified, that he would seek confirmation that the Group were operating within their description and make amendments if deemed necessary either to the description of the Group or the Membership, should that seem appropriate.

 

It was suggested that the appointments be revisited at Annual Council, in response to numerous comments and points raised.  The Democratic Team Manager confirmed that whilst the Group had been in operation for a number of years, the Council had never formally appointed representatives.  Representation appeared to have changed and had fluctuated. This paper merely served to formalise membership and recognise the appointments as outside bodies.  It was not being suggested that those Members listed in the report had been the Members previously attending such meetings.  The report had been shared with the two leading groups Group Leaders’ and the nominations had arisen as a result.  Whilst all outside body membership could be reviewed at any time should Members deem it necessary the report did recommend these appointments be made until 2023 to bring them in line with the vast majority of the Council’s other outside body appointments.

 

Councillor Boles confirmed this to be his understanding and confirmed he had been in attendance as a County Councillor.  Re-affirming his position that the Group very much had a Gainsborough focus and that the description was inaccurate.

 

On being put to the vote it was RESOLVED that : -

 

 

(a)     Council formalises appointments to the Gainsborough Transport Strategy Delivery Board (GTSDB) and the Lincoln Transport Strategy Delivery Board  (LTSDB) and as such these Boards be recognised as Outside Bodies; and  ...  view the full minutes text for item 76.

Members gave consideration to a report which sought the re-designation of the statutory position of Monitoring Office under the provisions of the Local Government Act Housing Act 1989.

 

Members commented positively on the capability of the Officer proposed for appointment and offered him congratulations in his absence.

 

On being put to the vote it was RESOLVED that: -

 

 

(a)       In accordance with the terms of Part I, 5 of the Local Government and Housing Act 1989 (as amended) and all subsequent related legislation, Mr James O’Shaughnessy be appointed as the Council’s Monitoring Officer, with immediate effect; and

 

(b)       the Constitution be amended, as necessary, to reflect this revised appointment.