Meeting documents

To approve as a correct record the Minutes of the extraordinary Council meeting held on 28 June, 2018, copy attached as an appendix.

RESOLVED –

That the Minutes of the meeting of Council held on 28 June, 2018, be approved as a correct record.

Proposed by Councillor Whyte and seconded by Councillor Mrs Glover:-

"That Councillor Mrs Macpherson be elected Leader of the Council for the life of the Council".

Upon being put to the vote, it was

RESOLVED –

That Councillor Mrs Macpherson be elected Leader of the Council.

Councillor Mrs Macpherson expressed thanks to the Members for her election and appreciated the responsibility that accompanied the Leadership role. Councillor Mrs Macpherson gave thanks to Councillor N. Blake for his work during his leadership of the Council for the last 5 years and acknowledged some of the challenges that the Vale would be facing.

Following this, Councillor Mrs Macpherson announced an update to the Cabinet’s Membership and portfolios which were as follows:-

Cabinet Member for Economic Development (& Deputy Leader): 

Councillor Steve Bowles

Cabinet Member for Communities: 

Councillor Mark Winn

Cabinet Member for Finance and Resources:

Councillor Howard Mordue

Cabinet Member for Environment and Leisure:

Councillor Paul Irwin

Cabinet Member for Strategic Planning and Infrastructure:

Councillor Carole Paternoster

Cabinet Member for Waste and Licensing:

Councillor Sir Beville Stanier

Cabinet Member for Civic Amenities:

Councillor Julie Ward

Cabinet Member for Planning and Enforcement

Councillor Peter Strachan

By the Chairman of the Council.

By the Leader/Cabinet Members.

(a)          The Cabinet Member for Waste and Licensing

The Cabinet Member for Waste and Recycling updated Members on the pollutant situation at the River Great Ouse.  It was believed that the pollution had now dispersed.  The Environment Agency would continue to investigate the matter and would take enforcement action, as necessary.

There were none.

No written questions were submitted by Members during June 2018.

Previous Members’ Written Questions and Answers can be accessed at http://democracy.aylesburyvaledc.gov.uk/ieListMeetings.aspx?CommitteeId=441

No written questions had been submitted by Members during June 2018.

There will be a short briefing to acquaint Members with the key aspects of, and their responsibilities in relation to, safeguarding.

The Chairman of the Council welcomed the Council’s Community Safety Manager, who gave a short presentation on the vitally important subject of safeguarding. The presentation contained sensitive information relating to the Council’s safeguarding process so it was necessary to move that the webcast recording cease and ask members of the public and the press to leave the Council chamber.

RESOLVED –

That under Section 100(A)(4) of the Local Government Act, 1972, the public be excluded from the meeting for the following item of business on the grounds that it involved the likely disclosure of exempt information as defined in the Paragraph indicated in Part 1 of Schedule 12A of the Act.

The public interest in maintaining the exemptions outweighed the public interest in disclosing the information because the report contained information relating to the financial or business affairs of organisations (including the Authority holding that information) and disclosure of commercially sensitive information would prejudice negotiations for contracts and land disposals or transactions.

Following the presentation, members of the public and the press were invited back into the chamber and the webcast recording resumed.

Councillor Sir Beville Stanier

Cabinet Member for Environment and Waste

To consider the attached report.

Council received a report, which had previously been submitted to the Environment and Living Scrutiny Committee on 28 March, 2018, and Cabinet on 10 April, 2018, on the new procurement undertaken in relation to the materials recycling contract for Waste Services.

In 2012 AVDC had adopted a mixed recycling collection regime that allowed residents to place paper, glass, plastics bottles, tubs, and trays, cans and tetrapak mixed together into a single recycling bin.  In September 2012, a new contract had commenced with a recyclable materials processing facility, known as a MRF.  The contract was for a 3+3 year period.  The contract was due to expire on 3 September 2018 and AVDC did not have an option to further extend the contract.

The original 2012 contract was procured at a time when the materials recycling market was buoyant and recyclable materials such as paper and card, steel and aluminium cans and some plastic bottles had attracted an income for the council of around £500,000 p.a.  This income was made up of a fixed payment per tonne.

During the first 3 year period of the contract the value of the recycling materials market had began to decline and in 2015 AVDC had needed to renegotiate the fixed price per tonne.  This had resulted in a loss of around £250,000 income per annum.

Since 2015 the materials market had been fluctuating in response to Chinese materials markets requiring less imported recycling.  Currently the global materials market was exposed to particular market pressures around plastics and paper and therefore materials were struggling to hold their value.  These market pressures were been passed down the supply chain and councils that were currently procuring new MRF contracts had found that rather than generating income from the recyclable material they collected, they were now being charged a gate fee to process the material.

AVDC had undertaken a joint procurement with Cherwell and South Northants District Councils in 2017.  The tenders had now been returned and evaluated and a company based in Leicestershire called Casepack had won the contract.  The contract was being let on a 3 + 3 year term as before.  Additional supporting information was reported in the confidential papers attached to the agenda and Members were mindful of this financial information when considering the item.

The new proposed materials recycling contract for Waste Services had been supported the Environment and Living Scrutiny.  Cabinet had also endorsed the contract and recommended that Council approve it.

It was proposed by Councillor Sir Beville Stanier, seconded by Councillor Winn, and

RESOLVED –

That the new contractual arrangements in relation to the materials recycling contract for Waste Services, as outlined in the report to Council, be approved.

Councillor Mrs Ward

Cabinet Member for Civic Amenities

To consider the attached report.

Members were informed that after discussion with Officers, this item had been withdrawn from the agenda because it required more work and detail of the proposals before it returned to Full Council for debate.

There are none.

There were none.

There will be an opportunity for Members to ask questions of individual Cabinet Members and Committee Chairmen.

Members had the opportunity to ask questions of individual Cabinet Members and Committee Chairmen about issues affecting their portfolios/Committee activities:-

(a)          Modernising Local Government (Councillor C Adams) – the Leader of the Council advised Members that both unitary representations were with the Secretary of state pending a final decision. The next steps would be decided following a further announcement from the Secretary of State.  AVDC’s priority was to serve its residents and it was felt that the North-South model best achieved this.

(b)          Aylesbury Vale Broadband (Councillor Monger) – the Leader of the Council informed Members that legal advice was being sought regarding the percentage of shared ownership AVDC had in AVB.

(c)          Planning Applications (Councillor Stuchbury & Councillor B Adams) – the Cabinet Member for Strategic Planning and Infrastructure provided Members with information regarding two applications in Buckingham. The Cabinet Member encouraged Members to contact her directly if they had particular concerns on applications so that she could be seek further information from the Officers.

(d)          River Great Ouse (Councillor Stuchbury) – the Cabinet Member for Waste and Licensing empathised with Members over the perceived lack of notification from the Environment Agency over the polluting incident and thanked local Members for the work they had done in response to it.

(e)          Vale Commerce (Councillor Mills) – the Cabinet Member for Finance and Resources informed Members that the now dormant Vale Commerce had generated profits for the Council that exceeded the £50,000 loaned to the company.  Members were also informed that the company’s accounts had been lodged with Companies House.

(f)           Waterside Theatre (Councillor B Adams) – the Cabinet Member for Civic Amenities informed Members that theatre production companies had provided positive feedback on their experience of performing at the theatre.

(g)          Grass Cutting and Pathway Maintenance (Councillors B Chapple, S Chapple, Harrison, Morgan and Russel) – the Cabinet Member for Waste and Licensing responded to concerns raised from a number of Members on unkempt land on the Elm Farm estate, including at Charmfield Road, and on a site adjacent to Alfred Rose Park. Private landowners were under no obligation to maintain their grounds.  While it was not possible for AVDC to undertake works such as grass cutting on private land, the Cabinet Member gave an undertaking to further investigate the legalities in relation to this matter.  The Cabinet Member also asked to be provided details of unkempt passageways in the Aylesbury Town area so that he could have this investigated.

(h)          Adoption of Land owned by AVDC (Councillor Christensen) – the Leader of the Council concurred with the Member that a piece of work should be carried out to identify land owned by AVDC that might be suitable to be adopted or passed on to a third party.

(i)            HS2 Design Submissions (Councillor Newcombe) – the Cabinet Member for Strategic Planning and Infrastructure gave an undertaking to have the Council’s website updated with information regarding Schedule 17 powers.

(j)            Aylesbury Town Centre (Councillor King) – the Cabinet Member for Civic  ...  view the full minutes text for item 10.

Councillor Sir Beville Stanier

Cabinet Member for Environment and Waste

To consider the attached confidential report.

In connection with the decisions reached earlier during the meeting, Council received a report with financial information on the MRF Contract for mixed recycling.