Meeting documents

To confirm the minutes of the meeting of the Council held on 13 July 2017

The Minutes of the Council meeting held on 13^th July 2017 were agreed as a correct record.

There were no petitions.

Apologies were received from Mr M Appleyard, Mr B Bendyshe-Brown, Mrs J Blake, Mr D Hayday, Mr S Lambert, Mr W Whyte, Mrs J Ward, Mr B Allen and Mr K Ross MBE DL.

A minute’s silence was held as a mark of respect for the recent passing of County Councillor Alan Walters MBE.

The Chairman reported on events attended since the last Council (full list attached).

There were no declarations of interest.

To receive the report of the Buckinghamshire and Milton Keynes Fire & Rescue Authority from Cllr Roger Reed, Chairman and Mr Jason Thelwell, Chief Fire Officer

Mr R Reed, as Chairman of the Buckinghamshire & Milton Keynes Fire Authority (BMKFA), introduced the item and welcomed Mr J Thelwell, Chief Fire Officer.

Mr Reed started by thanking the other County Councillors who were Members of the Fire Authority.  He went on to say that the local MPs had been lobbied to make representations to Government in a bid to relax the council tax referendum limits so that the Fire Service could increase its precept to increase the pay of the staff.  Members were told that local MPs had offered their support as there was recognition of the great efforts of the Fire Service on behalf of local residents.

Mr Thelwell made a presentation to Council (slides attached) and the following responses were made:

·         In response to a question about apprentices, Mr Thelwell explained that BMKFRS was leading the way nationally on the role of apprentices and currently had 22 operational firefighter apprentices.

·         In response to questions about Grenfell Tower, Mr Thelwell stressed the importance of providing counselling services for staff and the importance of good mental health amongst staff.  Members heard that discussions were currently taking place with Thames Valley Police about increasing counselling services through collaboration.  Mr Thelwell said that a number of premises had been identified across the County and the materials had been tested and it was acknowledged that there was a lot of learning from Grenfell Tower, particularly in terms of inspections.  Mr Thelwell confirmed that the Fire Service worked closely with all key stakeholders, including the District Council as the housing provider.

Mr Reed and Mr Thelwell were thanked for their presentation.

To receive updates from the Select Committee Chairmen on the work of the Committees

The Chairmen of the Select Committees presented their update to Council.

Mr D Watson thanked the Members of the Finance, Performance and Resources Select Committee for their work on the Growth Inquiry.  He went on to report that a special meeting had taken place recently to review a call-in and he thanked all the Members, particularly the Cabinet Member and officers. 

Mr D Dhillon, Chairman of the Children’s and Social Care Select Committee, reported that an item at the recent Select Committee focussed on the voice of the child. He went on to thank the Committee Members, Co-opted Members and Officers, who support the Committee.  In response to a question about hearing the voice of diverse groups of children, the Chairman reassured the Member and explained that the item was a 6 month review and there would be a further update at 12 months.

The Chairman of the Health & Adult Social Care Select Committee, Mr B Roberts reported that the Committee was working well together and Members continued to attend health meetings across the County.  He thanked Committee Members for their enthusiasm and support.

Mr D Carroll, Chairman of the Transport, Environment and Communities Select Committee reported that the Growth Inquiry would be presented at the next Cabinet meeting and that the Committee’s next Inquiry would be looking at the issue of Modern Slavery.  He thanked the Committee Members for their support.

Mrs S Ashmead, Monitoring Officer, presented the report and explained that nominations for Honorary Aldermen were restricted to past Councillors who had given eminent service to the Council in line with the criteria set out in the report.

RESOLVED

Council AGREED the following persons be appointed as additional Honorary Aldermen - Mrs Margaret Aston, Mrs Avril Davies and Mrs Valerie Letheren.

Mrs S Ashmead, Monitoring Officer, presented the report.

RESOLVED

Council AGREED the political balance in the distribution of seats across Committees be as set out in Tables 1 and 2, to accord with the rules on proportionality.

To note the written report of Cabinet Members, and any written questions & responses received.

To receive any additional verbal updates from Cabinet Members on their reports, as well as provide an opportunity for any oral questions from Members.

9a. Leader of the Council

9b. Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Transportation

9c. Cabinet Member for Children’s Services

9d. Cabinet Member for Health & Wellbeing

9e. Cabinet Member for Education & Skills

9f.  Cabinet Member for Community Engagement & Public Health

9g. Cabinet Member for Resources

9h. Cabinet Member for Planning & Environment

9a. Leader of the Council

In response to a question from a Member, the Leader of the Council Mr M Tett confirmed that the Sub-national Transport Body (STB) was not a regional group.  Mr Tett explained that the STB was a bottom-up defined coalition which stretched across regional boundaries.

In response to a question about the expectation of the Brexit task and finish group, Mr Tett explained that the group was led by a senior officer who was working closely with the LGA to discuss which powers should be returned to local government.

9b. Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Transportation

The Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Transportation Mr M Shaw reported that the Secretary of State had reconfirmed his commitment to deliver the East/West Rail project.  Mr Shaw showed his support for Project Edward Day (European Day Without A Road Death) and encouraged other Members to support this initiative.

Mr Shaw read out a message from Mr B Bendyshe-Brown who was recovering in Hospital.

In response to Members’ questions, Mr Shaw made the following points:

·         The A4 cycle way strategic link had been discussed at two public consultation meetings and a written response to the consultation had been prepared.  Mr Shaw confirmed that he had listened to the local views and substantial changes had been made to the scheme.

·         The Governance Board was chaired by the Deputy Cabinet Member and going forward any changes to the charging policy would be discussed with the local Member.

·         Mr Shaw agreed to follow-up the contract of work between Ringway Jacobs and Wycombe District Council.

·         The consultation around the proposed parking scheme in Marlow would be commencing soon.

·         There was a small budget of £1.5m for repairing footways.

·         Mr Shaw stressed that taxi ranks were a District Council responsibility but the Council had worked closely with the taxi groups and other key partners to make Aylesbury a thriving town.

·         The Council had devolved grass cutting to certain parishes and the Council continued to work closely with Parish Councils to enhance facilities for their local areas.

·         The congestion on the London Road had been a challenge for some time but Mr Shaw welcomed the local Member involvement in shaping the plans.

(Mr C Etholen left the meeting)

9c. Cabinet Member for Children’s Services

The Deputy Cabinet Member, Mrs J Teesdale highlighted the success of the "Looked After Children" event at Green Park.

In response to Members’ questions, the Deputy Cabinet Member for Children’s Services made the following points:

·         The Early Help consultation was due to finish on 16^th October and the results would help shape the delivery of services.

·         Mrs Teesdale asked the senior officer to respond after the meeting to concerns raised about the progress made from Ofsted’s last monitoring visit.

·         The Council was expecting an Ofsted inspection shortly.

·         In terms of Children’s Centres, the aim was to put resources in the right place where those most in need would have access to them.

·         Mrs Teesdale would look into why Walton  ...  view the full minutes text for item 9.

The following Motion was proposed by Mr M Tett and seconded by Mr N Brown.

"This Council resolves to recognise the unique cultural contribution made by David Bowie to Aylesbury and agree to support the concept of a statue to David Bowie in the town."

During debate, Members expressed their support for the Motion, reiterating the importance of recognising the musical heritage of Aylesbury.

RESOLVED

The Motion was AGREED unanimously.

(Mr M Appleyard joined the meeting)

The information was noted.

The information was noted.