Meeting documents

To receive a presentation from representatives of Network Rail on the Western Rail link to Heathrow.

Representatives from Network Rail attended the meeting to provide a project update on the Western Rail Link to Heathrow (WRLtH) which would shortly be going out to public consultation. Malcolm Armstrong (Consents Manager) and Daniel Thomas (Consents Assistant) were present for this item.

During the presentation the following points were made:-

            Overview

·         WRLtH was a proposed new direct rail link from the West to Heathrow providing a step change in journeys to Britain’s busiest airport

·         The project was a Nationally Significant Infrastructure project and requires the submission of a Development Consent Order

·         The scheme was not dependent on airport expansion

·         The project design was reaching maturity following extensive consultation to optimise the route and design solution

·         Network Rail was working with the Department for Transport and Heathrow Airport Limited

·         The project was currently only funded for development, further funding was subject to a satisfactory business case and agreement of acceptable terms with the Heathrow aviation industry

·         There would be four trains per hour in each direction with all trains calling at Reading and Slough and alternate trains calling at Twyford and Maidenhead.

From the 2016 consultation the following changes have been made:-

·         Change in gradient of the open stretch of railway now meant no platform alternations were required at Langley station and reduced impact on Horton Brook

·         HS2 depot was now no longer required

·         CEMEX have started work on mineral extraction south of the GWML

·         There were two alignments for the last section of the tunnel closest to Heathrow

·         There was a new portal access building to the South of the GWML for safety and maintenance access

Timeline

·         The public consultation would run from 11^th May to the 22^nd June – 18 events in the local areas, Iver, Iver Heath, Langley, Richings Park, Colnbrook and Hillingdon .

·         The duration of the consultation was 6 weeks which was over the statutory 4 week consultation requirement. People could feed back via post, email, online via consultation hub and on the phone. A full Environmental Impact Assessment will be undertaken.

·         The main construction work would take about 5 years to complete which included 15 months of 24-hour tunnelling. The Development Consent Order would be submitted mid-2019 and the main construction planned between 2022 and 2027.

Following the presentation Members asked the following questions:-

·         Confirmation was given that the Burnham and Taplow stations would not be impacted.

·         A Cabinet Member emphasised the importance of having collective meetings with all Authorities affected so that they could have joint discussions about the impact of the project on local areas.

·         Concern was expressed that leaflets had not been distributed to every household as expected. The Consents Manager apologised for this and commented that he would address this immediately. A Member said she would feed back to Network Rail if residents were still not receiving them.

·         A Member referred to a Wexham and Iver Local Area Forum meeting where concern had also been expressed about closing Mansion Lane, Iver which was not acceptable and would have a dramatic effect on residents as it was a very popular route. Since this concern had been expressed no feedback had been received. He commented that an alternative route was needed. The Consents Manager reported that this route had been put forward by transport consultants who had made this decision with detailed technical information. The Member commented that he would lobby against this particularly as Wexham and Iver residents were already impacted by other projects. Another Member commented that the closure of this road would cut off South Buckinghamshire and cause major disruption.

The Chairman thanked Network Rail for their presentation.

The Chairman reported on recent functions and events she had attended on behalf of the Council. Cllr Matthews referred to a quiz night and raffle she was organising for her chosen charity which involved working with Buckinghamshire MIND to raise awareness of mental health issues in infant schools across the District. This event was being held on 1 June 2018 at South Buckinghamshire Golf Club.

To approve the minutes of the meetings of Full Council held on 27 February 2018 and 9 April 2018.

A Member queried the accuracy of Minute 81 Declarations of Interest relating to 9 April 2018 meeting. He referred to an email which had been sent before the 9 April meeting providing advice regarding declarations of interest. The Member was asked to provide in writing the wording of the amendment he wished to make to the Minutes. The Member commented that this was the first time he had been asked to do this. The Head of Legal and Democratic Services confirmed that if the Member wished to change the Minutes he needed to propose an amendment to add or remove words and the exact wording should be provided in writing. This amendment would then have to moved, seconded and voted upon. The Member repeated his concern that the Minutes did not accurately reflect what was discussed and referred again to the instruction he had received regarding declaring interests. In the absence of a written amendment being provided  Members were asked whether they wished to approve the Minutes and that the Member’s dissatisfaction with the Minutes be recorded.

The minutes of the meeting of Full Council held on 27 February 2018 and 9 April 2018 were then approved and signed by the Chairman as a correct record.

There were no declarations of interest.

To answer questions (if any) from

(a)        Members of the Council; and

(b)       Members of the public

which have been put under Procedure Rules 9 and 10.

No questions had been received under Council Procedure Rules 9 and 10.

To receive the minutes of the meeting of the Cabinet held on 17 April 2018 and to consider the recommendations in the minutes of which a report had been published below.

The Leader, Councillor Naylor, presented the minutes of the meeting of the Cabinet held on 17 April 2018.

RESOLVED that the minutes of the Cabinet held on 17 April 2018 be received.

Full Council considered a report which asked Members to agree a budget of £92,500 to resubmit the planning application and associated fees with regard to the Station Road Car Park redevelopment in Gerrards Cross. Cabinet had confirmed their aspiration to provide the full scheme of 443 car park spaces with slight design changes to provide sufficient car parking to meet predicted local parking needs until 2053. A full business case for the scheme would be submitted to Resources PAG on 13 June and Cabinet on 27 June 2018.

It was moved by Cllr Gibbs, seconded by Cllr Sullivan and

RESOLVED that a budget of £92,500 to resubmit the planning application and associated fees be agreed.

To receive the minutes of the meeting of the Audit & Standards Committee held on 15 March 2018.

The minutes of the meeting of the Audit Committee held on 15 March 2018 were presented.

RESOLVED that the minutes of the meeting held on 15 March be received.

Full Council considered a report which asked for approval to the revised Financial Procedural Rules contained in the Appendix to the report. The proposed changes, which were shown as tracked changes, were intended to clarify the Financial Procedure Rules and ensure they remain fit for purpose. No major changes were deemed necessary.

It was moved by Councillor Anthony, seconded by Councillor Hogan and

RESOLVED that the revised Financial Procedure Rules contained in Appendix A to the report be approved.

To receive the minutes of the meeting of Governance & Electoral Arrangements held on 7 March 2018.

The Minutes of the meeting of the Governance and Electoral Arrangements Committee held on 7 March 2018 were presented.

RESOLVED that the minutes of the meeting held on 7 March 2018 be received.

Full Council received a report on the appointment of a Joint Overview and Scrutiny Committee. The Governance and Electoral Arrangements Committee had recommended that a Joint Committee be established with responsibility for discharging overview and scrutiny functions in relation to the functions delegated to the Joint Committee. The Joint Committee would have specific authority to scrutinise and make recommendations only on those decisions taken, and functions discharged by the Joint Committee. All the other functions would continue to be scrutinised under each Council’s existing overview and scrutiny arrangements. Chiltern District Council approved this recommendation at their meeting on 15 May 2018.

It was moved by Councillor Hogan, seconded by Cllr Smith and

RESOLVED that

1.      pursuant to section 102 of the Local Government Act 1972 the Councils agree to appoint a Joint Overview and Scrutiny Committee with authority to discharge the Councils’ overview and scrutiny functions in relation to the functions delegated to the Chiltern and South Bucks Joint Committee  as set out in the terms of reference at Appendix 1 to the report

2.      the rules of procedure for the Joint Overview and Scrutiny Committee be agreed as set out in Appendix 2 of the report

3.      the Council’s constitution and respective Cabinet Procedure, Access to Information and Overview and Scrutiny Procedures Rules be amended to reflect the new Joint Committee

4.      the Head of Legal and Democratic Services be authorised to make the necessary  amendments to the Inter Authority Agreement to reflect the above decisions in consultation with the Chief Executive and respective Cabinet Leaders

Full Council received a recommendation from the Governance and Electoral Arrangements Committee regarding a reduction in the number of Members on the Licensing and Planning Committee. The current appointment of 12 members to each of the Licensing and Planning Committees represents almost half of the 28 Members of the Council. In view of the reduced workload of the Licensing Committee in recent years, the proposal to reduce membership of that Committee to 10, whilst maintaining a quorum of 3 was considered appropriate. The case for reducing the membership of Planning Committee to more appropriately reflect the overall size of the Council was noted but it was considered that the current quorum of 6 members should be maintained.

It was moved by Councillor Hogan, seconded by Cllr Smith and

RESOLVED that

1.   That the Council’s Constitution be amended to reflect the following changes:

i)        That the Licensing Committee comprises of 10 Members (reduced from 12) and the quorum for a meeting be 3 Members (remains the same).

ii)      That the Planning Committee comprises of 10 Members (reduced from 12) and the quorum for a meeting be 6 Members (remains the same).

There have been no meetings of the Licensing Committee since the last meeting of Full Council as the Committee meeting due to be held on 21 March 2018 was cancelled.

There have been no meetings of the Licensing Committee since the last meeting of Full Council as the Committee meeting due to be held on 21 March 2018 was cancelled.

To receive the minutes of the meeting of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee held on 19 March 2018.

The minutes of the meeting of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee held on 19 March 2018 were presented.

RESOLVED that the minutes of the meeting held on 19 March 2018 be received.

To receive the minutes of the meeting of the Joint Staffing Committee held on 26 March 2018.

The minutes of the meeting of the Joint Staffing Committee held on 26 March 2018 were presented.

RESOLVED that the minutes of the meeting held on 26 March 2018 be received.

To receive the minutes of the meeting(s) of the Planning Committee held on:

The minutes of the meetings of the Planning Committee held on 28 February, 28 March and 18 April 2018 were presented.

RESOLVED that the minutes be received.

The meeting received the following members’ reports:

·         Bucks Health and Social Care Select Committee Update

·         Report of the Buckinghamshire Healthcare Trust – 31 January 2018

Cllr Pepler commented that this was the last meeting which Neil Dardis would attend as Chief Executive and wished him all the best for the future.

To resolve 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 involves the likely disclosure of exempt information as defined in Part 1 of Schedule 12A to the Act

RESOLVED that under section 100 (A) (4) of the Local Government Act 1972 the public be excluded from the meeting for the following item(s) of business on the grounds that they involved the likely disclosure of exempt information as defined in Part 1 of Schedule 12A of the Act Paragraph 3

Paragraph 3               Information relating to the financial or business affairs of any particular persons (including the authority holding that information)

The appendix was considered in relation to minute item 89.