Meeting documents

Venue: Council Chamber, Capswood, Oxford Road, Denham

Contact: Democratic Services  01895 837236; Email: democraticservices@chilternandsouthbucks.gov.uk

Items
No. Item

9.

Presentation from Andrew Smith, Chairman of the Local Enterprise Partnership

To receive a presentation from the Chairman of the Thames Valley Local Enterprise Partnership to include an update on the Local Industrial Strategy, the LEP review and progress on the East West Expressway.

Minutes:

Andrew Smith, Chairman of the Buckinghamshire Thames Valley Local Enterprise Partnership (BTVLEP) gave a presentation on building conditions for sustainable economic growth in the entrepreneurial heart of Britain which covered the following points:-

 

·         In 2019 there was a Government Review of LEPs and Buckinghamshire was very highly rated with the three main delivery criteria being Strategy Development (Good), Governance and Accountability (Good) and Programme Delivery (Outstanding).

·         In terms of governance and accountability the LEP was incorporated in April 2019 and had got newly extended private sector membership which now included Eman Martin-Vignerte (Robert Bosch) and Adrian Brown (Berkeley Group).

·         The leverage achieved through the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy and the LEP was £30.73 for every £1 cash that was awarded to Bucks Business First Growth Hub which was all aimed at economic development stimulating growth and improved productivity.

·         The LEP were producing the Buckinghamshire Local Industrial Strategy which particularly focused on the partnership with the Oxford-Cambridge ARC, although equally important was the North – South connectivity between Richings Park and Peterborough. The Strategy was based on key economic assets within the County and using those to drive future productivity.

·         The Arc which was the heart of the economic vision of Buckinghamshire would be the test bed for innovations which would shape the 21st Century and produce an environment where ideas would be rapidly transformed into high growth ventures.

·         In terms of those assets particular reference was made to the Pinewood Studios and the National Film and TV School Creative Cluster. Pinewood Studios, of whom Andrew Smith was Director of Corporate Affairs and had been influential in the development of the Pinewood Site, lay at the heart of the cluster with the skills base supported by the world’s best film school, the National Film School and TV School in Beaconsfield and Buckinghamshire New University.

·         Bucks Skills Hub was the top ranked skills programme according to the Careers and Enterprise Company and Members were welcome to go and view the facility. New entrants were critical to support the future growth of the area.

·         Silverstone Park and technology cluster had over 4000 businesses and had world leading technologies in light-weighting, composites, aerodynamics and power train. 300,000 square foot of Enterprise Zone development was planned at Silverstone.

·         Westcott Space Propulsion Cluster had the highest proportion of rocket engineers in the UK. Upstream Space was to increase in value from £13.7bn to £40bn by 2030. It was also the 5G testbed extension to support rural economy innovation.

·         Digital Health and Medical Technologies – 28,000 were already employed in the Health Sector and Buckinghamshire was home to global innovators such as GE Healthcare and Johnson and Johnson and Buckinghamshire New University Health and Social Care Programme – the first new medical school for over a century.

·         There were a number of local growth funded schemes in the South Bucks area such as the A355 Beaconsfield Relief Road, National Centre for Immersive Technologies and studio facilities, Taplow Sustainable Transport Scheme and in addition they would also like to help support the Iver Relief Road.

 

A Member enquired about Membership of the LEP as she was employed by InterContinental Hotels Group and wondered how the LEP select their Members. Andrew Smith commented that they had advertised for and needed more Board Members, particularly female. The LEP welcomed new private sector board members who would bring further commercial experience and insight to the board and help generate new ideas and who would best reflect the communities across Buckinghamshire.

 

A Member asked how the LEP liaised with Heathrow and was informed that they were Members of the Heathrow Consultative Group and Transport Forum and that they would ensure that Heathrow played its part in mitigation with regard to their expansion.

 

With regard to Beaconsfield Relief Road and the southern section of the Beaconsfield Relief Road the first part of this access road from Pyebush roundabout to the planned southern onsite roundabout had already been constructed and now provided the sole means of vehicular access into the Wilton Park site. The previous vehicular access via Minerva Way was no longer possible although the route was still open to pedestrians and cyclists. Further work would be undertaken on the relief road when this was commercially viable in terms of number of houses sold.

 

Andrew Smith congratulated the Planning and Environmental Health Team for providing an excellent service who had provided good advice on a complex planning application and their good practice was being disseminated to other Councils.

 

Members thanked Andrew Smith for an excellent presentation and they wished him well with his future leadership of the LEP.

10.

Minutes pdf icon PDF 121 KB

To approve the minutes of the meetings of Full Council held on 14 May 2019.

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The minutes of the meetings of Full Council held on 14 May 2019 were approved and signed by the Chairman as a correct record.  Cllr Dhillon raised a point of accuracy but after checking the Minutes they correctly recorded attendance at Annual and Ordinary Council.

11.

Declarations of Interest

Minutes:

There were no declarations of interest.

12.

Announcements

Minutes:

The Chairman reported on recent functions and events he had attended on behalf of the Council. He also informed Members of the Charity Golf Event in aid of the South Bucks Hospice, which was the charity he supported on 13 September and a possible quiz evening in January also in aid of his charity.

 

Engagements May 2019 – July 2019

Royal Garden Party – Buckingham Palace

15/05/19

Chairman attended

Investiture Ceremony – Lord Lieutenant of Buckinghamshire

 

16/05/19

Chairman attended

Club Games – GLL

 

17/05/19

Chairman attended

Mayor’s Reception – Mayor of Beaconsfield

 

17/05/19

Chairman attended

County Jamboree Mission:00Bucks – Buckinghamshire Scouts & Girlguiding Buckinghamshire

 

25/05/19

Vice Chairman attended

Annual Visit to Burnham Beeches followed by Lunch at Dorneywood – City of London Corporation

 

05/06/19

Chairman attended

Annual Summer Garden Party – Universal Care Limited

 

12/06/19

Chairman attended

Annual Reception – SGI UK

13/06/19

Chairman attended

Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Armed Forces Briefing – South East Reserve Forces & Cadets’ Association

 

18/06/19

Chairman attended

Informal Lunch – Chairman of Bucks County Council

Judges Lodgings, Walton Street, Aylesbury

19/06/19

Chairman and Vice Chairman attended

Official Opening Bierton Crematorium – Cllr Mike Smith Portfolio Holder for Environment Chiltern District Council

 

19/06/19

Chairman attended

Summer Reception – High Sheriff of Buckinghamshire

MK Gallery 900 Midsummer Boulevard, Milton Keynes MK9 3QA

20/06/19

Chairman attended

Marlow Regatta –  President, Marlow Regatta Ltd

 

22/06/19

Chairman attended

Armed Forces Day Flag Raising – Chairman of Buckinghamshire County Council

 

24/06/19

Chairman attended

AGM – Samaritans

 

26/06/19

Chairman attended

Armed Forces Day – Lord Lieutenant of Buckinghamshire

 

29/06/19

Chairman attended

School Games Final – Bucks & Milton Keynes Sports Partnership

 

04/07/19

Chairman attended

Awards Ceremony & AGM – Buckinghamshire Scouts Council

 

14/07/19

Chairman attended

Civic Service – Mayor of Beaconsfield

 

14/07/19

Vice Chairman attended

 

The Leader reported that following the Motion presented by Councillor Bezzant at the last full Council Meeting, regarding EU citizens resident in the UK retaining their right to vote in local elections in the event that the UK left the EU before May 2020, Members were sent a copy of his letter to the Rt. Honourable David Lidington, Minister for the Cabinet Office.

 

The Leader also reported that he attended the LGA Annual Conference earlier this month and the LGA passed a motion on the UN’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to address the global challenges being faced.

 

Finally the Leader advised Members that Cabinet, at its meeting on 27th June, agreed to support the Motor Neurone Disease (MND) Charter which recognised and respected the rights of people with MND as set out in the Charter and also that the Council would work towards the Charter’s vision of the right care, in the right place at the right time. All Buckinghamshire District Councils were in the process of adopting the Charter. 

 

The Chief Executive reported that there would be a Cross Council debate on 25 July from 11.30am to 1pm at the Oculus, Aylesbury on the future of local service provision for Buckinghamshire residents. Members were asked to inform the Democratic Services Team if they wished to attend.

 

13.

Committee Recommendations pdf icon PDF 102 KB

There are recommendations from the Joint Staffing Committee for consideration at this Council meeting.

 

Members are asked to note that the following meetings have taken place since the last Council meeting, and that the Minutes are available to view in the supplement: Minute set.

 

1.      Overview & Scrutiny Committee – 19 June 2019 (to follow)

2.      Audit & Standards Committee – 10 July 2019 (to follow)

3.      Planning Committee – 5 June & 26 June 2019 (to follow)

4.      Joint Staffing Committee – 9 July 2019 (to follow)

5.      Cabinet – 27 June 2019

 

Additional documents:

Minutes:

Members noted the Minutes of Committee meetings which were included in a supplement pack separate from the main agenda. There were recommendations from the Joint Staffing Committee on 9 July 2019 which were being considered in a separate exempt report.

14.

Cabinet Recommendations

There are no recommendations from Cabinet and the Minutes are included in the supplement pack for information.

Minutes:

There were no recommendations from Cabinet and Members noted that the last meeting was held on 27 June 2019 and were included in the minute supplement pack.

15.

Verbal Reports from the Leader, Cabinet Members or Chairman of a Committee

To receive and consider verbal update reports (if any) from the Members listed above, and to answer questions on any of those reports from any Member of the Council in accordance with Rule 10.1 of the Procedural Rules.

Minutes:

Network Rail

Councillor Read, the Portfolio Holder for Planning and Economic Developmentgave an update in relation to issues raised at Overview and Scrutiny Committee on 19 June 2019 on the presentation given by Network Rail.  He reported that the Network Rail led Western Rail Link scheme was a nationally important project, but it must have local benefits too and no local costs.  The central objective as a Council was to manage and mitigate the impact of all growth proposals on all local communities. This included addressing the cumulative impact of different schemes - the Western Rail Link, the Heathrow Expansion, HS2 and Smart Motorways. It was also important that HGV traffic was reduced during the construction phase.

The Council were working with Network Rail on managing the impacts of the Western Rail Link ahead of the submission of its Development Consent Order later this year. The Council had also been working closely with Bucks County Council on the Western Rail Link for some time, with joint meetings with Network Rail to resolve matters of concern. In addition there was partnership working with Slough Borough Council on the Western Rail Link.

Network Rail had recently made a commitment to contribute to a replacement North- South link for when Hollow Hills/Mansion Lane closed to avoid additional traffic flowing through the Richings Park and Langley areas. However the Portfolio Holder for Planning and Economic Development reported that the Council urgently needed an agreed Iver Relief Road scheme that worked for the three Councils and benefited the local communities. The Council were pressing Bucks County Council for a scheme that met the needs of South Bucks District and which developers and Network Rail could fund.

In addition the noise implications of the Western Rail Scheme need to be addressed to avoid impacts on neighbouring communities. He welcomed the commitment by Network Rail to use rail for the transport of spoil waste from the Western Rail Link scheme and the Cemex quarry works itself which would bring relief to local communities by reducing HGV movements.

Planning consultations

The Portfolio Holder for Planning and Economic Development reported that the consultations on the Local Plan, Community Infrastructure Levy and Sustainability Appraisal have been extended to 23 August. This ensured that planning regulations were fully complied with and importantly to provide more time for representations to submitted. Any comments already submitted were valid so there was no need for people to resubmit their comments. The timetable for the submission of the documents for examination was not affected by this extension.

The Portfolio Holder for Planning and Economic Development commented that the Council held an informative Member Briefing on the consultation being undertaken by Heathrow. In addition to South Bucks District Council (SBDC) Members other Members were welcomed from Chiltern District Council and Buckinghamshire County Council. Members were reminded that there were further consultation events and the information in connection with Heathrow’s consultation was available in the reception at SBDC. Two  upcoming events were highlighted on 1 August in Beaconsfield and on 22 August in Richings Park from 2pm to 8pm; at Richings Park there would be a sound demonstration lab.

Enforcement

 

The Chairman of the Planning Committee reported that on 5 June they had received a verbal report which set out the up-to-date position relating to Enforcement. Members had welcomed the positive work being undertaken by the Enforcement Team as follows:-

 

  • There was a new approach to Temporary Stop Notices which had proved successful in airport parking matters in South Bucks District Council in the first half of 2019.
  • Up until last year there had been a year on year increase in new SBDC enforcement investigations logged in the past 5 years which resulted in a 35% increase in SBDC cases over that period.
  • All new allegations of breaches of planning control were logged and acknowledged within 5 working days.
  • In 2018/19 in terms of formal notices issued, there have been 12 planning enforcement notices (most in the last 5 years), 1 section 215 notice and 5 Temporary Stop Notices.
  • The Planning Inspectorate have determined 8 appeals against enforcement notices during the last financial year which has resulted in an 81.25% success rate at enforcement appeals with 18 appeals currently in progress.
  • In 2018/19 the Team secured its first ever Proceeds of Crime Act Confiscation Order for CDC as part of an associated prosecution. The Order was made in the sum of £17,000 along with a £21,000 fine (6x 3500) and a £23,000 costs award.
  • In 2018/19 770 cases were closed this financial year, resulting in a net reduction of cases of 257. The Team have managed to close more cases than it opened in April and May 2019.

16.

Questions with Notice

To answer questions with notice (if any) from

 

(a)        Members of the Council; and

(b)       Members of the public

 

which have been put under Procedure Rules 10 and 11.

Minutes:

Notice having been given under Council Procedure Rule 10, the following questions were put by Members of the Council. There were no questions from the public.

 

(Councillor Sangster Questions)

 

1. What is the total cost of redundancies to SBDC and will there be any restrictions attached to the Redundancy Agreements?

 

The Leader responded that during the current financial year there were no anticipated redundancies other than that detailed in the exempt report later on the agenda Directors, Heads of Services and Statutory Officer posts in the Councils were impacted during the transition period as the new Council Tier 2 and 3 level posts were filled.  However, at the current time it was expected that these posts would remain until 31st March 2020 and it was not anticipated that there would be any redundancies in the senior management team before 31st March 2020. All other employees within the Councils would TUPE transfer to the new Council on 1st April 2020. With respect to restrictions on payments these would be made in accordance with the contractual and statutory requirements without any discretionary enhancements.

 

Councillor Sangster asked a supplementary question on whether a precedent would be set by the recommendations in the private report for voluntary or compulsory redundancies in Tiers two and three of the organisational structure for the new Buckinghamshire Council and whether officers could apply in the same timeframe.

 

The Head of Human Resources responded that from 1 July 2019 a formal consultation process had commenced on the current senior leadership team structure to seek the view of colleagues in tiers 2 and 3. This was not a formal redundancy process and no-one had been placed at risk of redundancy and the focus was on appointing to the new senior leadership structure.

 

2. Given the number of major infrastructure projects across The Ivers, does the cabinet feel that we and BCC have enough resources to address all matters arising fully and professionally?

 

The Portfolio Holder for Planning and Economic Development reported that the major infrastructure projects in the area were Heathrow, Western Rail Link to Heathrow HS2,M4 smart motorway and Crossrail.  As well as this there were key infrastructure projects important to the Council including the Iver Relief Road.  The Council had specific teams in place dealing with the third runway for Heathrow linked with the Western Rail Link to Heathrow and the Iver Relief Road and a separate team dealing with HS2.  The Council also was working closely with Bucks County Council on these infrastructure projects.  He therefore considered these projects were adequately resourced in order to deliver positive outcomes for residents, communities and businesses.

 

Councillor Sangster asked a supplementary question relating to a recent meeting with Heathrow where Bucks County Council had advised that there was not enough resource across all the projects. Councillor Read, the Portfolio Holder for Planning and Economic Development reported that it was difficult to comment as he was not present at that meeting and he would follow this up and provide a written response.

 

17.

Members' Reports

To receive reports from members:

Minutes:

The Chairman reported that as meetings have been held recently of the Bucks Health and Social Care Select Committee and the Buckinghamshire Healthcare Trust these will be reported to the next meeting of the Council.

 

18.

Motions

Minutes:

No Notices of Motion had been received.

19.

Exclusion of Public

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(s) of business on the grounds that it involves the likely disclosure of exempt information as defined in Part I of Schedule 12A of the Act.

 

Paragraph 1

Information relating to any individual

Paragraph 3

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

Paragraph 4

Information relating to any consultation or negotiations, or contemplated consultations or negotiations, in connection with any labour relations matter raising between the authority or a Minister of the Crown employees of, or office holders under, the authority.

 

Minutes:

RESOLVED that under section 100 (A) (4) of the Local Government Act 1972 (as amended) 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.

 

20.

Staffing

Minutes:

With the dissolution of the Councils’ on 31 March 2020 the Chief Executive and Head of Paid Service post would cease to exist. Since the announcement from the Secretary of State on the 1st November 2018 and with the escalation of the implementation work, the substantive role of the Chief Executive had significantly diminished, particularly since the Structural Change Orders were put in place in May 2019.

 

The Committee considered a report on the compulsory redundancy and the proposed exit date of the Councils’ Chief Executive and Head of Paid Service, and the division of his responsibilities between the existing Directors and Head of Legal and Democratic Services. A Member queried the word ‘dismissal’ which had been used in the report and was informed by the Human Resources Manager that a compulsory redundancy was a form of dismissal in law.

 

After due consideration, it was proposed by Councillor Naylor, seconded by Councillor Read and unanimously

 

RESOLVED that

 

1.      the Council agreed the proposed delegation of duties and interim structural changes for the roles of Chief Executive Officer, Head of Paid Service, Electoral Registration Officer and Returning Officer, for the period from 1st September 2019 to 31st March 2020 following the compulsory redundancy of the Chief Executive on 31st August 2019, as set out in paragraph 4.2 of the report.

 

  1. that from 1 September 2019 to 31 March 2020 the Director of Resources, Jim Burness, be appointed as the Council’s statutory Head of Paid Service, the Director of Services, Steve Bambrick, be designated as Acting CEO and the Head of Legal and Democratic Services and Monitoring Officer, Joanna Swift, be appointed as the Council’s statutory Electoral Registration Officer and Returning Officer.

 

  1. the costs for SBDC associated with the compulsory redundancy of the CEO be noted.