Meeting documents

The Chairman of the Council formally welcomed Mr Paul Shackley the new Corporate Director, who had replaced Ian Westgate following his recent retirement.

To receive apologies for absence.

Apologies for absence were received from Honorary Aldermen M Oram, Mrs K M Peatey MBE, Mrs P Priestley and R C Pushman. Councillors: Mrs S Adoh, H Bull, Mrs L M Clarke OBE, M P Davy, N B Marshall, R Newman, J A Savage and A Turner.

To approve as a correct record the minutes of the meetings of Council held on 27 July 2015.

RESOLVED: That the minutes of the meeting of the Council held on 27 July 2015, be approved as a true record and signed by the Chairman, subject to the word Saunderton hospital being amended to hostel on page 16 of the minutes under the Improvement & review Commission heading

To receive any disclosure of disclosable pecuniary interests by Members relating to items on the agenda.  If any member is uncertain as to whether an interest should be disclosed, he or she is asked if possible to contact the District Solicitor prior to the meeting.

Members are reminded that if they are declaring an interest they should state the nature of that interest whether or not they are required to withdraw from the meeting.

No declarations of interest were received.

To receive such communication as the Chairman of the Council may wish to make.

The Chairman listed and reported on some of his activities since the last meeting of the Council: 

(i) Letter to the Queen

The Chairman reported that he had sent a letter to the Queen congratulating her on being the longest reigning monarch.  A letter of acknowledgement and thanks had been received in return from the chief clerk to the Queen.

(ii) Letter to David Emmett

Members were informed that a letter had been despatched on behalf of the Council to David Emmett, on the death of his wife. David was a member of the Rural forum and also the brother of the late Roger Emmett.

(iii) Battle of Britain     

The Chairman had attended the 75^th anniversary of the Battle of Britain, which included a soloist from the Marlow Cadet Squadron and a flypast of a spitfire over the RAFA Club.

(iv) Opening of Peace Garden

The Vice- Chairman had attended the opening of the Peace garden on 1 October. This was based on the Quaker Burial ground.  The garden was dedicated to peaceful living and to remembering the impact of war.

(v) Chairman`s Civic Service

Members were reminded regarding the Civic Service which was due to take place on Sunday 11 October 2015 at 3pm at St Mary`s church, Princes Risborough.  All Members were encouraged to attend.

Written questions may be asked of the leader or any Cabinet Member, if submitted by 12 noon on Thursday 1 October 2015.  Questions will be submitted in the order in which they are received.

A questioner will have a maximum of 1 minute to ask a question, and the answer shall not exceed 3 minutes. Any questioner may put one supplementary question without notice within a maximum time of 1 minute and the answer may not exceed 2 minutes.  

(a) Question from Mr T Snaith to the Leader of the Council

As a result of the Conservative Government austerity measures we are hearing about National and Local charities and support organisations which are getting into difficulties and closing.

In High Wycombe this Conservative cabinet has a record of abdicating responsibility to its partners and charities, however often without the necessary funding.

We have seen this conservative council successively cut funding to these organisations over many years. This has been happening even before we were faced with the problems being created today. This council expects its partners and charities to pick up the fallout from the cutbacks.

Do you agree it’s time to say no to austerity in High Wycombe?

To deliver this what more can this Council do to step forward and support its partners and the charity sector through these difficult times?

Response from Councillor Ms K Wood (Leader of the Council)

"Thank you for your question. This is a difficult financial time for us all and we've welcomed the responsible attitude taken by our valued partners in the voluntary sector, which has seen a number of mergers as services are maintained while management and premises are rationalised. The creation of Community Impact Bucks is just one example.

Charitable giving has reduced but we sadly are not in a position to plug this gap. We have however maintained funding to essential local services, such as the Citizens Advice Bureau, which continues to deliver much needed services to hard pressed residents. We have provided grants to new charities such as Wycombe Homeless Connection and, where we have made reductions and have been flexible and provided as much notice as we can.

The austerity measures in place to which you refer were brought about by the coalition government, which you were a part of. Are you suggesting that your party was wrong. In May the Conservative manifesto brought about a landslide victory, whereby we gained many more seats. Locally this was down to the devotion of freezing taxes and maximising returns on our investments.

Are you claiming that the public does not understand the issues. There will be no end to the prudent management of our finances, and we will continue to achieve without the imposition of arbitrary tax increases or reducing spending on essential services"

Supplementary Question

"The people of Wycombe have demonstrated their generosity over the years with donations of land and other items having been made. Many of these assets have been sold off in ways that were not in the spirit in which they were given.

Will the Leader look into the value of the assets and then use the funds in order to assist charities needing help due to the austerity period." 

Supplementary Response

"We prudently manage all our finances to provide the best services to the residents. We will continue to operate in this way to the best of our ability".

(i)            Council to receive any petition from a member of the public or from a Councillor on behalf of a Member or a member of the public as notified by the deadline of 5pm on Monday 28 September.

(ii)          Council to consider any petition already received that meets the required number of signatures to qualify for a debate by Full Council. (The petition organiser will have 5 minutes to present the petition and then the Council will debate the matter for a maximum of 15 minutes and decide how to respond to the petition).

Welcoming Refugees

The petition read as follows:

"A petition asking Wycombe District Council to offer to home 50 refugee families to the Wycombe area."  

A letter was also circulated by the lead petitioner at the meeting.

The petition was submitted by Dr Stephanie Rybak and contained 575 signatories. In accordance with the provisions of the Council`s petition scheme, Dr Rybak would receive a written response by the appropriate Cabinet Member.

Questions to the Leader or any Cabinet Members must be submitted by 12 noon on Thursday 1 October 2015. Questions will be taken first from leaders of the political parties in order of number of Members.

Other Members will be called upon in the order in which questions have been received. Every member asking an oral question is permitted to ask one supplementary question without notice provided that it does not introduce any new matter. The appropriate Member will respond to any questions remaining unanswered at the expiry of 30 minutes in writing.

Any questions remaining unanswered after 30 minutes will be answered within 10 working days in writing after the meeting by the appropriate Member and appended to the minutes of the meeting.

(a) Question from Councillor R Raja to the Leader of the Council

"The Household Voter Registration system was replaced by the Individual Electoral Registration system in 2014. Under the previous system the "head of the household" was required to register all residents of the household who were eligible. Under the Individual Electoral Registration individuals are required to register themselves, as well as provide their National Insurance Number and date of birth on the application form.

Would the Leader of the Council tell us as to what percentage of eligible voters have registered so far and whether the new voter registration requirements are acting as a barrier to registration? And what action is the council taking or proposing to take to encourage eligible voters to register so that they can exercise their democratic right to vote?"

Response from Councillor Ms K Wood (Leader of the Council)

This question was withdrawn as the work fell within the remit of the Chief Executive`s role, in her capacity of Returning Officer. 

(b) Question from Councillor M Knight to the Leader of the Council

"Over the last year there have been a number of violent attacks in Wycombe involving knives. Nationally the carrying of knives is reported to be on the rise and in the past successful amnesties have been held in Wycombe, although the most recent one appears to have been back in 2006.

High Wycombe is generally a peaceful and friendly place to live, and I acknowledge the hard work that agencies have put in to improve public safety, particularly in the town centre through the Purple Flag award. However, would the leader of the Council join with me in calling on Thames Valley Police to have another widespread knife and gun amnesty, in the light of recent incidents?"

Response from Councillor Ms K Wood (Leader of the Council)

"Wycombe is a safe place to live, work, socialise and visit, and crime levels are very low for such a large area.  While violent crime has increased a little locally this follows on from a significant decrease in crime over recent years.  Most violent crimes do not involve knives and gun crime is very, very low.  We understand that the small number of recent knife assaults are not connected and that people have been arrested and charged by the Police.  In these circumstances a knife and gun amnesty would seem to offer very little benefit and may actually make people feel the District is less safe than it is. 

If pressed you may like to say the Police are undertaking targeted work in schools in relation to the dangers of carrying knives and regularly stop and search people for knives where grounds exist".

Supplementary Question

"Yes I agree that Wycombe is a safe place to live, but prevention is important to keep crime at low levels. Much has been spent on CCTV but it has not been a sufficient deterrent in recent incidents.

What alternative measures to an amnesty would the Council be  ...  view the full minutes text for item 45.

To receive the minutes of and consider any recommendations from the following meeting:

Cabinet                      21 September 2015

Minute 32 – Expansion of Princes Risborough and CIL Receipts

A Member enquired as to whether the decision to allocate 25% CIL funding to Princes Risborough Town Council to assist in its expansion, following the production of an area action plan, could also be applied to High Wycombe Town Committee.

He was informed that this was not applicable in the case of High Wycombe Town Committee as it was not a Town or Parish Council.  

RESOLVED: That the minutes of the meeting of the Cabinet held on 21 September 2015 be received and the recommendations as set out at minute numbers  29 and 31 be approved and adopted.

(Minute number 27 – Cabinet Recommendation on the Motion submitted to Council on Monday 27 July 2015 was taken under agenda item 13 – Motions)   

To receive the minutes of and consider any recommendations from the following meeting:

Improvement & Review Commission                   16 September 2015            

RESOLVED: That the minutes of the meeting of the Improvement and Review Commission held on 16 September 2015 be received.

To receive the minutes of and consider any recommendations from the following meeting:

Audit Committee                  24 September 2015 (To follow)

RESOLVED: That the minutes of the meeting of the Audit Committee held on 24 September 2015 be received and the recommendation as set out at minute number 18 be approved and adopted.

To receive the minutes of and consider any recommendations from the following meeting:

High Wycombe Town Committee             15 September 2015

RESOLVED: That the minutes of the meeting of the High Wycombe Town Committee held on 15 September 2015 be received.

To receive the minutes of and consider any recommendations from the following meetings:

Planning Committee                       1 July 2015

Planning Committee                       29 July 2015

Planning Committee                       26 August 2015                   

RESOLVED: That the minutes of the meeting of the Planning Committee held on 1 July, 29 July and 26 August be received.

a.         RESPONSE TO MOTION RECEIVED AT COUNCIL ON 27 JULY 2015

The following motion was referred from the last Council meeting to Cabinet:

"This Council supports the view that the release of the Reserve Sites presents a golden opportunity to substantially meet the current and future social housing needs of our district. In addition to the focus on infrastructure it is essential that another stand of work is added to identify the scale of the need for social housing and ensure that any new development is maximised to ensure the need is met. Wycombe District Council should take the lead in organising a multi-agency housing summit to be held in the autumn of 2015 to identify and discuss the needs, challenges, and opportunities for housing provision in the Wycombe District."

In accordance with Standing Order 12.7, Cabinet is required to report back to Full Council by way of a recommendation on whether the motion should be adopted or "give any such other advice as is appropriate".

Cabinet considered the motion at their meeting on 21^st September, and their recommendation to Council is that the motion should be rejected. Attached to the agenda on page 53 is an extract from the Cabinet Minutes, together with the report that was considered at the Cabinet meeting.

Full Council is invited to consider Cabinet’s recommendation and to debate the motion.

Standing Order 14.20 sets out the order of debate on the motion at the Council meeting, as follows:

·         The mover of the Motion shall speak first

·         The Chairman of Cabinet (as Chairman of the body reporting back on the Motion) shall speak.

·         The matter is then open to debate

b.        NOTICE OF MOTION

To consider the following Notice of Motion submitted by the deadline of noon on Thursday 24 September 2015.

The following Notice of Motion was submitted by Councillor K Ahmed and seconded by Councillor R Raja:

"In light of the Syrian refugee crisis and announcement by government to take 20,000 refugees between now and 2020. This council resolves to take a minimum of 200 refugees in the first batch of 10,000 that will be in over the next few months".

To receive details of any written questions submitted before the deadline of 12 noon on Thursday 1 October 2015.

There were none

The following individual decision have been published since the last ordinary meeting of the Council held on 27 July 2015.

(a)  Appointment of the Policy Advisory Groups

(b)  Disposal of 40 Benjamin Road High Wycombe

(c)  Addition of the Nos 7, 8 and 8a High Street High Wycombe to the local list of Buildings of Historic and Architectural interest.

(d)  Approval of budget to be used in the preparation of litigation for Wycombe Air Park head-lease renewal.

The individual decisions published since the last meeting of the Council were noted.