Meeting documents

Venue: Council Chamber. View directions

Contact: Peter Druce - Democratic Services Officer 01494 421210 (ext 3210) Email: peter_druce@wycombe.gov.uk 

Items
No. Item

1.

APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE

To receive apologies for absence.

2.

MINUTES

To approve as a correct record the minutes of the meetings of Council held on 19 December 2019 and immediately prior to the Meeting at 5pm 23 March 2020 (to follow).

Supporting documents:

3.

DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST

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.

 

4.

CHAIRMAN'S ANNOUNCEMENTS

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

 

5.

QUESTIONS FROM MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC

Written questions may be asked of the Leader or any Cabinet Member if submitted to the Head of Democratic, Legal and Policy Services no later than 12 noon on Monday 16 March 2020. Questions will be submitted in the order in which they were 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.

 

 

 

Supporting documents:

6.

QUESTIONS FROM MEMBERS

Questions to the Leader or any Cabinet Member must be submitted by 12 noon on Monday 16 March 2020.

 

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.

 

Questions shall be taken first from the Group Leaders of the political parties who shall be entitled to ask an initial Leader`s question from his/her group, of which written notice shall have been given to the Head of Democratic, Legal and Policy Services prior to the meeting.

 

The order of questions shall then permit the first question from each other Councillor to be asked before any subsequent questions from the same Councillor. One question will be taken in turn from the same Councillor unless there are no other questions to be asked.

 

Every member asking an oral question is permitted to ask one supplementary question without notice provided that it is not substantially the same as a question that was put to a Council meeting during the past 6 months.

 

Any question 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. 

 

Supporting documents:

7.

PETITIONS

(i)              Council to receive any petition from a member of the public who lives, works or studies within the district or from a Councillor on his/her behalf as notified by the deadline of 5pm on Monday 16 March 2020.

 

(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).

 

 

8.

CABINET

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

 

·       Cabinet                                                 3 February 2020

·       Cabinet                                                 19 February 2020

 

Supporting documents:

9.

REGULATORY & APPEALS COMMITTEE

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

 

·         Regulatory & Appeals Committee             17 December 2019

 

Supporting documents:

10.

PLANNING COMMITTEE

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

 

·         Planning Committee                       18 December 2019

·         Planning Committee                       15 January 2020

·         Planning Committee                       12 February 2020

·         Planning Committee                       11 March 2020

 

 

Supporting documents:

11.

AUDIT COMMITTEE

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

 

·       Audit Committee                         9 January 2020

Supporting documents:

12.

HIGH WYCOMBE TOWN COMMITTEE

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

 

·         High Wycombe Town Committee             21 January 2020

 

Supporting documents:

13.

STANDARDS COMMITTEE

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

 

·         Standards Committee                     28 January 2020

 

Supporting documents:

14.

IMPROVEMENT & REVIEW COMMISSION

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

 

·       Improvement & Review Commission      5 February 2020

Supporting documents:

15.

CLIMATE CHANGE MOTION REFERRAL FROM CABINET

RESPONSE TO MOTION RECEIVED AT COUNCIL ON 21 OCTOBER 2019

 

The following motion was referred from the 21 October 2019 Council meeting to Cabinet:

 

"World leaders are at last taking an interest in the potential devastation caused by global warming and climate change. Climate Science experts from around the world tell us that unless we switch away from fossil fuels within the next 12 years, we will be unable to avoid the worst impacts of climate change. We face a Climate Emergency. Reducing energy use and switching to clean energy will increase our energy security, improve our air quality, minimise fuel poverty, boost our local economy and provide jobs and training.

Wycombe District Council is prepared to play its small part in this big debate by declaring a climate emergency and committing to being carbon neutral by the year 2030. This move will raise the profile of this vital issue with our residents and enable us to secure additional external support and funding. Wycombe District Council also agrees to sign up to the covenant of Mayors, to track our progress and itself with Towns around the world who are engaged in cutting emissions."

 

Cabinet considered the motion at their meeting on 3 February 2020. Attached to the agenda 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

 

Supporting documents:

16.

QUESTIONS UNDER STANDING ORDER 11.2

17.

COMMITTEE CHANGES / APPOINTMENTS

At the previous meeting of the Council, Members noted that Councillor Tony Lee was no longer a member of the Conservative Group and was now siting as an Independent member.

 

This resulted in Councillor R Gaffney replacing Councillor T Lee on the Audit Committee. With Councillor P Turner stepping into Councillor Gaffney’s vacated Standing Deputy role on this Committee.

 

In respect of the Planning Committee Councillor A Hussain replaced Councillor T Lee. With Councillor Ms S Adoh stepping into Councillor A Hussain’s vacated Standing Deputy role.

 

Subsequently Councillor Brian Pearce has joined the Wycombe Independent Party Group and is no longer an Independent member.

 

Due to subsequent changes in political proportionality this has resulted in the Conservative Group losing a seat on both the Audit Committee and Personal & Development Committee, and the Wycombe Independent Group gaining those seats.

 

This results in the following changes to Committee membership.

 

On the Audit Committee Councillor Gaffney is then removed as a Full Member and returns to his Standing Deputy role with Councillor P Turner stepping aside. There is currently a vacancy in respect of the Wycombe Independent Group seat.

 

On the Personnel & Development Committee Councillor Mrs J Teesdale is removed as a Full Member. Again there is currently a vacancy in respect of the Wycombe Independent Group seat.

 

18.

URGENT ACTION TAKEN BY CABINET OR INDIVIDUAL CABINET MEMBER

Individual Cabinet Member Decisions:

 

·                    21 January 2020 – Adoption of Householder Planner & Design Guidance Supplementary Planning Document   1/2020 Cabinet Member for Planning

 

·                    5 March 2020 – Withdrawal from the Central Area Growth Board   2/2020 Executive Leader of the Council

 

·                    11 March 2020 – Adoption of the Planning Obligations Supplementary Planning Document –  3/2020 Cabinet Member for Planning

 

·                    11 March 2020 – Adoption of the Air Quality Supplementary Planning Document   4/2020 Cabinet Members for Environment & Planning

 

19.

INFORMATION SHEETS

Council received the following Information Sheer issued since the last meeting:

 

1/2020            Update on the Connected Counties Broadband Project (to follow).

 

20.

STATEMENTS - FINAL WYCOMBE DISTRICT COUNCIL MEETING

21.

RETIRING CHAIRMAN AND VICE CHAIRMAN

(i)     Vote of thanks to the retiring Chairman, Councillor P Turner to be proposed by Councillor Ms K Wood (Leader of Council) and seconded by Councillor D Barnes (Deputy Leader of Council).

(ii)     Councillor P Turner to respond.

(iii)    The Leader of the Council to present to Councillor P Turner a past Chairman’s badge, and to Mrs Turner a bouquet. 

(iv)   Vote of thanks to the retiring Vice-Chairman, Councillor S K Raja to be proposed by Councillor Ms K Wood (Leader of Council) and seconded by Councillor D Barnes (Deputy Leader of Council).

(v)     Councillor S K Raja to respond.

(vi)    The Leader of the Council to present to Councillor S K Raja a past Vice-Chairman’s badge, and to Mrs Raja a bouquet. 

 

Supporting documents: