Meeting documents

To approve as a correct record the minutes of the meeting of the Council held on 10 October 2011.

RESOLVED: That the minutes of the meeting of Council held on 10 October 2011 be approved as a true record and signed by the Chairman, subject to the heading, Minute 23-Wycombe Museum, being associated with the text two paragraphs lower.

To receive apologies for absence.

Apologies for absence were received from Honorary Aldermen E H Collins, A J Hurst and Mrs K M Peatey MBE and Councillors W J Bendyshe-Brown, G Hall, D Johncock, Mrs J D Langley, Mrs D V E Morgan, B R Pollock, and A Turner.

To receive any declaration of personal or personal and prejudicial interest 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.

On matters of resolution, Members will not be required to declare an interest at the start of the meeting but must do so immediately if there are any questions asked or comments made on any such minute.  Declarations of interest on any minute which is a recommendation to Full Council must be declared at the start of the meeting in the usual way.  

Members are reminded that if they are declaring an interest, whether personal or personal and prejudicial then (subject to paragraph 14 of the Code of Conduct) they should state the nature of that interest whether or not they leave the meeting.

The following declarations of interest were made.

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

Cabinet          31 October 2011

Cabinet          29 November 2011 (to follow)

RESOLVED: That the minutes of the Cabinet held on 31 October 2011 be received and the recommendations set out at Minutes 49 and 54 be approved and adopted.

THE VICE CHAIRMAN OF COUNCIL IN THE CHAIR

Minute 61 – Tenant led Transfer

The Leader rose to present the minutes of the special meeting of Cabinet which had taken place prior to the meeting of Council and which had been circulated around the Chamber.

The Leader of the Liberal Democrat Group, Cllr T Snaith, rose to make a statement, which he requested be included in the Minutes.  He stated that the transfer of all our housing stock was one of the most important decisions to be taken by Councillors for many years. It affected about 20000 people who lived in Council homes, approximately 5000 people who were seeking Council homes and all of our communities.

He stated that the transfer of Wycombe District Council's Housing Stock to Red Kite promised a better standard of housing for residents, whilst at the same time enabling a hitherto debt free Council the opportunity to retain this position.  The Council did not wish to see Wycombe District Council residents burdened with a huge debt or substandard homes.

Clearly in such a complex  process, he considered, it befell to all Councillors to rigorously scrutinise the transfer; to seek, and if necessary demand, information regarding the details of the process. Concerns arose early in the process, and consequently the Liberal Democrat Councillors were the only group which refused to sign the letter to tenants endorsing the ballot.

He stated that the Conservative Cabinet had created a difficult situation and decision for all.  Some Members, he stated, would wish to support the transfer of homes, but were uncomfortable in doing so because of this Council’s handling of the transfer, and the land issues.  It had been mismanaged and the full facts and implications of the transfer had not been fully disclosed to Members, tenants and the residents of this District.

Cllr Snaith reported that the main concerns of Liberal Democrat Members were that (i) Councillors had not been given adequate and proper information at an early enough stage to allow them to make sound decisions on the housing transfer; (ii) they had continually sought clarification as to how the proceeds from the sale of transfer would be used to alleviate the District's already chronic problems of homelessness, but had received no satisfactory answer on this point, and no indication of any concrete proposals regarding the use of the proceeds for the provision of affordable housing to new tenants in the future; (iii) details of the transfer which were not put to residents prior to the referendum included the transfer of land such as open spaces and playing fields.  Objections and petitions had been raised by numerous groups and individual Councillors on the transfer of specific areas of land.  In many cases these have been noted by the Council, but no meaningful dialogue had been entered into. Even now they were told that negotiations were still in progress with Red Kite; and (iv) they had consistently sought information from the  ...  view the full minutes text for item 58.

The Chairman took the opportunity at the close of the meeting to encourage Members to attend the Mayor of High Wycombe’s carol service on 4 December 2011.  This would be held at All Saints Church and tickets were available from the Mayor’s Secretary.