Agenda and minutes

Apologies were received from Councillors A Baughan, N Brown, T Butcher, D Carroll, L Clarke OBE, A Collingwood, E Culverhouse, I Darby, D Dhillon, D Goss, P Griffin, G Harris, D Hayday, O Hayday, G Hollis, C Jackson, J Jordan, S Kayani, M Knight, S Lewin, H Mordue, N Naylor, S Rouse, J Rush, Melanie Smith, N Southworth, Sir B Stanier, D Thompson, J Ward, A Waite, D Watson and G Williams.  Apologies were also received from Countess Howe, his Majesty’s Lord Lieutenant of Buckinghamshire and Kurshida Mirza BEM, the High Sheriff of Buckinghamshire.

Tribute was paid to former Councillor Peter Lawrence who had recently passed away. The Chairman recorded sincere condolences to his family on their sad loss, and shared some of his achievements including:

Peter Lawrence had served as a Buckinghamshire County Councillor representing the Amersham Town and Penn Division from 1989 to 2005. He had been appointed Buckinghamshire County Council Chairman in 2004 and served on a number of Committees during his 16-year tenure.  In 2010 he had been appointed an Honorary Alderman of Buckinghamshire County Council and then of Buckinghamshire Council in 2020.

Members observed a minute’s silence in memory of Peter Lawrence.

RESOLVED –

That the Minutes of the Annual Council meeting held on 15 May 2024 be approved as a correct record.

There were none.

Since the last Council meeting, the Chairman and Vice Chairman of the Council had attended a large number of events highlighted by the D-Day 80: The National UK Commemorative Event in Portsmouth and the 100^th birthday celebration for a former Royal Navy Wren.  As part of fundraising to support the Chairman’s 3 chosen charities (The South Bucks Hospice, The Oasis Partnership and the Heart of Bucks Community Foundation), the Chairman would be doing a skydive on 24 August.  Members were asked to support and sponsor the skydive if they were able.

Councillor R Newcombe, Chairman of the Audit and Governance Committee, introduced the annual report prepared of the work carried out by the Council’s Audit and Governance Committee during the 2023/24 financial year.  Members were informed about the auditing of the Council’s statement of accounts for the last few years, that was covered at paragraph 2.11 of the Annual report.  The Council’s accounts for FY 2020-21 had been audited by the auditors and signed off, noting the significant challenges to achieving this.  The Section 151 Officer and his finance team had been working very hard on more recent Council accounts and, moving forward, the Statement of Accounts for 2021-22 would be published on the Council’s website on 31 July, the Statement of Accounts for 2023-23 would be published on the Council’s website on 31 August, and the Statement of Accounts for 2023-24 would be published on the Council's website on 30 September.

RESOLVED –

That the Audit and Governance Committee Annual Report 2023/24 be NOTED.

Members received reports from Cabinet Members. There was an opportunity for members to ask questions of individual Cabinet Members about matters and issues affecting their portfolios.

Leader of the Council, Councillor Martin Tett

The Leader remarked on the King's Speech, highlighting the proposed English Devolution Bill, which aimed to establish a more extensive devolution framework than the previous Government.  He confirmed that he had received a letter from the Deputy Prime Minister emphasizing the need for discussions on further devolution. The status of Buckinghamshire's current devolution deal, announced by the prior government, was uncertain. The Leader planned to seek clarification in an upcoming meeting with the Deputy Prime Minister.

The Leader also commented on the Planning and Infrastructure Bill and expressed concerns about the potential impact of the new legislation on the power of planning committees and the release of the green belt for development. He emphasised his support for the Green Belt and National Landscapes, noting their importance in preserving the countryside and preventing the merging of towns and villages.

The Leader also mentioned the education proposals within the Children's Bill that would affect the national curriculum in schools, particularly those within multi-academy trusts. Lastly, he emphasised the importance of skills and education as pathways out of deprivation and poverty, rather than relying on state handouts, highlighting Buckinghamshire's focus on economic development and career progression.

The Leader joined the Leader of the Opposition in congratulating new Members of Parliament in Buckinghamshire following the General Election and emphasised the need to work collaboratively with MPs of all political parties in the best interests of Buckinghamshire. The Leader also expressed his commiserations to those candidates who were unsuccessful in their bid for election or re-election.

Following questions, the Leader confirmed that all Member briefings on changes related to planning matters mentioned in the King's Speech would take place once more details were available and committed to providing further information relating to the Princes Risborough Southern Link Road once further discussions with Homes England and local MPs had taken place.

Cabinet Member Culture and Leisure, Councillor Clive Harriss

The Cabinet Member received questions on the Library Transformation Programme and on the South Bucks Country Park.  He confirmed that the Council was undergoing a review of local libraries, aiming to improve the service and provide greater access to all. He assured Members that policies were in place to ensure that the most vulnerable, including regular visitors who relied on libraries for social interaction, remained catered for, highlighting a shift in library usage patterns and the need for innovation.

Members were informed that the opening of the South Bucks Country Park had been delayed due to a number of issues including weather conditions affecting machinery and technical issues with the planning permission. It was hoped that the park could open by mid-summer 2025.

Cabinet Member Climate Change and Environment, Councillor Thomas Broom

The Cabinet Member updated Members on the new Council policy recently approved by Cabinet on litter enforcement, which aligned with the recent  ...  view the full minutes text for item 7.

The Chairman informed Members that a motion had been submitted to the meeting relating to recycled waste. The motion proposer spoke and then proposed to withdraw the motion. It was unclear whether the motion had been moved, and the Chairman, after advice from Officers, determined it had not been and decided to move on to the next agenda item.

The written responses to questions from Members, published as a supplement to the agenda, were noted.

A list of decisions taken by the Leader since the Annual Council meeting on 15 May 2024 were received and noted.

Wednesday 18 September 2024 at 4pm

4pm, Wednesday 18 September 2024