Agenda and minutes

Venue: Via video conference. This meeting will be webcast live and available to view via the Buckinghamshire Council website

Contact: Ian Hunt - Email: democracy@buckinghamshire.gov.uk 

Media

Webcast: View the webcast

Items
No. Item

1.

Eulogies

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Minutes:

Prior to commencement of official business the Members of Full Council remembered the lives of several prominent national and local figures.

 

HRH, The Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh – The Chairman spoke about his sadness over the passing of the Duke and highlighted his great achievements and his dedication and service to the Queen and country and to public life in general. Members then observed a two minute silence in memory of the life of the Duke of Edinburgh.

 

The Right Honourable Dame Cheryl Gillan – The Chairman also paid tribute to the life of the longest serving Conservative female MP. Dame Gillan had served as MP for Chesham and Amersham since 1992. Her contribution to her residents and to Buckinghamshire as a whole had been immense.

 

Councillor M Tett, the Leader of the Council, then proceeded to speak on her remarkable life and great achievements at both national and local level and provided details regarding her background, education and outstanding political career.

 

Councillors R Jones (on behalf of the Liberal Democrat Group) and R Raja (on behalf of the Labour Group) also added their tributes and echoed the Leader`s sentiments.

 

Pam Pearce – Councillor C Paternoster paid tribute to Pam Pearce who had served as an AVDC Councillor between 1983-1990 and 1997-2015, representing the Newton Longville Ward. She had served on numerous Committees over the years along with representation on outside bodies and also as the Cabinet Member for Communities up until 2015. Cllr Pearce had been very active in the local community and had made an enormous contribution over a 25 year period.

 

Abdul Khaliq – Councillor B Chapple paid tribute to Abdul Khaliq who had served as an AVDC Councillor in 2003-2007 for the Aylesbury Elmhurst ward.  Cllr Khaliq had been a popular and hardworking individual who made a great difference to the communities that he served.  He would be sorely missed by all that knew him.

 

Members then observed a further 1 minute`s silence in remembrance of the Right Honourable Dame Cheryl Gillan, Pam Pearce and Abdul Khaliq.

2.

One Minute Clap

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Minutes:

The Chairman of the Council reported that one of the recommendations of a recent inquiry undertaken by the Communities and Localism Select Committee had been to hold a one minute clap to recognise the work of our local heroes and volunteers during the Covid pandemic.

 

The one minute clap by Members of the Council then duly took place.

3.

Apologies

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Minutes:

Apologies for absence were received from Councillors: K Ahmed, E Culverhouse, R Gaffney, N Rose, C Ford, J Lowen-Cooper, C Harriss, M Collins and N Hussain. Honorary Alderman: Ross

 

4.

Minutes pdf icon PDF 514 KB

To approve the Minutes of the meeting held on 24 February, 2021, as a correct record.

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Minutes:

RESOLVED: That the minutes of the meeting of the Council held on 24 February 2021 be approved as a true record.

5.

Declarations of Interest

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Minutes:

No declarations of interest were received

6.

Chairman's Update pdf icon PDF 172 KB

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Minutes:

Members were updated on the recent activity of the Chairman since the last meeting of the Council.

 

Declaration Ceremony – The Chairman had virtually attended the declaration ceremony of Mr George Anson, the newly sworn in High Sheriff of Buckinghamshire. In addition he had also virtually attended two presentations of the High Sheriff`s Awards given to Thames Valley Police and to the community sectors of Bucks.

 

Church Service – The Chairman reported that he had physically attended two moving services in recognition of the life and service of the HRH, The Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, which had taken place at Christ Church Cathedral in Oxford and in the Oculus, Buckinghamshire Council Gateway offices, Aylesbury.

 

Tolis Vouyioukas (Corporate Director for Children’s Services) – The Chairman announced the forthcoming departure of the current Corporate Director and expressed his thanks and appreciation on behalf of the whole Council for all his hard work and to his contribution to Children`s Services.

 

Chairman`s Thanks – Members attention was drawn to the list of current Councillors who would not be seeking re- election next month. He took the opportunity to convey his heartfelt thanks for the many years of service and for the unexpected additional year in office in order to support the new Council during its first year of inception.

7.

Petitions

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Minutes:

No petitions were received

8.

Constitution Review and Amendments pdf icon PDF 195 KB

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Minutes:

A report was introduced and considered which stated that on 27 February 2020 Buckinghamshire Council Shadow Authority had adopted the Buckinghamshire Council Constitution to take effect from 1 April 2020. It had also resolved that the Constitution would be reviewed in April 2021 to ensure the Council’s operation as a new authority was properly supported and governed by the Constitution.

 

Following feedback from the appropriate Committees and officers a total of 33 proposals had been put forward for approval, these were detailed in (Appendix A) to the report.  Members were requested to adopt the proposals in order to allow for better and more transparent decision making to take place.  A further Appendix B on the Councillor Code of Conduct had not been included with the agenda papers and would be submitted separately to full Council following the May 2021 local elections.

 

A number of questions and comments were put forward which welcomed the stronger role to be assumed by Parish and Town Councils brought about by the proposed changes to call in rules for planning applications. Further comments of support were received with regard to adding greater clarity on the procedure to be followed in circumstances where the conclusion reached by the Planning officers and the Committee differed.

 

RESOLVED: That,

 

(i)               The proposals for changes to the Constitution detailed in (Appendix A) of the report be approved;

 

(ii)             The Monitoring Officer be given Delegated Authority to determine the final amendments in relation to any principle proposals adopted with the approval of the Constitution Members Working Group or as detailed within the proposals;

 

(iii)            The Monitoring Officer be given Delegated Authority to amend the Constitution with the adopted proposals and the final amendments of in-principle proposals together with any associated necessary incidental amendments

 

(iv)            The Officers and Committees be thanked for all the hard work undertaken in reviewing the Constitution.

9.

Arrangements for the Joint Health Overview Scrutiny Committee (HOSC) pdf icon PDF 182 KB

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Minutes:

A report was submitted which sought agreement for the establishment of a joint Health Scrutiny Committee for the Bucks, Oxfordshire and Berkshire West Integrated Care System. It was also requested that the Terms of Reference for the Committee be agreed subject to approval of the other 4 participating authorities.

 

The report stated that Health Services had a legislative duty to consult a Local Authority`s Overview and Scrutiny Committees about proposals for the provision of health services in their area. As such the Local Authority was required to appoint a Joint Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee (HOSC) for the purposes of the consultation. Buckinghamshire Council was part of an Integrated Care Partnership (ICP) to deliver Local health and Social Care Services with key local partner. Bucks was also part of an Integrated Care System with Oxfordshire and Berkshire West (made up of Wokingham, Reading and Berkshire West local authorities), known as BOB ICS.

 

These footprints were set up by the NHS in 2015 to drive forward the Sustainability

Transformation Plans (STPs) BOB ICS Leads anticipate that 80% of activity would remain at ICP level and 20% of activity would be delivered at the ICS level.

 

Members sought reassurance and it was confirmed that the arrangements would also allow for scrutiny at a local level which would guarantee strong outcomes for local outcomes.  It was also confirmed that each authority was empowered to refer a matter to the (HASK) Committee which in turn could debate, gather responses and take a local issue to the Secretary of State in the event that the Committee wished to escalate a matter.

 

 

RESOLVED: That,

 

(i)               A Joint Health Scrutiny Committee for the Bucks, Oxfordshire and Berkshire West Integrated Care system be established; 

 

(ii)             Subject to the agreement of the 4 other Authorities the Terms of Reference  be approved; and

 

(iii)            The Monitoring Officer in collaboration with the Leader of the Council and the Chairman of the Health & Adult Social Care Select Committee be given authority to sign off the final Terms of Reference.

 

10.

Reports from Cabinet Members pdf icon PDF 956 KB

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Minutes:

(a)   Leader – (Cllr Martin Tett)

 

The Leader updated Members on the position relating to Covid 19. Infection rates had fallen to 26.7 per 100000 with the highest new cases occurring amongst the 19-39 year age group. 260,000 first doses and 32,000 second doses had been administered in Buckinghamshire up to 16 April 2021. Percentage rates of vaccinations by age group were 96% for over 70 year olds, 90% for over 60s and 86% for the over 50s.

 

In response to a question, an explanation was provided on the former AVDC Council`s pledge to become Net Zero by 2030 in contrast to the current Council`s objective to reach this figure by 2050. It was anticipated that the Buckinghamshire Council would reach this target earlier than 2050, but the comparison between the two Council`s was not equal due to the vast differences in scope, geography, size and complexity of the two organisations.

 

In response to a question on whether he would be prepared to take forward two motions at the next ordinary meeting of Council relating to fireworks and Crohn`s disease in the event of the absence of the proposer within the new administration, the Leader informed Members that this would be something to be considered by the new Council following the elections.

 

The final question related to whether there was a need to now look to provide a solution and to explore and examine the factors which had caused a disproportionate impact on BAME groups during the Covid pandemic.  The Leader confirmed that it was important to assist all those who had suffered disproportionately and emphasised the need for early intervention in education to provide the opportunities for improvement and relief of economic deprivation. Further exploration work on this will be the responsibility of the new Council. 

 

(b) CM for Adult Social Care(Cllr Angela Macpherson)

 

In response to a question of which of the homes in Buckinghamshire were vulnerable due to the lack of financial resilience, Members were informed that some care home owners were indeed struggling but the Council was offering support and resources to these and assisting in helping to explore ways in which the businesses could be reshaped in relation to the changing demands of care.

 

      (c)     CM for Resources (Cllr Katrina Wood)  

 

Members were informed that work was ongoing to ensure that the revenue budget and the expenditure on the infrastructure budget were matched and aligned for future years. This would enabe the Council to realise its ambitions.

 

(d)   CM Children`s Services (Cllr Mark Shaw)

 

The Cabinet Member thanked the outgoing Director for Children`s Services for all the hard work undertaken by himself and his team.

 

(e)              CM Environment and Climate Change (Cllr Bill Chapple OBE)

 

Members were informed that the reason the percentage level of recyclable waste had significantly reduced in recent months from approximately 70% to -50% had been due to the figure being calculated as a percentage for right across the Council and not just for Household Recycling Centres.  It was  ...  view the full minutes text for item 10.

11.

Questions on Notice from Members pdf icon PDF 414 KB

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

 

12.

Report for information - Key Decisions Report pdf icon PDF 149 KB

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A list of decisions taken by Cabinet Members since the last Full Council meeting on the 24 February were received and noted.

 

13.

Date of Next Meeting

4.00pm, Wednesday 26 May, 2021 (Annual Meeting)

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Minutes:

The Chairman took the opportunity to express his thanks to all Councillors for their past contribution and wished those seeking re-election the very best of luck.

 

RESOLVED: That the next meeting of the Council be held on Wednesday 26 May 2021 at 4pm.