Agenda, decisions and minutes
Venue: Via MS Teams Video Conference, available to the public at https://buckinghamshire.public-i.tv/core/portal/home
Contact: Sally Taylor
Media
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Apologies Additional documents: Minutes: Martin Tett, Leader, welcomed everyone to the meeting and advised that this was the first Cabinet meeting to be held in-part, ‘in situ’, since the start of the pandemic. A number of Cabinet Members, for whom it was safe to do so, were in attendance. All the Cabinet Members provided a brief introduction about their areas of responsibility.
Apologies were received from Angela Macpherson, Cabinet Member for Adult Social Care; Tony Green, Cabinet Member for Youth Provision and Rachael Shimmin, Chief Executive Officer, Buckinghamshire Council. |
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To approve as a correct record the Minutes of the meeting held on 28 July 2020. Additional documents: Minutes: RESOLVED: The minutes of the meeting held on 28 July 2020 were AGREED as an accurate record.
RESOLVED: The confidential minutes of the meeting held on 28 July 2020 were AGREED as an accurate record. |
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Declarations of interest Additional documents: Minutes: There were none. |
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The following questions have been received and will either be responded to during the meeting or a written response will be included in the minutes:
Councillor Robin Stuchbury
The government’s recent announcement about changes to the planning system suggests giving huge amounts of power back to government which was once held by the planning authority. Having been a strong campaigner against the negatives of HS2 which was effectively imposed on Buckinghamshire, and with the known challenges posed by the Oxford to Cambridge Expressway (noting government had previously announced its intention to build one million houses between Oxford and Cambridge in advance of their most recent announcement about planning changes) will the council be challenging the government proposals and constituents’ rights to express a view on future large developments through the Planning Department of Buckinghamshire Council? Also, was there any prior/advance information available of the government’s decision before their announcement removing planning powers from Buckinghamshire Council and our local Parish Councils?
Councillor Alan Bacon
From 24 August, councils' role in Coronavirus tracking and tracing is enhanced. Will the portfolio holder please report on the effectiveness of the new track and trace regime in Bucks.
Councillor Peter Jones
Cabinet of 28 July received a report on the preparation of the Buckinghamshire Local Plan for adoption in 2024, and Council has also agreed approval of the Masterplan and 2050 Vision for Aylesbury Garden Town. A Wycombe Regeneration Strategy has also been approved. A Masterplan has been prepared for Chesham, the third largest town in Buckinghamshire, by the Chesham Renaissance Community Interest Company. This Masterplan is detailed and has been the subject of a Public Consultation and received a positive response from over 70% of participants. May Officers be requested to bring forward a policy for the urgent regeneration of Chesham, based on the community prepared Masterplan? This work could start immediately.
Cllr Robin Stuchbury
Beaconsfield relief road – why has it not been completed?
I am concerned that the S278 Highways Agreement, in particular clause 2(3)b dated 5th July 2016, not being enforced in order to get the Beaconsfield relief road completed?
I am also concerned that the Planning Authority did not list the 2016 S278 Highways Agreement within the report to South Bucks District planning committee re planning application 17/01763/OUT (Inland Homes' Wilton Park planning application)
What action will Buckinghamshire Council take to get the relief road completed as a result of the SBDC action? It could be suggested, Buckinghamshire has effectively handed over control of the timing and completion of the relief road to Inland Homes resulting in hundreds of HS2 construction HGVs to be soon using the Beaconsfield Old Town Conservation area.
Additional documents: Minutes: Four questions had been received; two from Cllr Robin Stuchbury, one from Cllr Alan Bacon and one from Cllr Peter Jones; all the questions had been included on the agenda. The response to Cllr Stuchbury’s second question would be published with the minutes.
Cllr Robin Stuchbury
The government’s recent announcement about changes to the planning system suggests giving huge amounts of power back to government which was once held by the planning authority. You, having been a strong campaigner against the negatives of HS2 which was effectively imposed on Buckinghamshire, and with the known challenges posed by the Oxford to Cambridge Expressway (noting government had previously announced its intention to build one million houses between Oxford and Cambridge in advance of their most recent announcement about planning changes), will the council be challenging the government proposals and constituents’ rights to express a view on future large developments through the Planning Department of Buckinghamshire Council? Also, was there any prior/advance information available of the government’s decision before their announcement removing planning powers from Buckinghamshire Council and our local Parish Councils? The 1991 Planning Act was settled, and made on local plans. The reason for raising the question was that I believe in local democracy and it was about making decisions locally. The new Buckinghamshire Council had its opportunity to do an integral plan for balancing Buckinghamshire and I believe the Government’s actions were adverse to that.
Response provided by Warren Whyte, Cabinet Member for Planning.
W Whyte thanked Cllr Stuchbury for his question on this important subject.
The Government had published its White Paper, Planning for the Future, for consultation. It set out the Government’s intention for future reform of the planning system. It was important to point out that these were just proposals at the moment and none of the changes would come into force until legislation was passed and after the Government had considered responses to the consultation.
However, at this early stage, W Whyte was pleased to see recognition from the Government of the need to streamline the planning system and to make the system fit for purpose in the post-Covid era.
W Whyte welcomed the importance and relevance attached to Local Plans in the White Paper as tools for local planning authorities to shape the future of their areas. The Council was, of course, about to embark on the preparation of the new Buckinghamshire Local Plan which would provide the blueprint for future growth, renewal and protection in Buckinghamshire.
W Whyte was also pleased to see an ongoing commitment in the White Paper to the role of neighbourhood plans in the planning process as well as an emphasis on modernising planning to ensure there was wide community engagement in all planning processes. He was particularly pleased to see the White Paper’s focus on effective enforcement, something on which this Council had only recently set out its clear intentions.
The Council did not receive any prior or advance notice of the White Paper and its contents; the whole ... view the full minutes text for item 4. |
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Forward Plan (28 Day Notice) PDF 585 KB Additional documents: Minutes: RESOLVED: Cabinet NOTED the forward plan. |
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Safer Buckinghamshire Plan 2020-23 PDF 743 KB Additional documents: Decision: Buckinghamshire Council is a statutory member of the Safer Buckinghamshire Board which is the statutory Community Safety Partnership for Buckinghamshire. A key responsibility of the Safer Buckinghamshire Board is to maintain the Community Safety Plan for Buckinghamshire, based upon the strategic assessment of crime and community safety in the county, public engagement and other insight into crime and the causes of crime in Buckinghamshire.
The Safer Buckinghamshire Plan 2020-2023 was approved by the Safer Buckinghamshire Board on 21st July 2020. The Plan is in Appendix 1.
RESOLVED: Cabinet ENDORSED the Safer Buckinghamshire Plan (Community Safety Plan) 2020-2023
Minutes: Gareth Williams, Cabinet Member for Communities and Public Health, introduced the report for the Safer Buckinghamshire Plan 2020-23 and highlighted the following points:
Members of the Cabinet raised and discussed the following points:
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Exclusion of the public (if required) To resolve that under Section 100(A)(4) of the Local Government Act 1972 the public be excluded from the meeting for the following item(s) of business on the grounds that it involves the likely disclosure of exempt information as defined in Part I of Schedule 12A of the Act.
Additional documents: Minutes: Not required. |
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Confidential Minutes from the meeting held on 28 July 2020 Minutes: The confidential minutes were agreed under item 2. |
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Date of next meeting 13 October 2020 at 10.00 am. Additional documents: Minutes: Tuesday 13 October 2020 at 10.00 am. |