Agenda and draft minutes

Annual Council, Council - Wednesday, 15th May, 2024 6.00 pm

Venue: the Council Chamber - Council Offices, Trinity Road, Cirencester, GL7 1PX. View directions

Contact: Democratic Services

Media

Items

No.

Item

Election of a Chair

Council is required to elect a Chair for a term of office until the start of the Annual Council meeting in May 2025. The Chair cannot be a member of the executive.

Additional documents:

Webcast for 1.

Minutes:

The Vice-Chair of Council, Councillor Mark Harris introduced the meeting and the first item which was the election of a Chair of Council.

The Leader, Councillor Joe Harris nominated Councillor Ind. In doing so, he stated that Councillor Ind had been a fair handed Chair of Council and had chaired the meetings very well.

Councillor Layton seconded the proposal. Councillor Layton reaffirmed the comments by the Leader and also noted the work done in representing Cotswold District Council.

There were no further nominations for Chair of Council.

RESOLVED: That Councillor Nikki Ind be elected as Chair of Council for the Civic Year 2024/25.

Voting Record

29 For, 1 Against, 0 Abstentions, 4 Absent/Did not vote

Having been elected, Councillor Ind then signed her declaration of acceptance of office as Chair.

Recorded Vote
Title	Type	Recorded Vote text	Result
Election of a Chair	Resolution	RESOLVED: That Councillor Nikki Ind be elected as Chair of Council for the Civic Year 2024/25.	Carried

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Appointment of a Vice-Chair

Council is required to invite a Vice-Chair for a term of office until the start of the Annual Council meeting in May 2025. The Vice-Chair cannot be a member of the executive.

Additional documents:

Webcast for 2.

Minutes:

The Chair presided over the next item which was the appointment of a Vice-Chair of Council.

Councillor Wilkinson proposed Councillor Mark Harris for Vice-Chair and in doing so noted his record as Vice-Chair over the previous civic year.

Councillor McKeown seconded the nomination of Councillor Mark Harris and reaffirmed the comments made by Councillor Wilkinson.

RESOLVED: That Councillor Mark Harris be appointed as Vice-Chair of Council for the Civic Year 2024/25.

Voting Record

30 For, 0 Against, 0 Abstention, 4 Absent/Did not vote

Recorded Vote
Title	Type	Recorded Vote text	Result
Appointment of a Vice-Chair	Resolution	RESOLVED: That Councillor Mark Harris be appointed as Vice-Chair of Council for the civic year 2024/25.	Carried

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Announcements from the Chair, Leader of Chief Executive (if any)

To receive any announcements from the Chair of Council, Leader of the Council and/or the Chief Executive.

Additional documents:

Webcast for 3.

Minutes:

The Chair made the following announcements:

Councillor Ind thanked colleagues for their continued support in allowing her to be Chair of Cotswold District Council for another year. It was noted that it was a real privilege for her to be Chair and to make a difference for her community.
Since the last Council meeting, the Chair confirmed that she had represented the Council on a number of visits: the Barn Theatre Gala Performance, Forest of Dean District Council charity dinner, Evesham civic service, the restaurant launch at the Stratton House Hotel and the Cirencester Town Council civic reception.
It was noted that there had been a number of good briefings on Affordable Housing and Waste and Recycling Rezoning.
Finally, the Chair announced that as part of the 50^th Anniversary of Cotswold District Council she would walking The Cotswold Way this summer to raise money for three charities across the District. These were Cotswold Friends, the Churn Project, and Tetbury Area Youth and Community Trust. It was also noted that she would be donating her Councillor Allowances uplift across the three charities.

The Leader was then invited to give some announcements:

The Leader congratulated Cllr Ind on her re-election as Chair.
Congratulations to the Chief Executive were given on the birth of their new daughter.
There was also a welcome given to Alan Hope as the new Strategic Housing Manager.
There had been a number of issues around Member safety with vandalism of car tyres. It was noted there would be a review of member safety and the Leader reminded Members to be vigilant and to report any concerns as appropriate.
The Leader then wished to talk about the following issues locally:
Kingshill Meadow roundabout closure:

· The County Council had now indicated that the roundabout would be reopened in June, which was welcomed.

· There was a frustration amongst local people following poor communication and the time taken to get a solution in place.

· The economic impact was tough on local businesses when important events like the Badminton Festival were taking place.

· The Leader would write to the County Council on behalf of the Council on this and on the second issue of verge maintenance.

Verge maintenance

· Overgrown roundabouts locally were noted as a road safety hazard.

· Whilst enhanced biodiversity was important, it had to be done in a managed way.

· The District Council stood ready to assist but it was up to the County Council to lead as this was a highways issue.

Gloucestershire Growth Strategy

· A leaked document from the County Council outlined plans to build 142,000 dwellings across the District.

· It was recognised that these proposals would raise concerns in terms of the size of the increase in housing stock.

· The current proposals by the Council would require 3,300 homes to be built in addition to the 5,150 homes that already had permissions or had been allocated within the Local Plan. These proposals being far below the plans within the document.

· Cotswold District Council had been bound by ... view the full minutes text for item 3.

Apologies

To receive any apologies for absence.

The quorum for Council is 9 members.

Additional documents:

Webcast for 4.

Minutes:

Apologies were received from Councillors David Fowles, Helene Mansilla, and Roly Hughes

Councillor Coleman had provided apologies offline to the Leader as he was running late but would be joining the meeting as soon as possible.

Declarations of Interest

To receive any declarations of interest from Members and Officers, relating to

items to be considered at the meeting.

Additional documents:

Webcast for 5.

Minutes:

There were none from Members or Officers present.

Announcement of the Leader on Cabinet appointments PDF 406 KB

Purpose

For the Leader to update Council on the appointment of a Deputy Leader and the appointment of Cabinet members and the allocation of portfolio responsibilities.

Additional documents:

Webcast for 6.

Minutes:

The Leader then tabled the following Cabinet appointments:

Leader - Joe Harris

Coordination of executive functions
Policy framework including the corporate plan
Publica
Council communications
Democratic services
Housing and homelessness
Clean and green campaign and street cleaning
Town and parish council liaison

Deputy Leader and Finance - Mike Evemy

Financial strategy and management
Property and assets
Waste and recycling
Revenues and benefits
Grants
Public toilets
UBICO

Climate Change and Sustainability - Mike McKeown

Climate and biodiversity emergency response
Community energy
Sustainable transport
Retrofit
Council sustainability

Economy and Council Transformation - Tony Dale

Business transformation
Local Enterprise Partnership and county-wide partnerships
Economic development
Tourism and visitor information centres
Chamber of Commerce liaison
Customer experience and channel shift

Planning and Regulatory Services - Juliet Layton

Development management
Forward planning and the local plan
Heritage and design management
Environmental and regulatory services
Cotswold Water Park

Health, Leisure and Parking - Paul Hodgkinson

Public and mental health
Car parking operations and strategy
Leisure and culture
Museums
Culture
Young people

Communities and Public Safety - Lisa Spivey

Improving social mobility and social isolation
Flooding and sewage
Safeguarding
Domestic abuse
Police liaison and crime
Refugees
Crowdfund Cotswold
Member Development

Cost of Living and Inclusion - Claire Bloomer

Cost of living support
Liaison with 3rd sector
Diversity and inclusion
Supporting women and minorities

The Leader in tabling the appointments made the following points:

The Leader noted the work of Cabinet Members over the past civic year in delivering for Cotswold District Council.
The Leader provided a summary of the portfolios being proposed and the work being done by each portfolio holder.
The Cabinet was unchanged other than moving car parking operations and strategy to Councillor Hodgkinson’s portfolio from Councillor Dale’s portfolio. Councillor Hodgkinson would become the Cabinet Member for Health, Leisure and Parking. It was noted that this change would be important for working with Bourton-on-the-Water to facilitate a solution to the problem of coach parking.

Councillor Jenkinson asked the Leader of the Council about the responsibilities for housing and homelessness, and the current issues of funding affordable housing within the District where lower income residents were being asked to fund more affordable housing.

The Leader replied that the issue needed to be taken offline to see what discussions could be had with the relevant government department. It was noted that the affordable housing situation in the UK was currently not acceptable and further action was needed to provide more affordable housing for residents.

Councillor Patrick Coleman joined the meeting during this item.

RESOLVED: Full Council NOTED the Cabinet appointments from the Leader

Appointment of Committees PDF 86 KB

View the background to item 7.

Purpose

This report sets out those matters reserved to Council at its Annual Meeting:

· To make appointments to Committees for the Civic Year 2024/25.

· To make appointments to the positions of Chair and Vice Chair of Committees for the Civic Year 2024/25.

Recommendations

That Full Council resolves to:

1. DETERMINE that, in accordance with Section 15 of the Local Government and Housing Act 1989 (“the Act”), the Council shall continue to apply the political balance provisions under the Act to committees as shown in Annex A;

2. APPOINT Councillors to serve on the Council’s Committees and working groups as set out in Annex B for a term of office expiring at the next Annual Meeting of the Council;

3. APPOINT Chairs and Vice-Chairs for the Council’s Committees and working groups as shown in Annex B;

4. NOTE the arrangements for substitutions set out in part 4 of the report;

5. AGREE to confirm the changes to the terms of reference to include substitute members for the Constitution Working Group;

6. AGREE the draft terms of reference for the Publica Review Working Group set out in Annex B.

Additional documents:

Minutes:

This report set out those matters reserved to Council at its Annual Meeting:

To make appointments to Committees for the Civic Year 2024/25.
To make appointments to the positions of Chair and Vice Chair of Committees for the Civic Year 2024/25.

The Chair noted that a revised terms of reference for the proposed Publica Review Working Group following input from the Chief Executive had been provided and that a revised Annex B table of appointments could be found on desks.

Councillor Joe Harris, as Leader of the Council, introduced the report and made the following points:

The Leader wished to record his thanks to the Democratic Services team for all of their work in putting the report together and accommodating changes just before the meeting.
The Leader also noted the recommendations regarding the Constitution Working Group and the Publica Review Working Group terms of reference which needed to be agreed.

Councillor Patrick Coleman apologised for being late and raised that the Vice-Chair of Audit and Governance Committee should be Councillor Helene Mansilla. The Leader apologised as this was an error during some last-minute changes to group positions.

Councillor Evemy seconded the recommendations noting the revision from Councillor Coleman.

Voting Record

31 For, 0 Against, 0 Abstentions, 3 Absent/Did not vote

Recorded Vote
Title	Type	Recorded Vote text	Result
Appointment of Committees	Resolution	RESOLVED: That Full Council 1. DETERMINED that, in accordance with Section 15 of the Local Government and Housing Act 1989 (“the Act”), the Council shall continue to apply the political balance provisions under the Act to committees as shown in Annex A; 2. APPOINTED Councillors to serve on the Council’s Committees and working groups as set out in Annex B for a term of office expiring at the next Annual Meeting of the Council; 3. APPOINTED Chairs and Vice-Chairs for the Council’s Committees and working groups as shown in Annex B; 4. NOTED the arrangements for substitutions set out in part 4 of the report; 5. AGREED to confirm the changes to the terms of reference to include substitute members for the Constitution Working Group; 6. AGREED the draft terms of reference for the Publica Review Working Group set out in Annex B.	Carried

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Appointment of Outside Bodies PDF 84 KB

Purpose

This report provides Council with a current list of appointments to Outside Bodies for the civic year 2024/25.

Recommendations

That Council resolves to:

1. Note the appointments to outside bodies by the Leader of the Council in respect of executive functions, as set out in Annex A Table 1;

2. Confirm the appointments to the Gloucestershire County Council Economic Growth Scrutiny Committee and the Gloucestershire County Council Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee, as set out in Annex A Table 2.

Additional documents:

Minutes:

This report provided Council with a list of appointments to

Outside Bodies for the civic year 2024/25.

Councillor Joe Harris, Leader of the Council, introduced the item and the nominations outlined in Annex A in the report, and made the following points:

The Leader noted that some of the outside bodies had changed since the previous Annual Council.
The Leader noted that the Gloucestershire Police and Crime Panel required to be politically balanced and therefore only certain groups could appoint to it.
Some of the appointments were constitutional such as Publica (shareholder representative) and Ubico.
The Gloucestershire Economic Growth Scrutiny Committee and Gloucestershire County Council Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee required to be appointed by Council.

Councillor Mike Evemy formally seconded.

Councillor David Cunningham proposed the following amendment:

Nominate Councillor Daryl Corps to be the Council’s representative on the Gloucestershire County Council Economic Growth Scrutiny Committee

Councillor Cunningham said that Councillor Corps was a businessman and a member of the Planning and Licensing Committee who would be appropriate to take this role.

Councillor Blomefield seconded this amendment and noted that Councillor Corps would be a good representative.

The Leader noted that it was felt to be discourteous that an amendment be presented without any prior representations made which would have been possible before the meeting. It was noted that there was past precedent for opposition councillors to be appointed to these committees. Councillor Stowe replied that the list of appointments had only been presented at the meeting and therefore there had not been sufficient chance to review them.

Councillor Cunningham as mover of the amendment noted that there were many changes to the business close to the meeting time, and that this could be done.

Voting Record

11 For, 18 Against, 2 Abstentions, 3 Absent/Did not vote

(Voting details for each Member can be found at the end of this item)

The amendment fell.

Council noted that economic growth was a cross-party issue and it was regrettable that a solution could not be found to accomodate cross-party appointments.

RESOLVED: That Full Council

1. Note the appointments to outside bodies by the Leader of the

Council in respect of executive functions, as set out in Annex A

Table 1;

2. Confirm the appointment of Councillor Angus Jenkinson to the Gloucestershire County Council Economic Growth Scrutiny Committee (substitute Councillor Patrick Coleman) and confirm the appointment of Councillor Dilys Neill to the Gloucestershire County Council Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee (substitute Councillor David Fowles)..

Voting Record

23 For, 6 Against, 2 Abstentions, 3 Absent/Did note vote

Recorded Vote
Title	Type	Recorded Vote text	Result
Appointment of Outside Bodies - Conservative Group Amendment	Amendment	RESOLVED: That Council appoint Councillor Daryl Corps to the Gloucestershire Economic Growth Scrutiny Committee.	Rejected
Appointment of Outside Bodies - Original Resolution	Resolution	RESOLVED: That Council 1. NOTED the appointments to outside bodies by the Leader of the Council in respect of executive functions, as set out in Annex A Table 1; 2. AGREED to confirm the appointments to the Gloucestershire County Council Economic Growth Scrutiny Committee and the Gloucestershire County Council Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee, as set out in Annex A Table 2.	Carried

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Record of Attendance 2023/2024 PDF 61 KB

View the background to item 9.

Purpose

For Council to note the record of attendance for Members in the civic year 2023/24.

(to follow on Friday 10 May)

Additional documents:

Webcast for 9.

Minutes:

The purpose of the report was to present the Councillors Record of Attendance for the Civic Year 2023/24.

The Leader introduced the report to Members which was just for noting and should be straightforward.

Councillor Watson noted that his name was missing from the record and this had been raised prior to the meeting. The Business Manager for Democratic Services confirmed this had been updated on the online papers and apologised for the oversight.

The Chair reminded the public that attendance records were available throughout the year on the Council’s website.

RESOLVED: Full Council NOTED the report.

10.

On-Street Residential Chargepoint Scheme (ORCS) Grant Offer PDF 80 KB

View the background to item 10.

Purpose

To acknowledge the successful grant application and consider the £383,200 is included in the Capital Programme and the match funding of £191,600.

Recommendations

That Full Council resolves to:

1. Acknowledge the successful grant application of

£191,600;

2. APPROVE the On-Street capital scheme of £383,200 for inclusion in the Council’s capital programme funded by £191,600 of external grant funding and CDC matched funding of £191,600.

Additional documents:

Webcast for 10.

Minutes:

To acknowledge the successful grant application and consider the proposal for £383,200 to be included in the Capital Programme and approve the match funding of £191,600.

The Cabinet Member for Climate Change and Sustainability, Councillor Mike McKeown, proposed the recommendations and made the following points:

Climate Change impacts were getting worse at a rate faster than expected and action was needed.
The single biggest contributor to Cotswold’s carbon footprint was transport with 50% of all carbon emissions coming from cars.
The transfer from internal combustion engines to electric vehicles was important.
30-40% of homes did not have off-street parking.
The title of the grant which referred to ‘on-street’ charging points would be applied to ‘off-street’ car parks which the Council controlled.
The £191,600 of government grant plus match funding would provide for 66 chargers across 11 car parks.
The work would be done in consultation with Gloucestershire County Council.
The officers were thanked for their work in obtaining the funding for the chargers.

Councillor Mike Evemy seconded the recommendations and made the following points:

The capital programme needed to be updated as the grant award had come after the setting of the Budget for 2024/25 in February.
Agreeing the recommendations would put £383,200 into the Capital Programme with half of the funds being match funding.
The short timescale of 31 March 2025 was the deadline for chargers under the scheme to be installed and working.
The detailed business plans would come forward in July to allocate sites.

Council noted that the business cases would need to be approved by Cabinet to ensure they were financially sound against the backdrop of budget constraints.

Council highlighted that capital expenditure could have a lost opportunity cost if the return on investment was not sustainable.

Council asked if the Cabinet Member could provide a high-level overview of the business case and the realism of the timescales provided.

Councillor McKeown responded to the questions:

· The structure of the grant had been provided that the chargepoint operator Connected Kerb and the Distribution Network Operator would not get any funding if they didn’t deliver. The Council continued to engage with Connected Kerb to ensure that delivery was provided.

· In respect of the business cases, officers would be providing a report to Members on the business cases details. However, other councils had similar models of deployment with varying tariff levels to offset operation costs.

Council noted the need for more charging sites for those without home chargers and the higher costs for using public chargers. Councillor McKeown recognised this difference and stated that officers were working on a dual-tariff scheme for those needing to charge in the evening.

The Deputy Chief Executive was invited to comment on the financial queries. It was noted by the Deputy Chief Executive that the robustness of the business case would involve the finance team looking at the cost of operating the chargers and any potential lost parking income. It was stated that an amended paragraph 4.2 of the Cabinet report had ... view the full minutes text for item 10.

Recorded Vote
Title	Type	Recorded Vote text	Result
On-Street Residential Chargepoint Scheme (ORCS) Grant Offer	Resolution	RESOLVED: That Full Council 1. Acknowledge the successful grant application of £191,600; 2. APPROVED the On-Street capital scheme of £383,200 for inclusion in the Council’s capital programme funded by £191,600 of external grant funding and CDC matched funding of £191,600.	Carried

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11.

Next meeting

The next meeting of Full Council will be held on Wednesday 17 July 2024 at 6pm.

Additional documents:

Webcast for 11.

Minutes:

The Chair announced that following the announcement of the 50^th Anniversary celebrations being held at the Corinium Museum after the 25 September meeting, the Chair proposed moving the time of the meeting from 6pm to 2pm to accommodate this.

Councillor Stowe seconded the proposal. This proposal was put to the vote and agreed by Council.

RESOLVED: That Full Council move the 25 September meeting time to 2pm

The Chair in closing the meeting confirmed that the next meeting of the Full Council meeting would be on 17 July 2024 at 6pm.

Recorded Vote
Title	Type	Recorded Vote text	Result
Change of meeting time	Resolution	RESOLVED: That Full Council amend the 25 September 2024 meeting time to start at 2pm.	Carried

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Agenda and draft minutes

Annual Council, Council - Wednesday, 15th May, 2024 6.00 pm

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