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Items
No. Item

54.

Apologies

Additional documents:

Minutes:

Apologies were received from Councillors Ray Brassington and Jon Wareing

 

55.

Declarations of Interest

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

items to be considered at the meeting.

Additional documents:

Minutes:

There were no declarations of interest by Members or Officers present.

 

56.

Minutes pdf icon PDF 138 KB

To confirm the minutes of the meeting of Council held on 19th July 2023.

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The Chair noted that there were exempt minutes as part of the item on Solar Photovoltaic Installation on Council Assets from the previous meeting. It was reaffirmed that any discussion on this would need to take place in closed session.

 

There were no comments on the exempt minutes.

 

RESOLVED: That the public and exempt minutes from 19 July 2023 be agreed as a true and correct record of the meeting.

 

Voting Record

 

25 For, 1 Against, 4 Abstention, 4 Absent/Did not vote

 

For

Against

Abstention

Absent/Did not vote

Angus Jenkinson

Roly Hughes

Andrew Maclean

Jon Wareing

Claire Bloomer

 

Chris Twells

Nigel Robbins

Clare Muir

 

David Fowles

Patrick Coleman

Clare Turner

 

Dilys Neill

Ray Brassington

Daryl Corps

 

 

 

David Cunningham

 

 

 

Gary Selwyn

 

 

 

Gina Blomefield

 

 

 

Helen Mansilla

 

 

 

Ian Watson

 

 

 

Jeremy Theyer

 

 

 

Joe Harris

 

 

 

Julia Judd

 

 

 

Juliet Layton

 

 

 

Len Wilkins

 

 

 

Lisa Spivey

 

 

 

Mark Harris

 

 

 

Michael Vann

 

 

 

Mike Evemy

 

 

 

Mike McKeown

 

 

 

Nikki Ind

 

 

 

Paul Hodgkinson

 

 

 

Tom Stowe

 

 

 

Tony Dale

 

 

 

Tony Slater

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

57.

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

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The Chair introduced the announcements section.

 

The Chair noted the extensive commitments in the summer they had attended in their role as Chair of Council in the district and in the county. This included the Three Choirs festival launch in Gloucester Cathedral and the opening of the new Cotswold Friends Community Garden in Stow.

 

The Chair also noted the Mr Motivator Active Cotswold event on Sunday 1 October in Cirencester and encouraged all Members and residents to get involved.

 

The Chair also wished to congratulate the winners of the Gloucestershire County Council Holiday Activities Fund Awards which included Stow Active Sports, Tetbury Area Youth and Community Trust, World Jungle.

 

The Chair also wished all a Happy Gloucestershire Day for 21 September 2023.

 

The Leader began his announcements by wishing to offer condolences following the death of David Prewett as one of the founding members for Cirencester Action on Buses. It was noted that the tireless work undertaken against bus service reductions and helping with the design of many of the routes in the area would not be forgotten.

 

The Leader also wished to highlight to Members the financial challenges faced by the Council in the light of Birmingham City Council issuing a Section 114 notice.

 

It was highlighted that the reduction in funding and other inflationary pressures had left many councils struggling. It was affirmed that Cotswold District Council was financially solvent, but this could change by the year 2026/27 if financial savings were not made.

 

It was highlighted that to avoid what Birmingham City Council, Woking Borough Council, and Thurrock Borough Council had gone through, action needed to be taken.

 

The Leader also noted the Chair’s comments in regards to the photo competition, the winning entries of which would be hung in the Chamber.

 

The Chief Executive was then invited to give any announcements and urged all Councillors to complete their Cyber Security training to ensure they had the skills to prevent Cyber Security attacks.

 

 

58.

Public Questions

To deal with questions from the public within the open forum question and answer session of fifteen minutes in total. Questions from each member of the public should be no longer than one minute each and relate to issues under the Council’s remit. At any one meeting no person may submit more than two questions and no more than two such questions may be asked on behalf of one organisation.

 

The Chair will ask whether any members of the public present at the meeting wish to ask a question and will decide on the order of questioners.

 

The response may take the form of:

a)    a direct oral answer;

b)    where the desired information is in a publication of the Council or other published work, a reference to that publication; or

c)    where the reply cannot conveniently be given orally, a written answer circulated later to the questioner.

Additional documents:

Minutes:

Question 1: Councillor Michael Haines, Chipping Campden Town Council

 

The first public question was from Councillor Michael Haines from Chipping Campden Town Council and the newly appointed Chairman of the Chipping Campden Visitor Information Centre. Councillor Haines addressed the concerns around the withdrawal of the grant funding for the visitor information centres. It was commented that the decision was seen to reflect a lack of understanding about the importance of these centres in promoting the visitor economy. It was noted that the Town Council was not aware of any consultation undertaken. Councillor Haines asked Councillor Dale as the Cabinet Member for Economy and Council Transformation.

 

  • What consultation was carried out before the decision on Visitor Information Centres was taken?
  • What assessment was made of likely job losses as a result of this decision, and;
  • Why was the Town Council not asked to submit proposals to the Commissioning models?

 

Councillor Dale responded by explaining that it was felt that the public would understand the budget position. It was noted that the decision taken in December 2021 for the grant funding to not continue after 18 months which was communicated to Town and Parish Councils affected.

 

Question 2: Councillor Richard Harrison, Fairford Town Council

 

Councillor Harrison wished to ask what the Council was doing to ensure decisions on planning matters were being taken properly in accordance with development management policies. It was also asked what controls were in place to ensure decisions were not taken under delegated authority without proper notice or transparency under the scheme of officer delegation. It was commented that some recent decisions were damaging to the character of the district and conflicted with the policy of tackling climate change.

 

Councillor Juliet Layton, Cabinet Member for Planning and Regulatory Services, noted that advance sight of the question had been provided by Councillor Harrison. It was noted that the scheme of delegation had strict rules for its use and required that the case officer recommendation being proposed is checked by one other officer before being issued. It was outlined that therefore there were checks and balances provided within the scheme for these decisions. It was noted that the question pre-supposes that officers would attempt to act outside of the scheme of delegation, which was outlined as not being the case.

 

Councillor Harrison followed-up by commenting that it was viewed as inadvertent non-compliance with the scheme. Councillor Layton highlighted that policies are weighted and there were systems to consider all views and come to a balanced conclusion.

 

59.

Member Questions pdf icon PDF 77 KB

A Member of the Council may ask the Chair, the Leader, a Cabinet Member or the Chair of any Committee a question on any matter in relation to which the Council has powers or duties or which affects the Cotswold District. A maximum period of fifteen minutes shall be allowed at any such meeting for Member questions.

 

A Member may only ask a question if:

a)    the question has been delivered in writing or by electronic mail to the Chief Executive no later than 5.00 p.m. on the working day before the day of the meeting; or

b)    the question relates to an urgent matter, they have the consent of the Chair to whom the question is to be put and the content of the question is given to the Chief Executive by 9.30 a.m. on the day of the meeting.

 

An answer may take the form of:

a)    a direct oral answer;

b)    where the desired information is in a publication of the Council or other published work, a reference to that publication; or

c)    where the reply cannot conveniently be given orally, a written answer circulated later to the questioner.

 

 

The following questions have been submitted prior to the publication of the agenda:

 

Question 1 from Councillor Tom Stowe to Councillor Mike McKeown, Cabinet Member for Climate Change and Sustainability

 

In December last year, your predecessor, Cllr Coxcoon, stated her position that tourists travelling to the Cotswolds via air travel should be deterred. Please could you confirm the Cabinet's current position on promoting the Cotswolds as a place to visit for air travellers?

 

Question 2 from Councillor Julia Judd to Councillor Juliet Layton, Cabinet Member for Planning and Regulatory Services

 

CDC recently issued a Press Release about the planning department including new information about recruitment. How many vacancies are there currently and will that mean that the planning department will be running at full capacity for the foreseeable future?

 

Question 3 from Councillor Tom Stowe to Councillor Paul Hodgkinson, Cabinet Member for Health, Leisure and Culture

 

Please could you confirm the total costs to CDC of hosting the upcoming Mr Motivator event on Sunday 1st October?

 

 

 

 

 

Question 4 from Councillor Len Wilkins to Councillor Joe Harris, Leader of the Council

 

There have been some recent high profile cyber security attacks on several private and public organisations. This threat is likely to continue to grow over the coming years. To counter this growing threat it’s vital that organisations have a policy of continuous improvement in cyber security practice to support the security, resilience and integrity of digital services, data and systems. Does the council have a formal published cyber-security policy?”

 

Question 5 from Councillor Gina Blomefield to Councillor Paul Hodgkinson, Cabinet Member for Health, Leisure and Culture

 

A local resident from the farming community raised concerns with me regarding the future of the very important collection of old agricultural equipment currently displayed at the Old Prison, Northleach.  I followed this up and subsequently had a meeting  ...  view the full agenda text for item 59.

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The Chair introduced this item by highlighting that the written responses to Member Questions were on desks. These are attached at Annex A

 

The supplementary questions can be found attached at Annex B.

 

 

 

60.

Establishment of a Working Group for Boundary Reviews pdf icon PDF 134 KB

Purpose

To seek the approval of Council to create a Working Group to oversee the Local Government Boundary Review and Polling District Review which are due to take place in the next 2 years and agree Terms of Reference for the Group.

 

Recommendations

That Council resolves to:

1.    Agree to the creation of a Working Group for Boundary Reviews

2.    Agree the Draft Terms of Reference for the group outlined in Annex A

3.    Note that Group Leaders are asked to confirm the nominated members to the Electoral Services Manager or Chief Executive

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The purpose of the report was to seek the approval of Council to create a Working Group to oversee the Local Government Boundary Review and Polling District Review which are due to take place in the next 2 years and agree Terms of Reference for the Group.

 

The Leader, Councillor Joe Harris introduced the report.

 

It was noted that the last review of the boundaries for the District Wards was in 2015. It was highlighted that the 32 wards covered by 34 Councillors represented at that time around 2000 electors with a 10% variance for individual wards.

 

It was highlighted that changes that had taken place since 2015 had meant a varying of the size of wards. It was highlighted that there were ten wards in the District over the 10% size variance set out by the Boundary Commission.

 

It was noted that a request to the Local Government Boundary Commission had been made to review the size of the wards in the District, and this work was set to be completed in good time before the next set of District elections in 2027.

 

It was highlighted that a Polling District review was also required every five years, to look at polling stations and make sure they are fit for purpose.

 

It was noted that the two reviews would look at the number of Members, the size of the Wards and the polling station location within the District. 

 

Councillor Stowe then seconded the report and provided comments on this item.

 

It was noted that a democratic deficit could emerge with the larger seats like Campden and Vale having over 2,600 electors per Member.

 

Members welcomed that work had already started on this issue following the May 2023 local elections.

 

There were various comments by Councillors that welcomed the engagement of all political groups on a cross-party basis.

 

It was noted by Council that there was an opportunity to review some polling stations and look at future requirements.

 

It was noted by the Council that the 10% variance was a statutory figure, but there was an opportunity on a local level to take house building into account.

 

There were various comments about dual Member wards and how these would need to be discussed as part of the reviews.

 

The Chair then asked each Group Leader for their Member nominations for the Boundary Reviews Working Group:

 

Councillor Joe Harris as Leader of the Liberal Democrat Group confirmed the following Members: Councillors Paul Hodgkinson, Mike Evemy, Patrick Coleman and Clare Muir.

 

Councillor Stowe as Leader of the Conservative Group then confirmed the following Members: Councillors Stowe and Councillor Fowles.

 

Councillor Maclean was then confirmed as the nomination from the Green Group.

 

Voting Record

 

32 For, 0 Against, 0 Abstention, 2 Absent/Did not vote

 

For

Against

Abstention

Absent/Did not vote

Andrew Maclean

 

 

Jon Wareing

Angus Jenkinson

 

 

Ray Brassington

Chris Twells

 

 

 

Claire Bloomer

 

 

 

Clare Muir

 

 

 

Clare Turner

 

 

 

Daryl Corps

 

 

 

David Cunningham

 

 

 

David Fowles

 

 

 

Dilys Neill

 

 

 

Gary Selwyn

 

 

 

Gina Blomefield

 

 

 

Helen Mansilla

 

 

 

Ian Watson

 

 

 

Jeremy Theyer  ...  view the full minutes text for item 60.

61.

A review of the Cotswold District Local Plan housing requirement pdf icon PDF 125 KB

Purpose

To agree that Full Council should approve the Review of the Cotswold District Local Plan 2011-2031 Housing Requirement, which finds that the local housing need of the district has not changed significantly and that the minimum housing requirement provided by the Cotswold District Local Plan does not require updating.

 

Recommendation

That subject to the agreement of Cabinet on 12th September 2023,

that Council resolves to;

1)    Agree to recommend to Full Council to approve the review of the Cotswold District Local Plan 2011-2031 housing requirement.

 

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The purpose of the report was to agree that Full Council should approve the Review of the Cotswold District Local Plan 2011-2031 Housing Requirement, which finds that the local housing need of the district has not changed significantly and that the minimum housing requirement provided by the Cotswold District Local Plan does not require updating.

 

Councillor Layton, Cabinet Member for Planning and Regulatory Services, introduced the report.

 

  • It was noted that a review of the strategic housing requirement was required every five years, and that a 2020 review highlighted that a partial update of the Local Plan was required to address issues such as changes to national policy and meeting the changing housing need in the District.

 

  • It was highlighted that the adopted local housing requirement sets a minimum of 8400 homes and an additional requirement of 580 nursing and residential bed spaces.

 

  • The review of the housing requirement carried out in Summer 2023 tested the adopted requirement to see if the number of homes needed to be higher or lower to meet housing needs whilst also protecting the Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB). The review was confirmed to have found that 10,000 homes were already expected to be delivered over the Local Plan period (2011-2031).

 

  • It was noted by Council that the local housing need in the district had not changed significantly, and that the Council had a robust housing land supply of 6.9 years.

 

  • It was highlighted that the situation was being kept under review if any changes in the future to national policies, local housing need and any legal challenge through the planning process by applicants.

 

The Chair and other Members also wished to thank the Forward Planning officers for their work and for the Member Briefing provided.

 

It was noted that this was an important report to ensure that future developments are right for communities and are locally managed.

 

There was a query about special landscape areas and their protection of the AONB. The Chair then invited the Forward Planning Manager to respond to this. It was noted that special landscape areas were defined in policy EN6 of the Local Plan and that these were areas that were important to protect for their landscape character and tranquillity.

 

Councillor Joe Harris then seconded the report.

 

The thanks to the officers were reiterated by Councillor Harris for their work and to Councillor Layton for her leadership in this area.

 

It was noted that the situation ten years ago without a Local Plan and a five year housing land supply had changed communities, and this was why the report was so important to approve.

 

 

Voting Record

 

32 For, 0 Against, 0 Abstention, 2 Absent/Did not vote

 

For

Against

Abstention

Absent/Did not vote

Andrew Maclean

 

 

Jon Wareing

Angus Jenkinson

 

 

Ray Brassington

Chris Twells

 

 

 

Claire Bloomer

 

 

 

Clare Muir

 

 

 

Clare Turner

 

 

 

Daryl Corps

 

 

 

David Cunningham

 

 

 

David Fowles

 

 

 

Dilys Neill

 

 

 

Gary Selwyn

 

 

 

Gina Blomefield

 

 

 

Helen Mansilla

 

 

 

Ian Watson

 

 

 

Jeremy Theyer

 

 

 

Joe Harris

 

 

 

Julia Judd

 

 

 

Juliet Layton

 

 

 

Len Wilkins

 

 

 

Lisa Spivey

 

 

 

Mark Harris  ...  view the full minutes text for item 61.

62.

Appointment of two Independent Persons to the Audit & Governance Committee pdf icon PDF 90 KB

Purpose

To appoint two appropriately skilled and experienced members of the public to be “independent members” of the Audit & Governance Committee.

 

Recommendations

The Council resolves to:

1)    Appoint John Chesshire and Christopher Bass to the Council’s Audit & Governance Committee for a four year term, commencing immediately.

 

 

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The purpose of this report was to appoint two appropriately skilled and experienced members of the public to be “independent members” of the Audit & Governance Committee.

 

Councillor Robbins as Chair of the Audit and Governance Committee introduced this item.

 

It was noted that the advertisement for the role achieved a great response which should be welcomed.

 

The selected appointees were outlined to Council for their experience and the knowledge they could bring to the Committee.

 

Councillor Muir as the seconder then addressed Council.

 

It was highlighted as Vice-Chair of the Audit and Governance Committee, that the expertise and oversight which would be provided was welcomed.

 

Council asked whether the appointments would be for a four-year term or would be permanent. The Director of Governance responded that it would be for a four-year term, and the current appointees could apply again if they so wished to after 4 years.

 

RESOLVED: The Council APPROVED to:

1)    APPOINT John Chesshire and Christopher Bass to the Council’s Audit & Governance Committee for a four-year term, commencing

immediately.

 

Voting Record

 

32 For, 0 Against, 0 Abstention, 2 Absent/Did not vote

 

For

Against

Abstention

Absent/Did not vote

Andrew Maclean

 

 

Jon Wareing

Angus Jenkinson

 

 

Ray Brassington

Chris Twells

 

 

 

Claire Bloomer

 

 

 

Clare Muir

 

 

 

Clare Turner

 

 

 

Daryl Corps

 

 

 

David Cunningham

 

 

 

David Fowles

 

 

 

Dilys Neill

 

 

 

Gary Selwyn

 

 

 

Gina Blomefield

 

 

 

Helen Mansilla

 

 

 

Ian Watson

 

 

 

Jeremy Theyer

 

 

 

Joe Harris

 

 

 

Julia Judd

 

 

 

Juliet Layton

 

 

 

Len Wilkins

 

 

 

Lisa Spivey

 

 

 

Mark Harris

 

 

 

Michael Vann

 

 

 

Mike Evemy

 

 

 

Mike McKeown

 

 

 

Nikki Ind

 

 

 

Nigel Robbins

 

 

 

Patrick Coleman

 

 

 

Paul Hodgkinson

 

 

 

Roly Hughes

 

 

 

Tom Stowe

 

 

 

Tony Dale

 

 

 

Tony Slater

 

 

 

 

63.

Amendments to the Constitution - Recommendations of the Constitution Working Group pdf icon PDF 92 KB

Purpose

To consider proposals from the Constitution Working Group for

amendments to the Constitution to i) create a Standards Sub-Committee, ii) recruit up to two town or parish Councillors to advise Members in respect of hearings where the subject member is a town or parish councillor, and, iii) a change to the call-in arrangements for Cabinet/Individual Cabinet Member Decisions to reflect a the Council’s political balance arising from the May 2023 local elections.

 

Recommendations

That Council resolves to:

1)    Agree to establish a Standards Hearing Sub-Committee (of the Audit and Governance Committee). This would be a politically balanced 3-member sub-committee with membership appointed by the Committee each year.

2)    Instruct the Director of Governance & Development (Monitoring Officer) to recruit up to two town and parish council representatives to act as a non-voting consultee(s) at hearings to determine whether a town or parish councillor has breached their council’s code of conduct.

3)    Authorise the Director of Governance & Development (Monitoring Officer) to update i) Part B, Article 8 of the Constitution with consequential amendments to the Audit & Governance Committee’s membership

4)    Authorise the Director of Governance & Development (Monitoring Officer) to update Part D6, paragraph 4.13, Overview & Scrutiny Procedure Rules.

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The purpose of this report was to consider amendments to the Constitution.

 

The Leader of the Council introduced the report and proposed the recommendations.

 

It was noted that it was important that the Constitution is kept up to date in line with legislation.

 

The first change outlined was the creation of a Standards Hearing Sub-Committee which was outlined as being good practice for dealing with complaints against District Councillors and Town and Parish Councillors.

 

It was noted that these hearings are rare but are important for good governance.

 

It was also highlighted that the recommended two un-paid Town and Parish Councillors would be recruited from a geographical spread and would attend hearings relating to a Town/Parish Councillor in an advisory capacity.

 

It was noted that the call-in rules were being changed to reflect the outcome of the 2023 local elections.

 

Councillor Evemy then seconded the item and outlined some points of clarification to the proposals.

 

It was noted that the terminology was mixed in the report but that the sub-committee would be responsible for undertaking standards hearings whereas general standards matters would remain the responsibility of the Audit and Governance Committee.

 

It was also noted that the word ‘must’ should replace the word ‘should’ to reflect the requirements of call-in.

 

It was therefore noted that the call-in rules would become the following;

 

The power of call-in can be exercised by any three Members of the Committee (who must be from either (i) at least two political groups; or (ii) one political group and a nonaligned (independent) Committee Member, if one sits on the Overview and Scrutiny Committee)

 

It was asked as to how Town and Parish Councillors would be recruited for participation in the process. The Director of Governance outlined that some ideas had been taken from other local authorities and Gloucestershire Association of Town and Parish Councils (GATPC). It was noted the approach  for recruitment had not been formalised, but that the geographical spread would be considered. Once this had been formalised, it would then go back to Members.

 

It was reaffirmed that the number of people who could exercise call-in could be more than 3, and that this rule was one that the Council had agreed in its Constitution.

 

 

RESOLVED: That Council:

1) AGREED to establish a Standards Hearing Sub-Committee (of the Audit and Governance Committee). This would be a politically balanced 3-member sub-committee with membership appointed by the Committee each year.

2) INSTRUCTED the Director of Governance & Development (Monitoring Officer) to recruit up to two town and parish council representatives to act as a non-voting consultee(s) at hearings to determine whether a town or parish councillor has breached their council’s code of conduct.

3) AUTHORISED the Director of Governance & Development (Monitoring Officer) to update i) Part B, Article 8 of the Constitution with consequential amendments to the Audit & Governance Committee’s membership Page 95

4) AUTHORISED the Director of Governance & Development (Monitoring Officer) to update Part D6, paragraph 4.13, Overview & Scrutiny Procedure Rules.

 

Voting Record  ...  view the full minutes text for item 63.

64.

Petition received in relation to Visitor Information Centres pdf icon PDF 81 KB

Purpose

For Council to consider a petition submitted under the Local Petition Scheme (Part F of the Constitution).

 

Recommendations

That Council resolves to either;

1)    Refer the petition to Cabinet as the decision-maker for the request to be considered.

2)    Refer the petition to Overview and Scrutiny Committee for review.

3)    Note the petition and take no further action.

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The purpose of this item was to consider a petition presented by Councillors David Fowles and Tom Stowe regarding Visitor Information Centres in the Cotswold District.

 

The Chair announced that as the Local Petition Scheme within the Constitution only allowed for a maximum debating time of 15 minutes, it was felt by many Members from all groups that this wasn’t sufficient time to debate the topic.

 

The Chair therefore proposed that this specific Rule of Procedure (in paragraph 19 of the Local Petition Scheme) be suspended for the duration of this item.

 

 

Councillor Nikki Ind proposed, and Councillor Joe Harris seconded.

 

RESOLVED: That Council suspend the time limit rule in paragraph 19 of the Local Petition Scheme as outlined for the duration of this item.

 

Voting Record

 

27 For, 2 Against, 0 Abstention, 2 Absent/Did not vote

 

For

Against

Abstention

Absent/Did not vote

Angus Jenkinson

Andrew Maclean

 

Jon Wareing

Claire Bloomer

Chris Twells

 

Ray Brassington

Clare Muir

 

 

 

Clare Turner

 

 

 

Daryl Corps

 

 

 

David Cunningham

 

 

 

David Fowles

 

 

 

Dilys Neill

 

 

 

Gary Selwyn

 

 

 

Gina Blomefield

 

 

 

Helen Mansilla

 

 

 

Ian Watson

 

 

 

Jeremy Theyer

 

 

 

Joe Harris

 

 

 

Julia Judd

 

 

 

Juliet Layton

 

 

 

Len Wilkins

 

 

 

Lisa Spivey

 

 

 

Mark Harris

 

 

 

Michael Vann

 

 

 

Mike Evemy

 

 

 

Mike McKeown

 

 

 

Nikki Ind

 

 

 

Nigel Robbins

 

 

 

Patrick Coleman

 

 

 

Paul Hodgkinson

 

 

 

Tom Stowe

 

 

 

Tony Dale

 

 

 

Tony Slater

 

 

 

 

 

Councillor Tom Stowe as the Petition Organiser and Leader of the Conservative Group presented the petition to Councillor Joe Harris, Leader of the Council.

 

Councillor Stowe highlighted that:

  • Councillor Stowe and Councillor Fowles had presented the petition to the Deputy Chief Executive on Tuesday 5 September which called for the reversal of the decision to cut £54,000 to save visitor information centres in Bourton-on-the-Water, Chipping Campden, Stow-on-the-Wold and Tetbury.
  • The petition contained 2093 signatures and 953 signatures from Cotswold residents. It was noted that since the petition was handed in, there were an additional 316 signatories with 83 of these being from Cotswold district residents.
  • The response was higher than the Council’s budget consultation and was a great example of local democracy in action.
  • Visitor information centres helped contribute to the tourism sector of the Cotswolds which was an industry providing many jobs to residents.
  • The decision to remove grant support taken by Cabinet would have an impact on the provision of visitor information centres.

 

  • The funding was to be withdrawn at the end of September and therefore that time was of the essence for Cabinet to reconsider the decision taken.

 

Councillor Fowles, the second petition organiser then spoke and highlighted that:

 

  • The Council’s stated principles to decision-making, and that local views would be considered to contribute to decisions taken.
  • There were Members from both the Conservative and Liberal Democrat Groups who represent wards which have Visitor Information Centres located in their ward.
  • The decision taken in December 2021 by Cabinet included a consultation with these centres, which had not appeared to have been done.
  • The centres provide the opportunity to seek information and buy products which was felt could not be as useful online.

 

The Chair then  ...  view the full minutes text for item 64.

65.

Notice of Motions pdf icon PDF 40 KB

In accordance with Council Procedure Rule 12, the following Motions have been received:-

 

Rail Ticket Offices Motion

 

Proposed by Councillor Paul Hodgkinson and seconded by Councillor Angus Jenkinson

 

Council notes with concern the announcement by the Rail Delivery Group that train companies are pressing ahead with plans to close up to 1000 rail ticket offices across England over the next 3 years.

Council believes that ticket offices provide a vital service to residents in the Cotswolds. Having a clearly sign-posted place in the station for people with ticket enquiries provides certainty and confidence for customers who may struggle to otherwise locate station staff.  

Council is concerned the closure of ticket offices will disproportionately affect elderly and disabled residents in the Cotswolds – as well as those with poor IT skills.

Council notes the statistics from Age UK that 3 million elderly people in the UK do not have access to the internet, and statistics from the Royal National Institute for Blind People that only 3% of those with partial or full sight loss feel able to use ticket machines.

Council is also concerned about the possible implications for current station staff and the concerns that have been raised over possible staff redundancies – given that there will be no regulations for minimum staffing levels at stations and on platforms.

Council therefore resolves to:

·         Instruct the Chief Executive to write to Mark Harper MP Secretary of State for Transport, and the Chief Executive of the Rail Delivery Group, expressing Council’s opposition to the possible closure of staffed rail ticket offices – and in particular the office(s) at Moreton in Marsh, Kemble and Kingham.

·         Instruct the Chief Executive to write to Great Western Railway expressing the Council’s opposition to any plans to close the staffed ticket office(s) at Moreton in Marsh, Kemble and Kingham.

·         Refer this issue to the Overview and Scrutiny Committee with the recommendation that representatives from Great Western Railway are invited to attend a Scrutiny Meeting at the earliest possible point to discuss future plans for ticket offices and staffing at our local stations.

 

 

 

Grey Water Motion

 

Proposed by Councillor Julia Judd, and seconded by Councillor Andrew Maclean

 

Thames Water believes that limiting water use and runoff could help to stop the outflow of sewage into rivers from its systems. In 2020, this occurred for more than 200,000 hours.

 

Much of the CDC district is within Thames Water catchment, one of the worst for leaks losing about 25% across its network which is classed as under serious water stress. Cirencester and our Trinity Road offices of Cotswold District Council are within Thames Water district. 

 

The Environment Agency has warned that parts of England could run out of water within 25 years as a result of growing demand from a rising population and the impacts of climate change, and has called for household water use to be cut by a third.  We already experience periods of drought followed by periods of deluge and as a responsible authority, we should be  ...  view the full agenda text for item 65.

Additional documents:

Minutes:

There were two motions presented to Full Council as included with the document pack.

 

Motion 1: Rail Ticket Offices Motion.

 

The motion was presented by Councillor Hodgkinson as the proposer.

 

  • It was noted that this issue was important as it was central to the concerns from the closure of rail ticket offices. The specific concerns were around accessibility, the quality of service and the future of public transport within the District.

 

  • It was highlighted there had been a decline in rail ticket offices over the previous 10 years which had been met with public concern. It was stated that recent announcements in the Summer of 2023 about the closure of ticket offices in Moreton and Kemble and in Kingham in West Oxfordshire.

 

  • It was noted that a petition had been launched by Councillor Hodgkinson and Councillor Jenkinson in response to the proposed closure of Moreton’s rail ticket office, which had received public support.

 

  • It was noted that there was a concern around job security for those staff working in ticket offices in the District.

 

  • It was noted that the Chief Executive as part of the motion was being instructed to write to Mark Harper MP, as Secretary of State for Transport, and also to Great Western Railway in regards to the closures.

 

  • It was also noted that the Overview and Scrutiny Committee could provide value in questioning the decision with representatives from the railway.

 

An amendment had been tabled by Councillor Fowles and seconded by Councillor Blomefield which struck out point 3 of the resolution (the referral to Overview and Scrutiny Committee) and inserted the following point (point 4):

 

• Petition the MP for the Cotswolds to write to Mark Harper MP, Secretary of State for Transport, to request a review of the provision of rural ticket offices in the Cotswolds.

 

Councillor Hodgkinson clarified that in proposing the motion he was altering the motion to accept the insertion of point 4 but without removing point 3 which referred the issue to the Overview and Scrutiny Committee.

 

Councillor Jenkinson as the seconder, spoke in regard to the altered motion.

 

  • It was highlighted that whilst there was an understanding to make the railways viable, it was a core service for many residents.

 

  • It was reaffirmed that many individuals struggle with a digital platform for tickets, and having a human support was important.

 

 

Councillor Fowles asked for clarity in regard to the motion due to some revisions being accepted. The Chair clarified that the motion was altered by the proposer who accepted the amendment in regard to point 4. Councillor Fowles then announced that following discussions with Councillor Hodgkinson before this item, that the amendment would be withdrawn so the proposal could be fully supported.

 

There was also a question by Councillor Fowles about whether it could be a cross-party motion, but the Chair highlighted that Councillor Jenkinson as seconder had already spoken to the motion.

 

There were various comments made in debate raising concerns for elderly and disabled residents, and those lacking  ...  view the full minutes text for item 65.

66.

Next meeting

The next meeting of Full Council will be on Wednesday 22nd November 2023.

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The next meeting of Full Council will be on Wednesday 22nd November.

 

67.

Matters exempt from publication

If Council wishes to exclude the press and the public from the meeting during consideration of any of the items on the exempt from publication part of the agenda, it will be necessary for Council to pass a resolution in accordance with the provisions of section 100A of the Local Government Act 1972 on the grounds that their presence could involve the likely disclosure of exempt information as described in specific paragraphs of Schedule 12A of the Local Government Act 1972.

 

Council may maintain the exemption if and so long as, in all the circumstances of the case, the public interest in maintaining the exemption outweighs the public interest in disclosing the information.

 

Additional documents:

Minutes:

Full Council did not enter into private session.

 

68.

Exempt minutes from the meeting on 19th July 2023

Purpose

To approve the minutes from the 19th July 2023, if they have not already been done so at Agenda Item 3

Minutes:

The exempt minutes within the private document pack were taken as read and agreed at Agenda Item 3.