Agenda and minutes

To approve as a correct record the Minutes of the meeting of the Council held on 12 November 2020.

It was agreed, unanimously, that the minutes of the meeting of the Full Council held on 12 November 2020 be confirmed as a correct record.

To receive any declarations of interest from any Member on any item on this agenda.

None.

To receive any announcements from the Mayor, Leader of the Council, Deputy Leader of the Council, Members of the Cabinet, a Chairman of a Committee or the Chief Executive.

None.

No questions or statements have been received for this meeting from members of the public under Paragraph 9 of the Council Procedure Rules.

None received.

No questions “on-notice” have been received from any Member of the Council to a member of the Cabinet or the Chairman of a Committee for this meeting under Paragraph 12 of the Council Procedure Rules.

None received.

Report of the Leader of the Council (Cllr Henderson) and the Corporate Director Resources and the S151 Officer (Clare James).

The Leader of the Council (Councillor Henderson) and the Corporate Director Resources (Clare James) submitted a report on the Council’s Pay Policy Statement 2021/22.

It was agreed (unanimously) that members noted and approved the Pay Policy Statement in respect of 2021/22, which was attached at Appendix A of the report.

Report of the Leader of the Council (Cllr Henderson) and the Chief Executive (Garry Payne).

The Leader of the Council (Councillor Henderson) and the Chief Executive (Garry Payne) submitted a report seeking approval of the Council’s Business Plan for 2019-2023 (updated for 2021).

It was agreed (unanimously) that the Council’s Business Plan for 2019-2023 (updated for 2021) be approved.  

Report of the Leader of the Council (Cllr Henderson).

Please note: The report of the Corporate Director Resources (Section 151 Officer) on the Council’s Revenue Budget, Council Tax and Capital Programme, which was considered by the Cabinet on 17 February 2021, forms part of the background to the attached report of the Leader of the Council, with paragraph 3.1 seeking Council agreement to the recommendations of the Cabinet. An extract from the minutes of that meeting, setting out the Cabinet’s recommendations, is attached as Appendix 1 of the Leader of the Council’s report to this meeting. However, the detailed information from the report of the Corporate Director Resources to the Cabinet is not reproduced in this agenda. That report can be viewed via the Cabinet agenda on the Council’s website at:

https://wyre.moderngov.co.uk/documents/s11475/Cabinet-170221%20Report%20inc%20Appendix%201%20start.pdf

The Leader of the Council (Councillor Henderson) submitted a report to determine the Council Tax for the Borough for the 2021/22 financial year. His report included reference to the report of the Resources Portfolio Holder and Corporate Director Resources and Section 151 Officer, which had been considered by the Cabinet at its meeting on 17 February 2021. The minute detailing the Cabinet’s recommendations was set out in Appendix 1 of his report to this Council meeting.

The Resources Portfolio Holder (Cllr A Vincent) seconded Cllr Henderson’s proposal that the recommendations made by the Cabinet be approved.

Cllr Fail proposed and Cllr Beavers seconded the following amendment, that the formal Council Tax resolution as agreed by Cabinet on 17 February 2021, as set out in Appendix 1, be agreed with 3 additional changes:

1       Fees & Charges: Car Parking Charge for Blue Badge Holders

That the previous decision to charge for parking in blue badge holder spaces be reversed.

The reduction in annual revenue is predicted to be £5000 (£480k instead of £485k estimated revenue for 2021/22). Based on an assumption that revenue would be the same as 2019/20 (when blue badge holders weren't charged).

2       Fees & Charges: Green Waste Subscription

That the decision for the green waste subscription to be increased from £30 to £35 for those paying by Direct Debit be adjusted.

Instead, and irrespective of payment method, the cost of a green bin (including additional ones) be a standard charge of £32.

Whilst the amendment would result in a £58,500 reduction to the estimated annual revenue (£771.5k instead of £830k), it would still result in an increase in revenue of approximately £20k compared to 2020/21 estimate.

3       Fees & Charges: Care & Repair (minor adaptations)

That the decision to increase charges from £10 per job to £30 per hour be reversed.

The reduction in annual revenue is predicted to be £6000 (£6k instead of £12k estimated revenue for 2021/22).

The following members voted for the amendment: Councillors Armstrong, Beavers, B Birch, Fail, Longton, Raynor, Smith, Stirzaker and Swales.

The following members voted against the amendment: Councillors I Amos, R Amos, Lady D Atkins, Sir R Atkins, Ballard, Baxter, Berry, C Birch, Bowen, Bridge, Cartridge, Catterall, Cropper, E Ellison, P Ellison, Fairbanks, George, Gerrard, Henderson, Holden, Ibison, Ingham, Le Marinel, Leech, McKay, Minto, Moon, O’Neill, Orme, Robinson, A Turner, S Turner, A Vincent, Matthew Vincent, Michael Vincent, D Walmsley, L Walmsley, Webster and Williams. The amendment was therefore lost (by 9 votes to 39).

A vote was then taken on the Cabinet’s recommendations on the budget for 2021/22 and on the level of Council Tax as set out in paragraphs 3.1, 3.2, 3.3 and 3.4 of the Leader’s report.

The following members voted in support of the proposal: Councillors I Amos, R Amos, Lady D Atkins, Sir R Atkins, Ballard, Baxter, Berry, B Birch, C Birch, Bowen, Bridge, Cartridge, Catterall, Cropper, E Ellison, P Ellison, Fairbanks, Gerrard, Henderson, Holden, Ibison, Ingham, Le Marinel, Leech, McKay, Minto, Moon, O’Neill, Orme, Robinson, A Turner,  ...  view the full minutes text for item 33.

Report of the Corporate Director Resources and the S151 Officer (Clare James).

The Corporate Director Resources and Section 151 Officer (Clare James) submitted a report to inform Council of the outcome of an interim review of the Members’ Allowances Scheme undertaken by the Independent Remuneration Panel.

The Leader of the Council (Cllr Henderson) proposed and Cllr Alan Vincent seconded the recommendations in the report.

Cllr Fail proposed, and Cllr Beavers seconded, an amendment to the recommendation in paragraph 3.1 of the report, as follows:

That paragraph 3.1 of the report be changed from,

“That, in line with the formula applied since 2012 and endorsed last year, the Basic Allowance paid to each Councillor be increased by 2.75%, from £4,347 per annum, to £4,467 with effect from 2 May 2021.”

to read

“That, the Basic Allowance increase paid to each Councillor be limited to 1%, so from £4,347 per annum to £4,390 with effect from 2 May 2021.”

It is further proposed that the estimated savings of £5,280 (by reducing the proposed increase of 2.75% to 1%) should be used to fund a scheme of free entry to our gyms and pools on a dedicated day (or days) for people in financial hardship e.g. in receipt of Universal Credit or a legacy benefit.

The last paragraph of the proposed amendment was deemed by the Chief Executive to be invalid as it had implications for decisions about budget allocation that were not for consideration at this meeting. In addition, it would substantially change the intention of the wording of the report and as such did not accord with the Council’s Constitution. 

A further amendment was proposed by Cllr O’Neill and seconded by Cllr Fairbanks as follows

That councillors should forfeit the proposed increase in the Basic Allowance paid to each councillor.

Following some initial discussion on the amendment proposed by Cllr Fail, it was proposed by Cllr Sir R Atkins and seconded by Cllr S Turner, under the Council Procedure Rules (Council’s Constitution Part 4.01/15, paragraph 16(a) (ii)) that the question now be put.

The proposal made by Cllr Sir R Atkins was supported (by 35 votes to 9).

It was agreed (by 35 votes to 9),

(i)            That, in line with the formula applied since 2012 and endorsed last year, the Basic Allowance paid to each Councillor be increased by 2.75%, from £4,347 per annum, to £4,467 with effect from 2 May 2021, and

(ii)          That no other changes be made to the Scheme for 2021/22.

Report of the Leader of the Council (Cllr Henderson) and the Chief Executive (Garry Payne).

The Leader of the Council (Cllr Henderson) and the Chief Executive (Garry Payne) submitted a report to enable changes to be made to the membership of committees for the remainder of the 2020/21 municipal year.

It was agreed (unanimously),

1   That the revised allocation of seats on committees, with an allocation of 59 seats to the Conservative Group, 13 seats to the Labour Group, 5 seats to the Wyre Alliance Group and 3 seats to the Wyre Residents Group, be noted.

2   That Councillor O’Neill be appointed to the Planning Committee in place of Councillor George.

3   That Councillor George be appointed to the Audit Committee in place of Councillor O’Neill.

Report of the Leader of the Council (Cllr Henderson) and the Chief Executive (Garry Payne).

The Leader of the Council (Cllr Henderson) and the Chief Executive (Garry Payne) submitted a report to report the appointment of a councillor as the council’s representative on the Lancashire Enterprise Partnership Scrutiny Committee for the period until the next elections in May 2023. 

It was agreed (unanimously) that Councillor Matthew Vincent be appointed as the council’s representative on the Lancashire Enterprise Partnership Scrutiny Committee until the next elections in May 2023.

Report of the Chairman of Audit Committee (Cllr McKay) and the Corporate Director Resources and the S151 Officer (Clare James).

The Chairman of the Audit Committee (Cllr McKay) and the Corporate Director Resources and Section 151 Officer (Clare James) submitted a report detailing issues being dealt with by the Audit Committee. 

It was agreed that the report be noted.

None.

None.