Agenda and minutes

To approve as a correct record the Minutes of the meeting of the Council held on 7 July 2022.

The Deputy Leader of the Council, Councillor Michael Vincent, proposed and the Leisure, Health and Community Engagement Portfolio Holder, Councillor Lynne Bowen seconded that the minutes of the meeting of the full Council held on 7 July 2022 be confirmed as a correct record.

It was agreed, unanimously, that the minutes of the full Council meeting held on 7 July 2022 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.

To receive any questions or statements from members of the public under Council Procedure Rule 9.1.

None received.

To receive any questions from Members of the Council to the Mayor, a member of the Cabinet or the Chairman of a Committee under Council Procedure Rule 12.1.

None received.

To receive reports from Cabinet Members. (In accordance with Procedure Rule 11.3 Councillors will be able to ask questions or make comments).

The Leader of the Council submitted a report.

Councillor Henderson updated members about the Poulton to Fleetwood rail link, and confirmed that Network Rail were now leading on the project. The objective was to develop a business plan, which would include two options for (i) tram-train, and (ii) heavy rail.

The next meeting of the Economic Prosperity Board had been postponed to a later date.

Councillor Henderson responded to a question from Councillor Fail about the council’s response to the pressures on residents as a result of the current cost of living crisis, and to a comment from Councillor Stirzaker about the Poulton to Fleetwood link.

The report was noted.

The Resources Portfolio Holder submitted a report.

Councillor Vincent provided an update to 5.1 of his report and explained that 330 businesses had received support resulting a distribution of 88% of monies from the Covid-19 Additional Relief Fund (CARF).

Councillor Vincent responded to questions and comments from Councillors Sir R Atkins, Fail, Ibison and George about the way in which the council and other councils in Lancashire dealt with Localised Council Tax Support, adding that the council would continue to do all that it could to assist residents, and to work closely with partner organisations.

Councillor Vincent also responded to a question from Councillor Beavers about the Neptune Fish and Food Processing Park.

The report was noted.

The Street Scene, Parks and Open Spaces Portfolio Holder submitted a report.

Councillor Bridge thanked Mark Billington and his team for their work in securing five more Green Flag Awards for Wyre.

Councillor Bridge also agreed to provide a written response to Councillor Fail regarding the number of fixed penalty notices issued for dog fouling, which had been promised at the previous meeting.

The report was noted.

The Planning Policy and Economic Development Portfolio Holder submitted a report.

The report was noted.

The Neighbourhood Services and Community Safety Portfolio Holder submitted a report.

Councillor Berry confirmed that a bid to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities to extend support for housing for ex-offenders had been successful.  The council would receive £42,000, to be shared with Fylde Council.  Councillor Berry responded to comments from Councillors George and Kay.

In response to a question from Councillor Beavers, Councillor Berry agreed to clarify the regulations for policing the sale of vaping products to young people.

In response to a question from Councillor Fail about dealing with homelessness, Councillor Berry confirmed that the council was working closely with Lancashire County Council and would continue to try to support people in their accommodation.

The report was noted. 

The Leisure, Health and Community Engagement Portfolio Holder submitted a report.

Councillor Bowen responded to a question from Councillor Lady Atkins about the closure of the Garstang Tourist Information Centre and to a questions form Councillor Cartridge about membership levels at the YMCA leisure centres.

The report was noted.

Councillor Michael Vincent reminded members that Shelter was a very good organisation for providing advice about homelessness.

Councillor Henderson praised officers for the organisation of live outdoor theatre performances of Frozen at Jean Stansfield Park, Poulton, recently.

Report of Councillor David Henderson, Leader of the Council and Garry Payne, Chief Executive.

The Leader of the Council and Chief Executive submitted a report to enable changes to be made to the membership of committees for the remainder of the 2022/23 Municipal Year.

It was agreed, unanimously, that the recommendations be approved.

Report of Councillor Peter Le Marinel, Armed Forces Champion.

Councillor Le Marinel, Armed Forces Champion, submitted a report. He thanked Paul Deacon for the valuable work that he had undertaken in supporting the role in recent years.   

The report was noted.

Notice of Motion 1

The following Notice of Motion submitted under Paragraph 14 of the Council Procedure Rules has been submitted by Councillors Fail, Beavers, Longton, Raynor, Smith and Stirzaker:

“Standing up for responsible tax conduct

Councillors across the UK and in Wyre work hard to serve their local communities and help direct the delivery of essential public services. By signing up to the Councils for Fair Tax Declaration, councils can demonstrate alignment to their values and encourage responsible tax practice through:

• leading by example on tax conduct
• demanding to know who owns and profits from businesses the council buys from – UK and overseas – and their full financial reports
• joining calls for UK public procurement rules to change so that councils can do more to tackle tax avoidance and award points to suppliers that demonstrate responsible tax conduct.

Full Council resolves to:

1)    Sign up to the Councils for Fair Tax Declaration.

2)    Lead by example and demonstrate good practice in our tax conduct, right across our activities.

3)    Ensure IR35 is implemented robustly and contract workers pay a fair share of employment taxes.

4)    Not use offshore vehicles for the purchase of land and property, especially where this leads to reduced payments of stamp duty.

5)    Work with other Councils undertaking due diligence to ensure that not-for-profit structures are not being used inappropriately by suppliers as an artificial device to reduce the payment of tax and business rates.

6)    Demand clarity on the ultimate beneficial ownership of suppliers UK and overseas and their consolidated profit and loss position, given lack of clarity could be strong indicators of poor financial probity and weak financial standing.

7)    Promote Fair Tax Mark certification especially for any business in which we have a significant stake and where corporation tax is due.

8)    Support Fair Tax Week events in the area, and celebrate the tax contribution made by responsible businesses are proud to promote responsible tax conduct and pay their fair share of corporation tax.

9)      Support calls for urgent reform of UK procurement law to enable local authorities to better penalise poor tax conduct and reward good tax conduct through their procurement policies.”

Notice of Motion 2

The following Notice of Motion submitted under Paragraph 14 of the Council Procedure Rules has been submitted by Councillors Bridge, Raynor, Stirzaker and Michael Vincent:

“Fireworks are used by people throughout the year to mark different events, but they are also often used indiscriminately with no thought for the detrimental impact on residents or animals. While they can bring much enjoyment to some people, they can cause significant problems and fear for other people and animals.

They can be a source of fear and distress for many animals (including pet animals, farm livestock and wildlife). Animals affected not only suffer psychological distress but can also cause themselves injuries – sometimes very serious ones – as they attempt to run away or hide from the noise.

This Council resolves:

1)    to encourage all public  ...  view the full agenda text for item 27.

Councillors Fail, Beavers, Longton, Raynor, Smith and Stirzaker submitted a Notice of Motion under Procedure Rule 14 on the Councils for Fair Tax Declaration. The motion was proposed by Councillor Fail and seconded by Councillor Beavers.

Councillors Michael Vincent and Henderson responded to the proposal, after which Councillor Bridge proposed that the question be now put.  The Mayor, considering that the item had been sufficiently discussed, invited the seconder of the motion, Councillor Beavers to speak.  Councillor Fail responded to the debate.

The motion was lost, by 7 votes to 35.

Councillors Bridge, Raynor, Stirzaker and Michael Vincent submitted a Notice of Motion under Procedure Rule 14 on the use of fireworks in the borough. The motion was proposed by Councillor Bridge and seconded by Councillor Stirzaker.

The motion was supported unanimously.