Agenda item

Report of Councillor Michael Vincent, Leader of the Council and Rebecca Huddleston, Chief Executive.

The Leader of the Council, Councillor Vincent, and the Chief Executive, Rebecca Huddleston submitted a report seeking the approval the approval of the Council Plan 2024-2028.

Councillor Vincent introduced his report.

The following amendments, were proposed by Councillor Fail and seconded by Councillor Duffy:

1.     Making our vision a reality – People and communities

Proposed Additional Commitment (page 52) – Improve the effectiveness of the Voluntary, Community and Faith sector (VCFS) to deliver safe and sustainable services.

Proposed additional delivery area (page 53) – Support the VCFS through targeted infrastructure support.

Proposed Additional success measure (page 53) – Increase in the number of VCFS organisations provided with targeted infrastructure support.

2.   Making our vision a reality – People and communities

Proposed Additional Commitment (page 52) - Improve the quality of life for individuals by tackling employment and income deprivation.

Proposed Additional success measure (page 53) – Reduction in the number of wards in the bottom 10% for deprivation.

3.   Making our vision a reality – Place and climate

Proposed Amended Commitment (page 52) – Build pride in our borough by cherishing our heritage and ensuring our town centres and neighbourhoods are clean attractive and well looked after.

Proposed way of achieving amended part of commitment (page 55) – Formally consider heritage in all decision making.

4.    Longer term commitments (page 57)

Amended Commitment - Work with partners to deliver on the return of rail or the delivery of light rail to Thornton and Fleetwood whilst ensuring the currently intended reinstatement to the outskirts of Fleetwood is future proofed, allowing a later phase to reach the centre of Fleetwood.

The Mayor agreed that, Procedure Rule 16.4 would be suspended so that the Leader of the Opposition when proposing his amendments would not be time limited. However, all other speakers would, as usual, be limited to a maximum of five minutes each.

Councillor Vincent proposed that there be a suspension of Procedure Rule 16.6 (b), and that all four proposed amendments have one single debate and vote. This was agreed by Councillor Fail and was supported by Council.

Members debated the proposed amendments. Before the amendments were put to vote, several Labour Group members demanded a recorded vote.

The following members voted in support of the amendments: Councillors Beavers, Belshaw, Blair, Duffy, Fail, Higginson. Martin, Rimmer, Rushforth, C Stephenson, Swatton, A Walker, C Walker and Wells.

The following members voted against the amendments: Councillors Amos, Lady D Atkins, Sir R Atkins, Baxter, Berry, Bolton, Bowen, Bridge, Cartridge, Catterall, Collinson, Ellison, Higgs, Ibison, Jackson, Le Marinel, Leigh, McKay, Meekins, Minto, Nicholls, Preston, Rendell, Robinson, Swift, Thewlis and Vincent.

The amendments was therefore lost (by 14 votes to 27).

The following amendments, were proposed by Councillor Rimmer and seconded by Councillor Rushforth:

1.       that we commit under being 'innovative and customer-focused' to explore and implement during the four-year plan more participatory decision-making processes with residents at a broader more strategic level of engagement. By this I mean that residents are not just asked about specific geographical or thematic areas of regeneration but are given a better understanding of the Council's opportunities and limitations and can have a clear say on the overall future direction of the borough. If we know what is important to residents, we can better take their views into account;

2.       that we commit under 'place and climate' to set out clearly for residents the ways Wyre can influence and support integrated infrastructure development, alone and together with other bodies and partners, and to commit to work more closely with residents to ensure that development in the borough is seen as improving people's lives rather than as something negative or somehow imposed by others, including the Council.

Following the consent of Council, there was one single debate and vote on these amendments.

Councillor Vincent was of the view that the proposed amendment was not an acceptable amendment. He suggested that the content of Councillor Rimmer’s amendment was better placed for the consideration of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee.

Following debate, the amendments proposed by Councillor Rimmer were lost (by 14 votes to 26).

A vote was then taken on the original motion.

The following recommendations were approved (28 votes to 0, with 12 abstentions):

·         That the draft Council Plan 2024-2028, as set out in Appendix B be approved.

·         That the Chief Executive, in consultation with the Leader of the Council, be authorised to make any final amendments.