Agenda and minutes

To confirm and sign the minutes of the meeting held on 27 November 2019.

The minutes of the meeting held on 27 November 2019 were confirmed and signed as a correct record.

Please declare any disclosable pecuniary interests or personal interests that you may have relating to any specific matters which may be discussed at the meeting by signing the form that is available at the back of the Council Chamber.  Completing this form will be acceptable as a declaration, but members may also declare the interest orally if they so wish.

A copy of the declarations of interest is attached to the signed copy of the minutes.

a)    Roger Wilson

To invite members to pay tribute to Cllr Roger Wilson who passed away on 8 December 2019.  A memorial service will be held at 2.30pm on 25 February 2020 at St Peter’s Winchcombe, and afterwards at Toddington Village Hall.  At the end of the tributes, members will be asked to stand in silence as a mark respect for Roger.

b)    Terry Glastonbury

To stand in silence as a mark of respect for Cllr Terry Glastonbury who passed away on 9 December 2019.  Terry was a county councillor from 2009 to 2013, representing the West Dean Division in the Forest of Dean.  Terry was a longstanding member of the Forest of Dean District Council, serving as Chair of Council and Chair of the Planning Committee.  

c)    Queen’s New Year Honours

To congratulate the people living in Gloucestershire who received awards as part of the Queen’s New Year Honours.  The Chairman of the Council has written to the individuals included in the list attached to the agenda congratulating them on their awards.

d)    Australian bushfires

The Chairman to advise that he has written to the Australian High Commissioner to the United Kingdom to express the Council’s sympathy at the loss of life following the devastating bush fires and to send best wishes to the people of Australia affected by the fires. 

e)    Holocaust Memorial Day

On 27 January 2020, members and staff attended a short memorial service at Shire Hall to remember all the victims of the Holocaust and other genocides that have taken place throughout the world. The day marked the 75th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau.

Councillor Colin Hay led the service by sharing his experience at Srebrenica. Group Leaders signed a statement for the Council’s adoption of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (HRA) Working Definition of Antisemitism.

f)     Glos Talks

The Glos Talks Campaign encourages everyone to talk more openly about mental health and their experiences so those who are struggling will seek help.  Members are invited to have their photographs taken with the Glos Talks ‘selfie frame’ on the Council Chamber landing at lunchtime.

g)    Members’ survey

Members are encouraged to complete the survey that has been circulated via Members’ Matter.  This will provide valuable feedback on member development and ICT provision. Paper copies will be available from Democratic Services staff at the meeting. 

h)   ICT support

Staff from ICT will be on hand over the lunch break to provide advice to members.

a)    Roger Wilson

Group Leaders and other members paid personal tributes to Cllr Roger Wilson who sadly passed away on 8 December 2019.  They referred to Roger’s qualities and his commitment to and enthusiasm for the Council and his desire to improve services for the people of Gloucestershire. They noted that he was held in high regard by the wider health community for his work in driving forward the ambitions of the Gloucestershire Health and Wellbeing Board.  His financial acumen and knowledge had allowed him to constructively challenge the way services were provided.  Roger was committed to serving the people of Winchcombe and Woodmancote whom he had represented since his election in May 2013.  Outside the Council, he was passionate about his role as a member, and latterly as chair, of the Bournville Village Trust which managed award winning social housing in the Midlands.     

A memorial service would be held at 2.30pm on 25 February 2020 at St Peter’s Winchcombe, and afterwards at Toddington Village Hall.

b)    Terry Glastonbury

Cllrs Alan Preest, Terry Hale and Graham Morgan paid tribute to former county councillor Terry Glastonbury who represented the West Dean Division in the Forest of Dean from 2009 to 2013.  Terry was a longstanding member of the Forest of Dean District Council, serving as Chair of Council and Chair of the Planning Committee, and had also served as a member of both West Dean Parish Council and Lydney Town Council.

The Chairman invited members to stand in silence as a mark of respect for both Roger Wilson and Terry Glastonbury.

c)    Queen’s New Year Honours

The Chairman congratulated the people living in Gloucestershire who had received awards as part of the Queen’s New Year Honours.  He said that he had written to the individuals included in the list attached to the agenda congratulating them on their awards.

d)    Australian bushfires

The Chairman advised that he had written to the Australian High Commissioner to the United Kingdom to express the Council’s sympathy at the loss of life following the devastating bush fires and to send best wishes to the people of Australia affected by the fires. 

e)    Holocaust Memorial Day

On 27 January 2020, members and staff had attended a short memorial service at Shire Hall to remember the victims of the Holocaust and other genocides.  The day marked the 75th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau. Councillor Colin Hay led the service by sharing his experience at Srebrenica. Group Leaders signed a statement for the Council’s adoption of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (HRA) Working Definition of Antisemitism.

f)     Glos Talks

The Glos Talks Campaign encouraged everyone to talk more openly about mental health and their experiences so those who were struggling would seek help.  Members were invited to have their photographs taken with the Glos Talks ‘selfie frame’ on the Council Chamber landing at lunchtime.

g)    Members’ survey

Members were encouraged to complete the survey that had been circulated via Members’ Matter.  This would provide valuable feedback on member  ...  view the full minutes text for item 3.

Twenty four public questions had been submitted prior to the meeting. 

As none of the questioners were in attendance at the meeting, a member  suggested that new technology be utilised to allow members of the public to attend the meeting remotely to ask supplementary questions.  They noted that it was difficult for some people to get to meetings.

Cllr Richard Boyles, Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Children’s Safeguarding and Early Years, to present the Annual Report of the Corporate Parenting Group.

Cllr Richard Boyles, Cabinet Member for Children’s Safeguarding and Early Years, presented the annual report of the Corporate Parenting Group.  He thanked members of the Corporate Parenting Group, ambassadors, professional partners and officers at the Council for their work over the last year.  He was pleased that most members had signed the corporate parenting pledge but he said that he was disappointed that some members had failed to do this.  He encouraged members to read Members’ Matter for corporate parenting updates and information on upcoming events.   

A number of members spoke about a recent event they had attended at Kingsholm Stadium to celebrate care leavers.  They were concerned that care leavers often felt lonely and they hoped that support could be provided to help them in developing relationships alongside advice on housing, education and employment. They expressed disappointment that some members had still not signed the pledge.    A member believed that the Council could do more to mobilise people in local communities to support young people who had left the care system. 

Another member regretted that a motion that she had presented to Gloucester City Council to prevent care leavers becoming intentionally homeless had been rejected.  Cllr Boyles undertook to work with the six district councils to address the member’s concerns.

A member suggested that a schedule of corporate parenting events for each year be published so that members were aware of what was coming up well in advance.  They believed that personal invites should be sent out to members for events.  They said that they were pleased that two public engagement events had been held relating to the plans for Trevone House in Gloucester. 

Cllr Boyles agreed that this was a good approach and he would ask officers to make the necessary arrangements alongside notifications in Members’ Matter.  Referring to Trevone House, he said that there would be further engagement events with potential providers setting out what their plans were.  He recognised that there would always be a need for out of county placements but he hoped that the local market could be developed alongside Trevone House to reduce the number required.   

RESOLVED to note the report.

To receive petitions presented by members without discussion.

No petitions were presented by members.

The report before members included the budget recommendations, Medium Term Financial Strategy, budget consultation report, scrutiny budget report and due regard statement.

The Chief Executive explained the procedure that would be followed at the meeting. First, Cllr Mark Hawthorne, Leader of the Council, and Cllr Lynden Stowe, Cabinet Member for Finance and Change, would be asked to present the recommendations from the Cabinet.

Second, in order to reach a position where a substantive motion could be debated, the other political groups would be invited to propose amendments to the budget but there would be no debate at that stage.  This would be a departure from the normal procedure where only one amendment could be moved and discussed at any one time.  The Chairman therefore proposed that under procedure rule 23.1 the following part of procedure rule 12.5 be suspended for the duration of the budget debate:

‘Only one amendment may be moved and discussed at any one time.  No further amendment may be moved until the amendment under discussion has been dealt with.’

The Vice-chairman seconded the motion and, on being put to the vote, the motion was supported.

Once the amendments had been presented, the Chairman would call for an adjournment to provide an opportunity for the Group Leaders to reach a common position. 

After the adjournment, the Leader of the Council would advise members of those areas where it had been possible to reach agreement.  Any amendments which had not been accepted or withdrawn would then be presented by the groups, debated and voted upon. 

Thereafter all members would have an opportunity to debate the budget in line with the normal rules of debate.  At the end of the debate, the Leader of the Council would have the right of reply. 

Finally, a recorded vote would be proposed by the Chairman on the substantive motion, seconded by the Vice-chairman.

Conservative Group

Cllr Mark Hawthorne, the Leader of the Council, and Cllr Lynden Stowe, the Cabinet Member for Finance and Change, presented the recommendations from the Cabinet meeting held on 29 January 2020.

Cllr Hawthorne explained that the budget delivered a 7.1% increase in investment in frontline services.  He highlighted the additional investment in Adult Social Care, Children’s Services, climate change, Gloucestershire Fire and Rescue Service, supporting homeless people, infrastructure and highways.  He thanked Cllr Richard Boyles, Cabinet Member for Children’s Safeguarding and Early Years, and Chris Spencer, Director of Children’s Services, for leading the improvement work in Children’s Services.  The budget provided an extra £12.9 million (14.7%) for the improvement plan. 

He said that he was particularly pleased that Gloucestershire had been able to accommodate 300 Syrian refugees, more than any other county in the South West. 

He noted that the Council was showing its commitment to climate change through investment in public transport, cycle routes, schools and electric charging points.  He said that this was before the Council received any of the £5 billion recently announced by the Government for buses and cycling.

Cllr Stowe reminded members  ...  view the full minutes text for item 7.

Up to 30 minutes is allowed for this item.

To answer any written member questions about matters which are within the powers and duties of the County Council.

The closing date for receipt of questions is 10am on Wednesday, 5 February 2020. Please send questions to the Chief Executive marked for the attention of Stephen Bace (email stephen.bace@gloucestershire.gov.uk).

Questions received and proposed responses do not accompany this agenda but will be circulated prior to the meeting.

Sixteen member questions had been received. The following supplementary questions were asked:

Question 1 – Cllr Kate Haigh stated that she understood that the threshold had been changed and that funding could not be allocated to devices such as a signal-controlled crossing and asked that this be looked at and clarification given to members regarding what the barriers were.

Cllr Dave Norman replied that he was happy to look into that.

Question 2 – Cllr Eva Ward stated that she was grateful for the notification.

Question 3 – Cllr Paul Hodgkinson stated that there had been a lack of communication around parking enforcement in Bourton-on-the-Water and felt there was a discrepancy as to what had been communicated to the town council.

Cllr Dave Norman stated that there had been significantly more visits and hours of patrol from enforcement officers and he would update the member.

Question 4 – Cllr Ben Evans asked if the Cabinet Member could comment or explain how Gloucestershire Highways were ensuring the quality of the repairs to ensure value for money.

Cllr Vernon Smith replied that sometimes repairs had to be carried out in less than ideal weather, but were subject to regular inspections. He said that the way to reduce potholes was major resurfacing.

Question 6 – Cllr Colin Hay asked when the under-estimation had been identified regarding school places and whether the current figures were now correct.

Cllr Patrick Molyneux explained that this was a  difficult and complex formula and he felt that the right formula was now in place.

Question 7 – Cllr Colin Hay asked the Cabinet Member to explain his understanding of the potential issues with the primary school site in Bishops Cleeve and why the local parish councils were concerned.

Cllr Patrick Molyneux explained the limitations around where the school could be sited. He said that a potential site had been owned by the Diocese and discussions continued with them and Tewkesbury Borough Council.

Question 9 – Cllr Colin Hay asked for the Cabinet Member’s understanding of  glebe land as detailed in the answer.

Cllr Patrick Molyneux replied that the Diocese was bound to get the best value from its land.

Question 10 – Cllr Colin Hay asked if the consultation was effective when only one site was identified.

Cllr Patrick Molyneux replied that it was a consultation on the proposed site and there was nothing further he could add.

Question 14 – Cllr Rachel Smith  asked for the Council to be more imaginative with regards to county farms to encourage more local vegetable production.

Cllr Lynden Stowe stated it was important to recognise the tenants of our county farms and work within the tenancy agreements in place. If the member wished to bring forward a suggestion on how we do that then a  budget amendment would have been the best way to do that. The overall strategy would be reviewed at some point and members would be informed of when that would be.

Question 15 – Cllr Rachel Smith  ...  view the full minutes text for item 8.

Cllr Shaun Parsons, Chair of the Corporate Overview and Scrutiny Committee, to present the scrutiny reports from the January cycle of meetings.

Cllr Shaun Parsons, Chair of the Corporate Overview and Scrutiny Committee, presented the report.  He said that the budget scrutiny session held by the Corporate Overview and Scrutiny Committee had been attended by Cabinet Members and Directors who had presented details of their spending plans.  The Health Scrutiny Committee had been looking at the Gloucestershire Clinical Commissioning Group’s ‘Fit for the Future’ consultation.  The Environment Scrutiny Committee had considered issues around the roll-out of an electric vehicle charging infrastructure in the county.  Members of the Children and Families Scrutiny Committee had received a presentation on the draft Transitions Strategy.  Three scrutiny task groups were continuing their work on single-use plastics, taxi licensing and public participation.  Non-executive members were also involved in other activities including a Cabinet advisory panel on the Gloucestershire Fire and Rescue Service. 

Cllr Colin Hay, Chair of the Gloucestershire Police and Crime Panel, advised that the Police and Crime Commissioner’s budget and precept had been supported unanimously by the panel.  He noted that the increase in the funding available to the Police relied on a substantial rise in council tax.  He acknowledged that the Government was fully funding the costs of extra 20,000 police officers with the Gloucestershire allocation expected to be 152.  The Commissioner had highlighted the extra pressure on the police as a result of cuts to public services elsewhere, notably mental health and universal youth services. 

RESOLVED to note the report.

Arising from the appointment of Cllr Carole Allaway-Martin as the Cabinet Member for Adult Social Care Commissioning, to appoint a Chair of the Health Scrutiny Committee and make any other necessary changes.

Arising from the appointment of Cllr Carole Allaway-Martin as the Cabinet Member for Adult Social Care Commissioning, nominations were invited for the position of Chair of the Health Scrutiny Committee.

RESOLVED that Cllr Brian Robinson be appointed as Chair of the Health Scrutiny Committee.

Cllr Robinson advised that he was standing down as Chair of the Children and Families Scrutiny Committee. Nominations were therefore invited for the vacant position of Chair of the Children and Families Scrutiny Committee.

RESOLVED that Cllr Andrew Miller be appointed as the Chair of the Children and Families Scrutiny Committee.

Cllr Mark Hawthorne, Chairman of the Constitution Committee, to present the report from the meeting held on 30 January 2020.

Cllr Mark Hawthorne, Chair of the Constitution Committee, presented the report from the meeting held on 30 January 2020.  He explained that decisions were required relating to parental leave for councillors and the criteria for submitting motions.  He said that no decision was necessary relating to the procedure for notices without motion because the arrangements needed to be considered in more detail.

Although shared parental leave was not specifically identified in the proposed parental leave policy, it did refer to applying the principles included in relevant staff policies. 

RESOLVED to

a)        Adopt the parental leave policy for councillors as shown as Appendix A to the report.

b)        Implement the proposed amendments outlined in Appendix B to the report relating to the criteria for submitting motions and be reviewed after 6 months.

To consider the decision statements for the period 1 November 2019 to 31 January 2020.

RESOLVED to note the decision statements for the period 1 November 2019 to 31 January 2020.

To consider the decision statements for the Cabinet meetings held on 20 December 2019 and 29 January 2020 including the recommendation to the Council relating to the Local Minerals Plan.

Cllr Nigel Moor, Cabinet Member for Environment and Planning, presented the recommendation relating to the Minerals Local Plan from the Cabinet meeting on 29 January 2020.  He explained that the plan was critical to the growth agenda as it allowed aggregate to be supplied for new developments in a sustainable way. He said that the Inspector had found the plan to be sound subject to detailed amendments.  He thanked officers for the detailed work they had undertaken to allow the plan to be adopted within a relatively short period.  

A member referred to a recent decision made by the Planning Committee which allowed Allstone to continue their operations in Gloucester for three years subject to conditions to protect the local community.  He hoped that the Council would work closely with Allstone to allow them to move to a more suitable site in the longer term.  Cllr Moore said that he was happy for officers to do this. 

RESOLVED to

a)        Note the Inspector’s report (Appendix 1) and its recommendations including the incorporation of proposed main modifications to the Minerals Local Plan for Gloucestershire as a prerequisite to the adoption of the plan.

b)        Delegate authority to the Director of Economy, Environment and Infrastructure, in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Environment and Planning, to finalise additional modifications to the plan including those published by the Council in July 2019 (Appendix 2) and any further additional modifications now required.

c)         Adopt the Minerals Local Plan for Gloucestershire, incorporating the main and additional modifications (Appendix 3t) as required by the Director of Economy, Environment and Infrastructure, in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Environment and Planning, in accordance with Section 23(3) of the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004 (as amended).

d)        Delegate authority to the Director of Economy, Environment and Infrastructure, in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Environment and Planning, to complete the requirements of the Town and Country Planning (Local Planning) (England) Regulations 2012 (as amended) to make the plan and other documents and information publicly available and notify specified persons as soon as reasonably practicable after the plan is adopted.

e)        Note the Cabinet Decision Statements for the meetings held on 20 December 2019 and 29 January 2020.