Agenda and minutes

Venue: The Council Chamber, St. Giles Square, Northampton, NN1 1DE.

Contact: Email: democraticservices@northampton.gov.uk  01604 837722

Items
No. Item

1.

Declarations of Interest

Minutes:

Councillor Eldred declared a personal interest in Item 9 – Community Governance Review as a member of the Parish Council Wootton and East Hunsbury.

 

Councillor Bottwood declared a personal interest in Item 9 – Community Governance Review as a member of the Parish Council for Upton.

 

Councillor Hill declared a personal interest in Item 9 – Community Governance Review as his wife was a member of the Parish Council for Wootton and East Hunsbury

 

Councillor Nunn declared a personal interest in Item 9 – Community Governance Review as a member of the Parish Council for Wootton and East Hunsbury

 

Councillor Larratt declared a personal interest in Item 9 – Community Governance Review as Ward Councillor for East Hunsbury

 

Councillor Patel declared a personal interest in Item 9 – Community Governance Review as a member of the Parish Council for Wootton and East Hunsbury.

 

 

 

2.

Minutes pdf icon PDF 70 KB

To approve the minutes of the proceedings of the Meeting of the Council held on 22 October 2012.

Minutes:

The minutes of the meeting held on the 22nd October 2012 were agreed and signed by the Mayor.

3.

Apologies.

Minutes:

Apologies were received from Councillors Capstick, Eales and Malpas.

4.

Mayor's Announcements

Minutes:

The Mayor commented that he had attended a Britain in Bloom presentation at the Guildhall.  A certificate was accepted by Councillors Mackintosh and Caswell on behalf of John Farrell for his contributions and efforts towards Britain in Bloom.

 

The Mayor commented that he and the Mayoress had attended the Supplementary Schools Annual Dinner which had been very successful and noted the outstanding contributions that supplementary schools had made.

 

5.

Public Comments and Petitions

Minutes:

Mr Mike Penny addressed Council and expressed his concern over the abolition of Wootton and East Hunsbury Parish Council. He commented that there would be financial implications under the proposed structure. He reported that the ethos of the proposal was to allow local communities to be more influential in the decision making process; however, he commented that the cultural and socio-economic needs of the residents would not be changed should the proposal be implemented and was therefore unnecessary. He further commented that the low voter turnout was not representative and the proposed changes to the Parish Council should therefore not be supported.

 

Mr Danny Moody spoke in his capacity as the Chief Executive of Northamptonshire County Association of Local Councils and commented that he had provided technical advice with regards to the Community Governance Review. He stated that there had been a long history of the Council working with Wootton and East Hunsbury Parish Council and that the council had been recognised and awarded for its positive contribution. He stated that it would be a dark day when one local authority suggests the abolition of another.

 

Ms Victoria Shaw commented on the extensive work that had been carried out by the Wootton and East Hunsbury Parish Council, which included being one of the first Parish Councils to sponsor PCSOs and the continued support during the relocation of the library facilities. She stated that to create two further Parish Councils would result in further expenditure for residents and that it was unsustainable – it would not be possible to run two parish councils more financially efficiently than one. She urged Members to vote against the abolition of Wootton and East Hunsbury Parish Council.

 

Mr Owen Coop spoke on behalf of the Banbury Lane Residents Association. He explained that residents had informed him that they wanted a Parish Council for Hunsbury Meadows and having circulated a document regarding the proposal, he called an open meeting with regards to the matter. He expressed his thanks to Councillors Bottwood and Oldham for attending the meeting. He further reported that there was a comparatively high turnout of voters in Hunsbury Meadows and congratulated and thanked the Borough Council for debating the notion. He commented that he welcomed the recommendations of the Council’s steering group to propose that Hunsbury Meadow be made a Parish Council.

 

Mr Brian Hoare was of the opinion that the Local Advisory Poll was fundamentally flawed in many respects and commented that the number of votes received were not indicative of the true feelings of the residents. He stated that there had been a lack of information about the Advisory Poll and the introduction of a new parish council could potentially have significant financial implications for residents. He urged Members to listen to the public and not to lay blame at the low turnout, as the process was flawed. He further asked Council to consider the recommendations individually and that they not be agreed on mass.

 

Mr Peter Jones commented that he  ...  view the full minutes text for item 5.

6.

Member and Public Question Time pdf icon PDF 44 KB

Attached are the questions of which notice had been given and responses to them.

Minutes:

The Mayor advised that 5 questions had been received from members of the public and Councillors and that they and the answers had been tabled in accordance with the Constitution.

 

Councillor Davies asked Councillor Caswell as the relevant Cabinet Member what steps had been taken to implement the recommendations of the Beasley report and how was enterprise performance going to be monitored. In response he explained that the question would be covered in his Cabinet Member presentation. 

 

Councillor Palethorpe asked Councillor Bottwood for details about the number of agency staff employed by NBC since April 2012 and noted the tabled response.

 

Councillor I Choudary asked Councillor Eldred as the relevant Cabinet Member, whether there had been any consultation with the ‘Save Sekhemka’ Action Group and noted the tabled response.

 

Responses to the two questions received from Norman Adams for Councillor Markham were noted. A response to his questions would be forwarded to him.

7.

Cabinet Member Presentations pdf icon PDF 103 KB

(copy herewith)

Minutes:

At this point each of the Cabinet Members made a presentation of their respective portfolios that had been circulated with the agenda.

 

Councillor Mackintosh presented his Cabinet Member report and elaborated thereon. He offered his congratulations to HRH the Prince of Wales and his wife on the announcement that they were expecting their first child. He informed Council that the recent Police and Crime Commissioner elections had resulted in the Conservative nominee winning the election in Northamptonshire and looked forward to working with him in the near future. An update was given with regards to the flooding at Billing Aquadrome and it was noted that the Secretary of State for Environment had visited the area. It was also noted that Strictly Northampton had raised over £30,000 for charity. Councillor Wire (DL) commented that the PCC election was a ‘Tory Flagship’ that was only wanted by the administration and asked if Councillor Mackintosh could confirm whether the new Police and Crime Commissioner had ten staff members working for him. He also commented that the Remembrance Day service could be run more smoothly and asked that the logistics of the event be looked at. He further commented that in relation to the figures quoted by Councillor Mackintosh with regards to the crime statistics that the actual overall trend of crimes had increased – figures that Councillor Wire (DL) had obtained from the Police. In response to the questions posed, Councillor Mackintosh commented that it was a failure of the Labour Party to put forward a candidate who was electable. He commented that the concerns expressed about the logistics of the remembrance service had been noted and could not comment on crime statistics without sight of the figures. In response to a question from Councillor Glynane, it was confirmed that Councillor Mackintosh and Councillor Eldred had visited the Home Farm Equestrian Centre that offers riding for the disabled and that they were taking stock of issues and a report would be taken to Cabinet in the future. Councillor Mackintosh, in response to a further question, explained that he had been in contact with the Secretary of State for the Environment and would follow up the issues and concerns about insurance matters for homes in flood hit locations. In response to a question asked by Councillor Larratt, Councillor Mackintosh commented that he was aware of the concerns of the people of Collingtree Park where flooding might be exacerbated in the future, by the recent decision of South Northants District Council to allow houses to be built by the Newport Pagnell Road, and he would continue to look into the problem.

 

Councillor Caswell submitted his Cabinet Member report and commented that he was pleased that the Environmental Management Service was now listening to the concerns of the Council. He commented that a new operations Director had been put in place. He also reported that the authority been awarded recertification to the Carbon Trust Standard. Councillor Caswell explained that there were a number of issues  ...  view the full minutes text for item 7.

8.

Opposition Group Business

Councillor Wire DL to make a statement on Council Processes and Local Democracy.

Minutes:

Councillor Wire DL stated that the administration had paid very little attention to the recommendations of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee. He stated that the decision to have the Music Festival at Delapre had been made in a way so as to avoid the call in procedure and thus negate consideration by the Overview and Scrutiny Committee. He commented that the Overview and Scrutiny committee was in place to improve the decision making process, allowing for non-cabinet members to scrutinise the work being undertaken by Cabinet. He further stated that the regulations laid out in the Council’s constitution were being dismissed which made the democratic process less valid. He commented that members and the general public felt disappointed with Cabinet meetings themselves as they were not an arena where democratic decision making was carried out and the concerns of people were being largely dismissed especially with regards to the decision made about the Shekhema and the subsequent Call In. The Call In procedure highlighted the fact that there had been a limited consultation and urged that Cabinet, Council and the general public listen to the valuable opinions of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee. Councillor Wire DL, commented that the move towards LGSS was wrong and that Council staff should be valued. He stated that Councillor Mackintosh’s reference to some Council Workers as ‘Dead Wood’ deserved a public apology.

 

Councillor Mackintosh questioned why Labour were opposed to bringing in big name acts to the region, which had been done as part of the Delapre Music Festival. He explained that the decision had been taken for it not to go through the Cabinet process due to very strict time constraints and that delaying the decision could have impacted on the loss of an act being signed up. In reference to the comments made about ‘Dead Wood’, Councillor Mackintosh stated that he was not going to defend over-paid and languid civil servants.

 

Councillor Wire DL commented that Labour had supported numerous initiatives in Northampton but expressed concern that too much was being given away with regards to LGSS. He commented that further loss would result in the Council being left as a shell and no more than a district council.

9.

Community Governance Review pdf icon PDF 690 KB

An addendum to the report tabled at the meeting is attached to the report, immediately following Appendix 3.

Additional documents:

Minutes:

Councillor Mackintosh submitted a report that sought to agree the outcomes of the Borough-wide Community Governance review. He clarified that there was a mistake within the report at Item 9, section 2.1.11(d) that should have read Simpson Manor, not as Simpson Meadow as printed. An Addendum was also distributed, which summarised feedback that had been received since the publication of the Report to Council on 23rd November 2012. These were brought to the attention of the Council for information in making a decision on the recommendations arising from the Community Governance Review although they came after the closing of the formal consultation process. It was noted that the consultation stages of the Community Governance Review ended on the 15th November 2012 and a Local Advisory Poll had been conducted on that day. It was further explained that the Local Advisory Poll had been conducted in accordance with the Terms of Reference for the review, the process of which had been developed by the cross party Councillor Community Governance Review Steering Group.

Councillor Eldred congratulated the officers on their work and commented that the process was an opportunity to give people a say about the areas in which they lived.

 

Councillor Beardsworth commented that the advisory poll had not been as successful as thought of by the administration. It was noted that whilst she had no problems with Parish Councils, she had received communications from residents who had shown a real concern about the increase in the parish precept which people could not afford. She commented that there was little publicity with regards to the Poll and therefore questioned whether people had been suitably and sufficiently informed to make a decision.

 

Councillor Oldham reported that he had received communication in the post about the Local Advisory Poll. He commented that an extensive consultation process had been undertaken and was satisfied that everything had been done to ensure people had the necessary information with regards to the Local Advisory Poll.

 

Councillor Wire DL commented that both he and Councillor Mason had sat on the Community Governance Review Steering Group and explained that he could see no problem with the information provided and suggested that some of the responsibility lay with each Councillor to inform their Constituents. He further commented that the views of the people who did turn out to vote should therefore be listened to.

 

Councillor Nunn commented that the majority of people who had voted in the Wootton and East Hunsbury district had voted against the split of the Parish which he attributed to increased costs. He further reported that the Council had an obligation to listen to the views of the electorate and suggested that further consideration and the analysis of the implications was required. He stated therefore, that he would be voting against the split of Wootton and East Hunsbury.

 

Councillor Meredith reported that the low turn-out was a reflection of the spirit of democracy as people were exasperated by politics. He stated that the  ...  view the full minutes text for item 9.

10.

Notices of Motion

(i)            Councillor Hadland to propose and Councillor Nunn to second:

 

“This Council records its gratitude to the Market Advisory Group and its independent chair, Mr. Raymond Everall for their hard work so far, in helping the Administration find solutions to the problems faced by Market Square traders.

 

This council believes that a vibrant Town Centre is the key to attracting more visitors, business and investment to our town with the Market Square at its heart. This year events such as Godiva Awakes, the Olympic Torch Relay, the Diamond Jubilee celebrations and St. Crispin's Street Fair have attracted thousands of people onto the streets of our Town Centre.

 

This Administration is also committed to deliver more schemes such as an hour of free parking and the 25 percent reduction in market rents to help Town Centre businesses, and in cooperation with our partners, is delivering long-term the 'Northampton Alive' regeneration projects such as the new bus interchange, the St. John’s development, the new railway station, Project Angel and the new cinema at The Royal and Derngate for the benefit of the whole town.”

 

(ii)          Councillor Mackintosh to propose and Councillor Eldred to second:

 

“This council recognises the outstanding contribution made by Walter Tull both in the service of our country and in breaking down racial barriers as a sportsman and a soldier. 

 

Walter Tull served with distinction during the First World War, seeing action at the Battle of The Somme in 1916, and gaining a Mention in Despatches for his ‘gallantry and coolness’ during his time fighting in Italy.  As the first black officer in the British Army he has come to be seen as an important historical role model.  Walter Tull was killed in action before the end of the war, and was unfortunately never awarded the Military Cross for which he was recommended.

 

Walter Tull made 111 appearances for Northampton Town Football Club between 1911-1914, and is a figure of national importance with whom Northampton is proudly associated.

 

2014 marks the one hundredth anniversary of the outbreak of the First World War, and 2013 is the 125th anniversary of Walter Tull’s birth.  This Council adds its support to the campaign for Walter Tull to be posthumously awarded the Military Cross.”

 

(iii)         Councillor Palethorpe to propose and Councillor Davies to second:

 

“This Council recognises that the National Minimum Wage as of the 1st October 2012 has increased to £6.19 an hour.

 

This Council also recognises the significant impact on hard working people in Northampton ability to provide the essentials of life for their families of higher fuel and housing costs along with inflation of over 2% and the changes arising from the Welfare Reforms.

 

Northampton Borough Council recognises that it has a responsibility to provide the leadership required to help hard working families and that the National Minimum Wage is insufficient to provide the essentials for their families.

 

This Council recognises that the Living Wage is calculated according to the cost of living and given minimum pay rates required  ...  view the full agenda text for item 10.

Minutes:

i)             Councillor Hadland proposed and Councillor Nunn seconded:

 

“This Council records its gratitude to the Market Advisory Group and its independent chair, Mr. Raymond Everall for their hard work so far, in helping the Administration find solutions to the problems faced by Market Square traders.

 

This council believes that a vibrant Town Centre is the key to attracting more visitors, business and investment to our town with the Market Square at its heart. This year events such as Godiva Awakes, the Olympic Torch Relay, the Diamond Jubilee celebrations and St. Crispin's Street Fair have attracted thousands of people onto the streets of our Town Centre.

 

This Administration is also committed to deliver more schemes such as an hour of free parking and the 25 percent reduction in market rents to help Town Centre businesses, and in cooperation with our partners, is delivering long-term the 'Northampton Alive' regeneration projects such as the new bus interchange, the St. John’s development, the new railway station, Project Angel and the new cinema at The Royal and Derngate for the benefit of the whole town.”

 

Council debated the motion.

 

Upon a vote, the motion was carried.

 

ii)            Councillor Mackintosh proposed and Councillor Eldred seconded:

 

“This council recognises the outstanding contribution made by Walter Tull both in the service of our country and in breaking down racial barriers as a sportsman and a soldier. 

 

Walter Tull served with distinction during the First World War, seeing action at the Battle of The Somme in 1916, and gaining a Mention in Despatches for his ‘gallantry and coolness’ during his time fighting in Italy.  As the first black officer in the British Army he has come to be seen as an important historical role model.  Walter Tull was killed in action before the end of the war, and was unfortunately never awarded the Military Cross for which he was recommended.

 

Walter Tull made 111 appearances for Northampton Town Football Club between 1911-1914, and is a figure of national importance with whom Northampton is proudly associated.

 

2014 marks the one hundredth anniversary of the outbreak of the First World War, and 2013 is the 125th anniversary of Walter Tull’s birth.  This Council adds its support to the campaign for Walter Tull to be posthumously awarded the Military Cross.”

 

Council debated the motion.

 

Upon a vote, the motion was carried.

 

iii)           Councillor Palethorpe proposed and Councillor Davies seconded:

 

“This Council recognises that the National Minimum Wage as of the 1st October 2012 has increased to £6.19 an hour.

 

This Council also recognises the significant impact on hard working people in Northampton ability to provide the essentials of life for their families of higher fuel and housing costs along with inflation of over 2% and the changes arising from the Welfare Reforms.

 

Northampton Borough Council recognises that it has a responsibility to provide the leadership required to help hard working families and that the National Minimum Wage is insufficient to provide the essentials for their families.

 

This Council recognises that the  ...  view the full minutes text for item 10.

11.

Matters of Urgency which by reason of special circumstances the Mayor is of the opinion should be considered

Minutes:

None