Agenda and minutes

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

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

Items
No. Item

1.

Declarations of Interest

Minutes:

There were none.

2.

Minutes pdf icon PDF 121 KB

To approve the minutes of the proceedings of the Meeting of the Council held on 3 June 2019.

Minutes:

RESOLVED: The minutes of the Council meeting held on 3 June 2019 were agreed and signed by the Deputy Mayor with the inclusion of Councillor John Caswell in the list of attendees.

 

3.

Apologies

Minutes:

Apologies were received from the Mayor of Northampton and Councillors Beardsworth, Caswell, Davenport, Duffy, Lane, Malpas and B Markham.

4.

Mayor's Announcements

Minutes:

The Deputy Mayor had no announcements to make.

5.

Public Comments and Petitions

Minutes:

Dagmar King addressed the Council presenting a petition and explaining that it had been signed by over 1,100 local residents asking the Council to address the issue of homelessness which manifests itself with a proliferation of tents in and around the town centre.

 

Everyone wanted to see people located in suitable accommodation however for the homeless this was a long journey.  The first need was for them to feel safe and have access to basic facilities.  However the homeless were creating their own solutions and homeless women had additional needs. 

 

The petition was seeking the creation of a transit facility that would be the first step to providing people with dignity, safety, and sanitary provisions without impacting on the town centre. 

 

She thanked Churches, other local businesses and the Northampton Chronicle and Echo for their support.

 

Mr Martin Sawyer addressed the Council saying that action was needed to address the climate emergency.  He queried how much recycling went into landfill and how much recycling was transferred out of Northampton. 

 

The impacts on air quality had not been answered, highlighting that the parks and open spaces needed to be protected to create a zero carbon Northampton.  He requested that a biodiversity action plan be created.  The costs of not acting on this now were nothing if action was taken too late.

 

Ms Antonella Mercuri addressed the Council speaking of the impact of Barry Howard Homes.  She believed that Barry Howard Homes had been trespassing on a site and had started bulldozing without permission.  They had fenced off the perimeter, claiming land that they didn’t own and blocked a right of way.

 

She believed that Barry Howard Homes had been digging up the right of way and had installed a three hundred and sixty degree CCTV camera to monitor their equipment.  The CCTV camera was mounted at a height of four to five metres meaning that residents back gardens could be viewed along with having the potential to see into people’s bedrooms. 

 

She explained that Barry Howard Homes didn’t respond when contacted and she queried when the Council would have a positive impact regarding the development.

 

6.

Member and Public Question Time

Minutes:

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

 

Questions and answers were given as tabled unless where stated, supplementary questions were asked as detailed below.

 

In response to a supplementary question asked relating to question one, Councillor Hallam explained the data for June 2019 was different to the data for June 2018.  The data was different due to the weather conditions.

 

In response to a supplementary question asked relating to question four, Councillor Hallam explained the number of hybrid vehicles was growing.  The response provided had not included the number of slow charging points, for example Moulton Park Industrial Estate had eight vehicle charging points.  This was compared to Kettering which only had one rapid charging point and Wellingborough which only had two raid charging points.  He clarified that Northampton had more combined charging points in total than the rest of the county.

7.

Cabinet Member Presentations pdf icon PDF 62 KB

Additional documents:

Minutes:

Councillor Nunn submitted his report as Leader of the Council indicating that a briefing for Members on Local Government Reform would be held on 20 June 2019.

 

In response to questions asked Councillor Nunn indicated consideration would be given as to what could be done regarding the clash of events on 20 June 2019.  The Government and Commissioner had indicated there was a good evidence base to create a Children’s Trust and he agreed that the best solution should be considered.  The Children’s Trust needed to be locally engaged to ensure the best outcomes and he would do his best to influence this.  He clarified that all the district and borough councils had oversight on all service transformation during the move to unitary authorities. 

 

Councillor Larratt submitted his report as Deputy Leader of the Council and in response explained that the Far Cotton Residents Association in conjunction with others has put in the request for a Community/Parish Council for Far Cotton.

 

Councillor Hill submitted his report as Cabinet Member for Planning and in response explained that the Planning department did not have resource issues.

 

Councillor Hadland submitted his report as Cabinet Member for Regeneration and Enterprise and urged everyone to respond to the Town Centre master plans consultation before it closed on 30 June 2019.  Work on the repairs to the Queen Eleanor Cross had been progressing well and it was hoped to be completed by the autumn.

 

In response Councillor Hadland explained that if the repairs to the Queen Eleanor Cross were not completed before the winter he had received advice that it would be detrimental to cover it during that time. 

 

Councillor Hallam submitted his report as Cabinet Member for Environment explaining that 1500 notices had been issued by the neighbourhood wardens in the last year.  The wardens had done a great job. 

 

In response Councillor Hallam explained that as part of the legal process around fly tipping warning notices had to be issued before fines.  The trial to replace recycling boxes in Far Cotton with single use recycling sacks would continue with further investigation being conducted in the disposal of the waste before the scheme was rolled out to other locations. 

 

He would resend the email detailing options for toilet facilities at allotments to all members.  The public had made it clear that they did not want encampments on parks and where bollards had been installed it enabled the police to act quickly when there was evidence of clear destruction.

 

He felt the teams were doing well to keep up with the grass maintenance given the current weather climates.  It was a four week schedule which he would share with members.

 

He clarified that there were two electric vehicle charging points close to St James Retail Park.  He understood the number of fly-tipping instances were dropping but accepted this was dependent upon the location.  It was a challenge to manage particularly when there was a change of people living in houses of multiple occupation.  Evidence was gathered  ...  view the full minutes text for item 7.

8.

Opposition Group Business

Councillor Roberts to make a statement on “Planning for the people.”     

 

Minutes:

Councillor Roberts made a statement on ‘Planning for the people’.  She noted that the parking issues were resolved now that the University had moved to the town centre.  Residents seemed pleased with the results.  She queried if the consultation and planning process was appropriate.  She asked if a long term feasibility study had been carried out given that the university was located close to a residential development.  The Council’s Local Plan Part 2 was out for consultation and queried if the planning process was biased in the favour of the developer.  The Council could not enforce and breaches and the impact on the community must be what tipped the scales.  More homes were needed, more affordable housing however there were still risks that meant the affordability criteria was more relaxed.  Wildlife sites must be protected.  Sustainable travel needs to be considered.  There was a need to plan for the right buildings in the right places for the people.

 

In response Councillor Hill agreed that planning should be for the people.  He felt the University moving to the town centre was the right decision.  Regarding consultation the Council had a statutory duty and he believed it did try to go above and beyond that duty to reach more groups.  Regarding affordable housing the Council had to push to ensure that 35% was delivered.

 

Councillor Roberts felt there needed to be an improvement in the responses when responding to planning applications.  There was a need to ensure that Section 106 funding went back to the communities it was meant for so the local community was supported.  There was a need to ensure that the town planning was done right to assist the elderly.  The Council should plan right to build and deliver the right society.

9.

Notices of Motion

i)             Councillor Beardsworth to propose and Councillor Meredith to second:

 

This council believes that its best decisions are informed by public consultation.

 

The council passed the 2019/20 budget in February 2019 but one major saving relating to Car Parking Income has yet to be implemented and this is likely to result in a shortfall in income in the current year.

 

Whilst consultation was undertaken as part of the budget process this did not include consultation on the specific Car Parking increases.

 

To ensure that future budgets are implemented as planned, the Council asks Scrutiny to review the 2019/20 consultation process and recommend improvements to ensure that planned changes can be implemented in an effective way.

 

ii)            Councillor B Markham to propose and Councillor Beardsworth to second:

 

The council is currently consulting on Part 2 of the Local Plan with the view of submitting the draft for public inspection in 2020.

The draft plan has introduced a more detailed categorisation of open space which differentiates between Parks and Gardens and Amenity Green Space.

 

Many well-known parks have been categorised as Amenity Green Spaces (AGS) which is defined as Informal recreation and green spaces in and around housing, with a primary purpose of providing opportunities for informal activities close to home or work.

 

The council is concerned that the public would not recognise their local park as complying with this definition and requests that consideration is given to all open spaces, with play equipment supplied and maintained by this council, be classified as Parks and Gardens and not as Amenity Green Spaces.

 

iii)           Councillor G Eales to propose and Councillor Stone to second:

 

Council welcomes the formation of a Town Centre Masterplan. A bid for funding from the governments Future High Streets Fund can only be a positive thing for Northampton, especially if we are successful. However, it must be noted that until it no longer exists or is replaced, Northampton Borough Council is the current authority with responsibility for the Town Centre and regeneration. Yet this fundamental role is being circumvented during the Town Centre Masterplan process. The formation of 'Northampton Forward' has been undertaken without a mandate from Full Council or indeed the cabinet. This entity is answerable to no-one - as such there is a democratic deficit and no accountability. The board of 'Northampton Forward' is scheduled to be the sole decision maker on any final bid that goes forward and the body that considers any public feedback.

There is of course a role for stakeholders and partners, but it is imperative that Northampton Borough Council and elected members play a role in what should be a positive process, as is our elected responsibilities. The Town Centre Masterplan and the grouping that drives it must operate with openness and not on the basis of cronyism.  This town has suffered enough of that. To ensure the best outcomes, the following is agreed;

1) Full Council shall nominate Councillors from each political grouping to sit on the Northampton Forward  ...  view the full agenda text for item 9.

Minutes:

     I.        There was no proposer for this motion.

 

    II.        There was no proposer for this motion.

 

   III.        Councillor G Eales proposed and Councillor Stone seconded:

 

“Council welcomes the formation of a Town Centre Masterplan.  A bid for funding from the governments Future High Streets Fund can only be a positive thing for Northampton, especially if we are successful.  However, it must be noted that until it no longer exists for is replaced, Northampton Borough Council, is the current authority with responsibility for the Town Centre and regeneration.  Yet this fundamental role is being circumvented during the Town Centre Masterplan process.  The formation of ‘Northampton Forward’ has been undertaken without a mandate from Full Council or indeed the cabinet.  This entity is answerable to no-one – as such there is a democratic deficit and no accountability.  The board of ‘Northampton Forward’ is scheduled to be the sole decision maker on any final bid that goes forward and the body that considers any public feedback.

 

There is of course a role for stakeholders and partners, but it is imperative that Northampton Borough Council and elected members play a role in what should be a positive process, as is our elected responsibilities.  The Town Centre Masterplan and the grouping that drives it must operate with openness and not on a basis of cronyism.  This town has suffered enough of that.  To ensure the best outcomes, the following is agree:

 

·         Full Council shall nominate Councillors from each political grouping to sit on the Northampton Forward board.  The numbers should be: Conservative 3, Labour 2 and Lib Dem 1.  These Councillors should play active roles as board members in considering the feedback from the public and shaping any final plan that is submitted for consideration, working in parity with the rest of the board.  The nominees from each political group should be established within 48 hours after this meeting and provided to the Chief Executive, who can then advise Northampton Forward.

 

·         Full Council should formally vote on any final Town Centre plans that are to be part of any bid.  This plan can be pre-agreed by the Northampton Forward board ‘in principle’ and then brought to Full Council for rubber-stamping.

 

With cross party involvement on this issue and on the Northampton Forward board, it will ensure ‘buy in’ from all political groups and everyone positively focused on the best outcome for the town, whilst still respecting the role and democracy of Northampton Borough Council.”

 

Members debated the motion.

 

Upon a vote the motion was lost.

 

  IV.        Councillor Birch proposed and Councillor Russell seconded:

 

Mr David Ward of Voluntary Impact Northamptonshire addressed Council indicating that 147 organisations had provided support over the last few months.  Voluntary Impact Northamptonshire worked to provide car schemes to take people to appointments and the ‘Happy Home’ scheme which helped to reduce isolation.  They were invested in helping community organisations.  He tried to bring additional funding into the county.  He asked how the voluntary sector could engage with Councillors.  He vocal  ...  view the full minutes text for item 9.

10.

Matters of Urgency Which By Reason Of Special Circumstances The Mayor is of The Opinion Should Be Considered.

Minutes:

There were none.