At a Meeting of the WEST DEVON BOROUGH COUNCIL held at the Council Chamber, Council Offices, Kilworthy Park, TAVISTOCK on TUES

At the Meeting of the WEST DEVON BOROUGH COUNCIL held in the COUNCIL CHAMBER, KILWORTHY PARK, TAVISTOCK on TUESDAY the 5^th day of APRIL 2022 at 4.00pm pursuant to Notice given and Summons duly served.

Present Cllr C Mott – The Mayor (In the Chair)

Cllr K Ball Cllr A Blackman

Cllr A Bridgewater Cllr R Cheadle

Cllr P Crozier Cllr M Davies

Cllr L Daniel Cllr C Edmonds

Cllr M Ewings Cllr N Heyworth

Cllr N Jory Cllr C Kemp

Cllr P Kimber Cllr T Leech

Cllr B Ratcliffe Cllr M Renders

Cllr L Samuel Cllr D Sellis

Cllr T Southcott Cllr J Spettigue

Cllr D Turnbull Cllr P Vachon

Cllr J Yelland

Senior Leadership Team

Monitoring Officer

Democratic Services Manager

Internal Audit Manager

Head of Housing

Deputy Section 151 Officer

CM 63/21 WELCOME

On behalf of the Council, the Mayor welcomed Cllr Turnbull to his first meeting of the Council since his recent election to the office of West Devon Borough Council.

CM 64/21 APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE

Apologies for absence were received from Cllrs Bolton, Coulson, Moody, Moyse, Pearce, Ridgers and Wood

CM 65/21 CONFIRMATION OF MINUTES

It was moved by Cllr N Jory, seconded by Cllr R Cheadle and upon the motion being submitted to the Meeting was declared to be CARRIED and “RESOLVED that the Council agree the Minutes of the 15 February 2022 meeting as a true record.”

CM 66/21 DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST

The Mayor invited Members to declare any interests in the items of business to be considered during the course of the meeting, but there were none made.

CM 67/21 BUSINESS BROUGHT FORWARD BY THE MAYOR

(a) Mayor’s Engagements

The Mayor made specific reference to:

- the success of her Civic Dinner that had been held on 17 March 2022;

- an upcoming ‘Call My Bluff’ style event to which all Members were invited to attend; and

- the results of the Mayoral Awards. The Mayor paid tribute to the quality of the applications that had been received this year and advised that the main award winners were:

o Long Service Award – Elizabeth Cole;

o The Over 18s Category – Donna Lewis; and

o The Green Award – Rodney Woods.

CM 68/21 MINUTES OF COMMITTEES

a. Overview & Scrutiny Committee – 15 February 2022

It was moved by Cllr M Ewings, seconded by Cllr P Kimber and upon being submitted to the Meeting was declared to be CARRIED and “RESOLVED that the Minutes of the 15 February 2022 meeting be received and noted

b. Hub Committee – 8 March 2022

It was moved by Cllr N Jory, seconded by Cllr R Cheadle and upon being submitted to the Meeting was declared to be CARRIED and “RESOLVED that the Minutes of the 8 March 2022 meeting be received and noted, with the exception of Recommendations HC 73 and HC 74.”

In respect of the Recommendation:

HC 73: Planning Improvement Plan Update: Local Validation List and Planning Charter

It was moved by Cllr N Jory, seconded by Cllr R Cheadle and upon being submitted to the Meeting was declared to be CARRIED and “RESOLVED that the Council approves the local Validation List as set out in Appendix 1 of the report presented to the Hub Committee meeting.”

HC 74/21: Regeneration and Investment Strategy

It was noted that Recommendation HC 74/21 was to be considered as a standalone agenda item later in the Meeting (Minute CM 72/21 below refers).

CM 69/21 GRANT TO THE UKRAINE HUMANITARIAN APPEAL

Consideration was given to a report that sought approval for making a grant to the Disasters Emergency Committee’s Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal.

In discussion, reference was made to:-

(a) the generosity of the local communities of West Devon. A number of Members wished to put on record their thanks to the generosity of the residents of West Devon Borough and the amount of money that was being raised to support the Appeal and the number of local families who were willing to accommodate refugees was felt to be remarkable;

(b) the work of Council officers. In light of the reactive nature of the crisis, thanks were extended to the work of Council officers who were working tirelessly to support the appeal effort;

(c) support for the grant. Members welcomed the proposal to allocate a £10,000 grant to the Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal and felt that it would help to make a difference in the appeal effort.

It was then proposed by Cllr N Jory, seconded by Cllr R Cheadle and upon being submitted to the Meeting was declared to be CARRIED and ”RESOLVED that:

1) a grant of £10,000 be made to the Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal launched by the Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC); and

2) the grant be funded from a £10,000 contribution from un-ringfenced revenue reserves”.

CM 70/21 WEST DEVON TRANSPORT HUB - LEVELLING UP FUND TRANCHE 2 BID

Consideration was given to a report that set out the Council’s intention, working in partnership with Devon County Council, Network Rail and GWR, to submit a revised bid for the West Devon Transport Hub, to the second tranche of the Levelling Up Fund opening in Spring 2022.

In discussion, the following points were raised:

(a) Such had been the success of the re-opening of the Exeter to Okehampton railway line, that a number of local Ward Members emphasised the need and urgency for the Transport Hub in Okehampton. In highlighting the challenges associated with the access to and from the existing station, it was felt that any measures that could be implemented to alleviate these must be welcomed;

(b) In emphasising the importance of the Climate Change and Biodiversity Emergency, the emphasis within the Bid to ‘Active Travel’ was widely supported.

It was then proposed by Cllr N Jory, seconded by Cllr R Cheadle and upon being submitted to the Meeting was declared to be CARRIED and ”RESOLVED that the submission by the Director of Place and Enterprise of an application to the Levelling Up Fund Tranche 2 for capital funding for West Devon Transport Hub in Okehampton (as outlined in Section 2 of the presented agenda report) be approved.”

CM 71/21 RESOURCE AND WASTE MANAGEMENT STRATEGY FOR DEVON AND TORBAY

A report was considered that summarised the consultation response to the draft Resource and Waste Management Strategy for Devon and Torbay (the Strategy) and proposed amendments for inclusion in the final strategy

During discussion, reference was made to:

(a) the use of electric vehicles. Whilst the technology was not yet available for waste and recycling fleet vehicles to become electric, the Council remained fully committed to both keeping this under close review and ensuring that Members were kept fully briefed;

(b) the absence of any information in respect of a cost benefit analysis. In response to the concerns of a Member regarding the lack of any financial information within the published agenda report, officers informed that it was not possible at this time to state with any confidence how the Central Government Environment Bill would impact upon the Strategy;

(c) the availability of a downloadable (printable) version of the Waste and Recycling Collection Calendar. A number of Members lamented the absence of a downloadable version of the Calendar this year and requested that this matter be revisited outside of this Council Meeting;

(d) the ongoing commitment to reduce, reuse and recycle. Whilst commending the performance of residents in respect of the ‘reduce, reuse and recycle’ agenda, it was also recognised that there was always scope to make further improvements.

It was then proposed by Cllr L Daniel, seconded by Cllr R Cheadle and upon being submitted to the Meeting was declared to be CARRIED and ”RESOLVED that:

1. the results of the public consultation exercise be noted;

2. the proposed amendment to reduce the waste prevention target to 400kg/head/year by 2030 be approved; and

3. the final Strategy be approved”.

CM 72/21 REGENERATION AND INVESTMENT STRATEGY

Consideration was given to a report that sought approval to update to the Regeneration and Investment Strategy as contained in Appendix A of the presented report and to change the title of the Invest to Earn Committee to the Regeneration and Investment Committee.

When questioned, the lead Member advised that the Committee met on an ad-hoc basis and it was hoped that it would be deemed necessary to convene a meeting soon.

It was then proposed by Cllr C Edmonds, seconded by Cllr R Cheadle and upon being submitted to the Meeting was declared to be CARRIED and ”RESOLVED that the update to the Regeneration and Investment Strategy as presented in Appendix A of the agenda report be approved and that the ‘Invest to Earn’ Committee be renamed to the ‘Regeneration and Investment’ Committee.”

CM 73/21 2022/23 CAPITAL STRATEGY, 2022/23 TREASURY MANAGEMENT STRATEGY AND 2022/23 INVESTMENT STRATEGY

The Council considered a report that recommended approval of the proposed Capital Strategy, Investment Strategy and Treasury Management for 2022/23, together with their associated prudential indicators.

It was proposed by Cllr C Edmonds, seconded by Cllr R Cheadle and upon being submitted to the Meeting was declared to be CARRIED and ”RESOLVED that:

1. the following strategies for 2022-23, as presented with the agenda report be approved:

a. the Capital Strategy (as attached at Appendix A of the published agenda report);

b. the Treasury Management Strategy (as attached at Appendix B of the published agenda report); and

c. the Investment Strategy (as attached at Appendix C of the published agenda report); and

2. delegated authority be given to the Section 151 Officer, in consultation with the Leader of the Council and the Hub Committee lead Member for Finance, to make any minor amendments to these Strategies if required throughout the 2022/23 Financial Year”.

CM 74/21 2022/23 INTERNAL AUDIT PLAN

Consideration was given to a report that provided Members with the opportunity to review and comment upon the proposed internal audit plan for 2022/23.

In discussion, the following points were raised:-

(a) Having been informed that the timetable that would underpin the Plan was still being compiled, a request was made for the Section 106 Audit to be undertaken during early 2022/23;

(b) Members were assured that there was sufficient flexibility within the Plan to both add items and to amend the number of projected days that were required to undertake an Audit.

It was proposed by Cllr C Edmonds, seconded by Cllr R Cheadle and upon being submitted to the Meeting was declared to be CARRIED and ”RESOLVED that the report and the proposed Internal Audit Plan for 2022/23 (as presented at Appendix A of the published agenda report), be approved.”

CM 75/21 SHARED SERVICES METHODOLOGY 2021/22

The Council considered a report that set out the methodology for the apportionment of costs (predominantly staffing costs) between West Devon Borough Council and South Hams District Council.

It was proposed by Cllr C Edmonds, seconded by Cllr R Cheadle and upon being submitted to the Meeting was declared to be CARRIED and ”RESOLVED that the methodology of the shared services apportionment of costs between West Devon Borough Council and South Hams District Council for 2021/22, as attached in Appendix A of the presented report, be noted”.

CM 76/21 PAY POLICY STATEMENT AND PAY AND REWARD STRATEGY

Members were presented with a report that proposed adoption of the Council’s Pay Policy Statement and Pay and Reward Strategy for 2020/21.

In reply to a question, it was confirmed that there had been recent examples of the Relocation Allowance and Golden Hello aspect of the Strategy being used to recruit new members of staff.

It was then moved by Cllr N Jory, seconded by Cllr R Cheadle and upon being submitted to the Meeting was declared to be CARRIED and ”RESOLVED that Council adopts the 2022/23:

1. Pay Policy Statement (as attached at Appendix A of the presented agenda report); and

2. Pay and Reward Strategy (as attached at Appendix B of the presented agenda report).”

CM 77/21 POLITICAL COMPOSITION AND MEMBER APPOINTMENTS

Consideration was given to a report that recommended amendments to membership of some formal and informal Bodies of the Council following the By-Election held in the Tavistock North Ward on 17 February 2022 and the consequent impact upon political balance.

It was then moved by Cllr N Jory, seconded by Cllr R Cheadle and upon being submitted to the Meeting was declared to be CARRIED and ”RESOLVED that with immediate effect and for the remainder of the 2021/22 Municipal Year:

1. the revised political composition of the Council be noted as follows:

- Conservative Group: 17 Members;

- West Devon Alliance Group: 12 Members;

- Non-aligned Independents: 2 Members.

2. Cllr D Turnbull be appointed to serve on:

- the Overview and Scrutiny Committee; and

- the Communications & Media and People & Community Hub Advisory Groups; and

3. Cllr N Jory be appointed to serve on the Standards Committee”.

(The Meeting terminated at 5.15 pm)

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Mayor