Items
No. |
Item |
1/21 |
Welcome
Minutes:
01/21
On behalf
of the Council, the Chairman welcomed Cllr Louise Jones to her
first Council Meeting following her recent election to serve on the
Council.
|
2/21 |
Minute's Reflection
Minutes:
02/21
As this was the first Full
Council meeting since both the Duke of Edinburgh and Ms Tracy
Winser (who had worked for the Council
from 1991 to 2015 and had led on the successful Transformation
Programme) had sadly passed away, the Chairman asked those in
attendance, as a mark of respect, to observe a minute’s
reflection in their memory.
|
3/21 |
Declarations of Interest
Members are invited to declare any personal;
or disclosable pecuniary interests, including the nature and extent
of such interests they may have in any items to be considered at
this meeting;
Minutes:
03//21
Cllr J Sweett declared a personal interest in
agenda item 27(d): ‘Reports of Bodies – Executive
Meeting 22 April 2021’ and specifically recommendation
E.80/20(a): Urgent Business: (a) ARG Policy – Supporting Our
Business Communities by virtue of being a local business
owner. Cllr Sweett remained in the
meeting and took part in the debate and vote thereon.
|
4/21 |
Election of the Chairman of the Council
(The
Chairman will then read and sign the declaration of acceptance of
office).
Minutes:
04/21
RESOLVED
That Cllr R J Foss be elected Chairman of the
Council for the period expiring on the date of the Annual Meeting
of the Council in 2022.
Cllr Foss subsequently declared and signed his
acceptance of office.
|
5/21 |
Address by the New Chairman of Council
Minutes:
05/21
In addressing the
Council, Cllr Foss expressed his honour at being elected as
Chairman of the Council and wished to thank his fellow Members for
their vote of confidence.
During his address,
Cllr Foss also made specific reference to:-
-
his wish to pay particular tribute to the
outstanding work undertaken by the outgoing Chairman (Cllr Rowe) in
very difficult circumstances during the COVID-19
Pandemic;
-
the honour being tinged with sadness following the recent passing of
his wife. In stating that he would miss
her invaluable help and advice during his year of office, Cllr Foss
was adamant that she would have made a wonderful
consort. Furthermore, since Mrs Foss
had raised many tens of thousands of pounds for both Cancer
Research and the Devon Air Ambulance, it was his intention for
these to be his chosen charities. In
light of the number of residents who had lost loved ones and had
been severely restricted in being able to say goodbye to them, it
was the wish of Cllr Foss to encourage officers and Town and Parish
Councils to establish whether there were areas of land that could
be used to plant a tree in their loved ones memory;
-
the impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic.
Cllr Foss highlighted the mark that had been left by the Pandemic
and wished to pay tribute to officers and fellow Members for the
monumental effort that had been made to ensure that the Council was
able to maintain its day-to-day business. Whilst welcoming the ability to return to
face-to-face public meetings, Cllr Foss also recognised that there
would be extensive homeworking for the foreseeable future and,
since the start of the Pandemic, the Council had seen a decrease of
85% of commuting miles and 50% of business miles that had equated
to a reduction of 280 tonnes equivalent of carbon. With regard to mitigating Climate Change, Cllr
Foss recognised that the Council had set aside a considerable
amount of money for this very important purpose;
-
Finally, the Pandemic willing, it was the intention
of Cllr Foss to upkeep a longstanding tradition by attempting to
attend as many local town and parish council meetings as was
practically possible.
|
6/21 |
Vote of thanks to the Retiring Chairman
Minutes:
06/21
RESOLVED
That the thanks of the Council be extended to
Cllr Rowe for the manner in which she had performed her duties
during her term of office as Chairman of the Council.
|
7/21 |
Response by the Retiring Chairman;
Minutes:
07/21
Cllr Rowe proceeded
to address the Council and highlighted how enjoyable she had found
her two year term of office. In so
doing, she made particular reference to:-
-
her gratitude for the support she had received from the wider
membership during her two years of office. In particular, she wished to thank her husband and
her Vice-Chairman (Cllr Foss) for their excellent support and she
particularly hoped that Cllr Foss would have a memorable year in
office;
-
the role of Chairman being incredibly challenging during the
Pandemic. In highlighting some of the
challenges that had been faced, the Chairman also wished to record
her specific thanks to the support that she had received from: the
Chief Executive; the Democratic Services Team; the Section 151
Officer and her finance colleagues; and the Member IT Support
Officer;
-
the sad recent losses of Mrs Foss, Mrs Pennington and Cllr
May. Cllr Rowe wished to recognise
their losses and send her best regards to Cllrs Foss and Pennington
and Mrs May; and
-
her wish that Members and officers treat each other
with respect and work towards making the South Hams a better place
to both live and visit.
|
8/21 |
Appointment of the Vice Chairman of the Council;
(The Vice
Chairman will then read and sign the declaration of acceptance of
office).
Minutes:
08/21
RESOLVED
That Cllr L Austen be appointed Vice Chairman
of the Council for the period expiring on the date of the Annual
Meeting of the Council in 2022.
Cllr Austen subsequently declared and signed
his acceptance of office.
|
9/21 |
Minutes PDF 205 KB
to approve as a
correct record the minutes of the meeting of the Council held on 25
March 2021;
Additional documents:
Minutes:
09/21
The
minutes of the meeting of Council held on 25 March 2021 were
confirmed as a correct record.
|
10/21 |
Statement from the Leader
Minutes:
10/21
The Leader provided her annual
statement to the Council Meeting and made particular reference
to:-
-
her appreciation to the Deputy Chief
Executive for the manner in which he had temporarily taken over the
reins during 2020. In particular, she
was truly grateful for the manner in which he had held the Council
together during the onset of the Pandemic. Furthermore, the way that officers had knuckled
down to work at home and continued to ensure a tremendous delivery
of business as usual was also worthy of praise. For example, the allocation of over £71.7
million in grants to local businesses had been processed and paid
to ensure that so many local businesses were able to survive the
pandemic;
-
the positive impact that the Chief Executive had already had since
joining the Council in June 2020;
-
the loss of Cllr David May. The Leader paid tribute to David, who had proven
to be a valued, extremely competent and hardworking Member of the
Executive. In stating how much she
missed him, the Leader also highlighted his versatility, humour,
generosity and kindness;
-
her hope that the Team Devon concept would see all the local
authorities in Devon, where possible, working closely together;
-
her overriding objectives of Leader remained to:
o
focus on the wellbeing and prosperity of local residents whilst
welcoming visitors to the South Hams;
o
conserve the natural and historic built environment, particularly
the protected areas;
o
progress and deliver on the adopted
Climate Change and Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan and fully
co-operate with the Devon Climate Change Plans. in support of this objective, the Leader
highlighted the monies that had already been committed to support
the delivery of the Strategy and Action Plan; and
o
roll out the adopted Joint Local Plan
(JLP) in order to provide both housing and employment space and to
look for solutions to the affordability problems for local
residents in accessing housing in the South Hams. With regard to the JLP, the Council still had a
secure five-year land supply; the Supplementary Planning Document
had been adopted; five more Neighbourhood Plans were on the agenda
for adoption at this Council meeting; and there was a Freeport in
the District (shared with Plymouth);
-
the imminent presentation of a revised
draft Corporate Strategy for approval.
Whilst the Council already had a tremendously broad basis for the
Strategy (via the adopted Climate Change and Biodiversity Strategy
and Action Plan; the Recovery Plan and Action Plan; and the Housing
Strategy and Action Plan), there was still a need to convert this
basis into an outward facing public document for consultation;
and
-
her wish to congratulate Cllr Louise
Jones on her recent election to serve on the Council. In addition, the Leader announced that Cllr Holway
would be joining the Executive with immediate effect to lead on the
Climate Change and Biodiversity portfolio area. Finally, there would be some slight adjustments to
the portfolio areas in light of the
expected demands ...
view the full minutes text for item 10/21
|
11/21 |
Representation on Political Groups PDF 254 KB
to approve a review
carried out in consultation with leaders of the Political
Groups. This is reflected in the list
of Council Bodies (circulated separately);
Minutes:
11/21
The
Chairman advised Members that a review of the representation of the
political groups on the Council’s Bodies had been carried out
in consultation with the Leaders of the
four Political Groups.
It was then:
RESOLVED
1.
That it be noted that the Political Composition of
the Council is as follows:-
§
A Conservative Group of 16 Members;
§
A Liberal Democrat Group of 10 Members;
§
An Independent Group of 3 Members; and
§
A Green Party Group of 2 Members.
2.
That the overall political balance of Council
Bodies, as reflected in the paper set out in the presented agenda
papers, be approved.
|
12/21 |
Appointment of Members to Bodies of the Council PDF 175 KB
to
appoint the Members to the Council Bodies for the 2021/22 Municipal
Year;
To follow;
Additional documents:
Minutes:
12/21
The Council subsequently
received nominations from the Group Leaders and Independent Members
for the membership of the Bodies of the Council.
It was then:
RESOLVED
That, for the 2021/22 Municipal Year, Members be appointed to the
Bodies of the Council as set out in Appendix A to these
minutes.
|
13/21 |
Election of Chairman and Vice-Chairman of those Bodies of the Council PDF 411 KB
to elect the
Chairman and Vice-Chairman of the Bodies of the Council for
the2021/22 Municipal Year;
To
follow
Minutes:
13/21
The Council received nominations
from its Group Leaders for the positions of Chairmen and Vice
Chairmen of the Bodies of the Council.
It was then:
RESOLVED
That the Chairmen and Vice Chairmen of the Bodies of the Council
for the 2021 / 2022 Municipal Year be as indicated below:-
Body
Chairman
Vice Chairman
Audit Committee
Cllr L Austen
Cllr B Spencer
Development Management
Committee
Cllr J Brazil
Cllr R Foss
Licensing Committee
Cllr D Brown
Cllr R Rowe
Overview & Scrutiny
Committee
Cllr J Birch
Cllr P Smerdon
Salcombe Harbour Board Cllr J
Brazil
Co-Opted Member
|
14/21 |
Appointment of Salcombe Harbour Board Co-Opted Members PDF 290 KB
Minutes:
14/21
The Council considered a report that sought to
appoint two Co-Opted Members to serve on the Salcombe Harbour
Board.
In discussion, the exceptional quality of the
candidates that had applied was noted.
It was then:
RESOLVED
1.
That, with immediate effect, Messrs Andrew Owens and
Ian Shipperley be appointed to serve on
the Salcombe Harbour Board as Co-Opted Members for the period to
the date of the Annual Council meeting in May 2024; and
2.
That the Council suspend its Procedure Rule that
would otherwise require a recruitment process in 2022 to enable,
with effect from the date of the Annual Council meeting in May
2022, Mr Paul Brown to be appointed to serve on the Salcombe
Harbour Board as a Co-Opted Member for the period to the date of
the Annual Council meeting in May 2025.
|
15/21 |
Draft Calendar of Meetings for the 2021/22 Municipal Year PDF 265 KB
Additional documents:
Minutes:
15/21
Members were
presented with a report that sought to approve the draft Calendar
of Meetings for 2021/22.
During
discussion, the following points were raised:-
(a)
Where possible, officers confirmed that steps were
taken to avoid meeting clashes with Devon County
Council;
(b)
In reply to a request, the Chief Executive was
supportive of the proposal to revise the format of the drop-in
sessions with Senior Leadership Team representatives to more
structured Question and Answer Sessions.
It was
then:
RESOLVED
That the draft Calendar of Meetings for 2021/22 (as
set out at Appendix A of the presented agenda report) be
approved.
|
16/21 |
Formal Adoption of the Council Constitution PDF 280 KB
Additional documents:
Minutes:
16/21
Consideration was
given to a report that sought to formally adopt the Council
Constitution.
In introducing
the report, there was an acknowledgement that there had been
insufficient time for Members to fully consider the proposed
revisions and it was therefore PROPOSED and
SECONDED that: ‘consideration of
the Council Constitution be deferred to the Full Council meeting to
be held on 15 July 2021’.
During the
ensuing discussion, the importance of the Constitution was
recognised and assurances were given that Member input on the
proposed revisions would be welcomed before the 15 July 2021
Council meeting. A Member also wished
to put on record his thanks to the Leader for supporting the
deferral and felt that this represented a positive way
forward.
It was
then:
RESOLVED
That consideration of the Council Constitution be deferred to
the Full Council meeting to be held on 15 July 2021.
|
17/21 |
Appointment of Governance Boards / Panels PDF 320 KB
to agree to the appointment of the Governance
Boards / Panels for the 2021/22 Municipal Year;
To follow;
Additional documents:
Minutes:
17/21
Members proceeded to consider
the appointment for the 2021/2022 Municipal Year of the:-
(a)
Council Tax Setting Panel;
(b)
Devon Building Control Partnership;
(c)
Discretionary (Major) Business Rate Relief Panel;
(d)
Joint SH/WD/Plymouth Joint Local Plan Partnership Board;
(e)
Rate Relief Panel;
(f)
Slapton Line Steering Group;
(g)
South Devon AONB Partnership Committee;
(h)
Tamar Valley AONB Partnership Committee; and
(i)
Waste Partnership Board.
In discussion and, where deemed
appropriate, it was agreed that actions arising and/or minutes
arising from meetings of these Boards and Panels should be made
available to the wider membership.
It was then:
RESOLVED
That the appointment of Governance Boards / Panels for the 2021/22
Municipal Year be approved, as set out in Appendix B to these
minutes.
|
18/21 |
Appointment of Representatives on Outside Bodies PDF 276 KB
to
agree to the appointment of Members as representatives on Outside
Bodies for the 2021/22 Municipal Year;
To follow;
NOTE: Although
some of these appointments are accepted by the “Outside
Bodies” for a period of years, it is the Council’s
practice where possible to review all appointments annually.
Additional documents:
Minutes:
18/21
A report was considered that set
out details of those Outside Bodies to which the Council appointed
representatives and included a list of nominations for
representation on these Outside Bodies.
Three nominations (Cllrs L
Austen, J Brazil and L Jones) had been received for the two
positions on the Joint Advisory Committee (JAC) on Housing for
Local Needs in the Dartmoor National Park.
In line with the Council
Constitution, it was necessary for these two vacancies to be filled
by virtue of a ballot. Upon completion
of the ballot, it was subsequently declared CARRIED
that Cllrs L Austen and L Jones be appointed to serve on the Joint
Advisory Committee (JAC) on Housing for Local Needs in the Dartmoor
National Park.
During the debate on the report, an amendment to the recommendation
was PROPOSED and SECONDED as
follows:
‘That
the Council:
1.
welcome and accept the recommendations arising out of
the Task and Finish Group report (as set out in Section 3 of the
presented agenda report);
2.
be represented on the list of Outside Bodies (as set
out at Appendix C to these minutes) and that, for the purposes of
Members’ Allowances, attendance at meetings of these Bodies
be regarded as an ‘Approved Duty’;
3.
approve the draft reporting feedback template (as set
out at Appendix 2 of the presented agenda report) and, furthermore,
require Members attending Outside Bodies to submit their reports
within 28 days following the date of the meeting they attended;
and
4.
approve the draft Member Role Profile (as detailed at
Appendix 3 of the presented agenda report).’
In support of the amendment, some Members felt it important to
recognise the success of the Task and Finish Group
Review. In addition, these Members felt
it reasonable to expect that reports should be submitted within 28
days of a meeting. In contrast, other
Members felt that the original proposal was proportionate and they
did not support any additional constraints being placed upon those
representatives who were appointed to serve on Outside
Bodies.
When put to the vote, the
amendment was declared LOST.
It was then:
RESOLVED
That, for the 2021/22 Municipal Year, the Council:
1.
be represented on the list of Outside Bodies (as set out at
Appendix C to these minutes) and that, for the purposes of
Members’ Allowances, attendance at meetings of these Bodies
be regarded as an ‘Approved Duty’;
2.
approve the draft reporting feedback template (as set out at
Appendix 2 of the presented agenda report); and
3.
approve the draft Member Role Profile (as detailed at Appendix 3 of
the presented agenda report).
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19/21 |
Urgent Business
the Chairman to announce if any item not on
the agenda should be considered on the basis that he considers it
as a matter of urgency (any such item to be dealt with under
‘Chairman’s Announcements’);
Minutes:
19/21
The Chairman advised that he
had no items of urgent business to be raised at this
meeting.
|
20/21 |
Chairman's Announcements
Minutes:
20/21
The Chairman advised that he
did not have any further announcements to make at this
time.
|
21/21 |
Aveton Gifford Neighbourhood Plan PDF 46 KB
Minutes:
21/21
Consideration was
given to a report that sought approval of the making (adoption) of
the Aveton Gifford Neighbourhood Plan.
It was
then:
RESOLVED
That the Aveton Gifford Neighbourhood Development
Plan be made (adopted).
|
22/21 |
Kingston Neighbourhood Plan PDF 46 KB
Minutes:
22/21
The
Council considered a report that sought approval of the making
(adoption) of the Kingston Neighbourhood Plan.
It was
then:
RESOLVED
That the Kingston Neighbourhood Development Plan be
made (adopted).
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23/21 |
Kingswear Neighbourhood Plan PDF 46 KB
Minutes:
23/21
Members
considered a report that sought approval of the making (adoption)
of the Kingswear Neighbourhood Plan.
In
discussion, a local Ward Member wished to put on record his thanks
to the local Neighbourhood Planning Group for the tireless amount
of work that they had put in to development the Plan.
It
was then:
RESOLVED
That the Kingswear Neighbourhood Development Plan
be made (adopted).
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24/21 |
South Huish Neighbourhood Plan PDF 46 KB
Minutes:
24/21
A report
was considered that sought approval of the making (adoption) of the
South Huish Neighbourhood Plan.
In
discussion, both local Ward Members expressed their thanks to the
representatives who had put so much effort into developing the
Plan. In particular, the wider
membership was advised that the parish included the village of Hope
Cove, which currently possessed over 76% of second
homes. The Members hoped that the
adoption of the Plan would lead to increased provision of local
affordable housing.
It
was then:
RESOLVED
That the South Huish Neighbourhood Development Plan
be made (adopted).
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25/21 |
Strete Neighbourhood Plan PDF 45 KB
Minutes:
25/21
Members considered a report that sought to approve the making
(adoption) of the Strete Neighbourhood Plan.
It
was then:
RESOLVED
That the Strete Neighbourhood Development Plan be
made (adopted).
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26/21 |
Questions
to consider the
following question(s) (if any) received in accordance with Council
Procedure Rule 8.
Minutes:
26/21
It was noted that no questions had been received in
accordance with Council Procedure Rule 8.
|
27/21 |
Notice of Motion
to consider the
following motion received in accordance with Council Procedure Rule
10.1
(a)
By Cllrs Hodgson and Rose
“In line with our formal declaration of
a climate and biodiversity emergency, and our commitment to actions
to change behaviour to address the causes of this situation, and
mitigate the impacts, this Council supports the Climate and
Ecological Emergency Bill proposed by a coalition of scientists,
academics and lawyers with the aim of bringing the UK’s
climate policy into one with evolving scientific evidence.
Currently this also supported by 96 cross-party members of
parliament. Nationally we need a strong legislative framework
that embeds the Government’s targets in law, enabling us as
supportive players, to plan and develop our future trajectories, to
fit in with those targets.
Council therefore
resolves to:
i.
Support the Climate and Ecological Emergency Bill
ii.
Inform the local media of this decision;
iii.
Write to local MPs, asking them to support the Bill; and
iv.
Write to the
CEE Bill Alliance, the
organisers of the campaign for the Bill, expressing its support
(campaign@ceebill.uk).
Minutes:
27/21
It was noted that one
motion had been received in accordance with Council Procedure Rule
10.1.
(a)
By Cllrs Hodgson and Rose
“In
line with our formal declaration of a climate and biodiversity
emergency, and our commitment to actions to change behaviour to
address the causes of this situation, and mitigate the impacts,
this Council supports the Climate and Ecological Emergency Bill
proposed by a coalition of scientists, academics and lawyers with
the aim of bringing the UK’s climate policy into one with
evolving scientific evidence. Currently this also supported
by 96 cross-party members of parliament. Nationally we need a
strong legislative framework that embeds the Government’s
targets in law, enabling us as supportive players, to plan and
develop our future trajectories, to fit in with those targets.
Council therefore resolves to:
i.
Support the Climate and Ecological
Emergency Bill
ii. Inform
the local media of this decision;
ii.
Write to local MPs, asking them to
support the Bill; and
iv.
Write to the
CEE Bill
Alliance, the
organisers of the campaign for the Bill, expressing its support
(campaign@ceebill.uk).”
In discussion, it became apparent that there was a
difference in Member opinion regarding the current status of the
Climate and Ecological Emergency Bill.
As a result and, having received the necessary assurances from the
Council’s Monitoring Officer that this would not preclude the
Motion from being submitted to the next
meeting of Council, the proposer and seconder formally withdrew
this Motion from consideration at this Council Meeting.
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28/21 |
Reports of Bodies PDF 137 KB
to receive and as may be necessary approve the
minutes and recommendations of the under-mentioned Bodies
(* Indicates
minutes containing recommendations to Council).
Additional documents:
Minutes:
28/21
RESOLVED
That the minutes and recommendations of the
undermentioned bodies be received and approved subject to any
amendments listed below:-
(a) Salcombe
Harbour Board 15 March
2021
(b) Development
Management Committee 31
March 2021
(c) Audit
Committee 8 April
2021
(d)
Executive 22 April
2021
E.80/20: Urgent Business:
(a)
Additional Restrictions
Grant (ARG) Policy – Supporting Our Business
Communities
In discussion, a Member expressed his
opposition to the proposed use of the Business Rates Retention
Earmarked Reserve for this purpose and felt that the General
Reserve should be used instead.
Furthermore, the Member expressed his disappointment that a
proposal from the Kingsbridge Chamber of Commerce to support their
local business community had been refused by the
Council.
It was then:
RESOLVED
That the use of up to £498,000
from the Business Rates Retention Earmarked Reserve be approved to
fund any wider business support measures approved by the Council on
25 March 2021 that cannot be funded from the new ARG
Allocation.
E.85/20: Electric Vehicle Charging and
Renewable Energy Strategy
RESOLVED
2.
That Capital Expenditure of up to
£170,000 be approved from the Capital Programme Contingency
Reserve (as set out in the Finance Section of the agenda report
presented to the Executive meeting) as follows:
a.
£80,000 for the upgrade of the
network and rapid charger install at Totnes Depot; and
b.
£90,000 for the network upgrade
and limited initial phase of additional rapid chargers at Follaton
House, to facilitate the conversion of the light commercial vehicle
fleet to Electric Vehicles; and
3.
That a spend of up to £15,000
(funded from the Climate Change Earmarked Reserve) be approved to
fund an externally commissioned report to investigate and scope
opportunities primarily for Electric Vehicle Charging Points within
the Council’s property portfolio namely: car parks; depots;
and offices. Additionally, to explore
opportunities for solar and battery storage across the
estate.
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