Items
No. |
Item |
1/23 |
Election of the Chairman of the Council;
(The
Chairman will then read and sign the declaration of acceptance of
office).
Minutes:
01/23
RESOLVED
That Cllr G Pannell be elected Chairman of the Council for the
period expiring on the date of the Annual Meeting of the Council in
2024.
Cllr Pannell subsequently declared and
signed his acceptance of office.
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2/23 |
Address by the New Chairman of Council;
Minutes:
02/23
In
addressing the Council, Cllr Pannell offered his congratulations to
the newly elected Members and welcomed them to their first Council
meeting and sympathised with those who had lost their seats. He
expressed his honour at being elected as Chairman of the Council
and wished to put on record his particular thanks to Mr Austen for
the way that he had chaired the Council during 2022/23.
During his address, Cllr Pannell made specific reference
to:-
-
his expectation that it would be an exciting and
stimulating year;
-
his wish that Members would all work in the best
interests of the South Hams and its residents, and that he would do
his best to foster a spirit of cooperation, albeit with some lively
political debate;
-
his chosen charity for the Municipal Year being the
RNLI (Royal National Lifeboat Institution).
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3/23 |
Vote of thanks to the Retiring Chairman
Minutes:
03/23
In
proposing and seconding the vote of thanks to the retiring
Chairman, particular reference was made to the non-partisan way
that Mr Austen had chaired Council meetings, some of which that had
proven to have had particularly contentious debates. The proposer and seconder both expressed the view
that Mr Austen had been a credit to South Hams District
Council.
It was
then:
RESOLVED
That the thanks of the
Council be extended to Mr Austen for the manner in which he had
performed his duties during his term of office as Chairman of the
Council.
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4/23 |
Response by the Retiring Chairman
Minutes:
04/23
At the invitation of
the meeting, the retiring Chairman thanked Members for their kind
comments.
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5/23 |
Appointment of the Vice Chairman of the Council;
(The Vice
Chairman will then read and sign the declaration of acceptance of
office).
Minutes:
05/23
RESOLVED
That Cllr B Taylor be appointed Vice Chairman of the
Council for the period expiring on the date of the Annual Meeting
of the Council in 2024.
Cllr Taylor
subsequently declared and signed his acceptance of
office.
|
6/23 |
Minutes PDF 315 KB
to approve as a correct record
the minutes of the meeting of the Council held on 30 March 2023 and
the Special Meeting held on 13 April 2023;
Additional documents:
Minutes:
06/23
The minutes of
the meeting of Council held on 30 March 2023 and the Special
meeting of Council held on 13 April 2023 were both confirmed as a
correct record.
|
7/23 |
Declarations of Interest
In accordance with the Code of
Conduct, Members are invited to declare any Disclosable Pecuniary
Interests, Other Registerable Interests and Non-Registerable
Interests including the nature and extent of such interests they
may have in any items to be considered at this meeting;
Minutes:
07/23
Members were invited to
declare any interests in the items of business to be considered
during the course of the meeting but there were none
made.
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8/23 |
Election of Leader of the Council and Chairman of the Executive for the four year term from 2023/24
upon his/her election, the
Leader to announce their Deputy Leader and Executive membership
(including portfolio areas);
Minutes:
08/23
RESOLVED
That Cllr J Brazil be elected
Leader of the Council and Chairman of the Executive for the period
expiring on the date of the Annual Meeting of the Council in
2027.
In expressing his gratitude at
being elected Leader of the Council, Cllr Brazil revealed to the
Council that, in accordance with the Strong Leader model (Minute
57/10 refers), and in his wish of this being an inclusive Council,
he had chosen to appoint Cllr Thomas to the position of Deputy
Leader for the period expiring on the date of the Annual Meeting of
the Council in 2027. Furthermore, he
had decided to appoint Cllrs Abbott, Birch, McKay,
O’Callaghan, Hodgson and Hopwood to serve with him and the
Deputy Leader on the Executive.
Cllr Brazil proceeded to
express his wish for this Council term to be one of consensus and
compromise. He stated that his aim was for the Council to deliver
against the elements contained within the recent South Hams Liberal
Democrat Group Election Manifesto particularly in relation to
Housing and Climate Change and Biodiversity. In addition, it was
essential that the key Council services (including Waste and
Housing) were delivered to a high standard in order that South Hams
District Council was recognised as an exemplar Council that
delivered excellent services for and to its local
communities.
In closing, Cllr Brazil offered
his sympathies to those Members who had lost their seats at the
recent election and paid particular tribute to Mr Keith Baldry, who
had led the Liberal Democrat Group in opposition for many years of
service on the Council. He also offered
his thanks to Mrs Cathie Pannell, who had been a Member of the
Council when he was first elected in 2003 and had acted as a mentor
to him. Finally, Cllr Brazil thanked
the previous Leader of Council (Mrs Judy Pearce) for her hard work,
dedication and achievements in serving the people of the South
Hams.
In response, a number of
Members offered their congratulations to Cllr Brazil on his
election to the role of Leader of the Council and wished him every
success during his term of office.
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9/23 |
Representation on Political Groups
to approve a review carried out
in consultation with leaders of the Political Groups. This is reflected in the list of Council Bodies
(to follow) – see item 10 below;
Minutes:
09/23 REPRESENTATION ON POLITICAL
GROUPS
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 three Political Groups.
It was then:
RESOLVED
1. That it
be noted that the Political Composition of the Council is as
follows:-
·
A Liberal Democrat Group of 19 Members;
·
A Conservative Group of 7 Members;
·
A Green Party Group of 3 Members;
·
A Labour Party Member; and
·
An Independent Member;
2. That the
overall political balance of Council Bodies, as reflected in the
paper tabled to the meeting, be approved.
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10/23 |
Appointment of Members (and Substitute Members) of the Bodies of the Council PDF 96 KB
to appoint the
Members of the following Council Bodies for the 2023/24 Municipal
Year:-
a)
Audit & Governance Committee;
b)
Council Tax Setting Committee;
c)
Development Management Committee;
d)
Licensing Committee; and
e)
Overview & Scrutiny Committee.
Minutes:
10/23
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 2023/24 Municipal
Year, Members be appointed to the Bodies of the Council as set out
in Appendix A to these minutes.
|
11/23 |
Election of Chairman and Vice-Chairman of those Bodies of the Council
to elect the
Chairman and Vice-Chairman of the following Bodies of the Council
for the 2023/24 Municipal Year:-
a)
Audit & Governance Committee;
b)
Council Tax Setting Committee;
c)
Development Management Committee;
d)
Licensing Committee; and
e)
Overview and Scrutiny Committee.
Minutes:
11/23
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 2023/24 Municipal
Year be as indicated below:-
Body
Chairman
Vice Chairman
Audit & Governance
Committee
Cllr Bonham
Cllr Nix
Council Tax Setting
Committee
Cllr Brazil
Development Management
Committee
Cllr Long
Cllr Taylor
Licensing Committee
Cllr Rake
Cllr Carson
Overview and Scrutiny
Committee
Cllr Hawkins
Cllr Cooper
|
12/23 |
Appointment of Representatives on Outside Bodies PDF 107 KB
to agree to the
appointment of Members as representatives on Outside Bodies for the
2023/24 Municipal Year;
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.
Minutes:
12/23
A paper 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.
Two nominations (Cllrs J Brazil
and J Hodgson) had been received for the one position on the Devon
Authorities Strategic Waste Committee
When put to the vote, it was
declared CARRIED that Cllr J Brazil be appointed to
the position on the Devon Authorities Strategic Waste
Committee.
Two nominations (Cllr J Brazil
and J Hodgson) had been received for the one position on the Heart
of the South West Joint Devolution Committee
When put to the vote, it was
declared CARRIED that Cllr J Brazil be appointed to
the Heart of the South West Joint Devolution Committee
It was then:
RESOLVED
1. That the
Council be represented on the list of Outside Bodies as presented
to the meeting;
2. That the
Members named in Appendix C to these minutes be appointed as the
Council’s representatives to those Bodies for the 2023/24
Municipal Year, and that, for the purposes of Members’
Allowances, attendance at meetings of these bodies be regarded as
an approved duty; and
3. That
Members appointed to Outside Bodies provide a written report
following each meeting; regular feedback and consultation on the
issues affecting the Bodies concerned.
|
13/23 |
Appointment of Governance Boards / Panels PDF 91 KB
to agree to the
appointment of the following Groups for the 2023/24 Municipal
Year:-
a)
Devon Building Control Partnership;
b)
Director – Plymouth & South Devon
Freeport;
c)
Joint SH/WD/Plymouth Local Plan Partnership
Board;
d)
Rate Relief Panel;
e)
Slapton
Line Steering Group;
f)
South Devon AONB Partnership Committee;
and
g)
Tamar Valley AONB Partnership Committee.
Minutes:
13/23
Members proceeded to consider
the appointment for the 2023/24 Municipal Year of the:-
a) Devon Building
Control Partnership;
b) Director
– Plymouth & South Devon Freeport;
c) Joint
SH/WD/Plymouth Local Plan Partnership Board;
d) Rate Relief
Panel;
e) Slapton Line Steering Group;
f) South
Devon AONB Partnership Committee; and
g) Tamar Valley
AONB Partnership Committee.
Once the principle and size of
these Boards and Panels had been determined by the Council, Members
proceeded to consider the appointments to each of these Bodies and,
based upon these two decisions, it was then necessary for a vote to
be undertaken for the two positions on the Joint SH/WD/Plymouth
Local Plan Partnership Board, for which three nominations had been
received (Cllrs J Brazil, J Hodgson and D Thomas).
In light of there being two
positions available, the Chairman exercised his discretion to call
for a recorded vote on these appointments, with the vote breakdown
being as follows:
Cllr Brazil: 26 votes –
Cllrs Abbott; Allen; Bonham; Carson; Cooper; Dennis; Dewynter; Dommett;
Hancock; Hawkins; Hodgson; Hopwood; Lawford; Long; McKay; Munoz; Nix;
O’Callaghan; Oram; Pannell;
Penfold; Presswell; Rake; Steele; Taylor and Yardy;
Cllr Hodgson: 4 votes –
Cllrs Allen; Hodgson; Presswell; and
Yardy;
Cllr Thomas: 23 votes –
Cllrs Abbott; Bonham; Brazil; Carson; Cooper; Dennis; Dewyter; Dommett;
Hancock; Hawkins; Hopwood; Lawford;
Long; McKay; Munoz; Nix; O’Callaghan; Oram; Pannell; Penfold;
Rake; Steele and Taylor.
Abstentions: 1 – Cllr
Thomas
Absent: 3 – Cllrs Birch;
Edie and Jackson.
and it was therefore declared
CARRIED that Cllrs J Brazil and D Thomas be
appointed to the two positions on the Joint SH/WD/Plymouth Local
Plan Partnership Board.
It was then:
RESOLVED
That the appointment of the
Governance Boards / Panels of the Council for the 2023/24 Municipal
Year be approved, as shown in Appendix B to these
minutes.
|
14/23 |
Appointment of Independent Persons PDF 166 KB
Minutes:
14/23
The Council considered a report that sought approval for the
appointment, until the next annual meeting, of five persons as
Independent Persons to assist in the discharge of the
Council’s arrangements for dealing with standards
complaints.
During the ensuing
debate, particular reference was made to:
a)
gender balance. A Member
expressed her concern over the lack of gender balance within those
appointed to the Independent Persons roles; and
b)
the terms of appointment/re-appointment. A Member queried the appointment/re-appointment
process and specifically asked whether or not it was possible for
the terms of appointment to be reduced.
In reply, the Monitoring Officer stated that it was his wish to
review the process during this Council term and that the matters
raised would make up part of the review process.
It was
then:
RESOLVED
That the following persons be appointed as Independent Persons
until the next annual meeting:
George Barnicott
Peter Boreham
Martin Gleed
Trevor Kirkin
Victoria Spence
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15/23 |
Council Constitution PDF 169 KB
Additional documents:
Minutes:
15/23
The Council gave
consideration to a report that presented the Council Constitution
and the changes made to it by the Monitoring Officer under
delegated powers. The changes were recorded in the Record of
Changes set out in Appendix A of the presented report.
It was
then:
RESOLVED
1.
That the Constitution (as set out at:https://southhams.gov.uk/our-constitution)be
noted; and
2.
That the
changes made by the Monitoring Officer since the adoption of the
Constitution and as set out in the Record of Changes (attached as
Appendix A to the presented agenda report) be noted
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16/23 |
Honorary Aldermen - Process PDF 153 KB
Minutes:
16/23
The Council gave consideration
to a report that sought approval for the criteria and procedure to
appoint Honorary Aldermen
During debate, a Member
expressed concern at the title ‘Aldermen’ and
questioned whether or not it was possible to change the title so as
to reduce the gender bias.
In response, it was confirmed
that the title of ‘Honorary Alderman’ was a legal title
so could not be amended by the Council in isolation. As a result, an amendment to add an additional
recommendation was PROPOSED, SECONDED and when put
to the vote declared CARRIED that read as
follows:
3. That the Council make
representations to request that the current legal title:
‘Honorary Alderman’ be revised to ‘Honorary
Alder’.
It was then:
RESOLVED
1. That the
criteria for appointing Honorary Aldermen of the Council as set out
in paragraph 3.1 of the presented report, be approved;
2. That
Group Leaders be invited to make nominations to appoint Honorary
Aldermen of the Council, prior to the arrangement of a Special
Council meeting specifically convened for this purpose;
and
3. That the
Council make representations to request that the current legal
title: ‘Honorary Alderman’ be revised to
‘Honorary Alder’.
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17/23 |
Reports of Bodies PDF 121 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:
17/23
RESOLVED
That the minutes and
recommendations of the undermentioned bodies be received and
approved subject to any amendments listed below:-
a) Overview
& Scrutiny Committee
16 March 2023
b)
Development Management Committee
5 April 2023
c)
Executive
13 April 2023
With
regard to recommendation E.97/22 (2) Waste and Recycling Service
Update, it was noted that this item had already been determined at
the Special Council Meeting held on 13 April 2023 (Minute 84/22
refers).
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