Agenda item

38/23   

Council considered a report that set out the recommendations of the Plymouth and South Devon Freeport Task and Finish Group that had been established by the Audit and Governance Committee

During debate, the following points were raised:

(a)     In reply to concerns raised over the ethical and governance practices of businesses to be located within the Freeport, the lead Executive Member gave assurances that the three partner local authorities (Devon County Council, Plymouth City Council and South Hams District Council) had substantial control over the Freeport and the operations within it;

(b)     It was noted that a number of specific Member questions were addressed on the Freeport website: ( https://pasdfreeport.com/)

 and interested Members were encouraged to use this resource as a source of information and to address some of their openness and transparency concerns;

(c)     With regard to some Members highlighting the apparent lack of consultation with the Dartmoor National Park Authority (DNPA), the lead Member committed to contacting representatives from the DNPA to discuss the Freeport project with them;

(d)     A number of Members echoed the comments of the lead Member in respect of wishing to record their thanks to the comprehensive review that had been undertaken by the Task and Finish Group.  Members also commented that this review had proven to be an excellent example of utilising the skills and expertise of non-Executive Members to undertake a detailed piece of work;

(e)     Whilst several questions had expressed concerns at this meeting, some Members felt it to be important to highlight some of the benefits associated with the Freeport, with particular reference being made to the extensive economic and employment benefits;

(f)      Prior to moving the recommendation, the lead Executive Member informed of his intention to PROPOSE an alternative as follows:

‘That Council be RECOMMENDED to support the 17 recommendations set out by the Task and Finish Group in section 2 of the published agenda report and be RECOMMENDED to accept each of these recommendations, subject to the following amendment to Group recommendation 2 as follows:

2.    That the Council works to simplify the land acquisition plan and separates the two transactions.  The purchase of Sherford can go ahead as approved by the Council subject to a reference back to Council in the event of material changes to the current purchase arrangements.  The Langage purchase be put on hold and be subject to a later approval by the Council if and when necessary.

This alternative wording was subsequently SECONDED and therefore became the substantive motion for debate.

(g)       An amendment was PROPOSED and SECONDED that read as follows:

‘That, in light of the very real concerns and potential financial risks for the Council being involved with the Plymouth & South Devon Freeport, SHDC will seek to withdraw forthwith from the Plymouth & South Devon Freeport and reinvest this finance in addressing our Housing Crisis.’

At the invitation of the Chairman, the Council’s Monitoring Officer was invited to address the meeting.  In so doing, the Officer made reference to Meeting Procedure Rule 15.6 (Amendments to Motions) and ruled that this amendment breached this Rule by virtue of it negating the substantive motion.

In light of this ruling, the amendment was not debated;

(h)     Several Members expressed the view that, since the Freeport project would continue irrespective of the views of this District Council, then it was preferential to remain as a fully participating partner who was able to play an influencing and shaping role rather than being on the outside;

(i)      On balance, a number of Members concluded that, whilst there were significant risks associated with the Freeport initiative, these were outweighed by the extent of the economic benefits that were likely to be realised.  Furthermore, the recommendations generated by the Task and Finish Group review were felt to mitigate, as far as was practically possible, the identified risks.

In accordance with Council Procedure Rules, a recorded vote was then called for and the voting was recorded as follows:

For the motion (20):- Cllrs Birch, Bonham, Carson, Dennis, Edie, Hancock, Hawkins, Hopwood, Lawford, McKay, Munoz, Nix, Oram, Pannell, Penfold, Rake, Steele, Taylor, Thomas and Yardy.

Against the motion (3):- Cllrs Allen, Dewynter and Hodgson.

Abstentions (4):- Cllrs Dommett, Jackson, O’Callaghan and Presswell.

Absent (4):  Cllrs Abbott, Brazil, Cooper and Long.

and the vote was therefore declared CARRIED.

It was then:

RESOLVED

That Council support each of the 17 recommendations set out by the Task and Finish Group in section 2 of the published agenda report and accept each of these recommendations, subject to incorporation of the following amendment to Group recommendation 2:

2.  That the Council works to simplify the land acquisition plan and separates the two transactions. The purchase of Sherford can go ahead as approved by the Council subject to a reference back to Council in the event of material changes to the current purchase arrangements. The Langage purchase be put on hold and be subject to a later approval by the Council if and when necessary.