Agenda and minutes

Apologies for absence were received from Councillors Mark Dowd, Hands, Hardy, Jones, Papworth, Robinson, Shaw and Weavers.

No declarations of interest were received.

Minutes of the meeting held on 20 November 2014

RESOLVED:

That the Minutes of the Council Meeting held on 20 November 2014 be approved as a correct record.

Welcome

The Mayor extended a welcome to the Members of the Public present

Public Health Qualification

The Mayor reported that in order to improve the health and wellbeing of our residents, 14 Councillors including himself had successfully completed the Royal Society for Public Health: Level 2 Understanding Health Improvement qualification. The Councillors concerned were Marion Atkinson, David Barton, Maria Bennett, Sue Bradshaw, Paul Cummins, Lynn Gatherer, John Kelly Paulette Lappin, Michael O'Brien, Catie Page, Diane Roberts, Dave Robinson, Veronica Webster and the Mayor (Councillor Kevin Cluskey).

The certificates had been presented to the Councillors by Dr Janet Atherton, the Director of Public Health in the Mayor’s Parlour prior to the meeting and the Mayor extended thanks to the Public Health Team for the opportunity to complete the qualification and encouraged all Councillors to attend the course if they get the opportunity.

Mayoral Charity Cabaret Dinner – 14 March 2015

The Mayor reported that his Mayoral Charity Cabaret Dinner would be held on Saturday 14 March 2015 at the Formby Hall Golf Resort and Spa and the proceeds from the event will be distributed to Mayoral Charities. Tickets were on open sale from the Mayoral and Civic Services Officer in Bootle Town Hall at a cost of £35.

Christmas Toy Appeal 2014

The Mayor expressed his thanks to all the people and organisations that had kindly donated toys for the annual Christmas Toy Appeal 2014 which had benefitted children in the Borough of Sefton.

To deal with matters raised by members of the public, of which notice has been given in accordance with the procedures relating to public questions, motions or petitions set out in Paragraph 36 to 46 of the Council and Committee Procedure Rules in Chapter 4 of the Council Constitution.

(The details of any petitions submitted by members of the public will be circulated prior to the meeting).

The Mayor reported that in accordance with the Council’s Petition Scheme set out in Chapter 12 of the Council Constitution, 4 public petitions had been submitted for consideration at the Council meeting.

(1)       The Council heard representations from Mrs Nuala Kranas of the Aintree Village Residents Group on behalf of a deputation who had submitted a petition containing 2,850 signatures which stated:

“We the undersigned urge the Council to amend the 'Preferred Option' to Option 1, address the issues surrounding our lack of amenities and infrastructure and work with the community to reflect what they want and not what the developers want, whose only aim is to make big profits from local communities.”

Justification:

“Sefton MBC’s Local Plan has proposals which will damage the green belt and make Aintree a worse place to live. In the coming months, the Council will undertake a Public Consultation Process. They currently have used inaccurate household population growth information which is 10 years out of date. They do not address the real need for affordable/type of housing but allow developers to build 3/4/5 bedroom executive homes on greenbelt, which none of us would be able to afford. Our amenities are non-existent and they severely underestimate the effect any further development will have on our schools, roads, dentists and GP service. We don’t even have a library and the current plan would lead to a decline in the local quality of life.”

The following issues were raised by Members of the Council during the debate on the content of the petition:

·         the impact of increased traffic in Aintree and Melling and the need for adequate infrastructure to be provided;

·         that a traffic survey had been undertaken during a school holiday period;

·         that the Peel Holdings development would have a significant impact on the local environment; and

·         that the views of all the people who had signed the three Local Plan petitions should not be ignored.

Members of the Council thanked Mrs Kranas for making her representations.

Following debate, It was moved by Councillor P. Dowd, seconded by Councillor Maher and

RESOLVED:

That the petition be noted and taken into account during the consideration of the report under Minute No. 68 below.

(2)       The Council then heard representations from Mr Colin Reader of the Maghull and Lydiate Action Group on behalf of a deputation who had submitted a petition containing 3,060 signatures which stated:

 “We ask the Council to listen to the community, to re-examine and vote for option 1, which is building on brownfield sites only and not on green belt and high grade agricultural land, this is now possible due to a sharp fall in housing need.”

Justification:

“Sefton's Local Plan continues to encroach on our beautiful high grade agricultural/green belt land. More accurate up-to-date figures show a significant reduction in housing need. Maghull and Lydiate does not have the infrastructure in place to cater for any additional capacity, roads are already badly congested, schools are oversubscribed, traffic and parking is a  ...  view the full minutes text for item 65.

To receive and consider questions to Cabinet Members, Chairs of Committees or Spokespersons for any of the Joint Authorities upon any matter within their portfolio/area of responsibility, of which notice has been given by Members of the Council in accordance with Paragraph 48 to 50 of the Council and Committee Procedure Rules, set out in Chapter 4 of the Council Constitution.

The Council considered a schedule setting out the written questions submitted by:

·         Councillor Booth to the Cabinet Member – Communities and Environment (Councillor Hardy)

·         Councillor Papworth to the Cabinet Member – Transportation (Councillor Fairclough)

·         Councillor Dawson to the Cabinet Member –Corporate Services and Performance (Councillor Tweed)

·         Councillor Dawson to the Cabinet Member – Transportation (Councillor Fairclough)

·         Councillor Dawson to the Cabinet Member – Older People and Health (Councillor Cummins)

together with the responses given. Supplementary questions from Councillor Dawson were responded to by the Cabinet Member –.Corporate Service and Performance, and Cabinet Member – Transportation.

Report of the Director of Built Environment

Further to Minute No. 46 of the meeting of the Cabinet held on 15 January 2015, the Council considered the report of the Director of Built Environment setting out the key findings of the 2014 Strategic Housing Market Assessment (SHMA) for Sefton, which was one of a number of key evidence gathering studies that had been commissioned to inform the Local Plan and the Council’s Housing Strategy.

It was moved by Councillor P. Dowd, seconded by Councillor Maher:

“That the 2014 Strategic Housing Market Assessment for Sefton be approved.”

During the debate, the following issues were raised by Members of the Council:

·         that the population projections in the SHMA produced by consultants were not credible, but other Members indicated that the findings of the SHMA were based on Government statistics, which were fully taken account of in the study by independent consultants and would be examined by the independent Government Inspector;

·         The Keppie Massie Viability Study indicates that it would be difficult to achieve the 30% affordable housing targets on new developments and a comment was made that the Local Plan should stipulate that the targets must be met;

·         that the estimated level of affordable housing need per annum in Figure 7.11 of the 2014 SHMA, as set out in the report would not be met across the Borough; and

·         The SHMA states that the shortfall between need and supply can be met by the private rented sector but concern raised about how and when this would be achieved.

Following the debate and on a show of hands, the Mayor declared that the Motion was carried by 38 votes to 19 and it was

RESOLVED:

That the 2014 Strategic Housing Market Assessment for Sefton be approved.

Report of the Director of Built Environment

The Council considered the report of the Director of Built Environment in relation to the Local Plan for Sefton. The report presented the Publication Draft Plan, a key stage in the preparation of Sefton’s Local Plan. The Plan set out issues and challenges facing Sefton that included:

·         a vision for Sefton looking ahead to 2030

·         a strategy for how Sefton’s housing, business and other development needs can be met

·         development management policies to help guide development and provide a policy framework for making decisions on planning applications

·         detailed site allocations showing how needs can be met

·         details of the Publication period and next stages.

The Publication Draft Plan had been developed within the statutory planning framework and it had been considered and scrutinised in detail by the Overview and Scrutiny Committee (Regeneration and Environmental Services) on 9 December 2014; the Planning Committee on 12 January 2015 and the Cabinet on 15 January 2015. Copies of the resolutions from those meetings had been circulated to all Members of the Council, together with a supplementary note produced by the Director of Built Environment which provided information on a number of suggested changes to the Draft Plan.

It was moved by Councillor P. Dowd, seconded by Councillor Maher:

“That the recommendations set out in the report, as amended by the supplementary note be approved, subject to the inclusion of the following additional text:

The Council recognises:

(i)         the concerns of the petitioners and where possible is committed to addressing those concerns;

(ii)        that the Publication Draft Plan had been produced following a lengthy and rigorous planning process and that it had been considered and scrutinised in detail by the Overview and Scrutiny Committee (Regeneration and Environmental Services) on 9 December 2014 and the Planning Committee on 12 January 2015. It was further considered by Cabinet on 15 January 2015;

(iii)       that the Publication Draft Plan had been prepared in accordance with the National Planning Policy Framework produced by the Government;

(iv)       that the Council had a legal obligation to produce a Local Plan that met the requirements of the Framework;

(v)        that as this is a Government led process, the Council had limited discretion to influence the size of the housing requirement;

(vi)       that following the approval of the Publication Draft Plan by the Council, it would be published for a period of eight weeks prior to its submission to the Secretary of State for examination;

(vii)      that members of the public wishing to object to the Publication Draft Plan must do so during the 8 week period in February and March 2015;

(viii)     that all of the comments received on the Publication Draft Plan during the eight week period would be submitted to the Government appointed independent inspector for consideration at the examination hearing. It is only those comments made during that 8 week period that would be considered by the Government Inspector;

(ix)       the need to continue to work with local communities to ensure that the Publication Draft Plan fulfills the  ...  view the full minutes text for item 68.

Report of the Chief Executive and Head of Corporate Finance and ICT

The Council considered the joint report of the Chief Executive and the Head ofCorporate Finance and ICT which:

·                     provided an update on the Council’s financial position for 2015/16 and 2016/17 following the Local Government Finance Provisional Settlement 2015/16

·                     set the financial position in the context of the Council’s priorities

·                     described the process undertaken to deliver a programme of savings options that reflected the need to produce a balanced budget alongside the objective of minimising the impact of the cuts on Sefton communities

·                     provided the Council with savings options that would contribute to the forecast budget gap for the next two years

·                     outlined the gap remaining and the timetable for producing a balanced two year budget plan.

The report indicated that since 2011, the Council had faced unprecedented reductions in its resources as a result of cuts in Government Funding. In the preceding 4 years, cuts of £114 million had been identified and implemented. The Council had now received confirmation of the level of Government funding it would receive in 2015/16 and this had confirmed that for the period 2015/16 to 2016/17, further savings of £55 million would need to be identified. This represented a real term reduction of 45% on the 2011 spending level.

Detailed on-going work had sought to identify budget reductions that would meet the two year savings requirement. This process had involved detailed risk assessments, relative prioritisation and the impact on our communities. The process was agreed by Cabinet in November 2014.

Reductions of this level had and would continue to have a significant impact on Council services and outcomes for Sefton communities. It was therefore important that the Council’s remaining resources were spent in areas of highest priority that minimised the negative impact on communities. However it was also important to stress that it would be impossible to deliver savings of this magnitude without reducing levels of service across the range of Council activities. This included those services commissioned with public, private, voluntary, community and faith partners to deliver support to our communities.

It was moved by Councillor P. Dowd, seconded by Councillor Maher:

“That the recommendations set out in the report be approved.”

Following the debate, the requisite number of Members having signified their wish that the voting on the Motion should be recorded in accordance with Rule 92 of Chapter 4 in the Council Constitution, the voting was duly recorded and the Members of the Council present at the time, voted as follows:

FOR THE MOTION:

Councillors Atkinson, Veronica Bennett, Bradshaw, Brennan, Burns, Byrom, Carr, Crabtree, Cummins, Dams, P. Dowd, Fairclough, Friel, Gatherer, Grace, John Kelly, John Joseph Kelly, Kermode, Kerrigan, Killen, Lappin, P. Maguire, Maher, Mahon, McGinnity, McKinley, Moncur, Murphy, O’Brien, Owens, Page, Roberts, Roche, Thompson,Tweed, Veidman, Webster and the Mayor (Councillor Cluskey).

AGAINST THE MOTION:

Councillors Ball, David Barton, Booth, Brodie-Browne, Cuthbertson, Dawson, Dodd, Dutton, Lord Fearn, Maureen Fearn, Hartill, Keith, Lewis, S. McGuire, Preece, Robertson and Welsh.

ABSTENTION;

Councillor Maria Bennett

The Mayor declared that the Motion was carriedby  ...  view the full minutes text for item 69.

Report of the Head of Corporate Finance and ICT

Further to Minute No. 49 of the Cabinet meeting held on 15 January 2015, the Council considered the report of the Head of Corporate Finance and ICT which provided details of feedback received on the recent consultation exercise regarding the proposed amendments to the Council Tax Reduction Scheme for 2015/16 and details of the updated Council Tax Base for 2015/16.

It was moved by Councillor P. Dowd, seconded by Councillor Maher and

RESOLVED: That:

(1)       the revisions to the current Council Tax Reduction Scheme for 2015/16 summarised in paragraph 3 of the report be approved and adopted to take effect from 1 April 2015;

(2)       the Council Tax Base 2015/16 as set out in Annex B of the report be approved; and

(3)       approval be given to the payment of grants to the Parish Councils in 2015/16 to compensate them for the cost of the Council Tax Reduction Scheme, as set out in Annex B of the report.

Report of the Director of Older People

Further to Minute No. 50 of the Cabinet meeting held on 15 January 2015, the Council considered the report of the Director of Older People which provided details of the draft Carers Strategy 2014-2019, which provided an overarching framework within which the Council can provide support to Carers to continue to undertake their unpaid caring roles, with a focus on self - reliance, independence and community resilience

It was moved by Councillor P. Dowd, seconded by Councillor Maher and

RESOLVED:

That the Sefton Carers Strategy for 2014 - 2019 be approved.

No changes were made to the Membership of Committees.

To consider the following Motion submitted by Councillor Dawson:

"This Council notes:

(i)         the loyalty bravery and professionalism with which troops recruited in the North West of England, including the Metropolitan Borough of Sefton, conducted themselves during the invasion and occupation of Iraq. 

(ii)        widespread concern that the decision to embark upon the Iraq invasion was made based upon false premises and untrue propaganda fed to the British people by representatives of the Government of the time.

(iii)        that the Chilcott Inquiry into the events which led the United Kingdom to embark upon the the invasion and occupation of Iraq, is complete and has been shared, months ago, with former Prime Ministers. 

(iv)       that the publication of the Chilcott report has been delayed for many months, without excuse, which is leading to widespread and profound belief by ordinary members of the public that those who supported that war on false premises are covering up these matters.

The Council resolves to write to the Prime Minister, expressing concern at the continuing delays in publication and calling for an immediate publication of the Chilcott report."

It was moved by Councillor Dawson, seconded by Councillor Brodie - Browne:

"This Council notes:

(i)         the loyalty, bravery and professionalism with which troops recruited in the North West of England, including the Metropolitan Borough of Sefton, conducted themselves during the invasion and occupation of Iraq. 

(ii)        widespread concern that the decision to embark upon the Iraq invasion was made based upon false premises and untrue propaganda fed to the British people by representatives of the Government of the time.

(iii)        that the Chilcott Inquiry into the events which led the United Kingdom to embark upon the the invasion and occupation of Iraq, is complete and has been shared, months ago, with former Prime Ministers. 

(iv)       that the publication of the Chilcott report has been delayed for many months, without excuse, which is leading to widespread and profound belief by ordinary members of the public that those who supported that war on false premises are covering up these matters.

The Council resolves to write to the Prime Minister, expressing concern at the continuing delays in publication and calling for an immediate publication of the Chilcott report."

An amendment was moved by Councillor P. Dowd, seconded by Councillor Maher that the Motion be amended by the deletion of the text in Paragraphs (ii), (iii) and (iv); and that the final Paragraph be revised to read:

“The Council resolves to write to the Prime Minister, expressing concern at the continuing delays in the publication of the Chilcott report and calls for its publication as soon as possible."

Following a brief debate, it was unanimously agreed that the amendment and Substantive Motion be agreed and it was

RESOLVED:

This Council notes the loyalty, bravery and professionalism with which troops recruited in the North West of England, including the Metropolitan Borough of Sefton, conducted themselves during the invasion and occupation of Iraq. 

The Council resolves to write to the Prime Minister, expressing concern at the continuing delays in the publication of the Chilcott report and calls for its publication as soon as possible.