Agenda and minutes

The Chairman to report on functions attended since the last meeting and other matters of interest to Members.

Following a minute’s silence Councillors Gordon Lundie, Jeff Brooks, Tim Metcalfe, Graham Jones and Alan Macro paid tribute to Councillor David Betts who had passed away on the 25 October 2014 following a long and courageously fought battle with cancer.

Councillor Betts, who had been elected to the Council in 2007, was remembered as a courteous gentleman, a private man, great digital pioneer at the Council, a ‘petrol head’ and an ardent  Chelsea football supporter. He was described as a diligent, challenging, quietly thoughtful and measured Councillor who was liked and admired by Officers and Members in equal measure and who would be sorely missed. The Council passed on its sincere condolences to his family.

The Chairman reminded Members that he would be hosting the Chairman’s annual quiz night on the 20 November 2014 and he encouraged Members to get involved.

To remind Members of the need to record the existence and nature of any Personal, Disclosable Pecuniary or other interests in items on the agenda, in accordance with the Members’ Code of Conduct.

There were no declarations of interest received.

To respond to the Council Motion on the future of the Planning Policy Task Group.

The Council considered a report (Agenda Item 4) concerning a response to a Motion tabled at the 18 September 2014 Council meeting.

MOTION: Proposed by Councillor Hilary Cole and seconded by Councillor Gordon Lundie:

That the Council:

“continues to operate the Planning Policy Task Group in its current form”.

Councillor Cole noted the report set out the Planning Policy task Group’s recommended response to a Motion from Councillor Macro tabled at the 18 September 2014 Council meeting  pertaining to changing the status of the Planning Policy Task Group to that of a formal Committee.

At the request of the Chairman of Council, the motion was considered at the September Planning Policy Task Group and the extraordinary Council meeting had been arranged to consider the recommendation of the Task Group, prior to the December Council meeting, at which the Housing Site Allocation Plan was due to be discussed. The report outlined the positive and negative factors of both a Task Group and a Committee.

A frank and open discussion was held at the Task Group and  every member of Task Group had the opportunity to voice their opinion and set out their reasons why they had decided as they did. Following the discussion the Planning Policy Task Group decided to recommend to the Council that the Motion be rejected and that the Task Group continue to operate in its current format.

Councillor Cole accepted that  the recommendation would be disappointing to the Members of the Opposition.  She stated that the contribution made by the Liberal Democrat Members of the Planning Policy Task Group was valued and was valuable and she sincerely hoped that they would continue their  membership of this Group, which they had setup in 2002.

Councillor Cole also informed  all Members that following the highly successful consultation on the Housing Site Allocation Development Plan Document the plan would not be coming back to the Council meeting in December as had previously been advertised.  As had been explained at the previous Council meeting Officers had received comments from around 4,500 people and they were still busy analyzing the information received and formulating responses. A revised timetable would therefore be issued in due course.

(Councillor James Podger arrived at 7.26pm)

Councillor Alan Macro stated that he was disappointed not to have been able to debate the original motion. As the Housing Site Allocation Development Plan Document would have long standing consequences he felt that residents and stakeholders should be able to be present to hear the discussions and that they should therefore take place at a Committee rather than a Task Group. He noted the reasons cited not to change to a Committee and commented that it would still be possible to provide Members with briefings at special meetings and that if items were required to be placed on a Forward Plan it would mean that other Members and residents would be alerted to what would be included on future agendas. It would still be possible to hold some of the  ...  view the full minutes text for item 62.