Agenda and minutes

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.

The Deputy Monitoring Officer noted that Councillor Lynne Doherty had been granted a dispensation by the Governance and Ethics Committee to speak and vote on financial proposals pertaining to Short Breaks Funding should they arise during the discussion that evening.

The Deputy Monitoring Officer stated that Councillors Marcus Franks and Lee Dillon had an interest in Agenda Item 3 (2016/17 Budget - Phase 2 Consultation and the Transitional Grant) by virtue of the fact that their employer, Sovereign Housing Association, received funding from the Council for its Neighbourhood Warden Scheme. Both Councillors had applied to the Governance and Ethics Committee for a dispensation to speak and vote on this item. The Committee decided that a dispensation should be granted but that the dispensation would permit Councillor Franks and Councillor Dillon to speak but not vote on this item.

Sarah Clarke explained that Councillor Carol Jackson-Doerge was a trustee of the Corn Exchange. As she had a fiduciary duty to the trust she determined, in respect of Agenda Item 3 (2016/17 Budget - Phase 2 Consultation and the Transitional Grant), not to attend the meeting and would therefore not take part in the vote.

The Councillors set out below declared a personal interest in Agenda Item 3 (2016/17 Budget - Phase 2 Consultation and the Transitional Grant).

This report provides an update on the results of Phase Two of the public consultation exercise in relation to the 2016/17 budget. It provides information on the total number of responses received to the consultation and details of the total number of responses received for each savings proposal including the one income proposal relating to car parking fees and charges. (Pages 5 – 236)

(All Members, had been granted a dispensation by the Monitoring Officer to speak and vote on this item should discussions refer to Council Tax matters).

(Councillor Lynne Doherty’s employer was a recipient of Short Breaks funding. Following the granting of a dispensation to speak and vote on this item, unless short breaks for children were specifically discussed, she determined to remain in the meeting and vote on the item).

(Councillors Marcus Franks and Lee Dillon declared a personal and disclosable pecuniary interest in Agenda Item 3 by virtue of the fact that their employer, Sovereign Housing Association, received funding from the Council for its Neighbourhood Warden Scheme. Following the granting of a dispensation to speak but not vote on this item they determined to take part in the debate but not vote on this item).

 (Councillor Jeff Beck declared a personal interest in Agenda Item 16  by virtue of the fact that he was a trustee of the Corn Exchange, Readibus and the Volunteer Centre West Berkshire. However as he had a fiduciary duty to these trusts he determined to leave the Chamber during the discussion of this item and did not take part in the vote).

(Councillors Pamela Bale, Paul Bryant, Jeanette Clifford, Dave Goff, Carol Jackson-Doerge, Marigold Jaques, Rick Jones, Mollie Lock, and Anthony Stansfeld declared a personal interest in Agenda Item 3 for the reasons set out in the table in Agenda Item 2. As their interest was personal and not a disclosable pecuniary interest they determined to take part in the debate and vote on the matter).

The Council considered a report (Agenda Item 3 ) which provided an update on the results of Phase 2 of the public consultation exercise in relation to the 2016/17 budget. The report provided information on the total number of responses received to the consultation and details of the total number of responses received for each savings proposal including the one income proposal relating to car parking fees and charges.

MOTION: Proposed by Councillor Graham Jones and seconded by Councillor James Fredrickson:

That the Council:

1.            “notes the responses received to each of the 15 public facing savings proposals and the one income generation proposal in relation to Phase 2 of the public consultation exercise undertaken on the 2016/17 budget.

2.            makes available the remaining 2016/17 transitional funding to those services set out below

·      Library Service - £475,000

·      Theatres (Corn Exchange) - £56,000

·      Public Transport - £337,000

·      Children’s Centres - £50,000

·      Domestic Abuse Response Team - £25,000

·      Neighbourhood Wardens - £50,000

·      Citizen’s Advice Bureau - £25,000

3.            That, where transitional funding is not deemed to be appropriate, the recommendations set out in the Overview and Recommendations template (Appendix C) be approved.”

Councillor Graham Jones in introducing the item commented that at the 01^st March 2016 meeting the Council had to adopt the most difficult budget that he had ever been involved in. The scale and speed of the reduction in Government Grant funding were immense. He noted that the  ...  view the full minutes text for item 112.