Agenda and minutes

Venue: Council Chamber, County Offices, Newland, Lincoln LN1 1YL

Contact: Rachel Wilson  Democratic Services Officer

Items
No. Item

19.

Apologies for Absence

Minutes:

Apologies for absence were received from Councillors T R Ashton, L A Cawrey, Mrs P Cooper, G E Cullen, C S Macey and A P Maughan.

20.

Declarations of Councillors' Interests

Minutes:

There were no declarations of interest at this point in the meeting.

 

Following advice from the Monitoring Officer, it was highlighted that in relation to the motion at agenda item 13, there was no pecuniary interest to declare due to the universal nature of the changes and the fact that the Council could not make any decision which would change the position.

21.

Minutes of the meeting of the Council held on 11 May 2018 pdf icon PDF 126 KB

Minutes:

RESOLVED

 

            That the minutes of the meeting held on 11 May 2018 be signed by the Chairman as a correct record.

22.

Chairman's Announcements pdf icon PDF 168 KB

Minutes:

The Chairman reported that his civic engagements since the last council meeting had been varied and had provided him the opportunity to continue visiting places throughout Lincolnshire.

 

The Chairman thanked his wife Diane for supporting him on those engagements and also the Vice Chairman and Lady, Councillor Tony Bridges and Trina Wright, for representing them at civic functions when they had been unable to attend due to other commitments.

 

The Chairman and Lady were pleased to take part in the two days of the Lincolnshire Show which attracted many visitors from far and wide.  It gave the Chairman the opportunity to meet many of our residents including the wonderful individuals who were winners of the Good Citizen Awards.

 

The Chairman was delighted to host the County Service of dedication in Lincoln Cathedral.  He advised that it was a wonderful service and was honoured that the visiting choir of the Church of the Epiphany from Washington DC gave their time to perform at the service.  It was a truly memorable experience.

 

It was reported that this was the last Council meeting for the Executive Director for Environment and Economy, Richard Wills, before he retires after nearly two decades of valuable service to this authority.  The Chairman asked the Council to join him in thanking Richard for his contribution over the last 18 years and wishing him a long and happy retirement.

 

The Chairman welcomed Keith Ireland, the new Chief Executive and also Rev Canon John Patrick as the Chairman's Chaplain to their first meeting of the County Council.

 

On a sadder note, the Chairman reported the death of Marion Brighton OBE, Leader of North Kesteven District Council and members paid tribute to the work she had done for local government. 

 

The Chairman informed members that a complete itinerary of civic engagements since the last meeting of the Council were available from the Civic officer on request.

23.

Statements/Announcements by the Leader and Members of the Executive pdf icon PDF 87 KB

Additional documents:

Minutes:

Statements by Members of the Executive had been circulated with the agenda.

 

In addition to the statements already circulated, Councillor C N Worth, Executive Councillor for Culture and Emergency Services reported that a major incident had been declared overnight at the Mid UK facility at Barkston Heath, he reported that 12 fire engines and two support vehicles had attended at 2am in the morning of 14 September 2018.  The Council was informed that due to the speed, efficiency and expertise of the fire crews who responded at putting in fire breaks, the fire had managed to be contained to two sheds.  At the time of the meeting, the fire was still ongoing but it was well under control.  It was reported that the fire had started on a conveyer belt, but more details would emerge in time.

 

It was reported that there had been two former fires at this site, after which a lot of emergency planning had gone on at the site.  This had clearly paid off for this incident.

 

Members were made aware that there was a considerable plume of smoke, but it was highlighted that it was white smoke rather than black smoke and was non-toxic.  The Council was working with the Environment Agency and Public Health.  The public nearby had been advised to keep their windows and doors closed.  At this time there were seven or eight fire engines in attendance and it was expected that this would reduce to four by midday.  It was thought that the plume of smoke may be visible for another two or three days, but fire and rescue would continue pumping water until it was certain the fire was extinguished.

 

The Executive Councillor thanked the 60 or so fire fighters for their attendance at the incident, and requested that the full Council acknowledge and thank the firefighters for their efforts.

 

The Chairman added that it was clear there was an excellent fire service in the County and that thefire fighters should be praised whole heartedly.

24.

Questions to the Chairman, the Leader, Executive Councillors, Chairman of Committees and Sub-Committees

Minutes:

Questions pursuant to Council Procedure Rule 10.3 were asked and answered as follows:

 

Question by

Answered by

Subject

 

a) Mrs J E Killey

M J Hill OBE

Budget underspends

 

b) C J T H Brewis

M J Hill OBE

Funding in rural areas

 

c) B Adams

C J Davie

LEP consultation

 

d) C Matthews

C J Davie

Vocational courses and apprenticeships

 

e) S R Parkin

R G Davies

Broadband in villages

 

f) Mrs M J Overton MBE

B Young

Legal claims relating to potholes

 

g) C L Strange

C J Davie

Promotion of North Sea Observatory to tourists

 

h) K J Clarke

R G Davies

Additional costs of Lincoln Eastern Bypass

 

i) Mrs A M Austin

Mrs S Woolley

Services at Boston Pilgrim Hospital

 

j) R G Butroid

M J Hill OBE

Update on RAF Scampton

 

k) M D Boles

R G Davies

Removal of a grit bin

 

l) R A Renshaw

Mrs P A Bradwell OBE

Additional funds

 

m) R Wootten

Mrs S Woolley

Overnight closure of Grantham hospital;

 

n) R B Parker

R G Davies

IT for councillors

 

o) M Brookes

R G Davies

Update on Boston transport Strategy and Boston Distributor Road

 

25.

Review of Financial Performance 2017/18 pdf icon PDF 242 KB

Minutes:

A report by the Executive Director for Finance and Public Protection had been circulated.

 

It was proposed, seconded and agreed that the Council Procedure Rules be temporarily suspended to allow for one debate to take place.

 

It was moved and seconded that

 

That the County Council:

 

1.    Note the carry forwards set out in paragraph 1.2 and 1.3 of the report which were made in line with the Council's Financial Regulations;

 

2.    Approve the proposed use of carry forwards of over and under spending in excess of 1.0% as set out in paragraph 1.4  of the report;

 

3.    Note the transfers to and from reserves summarised in Table A of the report and position of earmarked reserves as at 31 March 2018, also shown in Table A of the report;

 

4.    Note the position in relation to general reserves set out in paragraph 1.7 and Table B of the report;

 

5.    Note the Flexible Use of Capital Receipts in 2017/18 as set out in paragraph 1.8 to 1.10 and summarised in Table C; and

 

6.    Note performance against the Prudential Indicators for 2017/18 as set out in paragraph 1.11 to 1.12 and Table D of the report.

 

An amendment by the Labour Group was moved and seconded as follows:

 

To amend the amount recommended to be transferred to the Financial Volatility Fund by £2.718m to be allocated to expenditure in 2018/19 on:

 

Establish a social mobility task force                   

£0.425m

Expand the Small Schools Project                      

£0.700m

Expand research based interventions at primary schools in target areas

£0.375m

Trial research based interventions KS4 in target areas 

£0.250m

Transition Post 16 - Introduce wraparound support for

NEETS through bespoke support to develop essential

skills for life and work                                            

£0.408m

Introduce a social mobility drive through Children's

Centres         

£0.275m

Reinstate cuts in Citizen Advice Services funding to

February 2017 levels plus inflation

£0.210m

Commitment to Park and Ride in Lincoln for preliminary work in 2018/19 financial year

£0.075m

Total

£2.718m

 

If £2.718m is agreed by Council to fund the Labour Group proposals this would leave £15.947m of carry forward to be added to the Financial Volatility Reserve.

The Financial Volatility Reserve would then have a balance of £48.287m rather than the £51.005m the Council paper proposes.

 

Upon being put to the vote, the amendment was lost.

 

A vote was taken on the original motion, and upon being put to the vote, the motion was carried and it was

 

RESOLVED

 

That the County Council:

 

1.    Note the carry forwards set out in paragraph 1.2 and 1.3 of the report which were made in line with the Council's Financial Regulations;

 

2.    Approve the proposed use of carry forwards of over and under spending in excess of 1.0% as set out in paragraph 1.4  of the report;

 

3.    Note the transfers to and from reserves summarised in Table A of the report and position of earmarked reserves as at 31 March 2018, also shown in Table A of the report;

 

4.    Note the position in relation to  ...  view the full minutes text for item 25.

26.

Corporate Parenting Strategy pdf icon PDF 49 KB

Additional documents:

Minutes:

A report by the Executive Director for Children's Service had been circulated.

 

It was moved, seconded and unanimously

 

RESOLVED

 

            That the Council support the Corporate Parenting Strategy and work to support the process of embedding Corporate Parenting into the Council's Culture.

27.

Recruitment of additional independent member on Audit Committee pdf icon PDF 31 KB

Additional documents:

Minutes:

A report by the Executive Director responsible for Democratic Services had been circulated.

 

It was moved, seconded and unanimously

 

RESOLVED

 

1.    That Council agree the recruitment of an additional independent member to sit on the Audit Committee.

 

2.    That Council approve the amendments to the Constitution set out in Appendix A of the report.

28.

Designation of Monitoring Officer and changes to officer delegations pdf icon PDF 32 KB

Minutes:

A report by the Chief Executive had been circulated.

 

It was moved, seconded and unanimously

 

RESOLVED

 

That the Council, with effect from and including 1 October 2018:-

 

1.    Designate the Chief Legal officer as the Council's Monitoring Officer; and

 

2.    Amends Section C of the Delegations to Chief Executive and All Chief Officers in Part 3 of the Constitution (Responsibility for Functions) so as to transfer all the specific powers of the Executive Director for Environment and Economy to the Chief Executive.

29.

Changes to the Constitution

Additional documents:

Minutes:

A report by the Chief Executive had been circulated.

 

It was moved, seconded and

 

RESOLVED

 

That the Council:

 

1.    Approve the new Part 7 of the Constitution as set out in Appendix A to the report.

 

2.    Authorises the Monitoring Officer to make consequential amendments to the Constitution to ensure it was consistent with the approved structure.

30.

Audit Committee Annual Report 2018 pdf icon PDF 29 KB

Additional documents:

Minutes:

A report by the Chairman of the Audit Committee had been circulated.

 

It was moved, seconded and unanimously

 

RESOLVED

 

            That the Council receive the Audit Committee Annual Report 2018.

31.

Motions on Notice submitted in accordance with the Council's Constitution

Minutes:

Motion by Councillor S R Parkin

 

It was moved and seconded that:

 

Many thousands of women, across the UK and in Lincolnshire had significant pension changes imposed on them by the Pensions Acts of 1995 and 2011 with little or no personal notification of the changes. Some women had only two years notice of a six year increase to their state pension age

 

As a consequence many women born in the 1950s are living in hardship. Retirement plans have been shattered with devastating consequences. Some women are already out of the labour market, caring for elderly relatives, providing childcare for grandchildren, or suffer discrimination in the workplace so struggle to find employment. Women born in this decade are suffering financially. These women have worked hard, raised families and paid their tax and national insurance with the expectation that they would be financially secure when reaching 60. It is not the pension age itself that is in dispute because it is widely accepted that women and men should retire at the same time. The issue is that the rise in the women's state pension age has been too rapid and has happened without sufficient notice being given to the women affected, leaving women with no time to make alternative arrangements.

 

This is a national issue which can only be addressed by Central Government.  Up to March 2018, 147 local authorities, of different types and political persuasions, have passed motions in support of government action on this issue. It is time for Lincolnshire County Council to stand up for the 50,000 or so Lincolnshire women affected by this legislation.

 

This Council calls upon the Government to reconsider even at this stage transitional state pension arrangements for women born on or after the 6th of April 1950 who have unfairly borne the burden of the increase to the State Pension Age with lack of appropriate notification.

 

A request for a recorded vote was put forward, but was unsuccessful.

 

Upon being put to the vote, the motion was lost.

 

The following Councillors requested that their votes in favour of the motion be recorded:

 

K J Clarke, Mrs K Cook, P M Key, Mrs J E Killey, Mrs A M Newton, Mrs M J Overton MBE, R M Parker, S R Parkin and R A Renshaw.

 

 
 
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