Agenda and minutes

Apologies for absence were submitted on behalf of Councillors Ken Ball, Henry Caunce and Magda Cullens.

RESOLVED – that the minutes of the last Council meeting held on 7 January 2014 be confirmed as a correct record and signed by the Mayor.

Members are reminded of their responsibility to declare any pecuniary interest in respect of matters contained in this agenda.

If you have a pecuniary interest you must withdraw from the meeting. Normally you should leave the room before the business starts to be discussed. You do, however, have the same right to speak as a member of the public and may remain in the room to enable you to exercise that right and then leave immediately. In either case you must not seek to improperly influence a decision on the matter.

There were no declarations of interest.

The Mayor thanked everyone for their support for his recent Charity Ball which had raised more than £3700 for his chosen charities. The next charity event was a Gala Night on 28 March 2014, hosted by Dave Spikey.

Members of the public who have requested the opportunity to ask question(s) on any item(s) on the agenda will have three minutes to put their question(s) to the relevant Councillor. Members of the public will be allowed to ask one short supplementary question.

There were no public questions.

Members are advised that from 25 February 2014, there is a new requirement  under the Local Authorities (Standing Orders) (England) (Amendment) Regulations 2014 for how councillors voted on decisions at budget meetings, to be recorded in the minutes. This includes votes on any proposed amendments.

The relevant correspondence from the Department for Communities and Local Government is attached and Council Procedure Rules will be revised in due course.

For the purpose of the Budget Council recorded votes will be used prior to adopting the Standing orders as per the attached letter.

Members considered a letter from the Department for Communities and Local Government advising that the Local Authorities (Standing Order) (England) (Amendment) Regulations 2014 were being introduced from 25 February 2014, and this required that votes taken at Budget Meetings should be recorded. This applied to both substantive budget motions and also any proposed amendments at meetings.

Council Procedure Rules contained within the Constitution would need to be revised accordingly.

The Executive Leader, Councillor Alistair Bradley proposed, the Executive Member for Resources, Policy and Performance, Councillor Peter Wilson seconded and it was RESOLVED – that the practice of recording votes at the Annual Budget Council be adopted with immediate effect, and the Council Procedure Rules be revised accordingly.

The attached report of the Chief Executive was agreed at Executive Cabinet on 16 January 2014 and requires full Council approval.

Members considered a report of the Chief Executive which had been agreed at Executive Cabinet on 16 January 2014 and forwarded to Council for full approval.

The Council Tax support scheme and the discounts and exemptions for empty properties policy had been implemented in April 2013 as a result of requirements under the Local Government Finance Act 2012. The report reviewed the impact of the policy which showed a decrease in claims for Council tax support over the year and also a reduction in the number of long term empty properties. The recommendation was for a continuation of the existing approach for 2014/15.

The Executive Member for Resources, Policy and Performance, Councillor Peter Wilson proposed and the Executive Leader, Councillor Alistair Bradley seconded and it was RESOLVED – that the existing Council Tax support scheme and discounts and exemptions policy be continued for 2014/15.

To seek approval to recommendations from the Executive contained in a report of the Chief Executive and within the appendices listed below.

Councillor Peter Wilson, Executive Member for Resources, Policy and Performance presented the Executive’s General Fund Revenue and Capital Budget and Council Tax proposals for 2104/15.

The report recommended a balanced budget for 2014/15 with Council tax being frozen for a further year. The key elements of the budget proposals were that:

·         The budget addresses the previously forecasted budget deficit position for 2014/15 in advance of the year, delivering £0.938m worth of budget savings.

·         The proposals contain headroom of £0.040m in the budget for 2014/15 to fund recurring investment.

·         The proposals do not contain cuts to front line services.

·         Revenue and Capital New Investments would be delivered totalling £1.3m in 2014/15.

·         This brings the total committed to New Investments since 2013/14 to £4.1m.

·         The proposals are consistent with the authority’s Corporate Priorities and aim to bring income into the Council.

·         The proposals are consistent with the Medium Term Financial Strategy.

·         The Council’s borrowing commitment to fund the Capital programme would be reduced.

Attached to the main report were the following appendices containing technical and budgetary information to support the proposals:

Appendix A1 Formal Council tax resolution

Appendix A2 Council pay policy

Appendix A3 Fees and charges

Appendix A4 Business rates: local discounts discretionary rate relief policy

Appendix B1 Capital programme 2014/15 to 2016/17

Appendix B2 Capital programme financing 2014/15 to 2016/17

Appendix B3 Developer contributions 2014/15 to 2016/17

Appendix C Budget investment package 2014/15

Appendix C1 Project mandates for budget investment

Appendix D Treasury strategies and prudential indicators 2014/15 to 2016/17

Appendix E Report of the Statutory Finance Officer

Appendix F Medium term financial strategy

Appendix F1 Analysis of budget variations 2014/15 to 2016/17

Appendix G Significant budget movements from 2013/14

Appendix G1 Base budget review

Appendix H Special expenses and parish precepts

Appendix I Budget consultation 2014/15

Appendix J Assessing the impact of the 2014/15 budget proposals.

Members debated the Executive’s proposed budget.

AMENDMENT

Councillor Kevin Joyce proposed and Councillor Greg Morgan seconded a Conservative Group amendment which supported all budget proposals but with:

·         the deletion of £100,000 for inward investment delivery and £100,000 to undertake town centre and Steeley Lane pilot action plans; and

·         the inclusion of a further £200,000 savings to be achieved from a management restructure.

On being put to the vote, Members cast their vote as follows:

FOR: Councillors Bell, Dalton, David Dickinson, Doreen Dickinson, Goldsworthy, Gray, Hansford, Heaton, Iddon, Joyce, Leadbetter, Morgan, Muncaster, Perks, Platt, G Russell, and R Russell

AGAINST: Councillors Berry, Bradley, Brown, Cronshaw, Crow, Dunn, Edgerley, Finnamore, France, A Gee, D Gee, Holgate, Khan, Lees, A Lowe, M Lowe, Molyneaux, Murfitt, Murray, Phipps, Rogerson, J Snape, K Snape, R Snape, Walmsley and Wilson

ABSTAIN: The Mayor, Councillor John Walker.

The amendment was LOST.

SUBSTANTIVE MOTION

The substantive motion as set out in the report was then proposed by the Executive Member for Resources, Policy and Performance, Councillor Peter Wilson and seconded by the Executive Leader, Councillor Alistair Bradley.

On being put to the vote, Members cast their vote  ...  view the full minutes text for item 14.C.121

The attached report was agreed by Overview and Scrutiny Committee on 9 January 2014 and is referred to Council for approval as a change to the Constitution.

Members considered a report of the Chief Executive on a review of the call in procedures, which had been agreed by the Overview and Scrutiny Committee on 9 January 2014 and was forwarded for full Council approval.

A cross party task group had looked into the current call in arrangements in Chorley and also those in place in other authorities in Lancashire and made two recommendations for change and a number of points of clarification. Any change to the call in procedure required Council approval and a change to the Constitution.

The two key changes were:

·         to reduce the call in period from the current 10 working days down to 5 in order to speed up the implementation of executive decisions; and

·         to ensure a special meeting of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee is always called to hear any request for a decision to be called in.

3.         That the Council’s Constitution be amended accordingly.