Motion status:Carried
Amendment status:Rejected
To adjust the schedule of committee places allocated to political groups as follows:
For the Ungrouped Member, Cllr Edward Kirk, to retain a committee place on the Western Area Planning Committee in place of a Member of the Conservative Group.
Whilst not opposed to the principle of the development of solar farms in line with the National Planning Policy Framework this Council is increasingly concerned at the concentration of solar farms, battery storage and associated infrastructure in Wiltshire. Some villages are now completely surrounded by solar farms and their continued concentration represents a significant cumulative impact and industrialisation of the countryside.
Wiltshire Council therefore calls on the Secretary of State for the Department of Levelling Up, Housing and Communities to define more closely what is meant by ‘cumulative impact’ regarding solar farms battery storage and associated infrastructure and to take clear steps to ensure that solar developments are more evenly spread across the UK and not concentrated in specific areas effectively industrialising the countryside.
We would also ask for clarity of the priority given to ensuring that food production and farming are not destroyed as industries in specific areas through an excessive concentration of solar farms given the massive impact that would have on the rural way of life in villages that have been farmed for time immemorial.
That Council:
1) Approve the changes to community governance arrangements as set out below as recommended and detailed by the Electoral Review Committee in the Final Recommendations: Recommendation 1 – Mere/Zeals Recommendation 2 – North Bradley/Trowbridge Recommendation 3 – Salisbury (St Francis & Stratford/Milford Divisions) Recommendation 4 – Royal Wootton Bassett/Brinkworth Recommendation 5 – Chippenham (Pewsham/Hardens & Central Divisions) Recommendation 6 – Trowbridge (Grove/Lambrok Divisions) Recommendation 7 – Calne/Calne Without Recommendation 8 – Bradford-on-Avon Recommendation 9 – Melksham (Forest and South Divisions) Recommendation 10 – Westbury/Dilton Marsh Recommendation 11 – Southwick/North Bradley
2) To authorise the Solicitor of the Council to take all necessary measures to make and approve the Community Governance Order(s) to bring into effect for 1 April 2025 all of the changes detailed under resolution 1, subject to any required consents by the Local Government Boundary Commission for England;
3) To authorise the Electoral Registration Officer to make any necessary changes to polling districts to bring them into line with the agreed governance changes at the appropriate time, to be reported to the Electoral Review Committee.
That Council approve the following updated sections of the Constitution:
1) Part 11A – Corporate Parenting Panel (Appendix A)
2) Part 5 – Access to Information Procedure Rules (Appendix B)
3) Part 7 – Cabinet Procedure Rules (Appendix C)
4) Part 8 – Overview and Scrutiny Procedure Rules (Appendix D)
1) That Council approves the revised Corporate Parenting Strategy 2023 – 2026 attached as Appendix 1 to this report.
2) That approval is given for Wiltshire Council to sign up to the National Care Leavers Covenant.
3) That all Councillors as Corporate Parents pledge their commitment to the poem (attached as Appendix 2) to our children and young people in care as recommended by the Corporate Parenting Panel.
4) That the Council commit to the Corporate Parenting Panel exploring care experience as a protected characteristic and progress this to put in place policies and programmes which promote better outcomes for care experienced young people and adults, with a full proposal returning to Full Council for approval.
That Full Council
1) Note the actions taken in response to the climate emergency following the last update in May 2023, and notes the progress made against key indicators as well as areas of limited progress.
2) Approve the updated Environmental Policy in Appendix 1 and add it to Paragraph 1.2 of Part 3B of the Constitution for inclusion as part of the Policy Framework.
3) Agree that future climate updates are received annually at its October meeting.
To approve:
a) the allocation of a £4.4m budget for Education provision in the North of the County to be funded by a mix of capital receipts, earmarked reserves and £1.7m of new borrowing.
b) to move the £0.382m income budget associated with saving from increased retained share of funding from Business Rates for Council Assets from Assets to the Business Rates Retention Scheme in the Funding section; and
c) to increase the Government Grants budget in Funding to recognise the additional Market Sustainability Improvement Fund of £2.773m and increase the net budget in Adults by the same amount.
Resolution status:Carried
1.1 That the areas marked as A in the map provided be transferred from Westbury Town to the parish of Heywood.
1.2 That the areas marked as B in the map provided be transferred from Heywood to Westbury Town, as part of the Westbury East Ward and Westbury North Ward respectively.
1.3 That the parish of Heywood be unwarded, with seven councillors.
1.4 To request that the LGBCE amend the Westbury North, Westbury East, and Ethandune Electoral Divisions to be conterminous with the proposed revised parish boundaries of Westbury and Heywood.
That Council: 1) Approve the changes to community governance arrangements as set out below as recommended and detailed by the Electoral Review Committee in the Final Recommendations: Recommendation 1 – Heywood/Westbury (Separate Vote) Recommendation 2 – Tidworth Recommendation 3 – Netheravon/Figheldean/Fittleton cum Haxton Recommendation 4 – Grittleton/Castle Combe/Nettleton – “The Gibb” Recommendation 5 – Yatton Keynell/Castle Combe/Biddestone & Slaughterford Recommendation 6 – Warminster Recommendation 7 – Donhead St Mary/Monkton Farleigh 2) To authorise the Solicitor of the Council to take all necessary measures to make and approve the Community Governance Order(s) to bring into effect for 1 April 2025 all of the changes detailed under resolution 1, subject to any required consents by the Local Government Boundary Commission for England; 3) To authorise the Electoral Registration Officer to make any necessary changes to polling districts to bring them into line with the agreed governance changes at the appropriate time, to be reported to the Electoral Review Committee.
That Council approve the following updated section of the Constitution:
Part 12 – Code of Conduct
Protocol 12 – Wiltshire Police and Crime Panel Protocol