Agenda and minutes

Apologies for absence were received from Councillors Anna Cuthbert, Nick Fogg MBE and Ashley O’Neil.

To approve as a correct record and sign the minutes of the meetings of Council held on 20 October and 24 November 2020.

The minutes of the meetings held on 20 October and 24 November 2020 were presented for consideration and it was,

Resolved:

That the minutes of the last Council meetings held on 20 October and 24 November 2020 be approved as a correct record.

To receive any declarations of disclosable interests or dispensations granted by the Standards Committee.

Councillors Brian Dalton and Derek Brown declared a disclosable pecuniary interest in the Budget in relation to the housing revenue account, as they both held a garage tenancy with the Council. Councillors Dalton and Brown indicated that they would withdraw from the meeting when a separate vote would be taken on the housing revenue account details.

The Chairman made the following announcements:

a) Chairman’s Engagements

Events Attended by the Chairman from Tuesday, 20^th October, 2020:

Sunday, 8^th November, 2020        Was due to attend the Devizes Town Council Remembrance Day Service, but it was cancelled due to second lockdown. The Chairman laid a wreath in his own time.

Wednesday, 11^th November, 2020 West Lavington Remembrance Avenue Tree Planting and unveiling of Memorial stone.

Tuesday, 1^st December, 2020       Recorded a YouTube Christmas video message in conjunction with the Lord-Lieutenant, the Leader of Swindon Borough and Lord Talbot, DL, following the cancellation of the County of Wiltshire Carol Service at The Chapel of All Saints, Wardour Castle (Lord Talbot’s family’s former seat).

Monday, 7^th December, 2020       Royal Visit of TRH The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall to Salisbury Cathedral to mark the 800th anniversary of the laying of the foundation stone.

Events Attended by the Vice-Chairman from Tuesday, 20^th October, 2020:

Sunday, 8^th November, 2020        Was due to attend the Marlborough Town Council Remembrance Day Service but it was cancelled due to second lockdown. The Vice-Chairman laid a wreath in his own time.

b) New Years Honours

The Chairman announced that a number of Wiltshire residents had received

national recognition in Her Majesty’s New Years Honours’ list in January as 

follows:

OBEs had been awarded to:

·       Mr. Anthony Price of Malmesbury for services to the Energy Storage Industry;

MBE’s had been awarded to:

·       Mrs. Anne Baker of Salisbury for charitable services, particularly during Covid-19;

·       Mrs. Mercedes Henning of Edington for services to Education in Wiltshire;      

·       Mr. Derek Howland of East Tytherley for services to National Mapping;

·       Prof. Alan Maryon-Davis ofTisbury for services to Public Health;         

·       Dr. Joanne Thwaite of Warminster for services to the NHS during the Covid-19 Response;

·       Mr. Stephen Trowbridge of Swindon for services to Domiciliary Care during Covid-19;

·       Mr. David Waters of Winterbourne Gunner for services to Wildlife Conservation and to the re-introduction of Rare Native Species to the UK;

BEM’s had been awarded to:

·       Mr. Terry Bracher of Corsham for services to Heritage and Public Libraries in Wiltshire;

·       Mr. Christopher Martin of Ramsbury for services to the community in Ramsbury;

·       Revd. Bernard Rumbold of Swindon for voluntary service to Young People;

·       Ms. Patricia Trevett, Salisbury, for services to the community in Salisbury during Covid-19.

CVO’s had been awarded to:

·       Mr. Peter Troughton, CBE, the Lord-Lieutenant’s husband, for his work with the Royal Collection over the last 15 years.

c) Voting

On the proposal of the Chairman, seconded by the Vice- Chairman, it was,

Resolved:

To suspend Paragraphs 22.6.2-22.6.4 of Part 4 of the Constitution to remove the requirement for automatic recorded votes for non-budgetary items.

d) George McDonic

The Chairman paid tribute to George McDonic, who had passed away on 14 February. Mr McDonic was formerly Chief Planning Officer for Wiltshire County Council and a longstanding chairman of the Wiltshire Historic Trust.

Cllr Jonathan Seed also paid tribute to Mr McDonic.  ...  view the full minutes text for item 98.

No petitions are to be presented at this meeting.

The Chairman stated that six petitions had been formally received by the Council since the last ordinary meeting. No petitions were to be presented to the meeting. Details were given on the situation surrounding the Furlong Close petition and it was explained that the lead petitioner had requested that the petition was not debated at the current time. The Leader was aware of concerns raised regarding the proposed closure of the HfT residential facility and Overview and Scrutiny had been invited to undertake a rapid scrutiny exercise to inform the Council.  

Report of the Head of Democratic Services.

A report was presented which gave Council details of the six petitions received for the period since the last Council meeting.

Resolved:

That Council note the report, the petitions received and the actions being taken in relation to them.

The Council welcomes contributions from members of the public. During the ongoing Covid-19 situation the Council is operating revised procedures and the public are able participate in meetings online after registering with the officer named on this agenda, and in accordance with the deadlines below.

Guidance on how to participate in this meeting online

Watch the meeting online here.  

Statements

Members of the public who wish to submit a statement in relation to an item on this agenda should submit this electronically to the officer named on this agenda no later than 5pm on 19 February 2021. Up to three speakers are allowed for each item.

Each statement must:

·       State whom the statement is from (including if representing another person or organisation);

·       state points clearly, and;

·       be readable aloud in approximately 3 minutes.

Questions

Those wishing to ask questions are required to give notice of any such questions electronically to the officer named on the front of this agenda no later than 5pm on 16 February 2021 in order to be guaranteed of a written response. In order to receive a verbal response, questions must be submitted no later than 5pm on 18 February 2021.

Please contact the officer named on the front of this agenda for further advice. Questions may be asked without notice if the Chairman decides that the matter is urgent. Details of any questions received will be circulated to members prior to the meeting and made available at the meeting and on the Council’s website; they will be taken as read at the meeting.

All questions received and the responses provided were published in the agenda supplement. The Chairman invited questioners present whether they wished to ask a supplementary question.

·       Steve Bucknell had submitted a question regarding the delivery of political leaflets during the pandemic. In response to a supplementary question Cllr Clewer explained that further government guidance was awaited regarding leaflet delivery and doorstep campaigning.

·       Caroline Thomas had submitted a question regarding Wiltshire Council’s plans to help residents be more active. In response to a supplementary question Cllr Blair-Pilling, Cabinet Member for ICT, Digitalisation, Operational Assets, Leisure and Libraries, stated that at the current time he was unable to provide a date when the findings of the impact review of leisure and physical activity services would be available, however the findings would be shared when available. Cllr Blair-Pilling confirmed that Wiltshire Council would encourage Town and Parish Councils who were developing Neighbourhood Plans to ensure that this topic was considered.

There were no further supplementary questions. Questions and statements related to particular agenda items would be taken under those items.

A report from the Chief Executive, Terence Herbert.

The Chairman invited the Cabinet Member for Finance, Procurement and Commercial Investment, Cllr Pauline Church to present a report on the Treasury Management Strategy 2021/2022.

Cllr Church stated that the report was recommended to Council by Cabinet at the meeting on 2 February 2021. The report set out a prudent approach to treasury management, taking into account:

·       Liquidity

·       Risk Profile and credit worthiness of counter parties, and

·       Yield

Cllr Church explained that the Council was required to operate a balanced budget and part of the treasury management operation was to ensure that cash flow was adequately planned. Surplus monies were invested within the Council’s risks appetite as set out in the strategy.

The second main function of the treasury management strategy was the funding of the Council’s capital plans. Capital plans provided a guide to the borrowing needs of the Council, the long-term cash flow planning ensured spending obligations could be met. 

The treasury management function was critical to the Council as the balance of debt and investment operation ensured liquidity and the ability to meet spending commitments.

Cllr Church passed on thanks to officer Debbie Price for all her work on the treasury management strategy.

Cllr Church proposed a motion to accept the recommendations in the report as detailed on page 68 of the agenda summons, which was seconded by Cllr Philip Whitehead.

Comments were then made on the proposals by Group Leaders as follows:

Cllr Philip Whitehead, Leader of the Council, commended the strategy and stated he felt that the report was of a very high quality.

Cllr Ian Thorn, Leader of the Liberal Democrats, asked a question regarding the issue of spend on major projects and investments and the ongoing issue of the gap between the budget in terms of capital investment and the turnout.

Cllr Ernie Clark, Independent Group Leader, thought the report was acceptable however was uncertain regarding proposal g.

Cllr Ricky Rogers, Labour Group Leader, stated that the report was very thorough and he was happy to support the strategy. 

There were no comments in debate from Members.

Cllr Church responded to Cllr Thorn’s question, reassuring him that the team were focusing on profiling and the spend as per the planned project. It was,

Resolved:

That Full Council:

a)    Adopt the Minimum Revenue Provision Policy (paragraph 31 – 33)

b)    Adopt the Prudential and Treasury Indicators (paragraphs 24 – 30, 43 – 49 and Appendix A)

c)    Adopt the Annual Investment Strategy (paragraph 82 onwards).

d)    Delegate to the Interim Corporate Director of Resources the authority to vary the amount of borrowing and other long-term liabilities within the Treasury Indicators for the Authorised Limit and the Operational Boundary

e)    Authorise the Interim Corporate Director of Resources to agree the restructuring of existing long-term loans where savings are achievable or to enhance the long-term portfolio

f)     Agree that short term cash surpluses and deficits continue to be managed through temporary loans, deposits and money market funds

g)    Agree that any surplus cash balances not  ...  view the full minutes text for item 102.

Details of the Budget Process are attached

8a) Leader’s Budget Speech

8b) Relevant extract of the minutes of Cabinet held on 2 Feb 2021

8c) Proposed amendment

8d) Reports of the Special Overview and Scrutiny Management Committee meetings held on 26 January and 9 February 2021.

8e) Financial Plan 2021/22. Report by the Chief Executive can be accessed at this link Budget Papers  

The Chairman introduced the item, drew attention to the various papers connected to the item and explained the procedures to be followed. The Chairman then invited Cllr Philip Whitehead, Leader of the Council, to present his budget speech.

Cllr Whitehead detailed how difficult the last year had been and how COVID-19 had deeply affected everyone. Wiltshire Council had not lost sight of the ambition for stronger communities and the pandemic had highlighted how strong communities could become stronger when faced with challenges.

Cllr Whitehead gave some facts and figures detailing the extra spending and work undertaken in response to the pandemic. Business as usual had also continued throughout, with teams working towards a stronger future. 

Cllr Whitehead explained that there would be further challenges to come due to continued uncertainty and latent demand, these had been planned for in the budget. The budget was proactive and efficient, there would be more scrutiny of finances, more demand modelling and organisational recovery would take advantage of lessons learnt during the pandemic, driving efficiencies. The budget would offer resilience and ensure that vital services were provided and those most in need supported.

Cllr Pauline Church, Cabinet Member for Finance, Procurement and Commercial Investment, presented the Financial Plan 2021/22, Medium Term Financial Strategy Update, Capital Strategy and Capital Programme. Cllr Church explained that the last year had been a journey. When she accepted her Cabinet post Wiltshire Council was £50 million in deficit and had lobbied the government for funds to cover this shortfall. In response to the pandemic the Corporate Leadership Team had reassessed forecasts and spending controls had been implemented.

It was stated that uncertainty and the ever-changing landscape was a huge challenge and Wiltshire Council needed to ensure that service delivery could continue throughout the pandemic, recovery and beyond. The extra Government funds received were a one year settlement and a planned Government review of financing of local councils had been delayed due to the pandemic. As a result, Wiltshire Council had made preparations within the budget by setting up a latent demand reserve account and a council tax volatility reserve account. Officers had also introduced a mechanism to control reserve levels using a risk assessment model. It was proposed that Council Tax and the Adult Social Care levy should be increased, raising £8.5 million for services.

Some services had seen demand go down, however there could be hidden issues leading to latent demand and a surge for services, so a latent demand reserve account would be created, and funds added to the council tax discretionary hardship fund. Funding had also been set aside to help Wiltshire’s town centres adapt and recover. Significant funds had been set aside for Children’s Services, SEN and disability transport and Waste Services. Wiltshire Council was investing in the health and wellbeing of residents by bringing all leisure centres in house and providing improved facilities/activities.

Cllr Church thanked all officers who had worked on the budget.

Cllr Pauline Church proposed a motion to adopt the recommendations  ...  view the full minutes text for item 103.

A report from the Chief Executive, Terence Herbert.

Councillor Pauline Church, Cabinet Member for Finance, Procurement and Commercial Investment, presented the report enabling the Council to calculate and approve the Council Tax requirement for 2021/22.

The report detailed the level by which the basic element of the Council Tax would be allowed to increase for 2021/22 (1.99%), as set out in the 2021/22 Local Government Finance Settlement and the council’s ability to increase the adult social care precept by a further 3% on top of the basic element. Cabinet considered this proposal at its meeting on 2 February 2021 and supported the proposals for consideration by Full Council. Since this Cabinet meeting the precept levels of other precepting authorities (Town & Parish Councils / Office of the Police & Crime Commissioner for Wiltshire and Swindon / Dorset & Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Authority) had been received by the Council.

There were no comments from Group Leaders or other Councillors.

Resolved:

1.    It be noted that on 4 December 2020 an Officer Decision was made by Andy Brown, Interim Corporate Director of Resources.

a.    the Council Tax Base 2021/22 for the whole Wiltshire Council area as 187,517.35 [Item T in the formula in Section 31B(3) of the Local Government Finance Act 1992, as amended (the "Act")] and,

b.    for dwellings in those parts of its area to which a Parish precept relates as in the attached Appendix.

2.    Calculate that the Council Tax requirement for the Council’s own purposes for 2021/22 (excluding parish precepts) is £298,265,097.

3.    That the following amounts be calculated for the year 2021/22 in accordance with Sections 31 to 36 of the Act:

To consider the Pay Policy Statement as recommended by Staffing Policy Committee at its meeting on 6 January 2021.

A report from the Chief Executive and relevant extract of the minutes of the Staffing Policy Committee are attached.

Councillor Richard Clewer, Deputy Leader of the Council and Cabinet Member for Corporate Services, Heritage, Arts & Tourism, Housing and Communities, presented the report which provided an update on the pay policy statement for 2021/2022 which applies to all non-schools’ employees of Wiltshire Council, except for centrally employed teachers who are covered by the teachers’ pay policy.

There were no comments from Group Leaders or other Councillors.

Resolved:

To approve the updated Pay Policy Statement set out in Appendix 1 of the report.

A report from the Chief Executive, Terence Herbert.

Councillor Richard Clewer, Deputy Leader of the Council and Cabinet Member for Corporate Services, Heritage, Arts & Tourism, Housing and Communities, presented the report on the which proposed the Returning Officer’s scale of fees and charges scheme to run local elections and referenda effective from 1 April 2021.

Cllr Clewer explained the Returning Officer was appointed by the local authority to conduct elections and referendums within the local authority area. The current 2013 scale of fees and charges is outdated in terms of pay rates and inadequately reflecting the job roles and services required. There was now a need for specific job roles and services to be identified and included in the fees and charges scheme.  The report also included information relating to the Returning Officer as the designated Counting Officer for Neighbourhood Planning Referendums.

There were no comments from Group Leaders or other Councillors.

Resolved:

a)    approve the revised scale of fees and charges effective from April 2021;

b)    note the inclusion of fees for Neighbourhood Planning Referendums;

c)    approve a revised scale of charging for uncontested elections;

d)    approve a revised scale of charging for countermanded or postponed elections.

A report from the Chief Executive Officer, Terence Herbert.

Councillor Richard Clewer, Deputy Leader of the Council and Cabinet Member for Corporate Services, Heritage, Arts & Tourism, Housing and Communities, presented the update report on Wiltshire Council’s Response to the Climate Emergency.

Cllr Clewer explained the expectation had been to introduce the full Climate Strategy however, this had not been possible following the impact of COVID-19 national restrictions and the Council’s response. Therefore, a discussion document was appended to the report, setting out the proposed approach to developing a draft Climate Strategy and its outline content, navigating engagement and consultation through to its final adoption.

Cllr Clewer confirmed that the Council’s Climate Team was now in place and making good progress with the development of a Climate Engagement Plan following engagement with a significant number of stakeholders. He commented on the investment of £50m to raise councils homes to an energy performance B rating, as a minimum, over the next 10 years, the council’s successful application to the Government’s ‘Green Homes Grant’ Local Authority Delivery Scheme – Phase 1b – targeting improvements to 100 homes with the poorest levels of insulation by September 2021.

Cllr Clewer proposed, seconded by Cllr Whitehead, that the recommendations as detailed in the report be adopted.

Public questions were receives from Sue Deedigan and Mary Webb.

All questions and their written responses were contained in the agenda supplement.  There were no supplementary questions.

Statements were received from the following in relation to the Council’s response to the Climate Emergency:

·       Andrew Nicolson

·       Carys Richards – Wiltshire Climate Alliance Youth

·       Baroness Jones of Mouslecoomb

·       Caroline Lanyon

In response to a number of comments raised in the questions and statements Cllr Clewer the (i) Wiltshire was a large rural county and therefore transport issues were difficult to overcome.  Appropriate infrastructure would be required in advance of any new homes developments; (ii) The Council must meet housing targets set by the Government; (iii) Carbon neutrality may not be completely resolved by 2030; (iv) The Council understands the importance of sustainable energy and discussions have been taking place with energy companies to progress the delivery of energy proposals, alongside the necessary support from Government.

The Chairman then invited Group Leaders to speak before opening the debate to Members.

The Leader of the Council, confirmed the Council was committed to carbon neutrality and working towards the Councils motion of 26 February 2019 to acknowledge that ‘there is a climate emergency and to seek to make the county of Wiltshire carbon neutral by 2030’. He reported that significant progress was being made on a number of issues, although the framework for achieving carbon neutrality was very tight.

Cllr Thorn, Leader of the Liberal Democrat Group, thanked the public for their questions and statements, and congratulated Cllr Clewer for the work being undertaken and his commitment to achieving carbon neutrality. He questioned how the ‘new’ Council could be more effective in it’s review of the Council’s Carbon Strategy and the Council would need to listen to issues raised by the public in order  ...  view the full minutes text for item 107.

No notices of motion have been received for this meeting.

There were no notices of motion received for this meeting.

A report from the Monitoring Officer.

Councillor Richard Clewer, Deputy Leader of the Council and Cabinet Member for Corporate Services, Heritage, Arts & Tourism, Housing and Communities, presented the report on the appointment of an Independent Remuneration Panel to review the Wiltshire Council Members’ Allowance Scheme, for implementation in the new Council term.

Cllr Clewer explained that members’ allowances must be reviewed every 4 years in accordance with the Local Authorities (Members’ Allowances) (England) Regulations 2003. The Council agreed in October 2020 the arrangements for recruitment of 3 Panel members. Since that time and following a selection process with participation from each political group on the council, 3 candidates were recommended for appointment by the Monitoring Officer. However, one candidate had withdrawn leaving a vacancy and Council is requested that this selection and appointment is undertaken under delegated authority as detailed below.  Details about the remaining 2 candidates were included in the report.

The Chairman then invited Group Leaders to comment on the report. There were no additional comments.

Resolved:

a)    Notes the process undertaken to recruit members to an Independent Remuneration Panel and approves the appointment of:

·       John Quinton – Panel Chairman

·       Bernadette Fitzmaurice – Panel Member

b)    Delegates authority to the Director of Legal and Governance, in consultation with Group Leaders (or their nominated representative), to undertake the selection process and appointment of the final Panel member, and if subsequent vacancies may arise during the course of a review.

c)    Notes that Panel members are appointed for a 4-year term.

A report is attached from the Director of Legal and Governance.

Councillor Richard Clewer, Deputy Leader of the Council and Cabinet Member for Corporate Services, Heritage, Arts & Tourism, Housing and Communities, presented the report on the appointment of co-opted members to the Standards Committee.

Cllr Clewer explained that the Standards Committee’s Terms of Reference provide for the appointment of 8 non-voting co-opted members.  The term for 4 of these non-voting co-opted members ends in May 2021 and new appointments would be required for the 4 vacancies. In previous years the Council had resolved that these appointments should be for the remainder of the Council term (4 years) and the decision delegated to the Standards Committee.

A further delegation for the latest appointment of 4 non-voting co-opted members is requested.

Resolved:

To delegate the appointment of 4 non-voting co-opted members to the Standards Committee and the arrangements for selection of such members to the Monitoring Officer in consultation with the Chairman of the Standards Committee.

a) The Leader, Cabinet members and Chairmen of Committees will be invited to make any important announcements.

b) Councillors will be given the opportunity to raise questions to the Chairmen of Committees or to the Dorset and Wiltshire Fire Authority on the minutes of their meetings, available here.  

c) Councillors will be given an opportunity to raise general issues relating to Area Boards but not specific local issues.

There were no announcements by Cabinet Members or Chairs of Committees.

Cllr Seed raised a question in relation to the Technical Rescue Review undertaken by the Dorset and Wiltshire Fire Rescue Service at their meeting held on 11 February 2021. In particular, concern was raised about the reduction in the number of Fire Stations in Wiltshire where flood rescue equipment is located. Cllr Oatway, as a member of Wiltshire Council on the Dorset & Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Authority, reported that he and other Wiltshire Councillors on the Authority were opposed to these proposals and voted against them.  He confirmed that a considerable amount of lobbying had been undertaken with local MP’s.

There were no general issues relating to Area Boards.

The Council received comments from a number of Members who were standing down at the forthcoming unitary elections. They expressed their thanks to other Councillors and officers for the help and support offered during their time as a serving Member.   

Note:

Councillor Seed declared an personal interest in the Dorset & Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service issue raised above as he was a candidate for the forthcoming elections of the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner.

To determine any requests from Group Leaders for changes to committee membership in accordance with the allocation of seats to political groups previously approved by the Council.

There were no changes to the membership of Committees.

Councillors were required to give notice of any such question in writing to the officer named on the first page of this agenda no later than 5pm nine clear working days before the meeting – Tuesday 9 February  in order to be guaranteed a written response.

Any question received after 5pm on 9 February and no later than 5pm four clear working days before the meeting, Tuesday 16 February, may only receive a verbal response at the meeting. Any questions received after this date will be received at the next meeting.

Questions may be asked without notice if the Chairman determines the matter is urgent.

Details of any questions received will be circulated to Councillors prior to the meeting and made available at the meeting and on the Council’s website.

There were no questions from Members for this meeting.

Details of recorded votes are attached to these minutes.

Members attendance details are attached to these minutes.