Agenda and minutes

To elect a Chairman for the forthcoming year.

On the nomination of Councillor Gavin Grant, seconded by Councillor Allison Bucknell, it was,

Resolved:

To elect Councillor Ian Blair-Pilling as Chairman for the forthcoming year.

To elect a Vice-Chairman for the forthcoming year.

On the nomination of Councillor Ian Blair-Pilling, seconded by Councillor Stuart Wheeler, it was,

Resolved:

To elect Councillor Gavin Grant as Chairman for the forthcoming year.

To receive any apologies or substitutions for the meeting.

There were no apologies from members of the Committee.

To approve and sign the minutes of the meeting held on 12 November 2021.

The minutes of the previous meeting held on 12 November 2020 were presented for consideration, and it was,

Resolved:

To approve and sign the minutes as a true and correct record.

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

There were no declarations.

To reecive any announcements through the Chair.

There were no announcements.

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 the meeting online

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 8 July 2021.

Any 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

To receive any questions from members of the public or members of the Council received in accordance with the constitution.

Those wishing to ask questions are required to give notice of any such

questions in writing to the officer named on the front of this agenda no later than 5pm on 5 July 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 7 July 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 Committee members prior to the meeting and made available at the meeting and on the Council’s website.

There were no questions or statements submitted.

To consider a request from Amesbury Area Board. Report to follow.

A report was received from the Director of Legal and Governance regarding a request from Amesbury Area Board to change its name to Stonehenge Area Board.

The Board had considered its name and considered a new name would be more appropriate and inclusive of areas within its remit. It had undertaken a survey of parishes and residents with limited but positive support for the proposal. Following the May 2021 election, the newly constituted Board had confirmed it wished to proceed with the request.

The Committee discussed the proposal and considered that the name change had local and Board support and its reasoning was sound. Accordingly, it was content to recommend to Council that the change be supported.

Resolved:

To recommend Council amend the name of Amesbury Area Board to Stonehenge Area Board, subject to necessary constitutional amendment.

Resolved:

To receive a report from the Director of Legal and Governance. Report to follow.

A report was received from the Director of Legal and Governance regarding preparations for future Community Governance Reviews. Details were provided of the number of existing requests, noting that most were two years old and had not been reconfirmed by the requesting council following the May 2021 elections, when the composition of those councils may have changed.

The Committee discussed how the requests could be prioritised, considering urgency and significance of requests, as well as the time and resources required to undertake any review. It discussed the processes that might take place during any review, including public and partner consultation arrangements, and the most appropriate way to determine the updated view of requesting parishes.

It was considered that the most significant areas for review included Calne Without and its surroundings, Beechingstoke, and Malmesbury, with further details needed for some other requests. Draft terms of reference for a review would be produced for approval following additional discussions with the Committee members.

The Committee also discussed requests to change only the name of a parish.

At the conclusion of discussion, it was

Resolved:

1)    That the request to change the name of Biddestone Parish Council, and any future name change requests, would be undertaken through S75 of the Local Government Act 1972.

2)    That the following parishes be prioritised for a Community Governance Review:

Calne Without and surrounding parishes

Beechingstoke and surrounding parishes

Malmesbury and St Paul Malmesbury Without

With additional detail to be sought in relation to other requests ahead of consideration of draft terms of reference.

Any other items of business which the Chairman agrees to consider as a matter of urgency.

There were no urgent items.