Agenda and minutes
PDF 167 KBVenue: Council Chamber, County Hall, Kingston upon Thames, Surrey KT1 2DN
Contact: Amelia Christopher 020 8213 2838
Media
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APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE
The Chairman to report apologies for absence. Additional documents: Minutes: Apologies for absence were received from Mrs Angell, Mr Furey, Mr Hawkins, Mrs Iles, Mrs Lay, Ms Morley, Mr Ramsdale, Mrs Rush, Mrs Thorn and Mrs White.
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To confirm the minutes of the meeting of the Council held on 21 May 2019.
(Note: the Minutes, including the appendices, will be laid on the table half an hour before the start of the meeting).
Additional documents: Minutes: The minutes of the meeting of the County Council held on 21 May 2019 were submitted, confirmed and signed. |
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DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST
All Members present are required to declare, at this point in the meeting or as soon as possible thereafter (i) Any disclosable pecuniary interests and / or (ii) Other interests arising under the Code of Conduct in respect of any item(s) of business being considered at this meeting NOTES: · Members are reminded that they must not participate in any item where they have a disclosable pecuniary interest · As well as an interest of the Member, this includes any interest, of which the Member is aware, that relates to the Member’s spouse or civil partner (or any person with whom the Member is living as a spouse or civil partner) · Members with a significant personal interest may participate in the discussion and vote on that matter unless that interest could be reasonably regarded as prejudicial. Additional documents: Minutes: Dr Andrew Povey declared a non-pecuniary interest as he was a trustee for the Surrey Hills Society.
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CHAIRMAN'S ANNOUNCEMENTS
Over the past month or so I have been involved with Royal visits, Borough and District civic events and visits to schools and charities.
Some of the events I have attended include:
· The Royal County of Berkshire and Surrey Armed Forces Briefing · AGM of the Surrey Staff Retirement Association · Horley Library opening
Ø In addition, in May we hosted the Long Service Awards, a ceremony to mark the completion of either 25 years or 40 years at Surrey County Council. It was a wonderful afternoon hearing the great achievements, commitment and loyalty the members of staff have to Surrey residents.
Ø The Surrey Civic Network took place in June, this provided the opportunity to welcome all the new Mayors and Chairmen of Surrey’s towns, districts and boroughs to their new role. Each Mayor and Chairmen spoke about their plans for the up and coming year and in addition guest speakers included: Bridget Biddell the High Sheriff of Surrey, Michael More-Molyneux the Lord Lieutenant of Surrey and Bill Biddell the Vice Lord Lieutenant of Surrey. We also had talks from Active Surrey and Surrey Chambers.
Ø The Queen’s Awards for Voluntary Service were announced on the 2nd of June and a ‘Magnificent Seven’ voluntary groups in Surrey were recipients of the coveted Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service, these groups are:
· Dyscover- Leatherhead · Friday Swimmers- Guildford · Guildford Town Guides- Guildford · Patchworking Garden Project- Dorking · Stripey Stork- Reigate and Redhill · Surrey Hills Society- countywide · The Millennium Embroidery Group- Sunbury Ø All of these groups have shown a deep-seated commitment either to supporting those individuals who are less fortunate than ourselves, or to delivering a valuable service for the people of Surrey. We are especially fortunate in this county to have so many volunteers who do such extraordinary, and often unpublicised, work in caring for our communities. They are an inspiration to us all. Ø Finally I attended the Charterhouse open evening in Godalming, it was a wonderful celebration of local partnership working in education.
Additional documents: Minutes: The Chairman:
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The Leader to make a statement.
There will be an opportunity for Members to ask questions and/or make comments.
Additional documents: Minutes: The Leader made a detailed statement. A copy of the statement is attached as Appendix A.
In addition to his Statement the Leader:
Members raised the following topics: |
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MEMBERS' QUESTION TIME
1. The Leader of the Council or the appropriate Member of the Cabinet or the Chairman of a Committee to answer any questions on any matter relating to the powers and duties of the County Council, or which affects the county.
(Note: Notice of questions in respect of the above item on the agenda must be given in writing, preferably by e-mail, to Democratic Services by 12 noon on Wednesday 3 July 2019).
2. Cabinet Member Briefings on their portfolios.
These will be circulated by email to all Members prior to the County Council meeting, together with the Members’ questions and responses.
There will be an opportunity for Members to ask questions.
Additional documents: Minutes: Questions:
Notice of seven questions had been received. The questions and replies were published in a supplementary agenda on 8 July 2019.
A number of supplementary questions were asked and a summary of the main points is set out below:
(Q1) Mr Will Forster asked if the Leader of the Council could write to the new Prime Minister and the new Secretary of State for Education once they were in office, asking them to adequately fund all schools and SEND in Surrey. The Leader of the Council agreed to note that. (Q2) Mr Chris Botten asked if the Leader of the Council would note the success of having senior Cabinet Members involved in the delivery of Infrastructure Local Plans. The Leader of the Council noted the comment. (Q3) Mrs Hazel Watson asked the Cabinet Member for Highways for a copy of the new Strategy and Action Plan on Drive SMART and asked for a progress report in six months’ time. The Cabinet Member for Highways will ensure all Members would have a copy and agreed that in six months’ time a progress report would be given to the Council. (Q4) Mr Robert Evans asked the Leader of the Council if he had any special measures to ensure that Surrey County Council would not run out of money to meet its legal obligations in next three years. Mr Evans also asked if the Leader of the Council had made any specific plans to visit the new Prime Minister once in office. The Leader of the Council stated that this would be achieved through good financial planning, for the first time the books were balanced in the last financial year but there would be a challenge this year for the Council as there would be in many local authorities. CIPFA have looked at the Council’s budget process and transformation plans, to ensure sound financial management. The Leader recognised the severe underfunding of local government and lobby the Conservative Government. (Q5) Mr Ernest Mallett stated that the terminology of the response was unclear. Mr Mallett asked the Cabinet Member for Children, Young People and Families if Youth Centres would close due to no open access being available for voluntary groups. He also restated the last bullet point of his question which he felt had not been answered, by asking if the premises and equipment would be open to voluntary providers. Lastly, he asked if any work had been done to reduce the potential for increased crime and vandalism due to the withdrawal for the provision of Youth Services. Mr Essex asked if local committees could have an update on youth provision on how this has changed in the last three years. Mr Harrison asked if voluntary groups such as the Horley and Edge Centres would be charged rent for the use of these premises. Mrs Mason agreed that the first three bullet points of Mr Mallett’s question had not been answered. She asked the Cabinet Member for Children, Young People and Families if ... view the full minutes text for item 49/18 |
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STATEMENTS BY MEMBERS
Any Member may make a statement at the meeting on a local issue of current or future concern.
(Note: Notice of statements must be given in writing, preferably by e-mail, to Democratic Services by 12 noon on Monday 8 July 2019).
Additional documents: Minutes: Mr Nick Darby made a statement in regards to secondary school admissions in the Dittons and for Surrey County Council to review the admissions criteria in Elmbridge.
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ORIGINAL MOTIONS
Item 8 (i)
Mr Eber Kington (Ewell Court, Auriol & Cuddington) to move under standing order 11 as follows:
This Council notes: · The importance of trees in slowing the pace of climate change by absorbing carbon dioxide and releasing oxygen into the air, as well as providing a habitat for wildlife · The contribution trees make to the environment in our towns including shading and cooling, pollution and noise mitigation, as well speeding up floodwater drainage and improving the quality of our street scene.
This Council further notes: · The Government’s pledge in 2018 to plant 11 million new trees by 2050, including in towns and urban areas, and the appointment of a national Tree Champion with a remit to make this happen.
In support of the national campaign to increase the number of trees being planted, particularly in our towns, this Council therefore: I. Calls for a review of Surrey County Council’s current policies on, and attitude towards, the planting of trees in urban areas with a view to introducing a more proactive policy, which looks to increase the number and regularity of trees planted;
II. Calls for the new strategy to include providing opportunities to educate children in understanding the benefits of trees and to get involved in tree planting;
III. Recommends closer partnership working with Borough and District Councils, and landowners seeking sites for new tree planting; and
IV. Recommends that Surrey Highways take advantage of any outside funding to assist with costs, including any Borough and District schemes that enable residents and community groups to fund the planting and future maintenance of trees.
Item 8 (ii)
Mr Mike Goodman (Bagshot, Windlesham and Chobham) to move under standing order 11 as follows:
Following the Prime Minister’s announcement that the UK will eradicate its net contribution to climate change by 2050: This council notes: This council welcomes: Additional documents: Minutes: Item 8(i)
Under Standing Order 12.3 the Council agreed to debate this motion. Under Standing Order 12.1 Mr Mike Goodman moved: an amendment to the motion set out in the agenda for this meeting in his own name, as follows: (with additional words in bold/underlined and any deletions crossed through)
Following the Prime Minister’s announcement that the UK will eradicate its net contribution to climate change by 2050. This council notes: This council welcomes:
Therefore, this council resolves to:
Members agreed to accept the amendment and therefore it became a substantive motion.
Mr Goodman made the following points:
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REVISED MEMBER/OFFICER PROTOCOL
To endorse the Revised Member/Officer Protocol for inclusion in the Constitution.
Additional documents: Minutes: The Leader of the Council introduced the report and stated that the revised Protocol was clearer and more appropriately focussed. It highlighted the collaborative working between Members and Officers and the boundaries in which they operate under. Members made the following comments:
RESOLVED: The County Council endorsed the revised Member/Officer Protocol for inclusion in the Constitution.
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ANNUAL REPORT OF THE SHAREHOLDER BOARD
To approve the Annual Report of the Shareholder Board. Additional documents: Minutes: The Leader of the Council introduced the report and summarised the report, stated that the Council has assets worth £300 million and generates a £17 million annual income revenue. Since the report was published a new Contract was awarded to Surrey Choices and the Council had sold their interest on FutureGov to generate a sizeable return. Members made the following comments: The Leader of the Council informed Members of the business plan of Surrey Choices to address the delivery of service. Council would review continued involvement in the Municipal Bonds Agency. That the interest arbitrage on Halsey Garton Property Ltd. must also be taken into account and there would be a review on investment by the Strategic Investment Board. There was a Cabinet Paper which addressed the services within Babcock 4S.
RESOLVED: The County Council noted the Annual Report of the Shareholder Board.
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APPOINTMENT OF MONITORING OFFICER
To approve the appointment of the Monitoring Officer.
Additional documents: Minutes: The Leader of the Council introduced the report. RESOLVED: The Council appointed Paul Evans as the Monitoring Officer for Surrey County Council from when he commences employment with Surrey County Council. |
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COMMITTEE APPOINTMENTS
Recommendations:
1. That Bill Chapman is duly elected as the Chairman of the Adults and Health Select Committees for 2019/20.
2. That Bill Chapman is duly elected as Surrey County Council’s representative on the South West London and Surrey Joint Health Scrutiny Committee and sub-committee.
Additional documents: Minutes: The Leader of the Council stated the recommendations and thanked Mr Harris who had requested to step down from the role. RESOLVED:
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REPORT OF THE CABINET
To receive the report of the meetings of the Cabinet held on 28 May 2019 and 25 June 2019; the report include details for information / discussion in respect of:
a. 2018/19 Financial Outturn Report
b. Moving Closer to Residents
c. Quarterly Report on Decisions Taken Under Special Urgency Arrangements: 8 May – 28 June 2019.
Additional documents: Minutes: The Leader presented the report of the Cabinet meeting held on 28 May 2019 and 25 June 2019.
Reports for Information/ Discussion
RESOLVED:
That the report of the meeting of the Cabinet held on 28 May 2019 and 25 June 2019 be adopted.
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MINUTES OF CABINET MEETINGS
Any matters within the minutes of the Cabinet’s meetings, and not otherwise brought to the Council’s attention in the Cabinet’s report, may be the subject of questions and statements by Members upon notice being given to Democratic Services by 12 noon on Monday 8 July 2019.
Additional documents: Minutes: No notification had been received by the deadline from Members wishing to raise a question or make a statement on any matters in the minutes. |