Councillors and committees

Agenda and minutes

Venue: Council Chamber, County Hall, Kingston upon Thames, Surrey KT1 2DN. View directions

Contact: Joss Butler  020 8541 9702

Media

Items
No. Item

62/18

CHAIRMAN pdf icon PDF 71 KB

    • Share this item

    1.     Amendment of Article 4

    To amend the Constitution to allow for the in-year election of a Chairman and Vice-Chairman.

     

    2.     Election of Temporary Chairman

    To oversee the election of the Chairman for the remainder of the Council year 2018/19.

     

    3.     Election of Chairman for the remainder of the Council year 2018/19

     

    4.     The Chairman to make the statutory declaration of office.

     

     

    Additional documents:

    Minutes:

    The Chief Executive Officer introduced the meeting and announce that item 1, Part 2 would be considered before Item 1, Part 1.

     

    2.     Election of Temporary Chairman

     

    Under the motion proposed by Mr Hodge, seconded by Mr Hall, it was unanimously:

     

    RESOLVED:

     

    that Mr David Harmer be elected temporary Chairman of the Council to oversee the election of the Chairman for the remainder of the council year 2018/19.

     

    1.     Amendment of Article 4

     

    The Leader of the Council introduced the report. Ir was unanimously

     

    RESOLVED:

     

    a.     That Council approved the amendment of Article 4.03 of the County Council’s Constitution regarding the arrangements for Chairing the Council to include the following wording: ‘In the event of an in-year vacancy in either role, an election will be held for a replacement to serve until the next Annual General Meeting of the Council.

    b.     That these changes be incorporated into the Council’s Constitution and published on the Council’s website.

     

    3.     Election of Chairman for the remainder of the Council year 2018/19.

     

    Under the motion proposed by Mr Hodge, seconded by Mr Harrison, it was unanimously:

     

    RESOLVED:

     

    That Mr Anthony David Samuels be elected Chairman of the Council for the remainder of the council year 2018/19.

     

    4.     Declaration of Acceptance of Office

     

    Mr Samuels made the statutory declaration of office and took the chair.

     

    The newly elected Chairman expressed his thanks to the Members of the Council for electing him as Chairman.

     

     

63/18

APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE

    • Share this item

    The Chairman to report apologies for absence.

    Additional documents:

    Minutes:

    Apologies for absence have been received from Keith Witham, Wyatt Ramsdale, Ernest Mallett, Marisa Heath, Ayesha Azad, Graham Ellwood, Penny River, Mark Brett-Warburton and Zully Grant-Duff.

     

64/18

MINUTES pdf icon PDF 269 KB

    • Share this item

    To confirm the minutes of the meeting of the Council held on 10 July 2018.

     

    (Note: the Minutes, including the appendices, will be laid on the table half an hour before the start of the meeting).

     

    Additional documents:

    Minutes:

    Members were notified of a correction in minute 56/18, item 8 (iii), where it should read ‘nitrogen dioxide’ rather than ‘carbon dioxide’.

     

    The amended minutes of the meeting of the County Council held on 22 May 2018 were confirmed and signed.

65/18

DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST

    • Share this item

    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:

    There were none.

66/18

CHAIRMAN'S ANNOUNCEMENTS

    • Share this item

    The Chairman to report.

    Additional documents:

    Minutes:

    The Chairman:

     

    ·        led a silent tribute in remembrance for Richard Wilson, former Council Councillor.

    ·        congratulated the Surrey County Cricket team on winning the County Championship.

    ·        informed Members that he had attended the RAF 100 Aircraft tour to celebrate their official 100th birthday.

    ·        congratulated the Surrey Pensions Team and Cllr Tim Evans, chairman of the Surrey Pension Fund Committee, on receiving the Scheme Governance Award from the Local Authority Pension Fund for the second year in a row.

     

67/18

VICE-CHAIRMAN

    • Share this item

    1.     To elect a Vice-Chairman for the remainder of the Council Year 2018/19.

     

    2.     The Vice-Chairman to make the statutory declaration of acceptance of office.

     

    Additional documents:

    Minutes:

    Upon the motion of Mrs Lewis, seconded by Mr Botten, it was:

     

    RESOLVED:

     

    That Mrs Helyn Clack be appointed Vice-Chairman of the Council for the remainder of the council year 2018/19.

     

    DECLARATION OF ACCEPTANCE OF OFFICE

     

    Mrs Clack was invested by Mr Samuels with the Vice-Chairman’s badge. she made the statutory declaration of office and expressed thanks to the Members of the Council for electing her as Vice-Chairman.

     

68/18

LEADER'S STATEMENT

    • Share this item

    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.

     

    Members raised the following topics:

     

    ·        That they shared the Leader of the Council’s concern with the lack of funding for Council services.

    ·        That the lack of funding should not lead to a rise of victimhood culture in the Council.

    ·        That ‘Deals’ should be fair and not one sided.

    ·        The Council should continue to provide services to the most vulnerable.

    ·        Raised concern with the relationship between local and Central Government

    ·        That Local Authorities should not be forced to cut services to residents due to unfair funding.

    ·        That they supported the Councils approach to invest to save.

    ·        They hoped that the budget puts the residents first.

    ·        That the Council should considering renaming the approach of ‘deals’.

     

69/18

MEMBERS' QUESTION TIME pdf icon PDF 118 KB

    • Share this item

    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 3 October 2018).

     

    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 9 questions had been received. The questions and replies were published in a supplementary agenda on 8 October 2018.

     

    A number of supplementary questions were asked and a summary of the main points is set out below:

     

    (Q1) Mrs Hazel Watson asked the Cabinet Lead Member for Place if he felt it was appropriate to have a 60mph speed limit on Abinger Lane in Abinger Common, Surrey. The Cabinet Member stated that he was unable to comment on specific cases but that he would speak to Cllr Watson outside the meeting. 

     

    (Q2) Mr Robert Evans asked the Leader of the Council if he agreed that Central Government had not supported Northamptonshire County Council sufficiently and further asked if he felt Surrey County Council was being supported appropriately. 

    The Leader of the Council stated that he was aware that the Local Government Authority (LGA) had provided Northamptonshire County Council with advice on their situation but that he was unable to comment on the actions of Central Government. He suggested that closer links with its District and Borough partners might have proved beneficial for Northamptonshire County Council.

     

    (Q3) Mr Chris Botten requested greater transparency from the Leader of the Council regarding the appointment and retention of consultants on the transformation programme and  for the People, Performance and Development Committee to be given information about their terms and conditions. The Leader confirmed that PPDC had certain responsibilities regarding officers’ appointments and would bring information to it to ensure control and transparency.

     

    (Q4) Mr Jonathan Essex asked the Cabinet Member for Children for confirmation that the vacant dedicated Youth and Community Worker posts would be reinstated and whether they would be in post to run open-access youth club sessions in District and Boroughs. The Leader of the Council stated that this was not an appropriate question for a Cabinet Member and agreed to provide a response outside of the meeting.

     

    (Q6) Mr Jonathan Essex asked the Cabinet Member for Environment and Transport for confirmation that the Council would continue to invest to save to cut waste disposal and increase recycling rates. The Cabinet Member confirmed that the Council would continue to work with Boroughs and District to increase curb-side recycling and recycling at Community Recycling Centres. The Cabinet Member further highlighted that Surrey had the second highest recycling rate in the country for two tier authorities.

     

    (Q7) Mrs Hazel Watson asked the Cabinet Member for Environment and Transport for confirmation that the risk management policy would be revised to protect residents from diseased falling Ash Trees. The Cabinet Member confirmed that officers were aware of the situation and were doing all they can do to keep the public safe. It was highlighted to Members that it was expected that 95% of Ash Trees in the country would in lost over the next few years.

     

    (Q8) Mr Jonathan Essex highlighted a recent parliamentary report on cycling and asked the Cabinet Member for Environment and Transport if the Council would increase  ...  view the full minutes text for item 69/18

70/18

STATEMENTS BY MEMBERS

    • Share this item

    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 8 October 2018).

     

    Additional documents:

    Minutes:

     There were none.

71/18

ORIGINAL MOTIONS

    • Share this item

    Item 8 (i)

     

    Mr David Hodge (Warlingham) to move under Standing Order 11 as follows:

     

    This Council recognises Surrey residents’ concerns about the condition of the county’s roads and the need to ensure they are well-maintained and fit for purpose.

    In order to draw Parliament’s attention to the unfair formula applied by Government to the funding of road maintenance and improvement, county councillor Edward Hawkins earlier this year launched the following petition:

    We call upon the Government to reform the Fairer Funding Formula to ensure there is enough money for road repair and up-keep. The current method for calculating the grant for such work unfairly penalises Surrey. The calculation should give more weight to traffic flow and level of usage.

    Surrey has almost 3,500 miles of roads with over 4.8 million miles travelled on those roads per year. The grant received by Surrey from the Government is about £4,000 per million vehicle miles travelled. A Neighbouring county has a figure of £5,500 per million vehicle miles travelled.

    The recent Pothole Fund announced by the Government which uses the same formula saw Surrey get £1.8m, whereas one of our neighbouring counties received £2.9m, and a quiet west country area was given £4.4m.”

    I call upon all Members of this Council to support the petition and do all within their power to help it reach 100,000 signatures, thus enabling this vital issue to be debated in Parliament.

    Item 8 (ii)

     

    Mr Mike Goodman (Bagshot, Windlesham and Chobham) to move under Standing Order 11 as follows:

     

    Government has set out – in the Airports National Policy Statement - the policy framework and specific principles that will be used to assess any application to construct a northwest runway at Heathrow.  In the light of these developments it is timely for this Council to reaffirm its position on airport expansion set out in the resolution agreed in December 2016 and to make clear its position on Heathrow’s expansion.   

     

    This Council :

     

    1.     Recognises the crucial role of Heathrow in supporting employment for Surrey residents, generating investment for the Surrey economy and attracting major businesses.

    2.     Urges that the environmental and infrastructure issues associated with expansion are satisfactorily addressed.

    3.     Continues to engage with Heathrow management, alongside other local authorities, Local Enterprise Partnerships and other organisations as part of the Heathrow Strategic Planning Group, on its expansion plans in order to protect and promote the interests of Surrey, its residents and businesses.

    4.     Continues to press for proper compensation for residents who are affected by the expansion plans.

    5.     Emphasises that the necessary  infrastructure should be in place before any new runway comes into operation together with appropriate mitigation measures and commitments to address environmental impacts. 

    6.     Calls on the Government to prioritise a southern rail access scheme, which supports strategic transport and economic objectives and contributes to addressing environmental impacts, to be in operation before any new runway comes into service.

     

    Item 8 (iii)

     

    Mr Robert Evans  ...  view the full agenda text for item 71/18

    Additional documents:

    Minutes:

    Item 8(i)

     

    Under Standing Order 12.3 the Council agreed to debate this motion.

    Under Standing Order 12.1 Mr David Hodge moved the motion, which was:

     

    This Council recognises Surrey residents’ concerns about the condition of the county’s roads and the need to ensure they are well-maintained and fit for purpose.

    In order to draw Parliament’s attention to the unfair formula applied by Government to the funding of road maintenance and improvement, county councillor Edward Hawkins earlier this year launched the following petition:

    We call upon the Government to reform the Fairer Funding Formula to ensure there is enough money for road repair and up-keep. The current method for calculating the grant for such work unfairly penalises Surrey. The calculation should give more weight to traffic flow and level of usage.

    Surrey has almost 3,500 miles of roads with over 4.8 million miles travelled on those roads per year. The grant received by Surrey from the Government is about £4,000 per million vehicle miles travelled. A Neighbouring county has a figure of £5,500 per million vehicle miles travelled.

    The recent Pothole Fund announced by the Government which uses the same formula saw Surrey get £1.8m, whereas one of our neighbouring counties received £2.9m, and a quiet west country area was given £4.4m.”

    I call upon all Members of this Council to support the petition and do all within their power to help it reach 100,000 signatures, thus enabling this vital issue to be debated in Parliament.’

    Mr Hodge made the following points:

     

    ·        That it was time for Central Government to support Surrey.

    ·        That Surrey had some of the busiest roads and traffic flows in the country.

    ·        That it was important for parliament to debate and be aware of the current situation for roads in Surrey.

    ·        That a message should be sent to all road and transportation users to sign the petition.

     

    The motion was formally seconded by Edward Hawkins who reserved the right to speak.

     

    Mr Cooksey moved an amendment which was formally seconded by Mrs White.

     

    The amendment was as follows (with additional words in bold and deletions crossed through):

     

    This Council recognises Surrey residents’ concerns about the condition of the county’s roads and the need to ensure they are well-maintained and fit for purpose.

    The Council notes that:

    1.         In order to draw Parliament’s attention to the unfair formula applied by Government to the funding of road maintenance and improvement, county councillor Edward Hawkins earlier this year launched the following petition:

    We call upon the Government to reform the Fairer Funding Formula to ensure there is enough money for road repair and up-keep. The current method for calculating the grant for such work unfairly penalises Surrey. The calculation should give more weight to traffic flow and level of usage.

    Surrey has almost 3,500 miles of roads with over 4.8 million miles travelled on those roads per year. The grant received by Surrey from the Government is about £4,000 per million vehicle miles travelled. A  ...  view the full minutes text for item 71/18

72/18

A COMMUNITY VISION FOR SURREY IN 2030 pdf icon PDF 106 KB

    • Share this item

    In May 2018 a draft Vision for Surrey in 2030 was set out. Since May, further evidence of what life in Surrey is like, and what the key challenges are, has been compiled, along with feedback from the most systematic and extensive engagement exercise of residents and partners Surrey County Council (SCC) has ever facilitated. A new Community Vision for Surrey in 2030 (Vision for Surrey), informed by all of this information, is presented in this report.

     

     

    Additional documents:

    Minutes:

    The Chairman drew Members’ attention to recommendation D of the report, on pages 41 and 42 of the agenda, which should refer to paragraphs 25 and 26, rather than 28 and 29.

     

    The Leader of the Council introduced the report and provided Members with a brief summary. He stated that the Vision recognised both the positives and issues raised by residents in Surrey. It was noted that the Vision was able to inform a starting point and give a focus to the transformation. The Leader further stated that he recognised that partnership working was essential to bring the Vision to life.

     

    Members made the following comments:

     

    • That it was essential to have a vision to have a positive journey.
    • Asked if there was still a need for a Strategic Stakeholder Board of key partners.
    • Suggested that the title ‘Deals’ is reconsidered.
    • That more enforcement was needed on contracts that do not deliver what was expected.
    • That a deal needs to be fair for both parties.
    • That the statements in the report were unlike what was expected from the Conservative Party.
    • That residents should be given realistic expectations on the future of services.
    • Residents should have been consulted directly on the future of services.
    • The response to the Vision questionnaire was lower than expected.
    • The Vision should include detail on how it is intended to deliver the transformation.
    • That the transformation should have been completed five years before.

     

    Recommendation A

     

    53 Members voted for, 7 against and 7 abstentions.

     

    Recommendation B

     

    59 Members voted for, 0 against and 7 abstentions.

     

    Recommendation C

     

    Unanimous.

     

    Recommendation D

     

    Unanimous.

     

    Therefore it was RESOLVED:

     

    That Council:

     

    a.Approves the revised Community Vision for Surrey 2030 and notes the extensive engagement activities with residents, staff, members, partners and businesses carried out over the summer that has informed this revision.

    b.Approves the proposal to develop a new approach to partnership working in Surrey by engaging all partners in the development of a partnership commitment

    c.    Approves the proposal to explore, collectively with partners in the public and VCF sectors, the development of a new relationship with residents, including engaging with residents to establish what they can do to help themselves and each other more.

    d.Notes the timeline for future work and SCC’s associated activity to support the achievement of the vision, outlined in paragraphs 25 and 26.

     

73/18

SURREY PAY POLICY STATEMENT 2018/2019 pdf icon PDF 113 KB

74/18

APPOINTMENT OF AN INTERIM STATUTORY S151 OFFICER pdf icon PDF 64 KB

    • Share this item

    At its meeting on 10 July 2018, Council appointed Kevin Kilburn as Interim s151 Officer. An interim Director of Finance, Leigh Whitehouse, has now been appointed and Council approval is sought to appoint him to the statutory role of s151 Officer pending recruitment to the position on a permanent basis.

     

    Additional documents:

    Minutes:

    RESOLVED:

     

    That Leigh Whitehouse be appointed as Interim s151 Officer from the date of this meeting.

     

75/18

AMENDMENTS TO THE CONSTITUTION pdf icon PDF 81 KB

    • Share this item

    Surrey County Council has a Constitution which is agreed by Members and sets out how the Council operates, how decisions are made and the procedures to be followed to ensure that they are efficient, transparent and accountable to the residents of Surrey.

     

    Council is asked to approve changes to the Constitution in relation to the ‘call in’ process and membership of the Shareholder Board.

     

    Additional documents:

    Minutes:

    RESOLVED:

     

    A.    That the changes to the ‘call in’ procedure be approved as follows:

     

    'A decision can be called in by:

     

    ·        Chairman or Vice-Chairman of the relevant Select Committee or;

    ·        Two Members of the relevant Select Committee comprising of more than one political group.' 

     

    B.    That the change in Membership for the Shareholder Board be approved as set out in the Terms of Reference at Annex A of the report.

     

    C.    That these changes be incorporated into the Council’s Constitution and published on the Council’s website.

     

76/18

REPORT OF THE CABINET pdf icon PDF 88 KB

    • Share this item

    To receive the report of the meetings of the Cabinet held on 17 July 2018 and 25 September 2018 and to agree two recommendation in respect of:

     

    A.     Annual Report of the Shareholder Board

    B.     Quarterly Report on Decisions Taken Under Special Urgency Arrangements: 1 July – 28 September 2018

     

     

     

    Additional documents:

    Minutes:

    The Leader presented the report of the Cabinet meetings held on 17 July and 25 September 2018.

     

    Reports for Information/ Discussion

     

    1. Annual Report of the Shareholder Board
    2. Quarterly Report on Decisions Taken Under Special Urgency Arrangements: 1 July – 28 September 2018

     

    RESOLVED:

     

    a)     That the Annual Report of the Shareholder Board be noted;

    b)     That it be noted that there had been no urgent items in this quarter; and

    c)     That the report of the meetings of the Cabinet held on 17 July and 25 September 2018 be adopted.

     

77/18

MINUTES OF CABINET MEETINGS pdf icon PDF 27 KB

    • Share this item

    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 8 October 2018.

     

    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.