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

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Items
No. Item

1/19

APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE

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    The Chairman to report apologies for absence.

    Additional documents:

    Minutes:

    Apologies for absence were received from Mary Angell, David Lee and Richard Hampson.

     

2/19

MINUTES pdf icon PDF 165 KB

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    To confirm the minutes of the meeting of the Council held on 11 December 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:

    The minutes of the meeting of the County Council held on 11 December 2018 were submitted, confirmed and signed.

3/19

DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST

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    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:

    Peter Martin declared a prejudicial personal interest in item 11.

4/19

ELECTION OF COUNTY COUNCILLOR

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    1.     The Chief Executive formally to report the election of a new County Councillor for the Warlingham division at the by-election held on 31 January 2019;

     

    2.     Review any necessary revisions to the Scheme of Proportionality

     

    Additional documents:

    Minutes:

    The Chief Executive formally reported that Mrs Becky Rush was duly elected as the new County Councillor for the Warlingham division following the by-election held on 31 January 2019.

5/19

CHAIRMAN'S ANNOUNCEMENTS

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    Recent visits and events

     

    Holocaust Memorial Day: Our event took place in the Grand Hall to remember the millions of people murdered during the Holocaust, under Nazi Persecution and in the genocides which followed in Cambodia, Rwanda, Bosnia and Darfur. This year the theme was ‘Torn from Home’, which encouraged audiences to reflect on how they enforced loss of a safe place to call ‘home’ and is part of the trauma faced by anyone experiencing persecution and genocide. I would like to take this opportunity to thank all who attended the service, a special thanks to the High Sheriff, Rabbi Tony and especially to the survivors who joined us to share their stories.

     

    Teen Tech Careers event: Along with the High Sheriff I attended the TeenTech Careers event at Surrey Sports Park organised by SATRO. This was an opportunity for experts in a wide variety of areas to discuss employer engagement with schools and preparing young people with the right skills and knowledge for future employment and careers. It was a wonderful and informative morning.

     

    Royal Visit: I look forward to visiting the Sunbury Millennium Embroidery Group on 30 January 2019 for a royal visit from Her Royal Highness Princess Alexandra KG, GCVO.

     

    Additional documents:

    Minutes:

    The Chairman highlighted that the Chairman’s announcements could be found within the agenda front sheet.

6/19

REVENUE AND CAPITAL BUDGET 2019/20 TO 2023/24 pdf icon PDF 138 KB

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    This report is for the County Council to approve:

     

    • the revenue and capital budgets for 2019/20, including budget reductions
    • the council tax precept level for 2019/20
    • Council tax precept due from each Surrey borough and district
    • the council’s capital receipt flexibilities policy, including the level of investment required to deliver the transformation programme for 2019/20
    • further investment in reform and transformation in 2018/19 to be funded from capital receipts
    • indicative directorate budget envelopes to 2023/24
    • the council’s Capital and Investment Strategy, which provides an overview of how capital expenditure, capital financing and treasury management activity contribute to the provision of local public services.

     

     

    Additional documents:

    Minutes:

    The Chairman informed Members that amendments to the report had been published in a supplementary agenda published on 30 January 2019, and include replacements for annexes 1 and 2.  Annex A of the supplementary report replaced Annex 1 and Annex B replaced Annex 2.  A further supplementary agenda was circulated on 4 February 2019 with a further revision which amended recommendations 2 and 3, and introduced a new recommendation 19.

     

    The Leader presented the Report of the Cabinet on the Revenue and Capital Budget 2019/20 and Key Financial Strategies to 2023/24 and made a statement in support of the proposed budget.  A copy of the Leader’s statement is attached as Appendix A.

                                 

    Each of the Minority Group Leaders (Mr Botten and Mr Harrison) were invited to speak on the budget proposals.

     

    Key points made by Mr Botten were that:

     

    ·       he appreciated the tone of the Leader’s statement and understood the difficulty of balancing the budget.

    ·       he felt the proposals had failed to update the treasury management policy appropriately.

    ·       he welcomed the drive to improve Children’s Services.

    ·       more information was needed to better understand what Members were asked to vote on and its impact on residents.

    ·       He supported proposals related to children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND)

    ·       there was a need for more specific and detailed consultations in the future.

    ·       the council was spending £2.5 million per year on interim management while simultaneously cutting services. 

    ·       there was an increased need for transparency throughout the council’s transformation.

    ·       further work was needed to monitor the council’s contractors and suppliers to ensure competence.

    ·       the residents of surrey needed council services that they can be proud of.

    ·       he could not collude with cuts to services that he did not understand. 

     

    Key points made by Mr Harrison were that:

     

    ·       the five consultations had given a better idea of public opinion and that those about ‘place’ had drawn the most attention.

    ·       the significant impact to residents of cuts to the budgets for children’s centres, recycling centres and the libraries and cultural services should be noted.

    ·       over 50% of the libraries and cultural services budget would be cut over the next three years.

    ·       schools would suffer the impact of a drop in funding for the higher needs block.

    ·       his group understood the need for many of the transformations but felt that some needed more detail to understand their impact.

    ·       select committees had not fully considered the transformation projects prior to considerations of the budget.

    ·       it was concerning that the council was using its capital receipts to meet ongoing project expenditure.

    ·       £21 million of savings in the Children’s Services were rated as red or amber.

    ·       the development of the property investment portfolio would be a huge challenge.

     

    Mr Essex moved an amendment, to the Budget recommendations, which was formally seconded by Mr Robert Evans. This was:

     

    (amended wording in italics and underlined)

     

    16.       Approve £413.8m indicative five year capital programme, with £129.2m capital investment in 2019/20 (Annex 1)and request business cases for further capital  ...  view the full minutes text for item 6/19

7/19

MEMBERS' QUESTION TIME pdf icon PDF 122 KB

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    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 30 January 2019).

     

     

    Additional documents:

    Minutes:

    Notice of nine questions had been received. The questions and replies were published in a supplementary agenda on 4 February 2019.

     

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

     

    (Q1) Mr Robert Evans asked the Leader of the Council if the council had received any updates from central government relating to Brexit preparation and if there was any cooperating between councils to collaborate on the matter. The Leader confirmed that there were discussions regarding collaborative work at a recent meeting on the South East 7 Councils. It was further stated that there was little guidance from Central Government on Brexit preparation.

     

    (Q2) Mrs Angela Goodwin asked Cabinet if they would be willing to lead the way by putting the council forward for the carers’ accreditation assessment in order to show that it was an inclusive place for staff who are, or will become, carers. The Cabinet Member for Adults agreed to provide a response outside the meeting.

     

    (Q4) Mr Jonathan Essex asked the Cabinet Member for Environment and Waste if the relaunch of the Surrey Energy and Sustainability Partnership would be held in public and if it would include the agreement of its priorities relating to environmental sustainability in Surrey. The Cabinet Member stated that the council took environmental sustainability seriously and that the service had been informed that robust targets were required. The Cabinet Member further stated that he would confirm outside of the meeting whether the partnership would be meeting in public.

     

    (Q5) Mr Robert Evans asked the Cabinet Member for Highways for confirmation on the annual number of filled potholes that required further repair after damage. The Cabinet Member confirmed that each pothole was issued with a two year warranty period and agreed to provide a specific response outside the meeting.

     

    (Q7) Mr Jonathan Essex asked the Cabinet Member for Environment and Waste if the council would meet the ambitions of the Surrey Cycling and Walking Strategy and if the service responsible for cycling was impacted by the recruitment freeze. The Cabinet Member confirmed that the council was committed to promoting cycling in the county while also promoting other forms of public transport. It was further noted that officer posts were considered on a case by case basis and that roles may continue but be reframed and adapted.

     

    (Q9) Mr Jonathan Essex asked the Cabinet Member for Corporate Support if Julian Wain was currently employed as an Interim Programme Director for Asset and Place Strategy. The Cabinet Member agreed to provide a response outside of the meeting.

     

8/19

STATEMENTS BY MEMBERS

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    A Member may make a statement at the meeting on a local issue of current or future concern.

    Additional documents:

    Minutes:

    Mrs Jan Mason made a statement raising concern over the lack of service at The Edge youth centre in Watersedge, Epsom over the last 18 months. 

     

9/19

APPOINTMENT OF INTERIM MONITORING OFFICER pdf icon PDF 59 KB

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    To approve the appointment of an Interim Monitoring Officer.

     

    Additional documents:

    Minutes:

    RESOLVED:

     

    It was agreed that Geoff Wild be appointed as Interim Monitoring Officer from 5 February 2019.

     

10/19

REPORT OF THE CABINET pdf icon PDF 64 KB

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    To receive the report of the meetings of Cabinet held on 18 December 2018 and 29 January 2019. The report of Cabinet held on 18 December 2018 includes details for information / discussion in respect of:

     

    • The Local Government Ombudsman Report

     

    The report of the meeting of Cabinet held on 29 January 2019 will be published in a supplementary agenda and will include additional recommendations. 

     

     

    Additional documents:

    Minutes:

    The Leader of the Council presented the report of the Cabinet meetings held on 18 December 2018 and 29 January 2019. It was noted that the papers for this item were included in the main agenda on page 249 and in the supplementary agenda circulated on 1 February 2019 on page 5. 

     

    Reports for Information/ Discussion

     

    A.    Local Government Ombudsman

     

    During discussion of this item, a Member stated that they felt it was important for Cabinet Members to take responsibility for failures within their respective portfolios. The Leader of the Council confirmed that making sure the appropriate Cabinet Member was sighted on any future Ombudsman investigations would give them the opportunity to take steps to prevent the recurrence of any failures..

     

    Recommendations on Policy Framework Documents

     

    B.    Admission Arrangements for Surrey’s Community and Voluntary Controlled Schools, The Coordinated Schemes that will apply to all Schools for September 2020 and Surrey’s Relevant Area.

     

    RESOLVED:

     

    That the admission arrangements for community and voluntary controlled schools and co-ordinated schemes for September 2020 be approved as set out in the submitted Cabinet report from 29 January 2019.

     

    C.    Revenue And Capital Budget 2019/20 and Key Financial Strategies to 2023/24

     

    Noted.

     

    Reports for Information/ Discussion

     

    D.    Transformation Proposals – Delivering Better Services for Residents

     

    Noted

     

    E.    Quarterly Report On Decisions Taken Under Special Urgency Arrangements: 1 December – 1 February 2019

     

    Council noted that one urgent decision had been taken by the Leader of the Council on 1 February 2019.

     

    RESOLVED:

     

    That the reports of the meetings of the Cabinet held on 18 December 2018 and 29 January 2019 be adopted.

     

11/19

REPORT OF THE MEMBER CONDUCT PANEL pdf icon PDF 51 KB

12/19

MINUTES OF CABINET MEETINGS pdf icon PDF 27 KB

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    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 4 February 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.