Agenda and minutes

The Council is asked to note any apologies for absence received from Members.

Apologies for absence were submitted on behalf of Councillors I J Henderson and Watson.

The Council is asked to approve, as a correct record, the minutes of the Council Meeting held on Tuesday 5 July 2016.

RESOLVED, that the minutes of the ordinary meeting of the Council, held on Tuesday 5 July 2016, be approved as a correct record and signed by the Chairman.

Councillors are invited to declare any disclosable pecuniary interests, or other interest, and the nature of it, in relation to any item on the agenda.

There were none.

The Council is asked to note any announcements made by the Chairman of the Council.

The Chairman’s and Vice-Chairman’s engagements for the period 5 July 2016 to 6 September 2016 were tabled at the meeting.

Chairman’s Charity Pig Race

The Chairman thanked those Members who had attended her Charity Pig Race and informed Council that a total of £1,183 had been raised. Members showed their appreciation with a round of applause.

The Chairman congratulated Councillor Scott on winning the ‘Leader’s Race’. Councillor Scott thanked the Chairman and informed Members that he had given his winnings to the Mayor of Brightlingsea Town Council’s Charity Fund.

Pride of Tendring Awards

The Chairman informed Members that the nomination forms for this year’s Pride of Tendring Awards would be circulated to them at the end of the week.

The Council is asked to note any announcements made by the Chief Executive.

There were none on this occasion.

The Council is asked to note any statements made by the Leader of the Council.

Councillors may then ask questions of the Leader on his statements.

There were none on this occasion.

The Council is asked to note any statements made by Members of the Cabinet (Portfolio Holders).

Councillors may then ask questions of the Portfolio Holders on their statements.

Clacton Air Show 2016

The Tourism and Culture Portfolio Holder (Councillor Ferguson) made the following statement on the Clacton Air Show 2016:-

“I am sure that Council will indulge me for a few minutes to mention the 2016 Air Show.

What an event, what a two days and what an experience!

I attended pre-show briefings that made me gasp with the attention to detail that was discussed and considered.  There are many amazing people who put in hours and hours above and beyond their contracts ensuring the safety and enjoyment of our visitors.  I have been truly humbled by their dedication, professionalism and positivity even in the face of security concerns after Nice and a small traveller incursion that nearly derailed the plans.

Estimates of visitor numbers seem to range from 250,000 to 330,000 but however many there were I think that everyone could not have been wowed by what Tendring District Council delivered.

It is too early to know the final totals for programme sales, bucket collections and total costs but I will let everyone know how it all panned out as soon as I know.  What I do know though is that this must have been a massive boost for the local economy and that at the end of the day is what it is all about.  I walked through the town on both days and was staggered at how busy it was.

The night flights seemed to have gone down really well this year and anyone who stayed on was treated to a spectacular display of neon lights and pyrotechnics, the like of which many of us had never seen before.

Many of us fell in love with Otto the Helicopter lighting up our skies.  I was amazed to see tens of thousands of people still along the seafront and in town late into the evening.  One of the long term traders on the seafront said that he thought that there were more people than during Clacton’s heydays of the 1950’s and speculated that some of the food outlets had probably had their best day EVER.  Judging by the queues out of some of the outlets I think that he could well be right.

It was undoubtedly a massive party atmosphere, however, it was reassuring to know that behind the scenes security and safety was being closely monitored and controlled and we must not forget that back in the Council business still continued, thanks to the staff who make sure that it is business as usual.

For those Councillors and their guests who attended the VIP area I hope that you enjoyed your visit.

Every year dignitaries from across Essex attend the Air Show and wonder how Tendring does it.  Well having now worked behind the scenes I have started to get an insight and I can tell you that it isn’t through luck but it is a very well honed and managed process that many people will never see. It is no wonder that places such  ...  view the full minutes text for item 60.

The Council will consider any petition(s) received in accordance with the Scheme approved by the Council.

There are none on this occasion.

There were none submitted on this occasion.

Subject to the required notice being given, members of the public can ask questions of the Leader of the Council, Portfolio Holders or Chairmen of Committees.

The Chairman shall determine the number of questions to be tabled at a particular meeting in order to limit the time for questions and answers to half an hour.

No Questions have been submitted on this occasion.

Subject to the required notice being given, members of the public could ask questions of the Leader of the Council, Portfolio Holders or Chairmen of Committees.

There were none on this occasion.

Subject to the required notice being given, Members of the Council can ask questions of the Chairman of the Council, the Leader of the Council, Portfolio Holders or Chairmen of Committees or Sub-Committees.

The time allocated for receiving and disposing of questions shall be a maximum of 45 minutes. Any question not disposed of at the end of this time shall be the subject of a written response, copied to all Members unless withdrawn by the questioner.

Six questions have been received, on notice, from Members and they are attached to this Agenda.

            The Council had received questions from Members in relation to:

(1)    Open Spaces;

(2)    Street Cleaning in Harwich and Dovercourt;

(3)    Proposed TIC in Clacton Town Centre;

(4)    Public Conveniences on Harwich Quay;

(5)    Temporary Traffic Lights at Thorpe-le-Soken; and

(6)    Ban on Trade Waste at Recycling Centres at Kirby-le-Soken, Lawford and Dovercourt

            Notice of the questions had been given in accordance with Council Procedure Rule 11.2.

Question One

From Councillor Andrew Pemberton to Councillor Michael Talbot, Portfolio Holder for the Environment:

“What are we doing about our OPEN SPACES that you keep leaving open year on, year off?

This doesn’t only affect the area that I live in but all our area. There needs to be some sort of sign saying “no overnight camping" or "no motorised vehicles” like the ones up at Holland-on-Sea.  As it's Tendring that has to foot the bill, can we enforce this or would it have to go to Essex County Council?” 

Councillor Talbot responded as follows:

“I would like to thank Cllr Pemberton for his question.

The Council is responsible for many areas of open space throughout the District and, where possible, these spaces remain accessible in order that our residents and visitors are able to fully enjoy them.

However, where open spaces are regularly misused such as by the presence of unauthorised vehicles, or as a consequence of travellers / campers or any similar activity, the Council does take action as can be seen in a variety of open spaces across the District.

Some areas are cordoned off by means of low level fencing, wooden or metal posts and / or gates which effectively prevent vehicle access at all times. Where others may remain more open, but with clear signage indicating what activities are permitted. I would also add that evidence shows that even with lockable posts being installed to prevent unauthorised access, they seldom if ever deter the determined incursion onto public land.

Any action taken to restrict access to open spaces or to place signs on them will be in proportion to problems as reported and monitored, but in general open spaces will remain open if possible. In this way they remain available for public use and enjoyment and invariably look much better in terms of appearance if free from posts, gates, warning signs or other obstacles.

I’m not quite clear from the question whether Cllr Pemberton has a specific area in mind because he makes reference to open spaces being left open, “year on, year off..” and a requirement for signs to in place about camping and vehicles, which sounds rather specific Chairman.

If Councillor Pemberton has a specific area of concern I would be very pleased to investigate this on his behalf and to work with him to identify and to recommend appropriate action is taken if he is referring to a specific site.

Councillor Pemberton then asked the following supplementary question:

“Yes, there are a few areas of great concern so if we  ...  view the full minutes text for item 63.

The Council will receive a report on any Cabinet decisions taken as a matter of urgency in accordance with Access to Information Procedure Rule 17.4, Budget and Policy Framework Procedure Rule 6(b) and/or Overview and Scrutiny Procedure Rule 18(i).

There is no report on this occasion.

The Council would receive a report on any Cabinet decisions taken as a matter of urgency in accordance with Access to Information Procedure Rule 17.4, Budget and Policy Framework Procedure Rule 6(b) and/or Overview and Scrutiny Procedure Rule 18(i).

There was no such report on this occasion.

The Council will receive the minutes of the following Committees:

(a)       Corporate Management Committee of Monday 27 June 2016;

(b)       Standards Committee of Wednesday 29 June 2016;

(c)       Audit Committee of Thursday 30 June 2016;

(d)       Community Leadership and Partnerships Committee of Monday 11 July 2016; and

(e)       Service Development and Delivery Committee of Monday 18 July 2016.

NOTE:            The above minutes are presented to Council for information only.  Members can ask questions on their contents to the relevant Chairman but questions as to the accuracy of the minutes must be asked at the meeting of the Committee when the relevant minutes are approved as a correct record.

It was moved by Councillor Stock, seconded by Councillor G V Guglielmi and:

RESOLVED that the minutes of the following Committees, as circulated, be received and noted:

(a)       Corporate Management Committee of Monday 27 June 2016;

(b)       Audit Committee of Thursday 30 June 2016;

(c)       Community Leadership and Partnerships Committee of Monday 11 July 2016; and

(d)       Service Development and Delivery Committee of Monday 18 July 2016.

It was then moved by Councillor Heaney, seconded by Councillor Stock and RESOLVED that:

(a)       the minutes of the meeting of the Standards Committee held on 29 June 2016, as circulated, be received and noted; and

(b)     the recommendation to Council, as contained in Minute No.9(4) of the Standards Committee of 29 June 2016, be approved.

No motions to Council, pursuant to Council Procedure Rule 12, have been submitted on this occasion.

No motions to Council, pursuant to Council Procedure Rule 12, had been submitted on this occasion.

There are none on this occasion.

There were none on this occasion.

The Council is asked to consider any reports submitted to it by an Overview and Scrutiny Committee.

There are none on this occasion.

There were none on this occasion.

To seek approval to a submission document to the Local Government Boundary Commission for England, including a proposed Council size and forecast electorate.

Council’s approval was sought to a submission document to the Local Government Boundary Commission for England (LGBCE), including a proposed Council size and forecast electorate.

Members were aware that the submission document had been produced by the Electoral Review Working Party, chaired by Councillor Honeywood and that the Working Party had broad representation from across the Council.

It was reported that the guidance from the LGBCE advised that the submission on Council size should take four broad areas into consideration:-

Each of the above areas had been considered and addressed in the submission document in reaching a proposal on Council Size. The submission document was before Council as Appendix A to item A.1 of the Report of the Management and Members’ Support Manager.

Council was informed that the Council’s submission on Council size would be considered by the LGBCE alongside any other submissions received. The Working Party’s submission proposed a Council size of 48. The LGBCE would consider all submissions received on Council size and make a final decision. The LGBCE decision on Council size would be final.

Members were advised that the forecast electorate in 2022 had been undertaken following the guidance of the LGBCE and was forecast to be 116,000. This included an assessment of the number of new electors arising from additional housing build. The data for house build was the same as that used in the Council’s emerging Local Plan although the Local Plan had a timescale to 2033 and beyond whilst the electoral forecast was to 2022.

Council was made aware that, once the revised Council size and forecast electorate were agreed they would inform the second stage of the review. One of the elements considered in looking at ward boundaries was electoral equality and the figures of Council size and both current and forecast electorate would be used to judge where electoral equality was significantly different in any ward from the average.

It was brought to Members’ attention that, when the stage of looking at ward boundaries was reached, the use of electoral equality was a guide to how boundaries should change. Another very important factor was the local community in geographical, social and demographic terms and all Members of the community – individuals, residents associations, Town and Parish Councils etc. would be able to provide submissions on where they believed the ward boundaries should lie.

The Chairman of the Electoral Review Working Party (Councillor Honeywood) thanked the Members of the Working Party for their hard work and constructive input into the submission document.

Councillor Honeywood moved and Councillor Stock seconded: “that the submission attached at Appendix A to item A.1 of the Report of the Management and Members’ Support Manager be agreed and be submitted to the Local Government Boundary Commission for England.”

Councillors Stephenson, Everett, Stock and Howard participated in the debate on Councillor Honeywood’s motion.

It was then moved by Councillor Everett and seconded by Councillor Bray that Councillor Honeywood’s motion  ...  view the full minutes text for item 69.

The Council will consider any urgent matters for debate that have been submitted in accordance with Council Procedure Rules 3(xvi), 11.3(b) and/or 13(q).

There were none on this occasion.