Agenda, decisions and minutes

Cllrs Dow, Mrs Holding, Penson, Mrs Rostand and Wise.

To confirm the minutes of the meeting held on 7 December 2015 as a correct record.

RESOLVED:

That the minutes of the meeting held on 7 December 2015 be signed by the Chairman as a correct record.

To note any declarations of interest made by members in connection with an agenda item.  The nature of the interest must also be specified.

Members are asked to discuss any possible interests with Democratic Services prior to the meeting.

Cllrs Armstrong, Binns, Poole and Wade in Minute No. 57, item 2 of the Report of General Purposes & Licensing Committee dated 29 January 2016.

Cllr Ms Bellows in Minute 58, item 4 of the Report of Cabinet dated 3 February 2016.

All members of the Council had been granted dispensations to speak and to vote on Minute No. 61, the 2016/17 Council Tax.

Members were reminded that following the introduction in 2014 of regulations allowing the public to record local government meetings, the Council had agreed to make its own sound recordings of meetings held in the Council Chamber. 

The necessary equipment to facilitate recordings had now been installed and recording of Council meetings would now take place, starting with tonight’s meeting.   

Since the last Council meeting the Chairman had been privileged to take part in a variety of events throughout Hampshire. These had been listed in the latest information bulletin.

The Chairman highlighted the success of the NFDC Go Digital events currently being held in New Milton. These events were drop-in sessions where individuals received expert advice from one of the NFDC Digital Champions. The Chairman had attended the digital drop-in, at New Milton Library, on the 17 February, which had been a great success. The Chairman thanked the Digital Champions.

Forthcoming Charity Fundraising Events

·                 Saturday 26 March at 2.00 pm the Chairman would be abseiling down the Spinnaker Tower. Members could sponsor the Chairman at this even by contacting her Personal Assistant, Donna Miller. 

·                 Saturday 2 April, the Chairman would host a charity dinner dance at the Balmer Lawn Hotel, Brockenhurst which would be her main fundraising event for the year.

All funds raised would go towards the Chairman’s two chosen charities, Oakhaven Hospice and the Firefly Orphanage in Nepal.

There were none.

To receive the report of the Audit Committee dated 22 January 2016.

The recommendation was agreed.

Report of Audit Committee

Cllr O’Sullivan, Chairman of the Audit Committee, presented the report of the meeting held on 22 January 2016.

On the motion that the report be received and the recommendation adopted, it was

RESOLVED:

That the report be received and the recommendation be adopted.

To receive the reports of the General Purposes & Licensing Committee dated 8 and 29 January 2016.

The recommendations arising from the meetings of 8 and 29 January 2016 were agreed.

Cllrs Armstrong, Binns, Poole and Wade disclosed non-pecuniary interests in item 2 of the report of the General Purposes & Licensing Committee dated 29 January 2016 as members of Hythe & Dibden Parish Council. They concluded that there were no issues under common law that prevented them from remaining in the meeting to speak and to vote. There was no discussion on this item.

Cllr Clarke, Chairman of the General Purposes & Licensing Committee, presented the reports of the meetings held on 8 and 29 January 2016.

Cllr Clarke reported that the Industrial Relations Committee. after considering this matter at their meeting on 18 February, had supported the adoption of the Pay Policy Statement.

On the motion that the reports be received and the recommendations adopted, it was

RESOLVED:

That the reports be received and the recommendations be adopted.

To receive the reports of the Cabinet dated 6 January and 3 February 2016.

The report of the Cabinet dated 6 January 2016 was noted.

The recommendations arising from the meeting of 3 February 2016 were agreed, subject to the amendment in recommendation (a) of Item 3 (Medium Term Financial Plan and The Annual Budget 2016/17) that the General Fund Net Budget Requirement will now be £17,191,771.

Cllr Ms Bellows disclosed a pecuniary interest in item 4 of the report of the Cabinet dated 3 February, on the grounds that she was a Council tenant.  There was no discussion on this item. She did not vote.

The Leader of the Council, as Chairman of the Cabinet, presented the reports of the meetings held on 6 January and 3 February 2016.

3 February 2016, Item 3 – The Medium Term Financial Plan and Annual Budget 2016/17

The Chairman moved that Standing Order 47.6 be suspended to allow the Leader of the Council and the Leader of the Opposition to exceed the time limit for making their speeches. The motion was seconded and carried.

The Chairman ruled that in accordance with Standing Order 47.11 she would allow more than one amendment to be proposed and discussed at the same time.

The Leader of the Council made the statement on the Administration’s proposed budget, attached as Appendix 1 to these minutes. He moved an amendment to recommendation (a) that the General Fund Net Budget Requirement will now be £17,191,771.

The Deputy Leader of the Council seconded the recommendation with the amendment.

The Leader of the Liberal Democrat Group then made a statement, attached as Appendix 2 to these minutes.

Members discussed the Cabinet’s budget proposals together with the Liberal Democrat Leader’s speech.

Some members expressed the view that the Liberal Democrat Leader had been contradictory in his comment regarding the need to reduce the number of District Councillors given that the Liberal Democrat Party had promoted an increase in the number of County Councillors in Eastleigh. However, other members agreed that there was merit in reconsidering the reduction of members on the District Council, as well as investigating the benefits of a committee system. 

The Deputy Leader of the Council addressed the comment made by the Liberal Democrat Leader regarding the negative responses when Executive decisions were called in. He stated that all members of the Council, including the Opposition, had plenty of opportunity to raise concerns before decisions were made, therefore avoiding the need to call in decisions for review in the first place.

A recorded vote was taken on the Administration’s proposed budget, with amendment.  The outcome was:

Members voting for:                53

Members voting against:         2

Abstentions                             0

Details are shown in Appendix 3 to these minutes.

The motion was carried.

RESOLVED:

That the reports of the Cabinet dated 6 January and 3 February 2016 be received and the recommendations adopted, subject to recommendation (a) of Item 3 of the Cabinet report dated 3 February 2016 (Medium Term Financial Plan and The Annual Budget 2016/17) being amended to reflect that the General Fund Net Budget Requirement will now be £17,191,771.

There were none.

To ask questions of Portfolio Holders. Questions received will be tabled at the meeting. (Members are reminded that questions must be submitted to the Chief Executive or to the Executive Head of Governance and Regulation by not later than noon on Friday 19 January 2016.)

There were none.

To set the Council Tax for 2016/2017.

The recommendations were agreed, subject to the amendment at 10.4 that the total for the precepting authorities for Band A dwellings be 868.22 and Band G 2,170.56.

All members of the Council had been granted dispensations to speak and to vote on this matter.

The Council considered the Council Tax for 2016/17.

The Chairman moved that under recommendation 10.4 (page 9) of the report, to correct an arithmetical error, the totals for the precepting authorities for Bands A and G dwellings be amended to £868.22 for Band A and £2,170.56 for Band G. The amendment was seconded.

A recorded vote was taken on the recommendation with the above amendment. The outcome was:

Members voting for:                53

Members voting against:           2

Abstentions                               0

Details are shown in Appendix 4 to these minutes.

The motion was carried.

RESOLVED:

1.         That it be noted that on 2 December 2015 the Council calculated the Council Tax Base for the year 2016/17:

(a)        for the whole Council area as 69,632.30 [Item T in the formula in Section 31B(1) of the Local Government Finance Act 1992, as amended (the “Act”)]; and

(b)        for dwellings in those parts of its area to which a Parish precept relates as in the attached Appendix 3. 

2.         To calculate that the Council Tax requirement for the Council’s own purposes for 2016/17 (excluding Parish Precepts) is £11,026,971.

3.         That the following amounts be calculated for the year 2016/17 in accordance with Sections 31A, 31B and 34 to 36 of the Local Government and Finance Act 1992 as amended by the Localism Act 2011: -

To consider any changes to the membership of Committees or Panels that might be proposed by the political groups.

No changes to committees or panels were proposed by the political groups.