Agenda and minutes

Venue: Town Hall, Moorgate Street, Rotherham. S60 2TH

Contact: James McLaughlin, Head of Democratic Services  The webcast can be viewed at http://www.rotherham.public-i.tv

Items
No. Item

181.

ANNOUNCEMENTS

 

To consider any announcements by the Mayor in accordance with Council Procedure Rule 3(2)(ii).

Minutes:

The Mayor offered her congratulations to Councillor Marles on the birth of his first child.

182.

APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE

 

To receive the apologies of any Member who is unable to attend the meeting.

Minutes:

Apologies for absence were received from Councillors Allcock, Cusworth, D. Cutts, Hague, Pitchley, Julie Turner and Whysall.

183.

COMMUNICATIONS

 

Any communication received by the Mayor or Chief Executive which relates to a recommendation of the Cabinet or a committee which was received after the relevant meeting.

Minutes:

There were no communications received.

184.

MINUTES OF THE PREVIOUS COUNCIL MEETING pdf icon PDF 355 KB

 

To receive the record of proceedings of the ordinary meeting of the Council held on 27th February, 2019 and to approve the accuracy thereof.

Additional documents:

Minutes:

Resolved:-  That the minutes of the meeting of Council held on 27th February, 2019 be approved for signature by the Mayor.

 

Mover:-  Councillor Read                       Seconder:-  Councillor Watson

 

185.

PETITIONS

 

To report on any petitions received by the Council received by the Council and receive statements in support of petitions in accordance with Petitions Scheme and Council Procedure Rule 13.

 

Minutes:

The Mayor reported receipt of two petitions, which had not met the threshold for consideration by Council, and would be referred to the relevant directorate for a response to be prepared:-

 

·             Containing 177 signatures calling on the Council to reinstate the public right of way along the towpath from the town centre to Parkgate.

 

Mrs. Orvis addressed the Council as part of the presentation of the petition.

 

·             Containing 23 signatures calling on the Chief Executive to write a letter to the person appointed as Interim Deputy Strategic Director of CYPS on 6 April 2015 asking her to answer six questions that adult survivors of CSE in Rotherham want answers to.

186.

DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST

 

To invite Councillors to declare any disclosable pecuniary interests or personal interests they may have in any matter which is to be considered at this meeting, to confirm the nature of those interests and whether they intend to leave the meeting for the consideration of the item.

Minutes:

The Legal Adviser referred to Minute No. 203 (Staffing Committee Minutes and Recommendations) confirming that those Members connected to Unison were not required to declare any interests if it was already included on their Register of Interests.

 

There were no Declarations of Interest to report.

187.

PUBLIC QUESTIONS

 

To receive questions from members of the public who may wish to ask a general question of the Mayor, Cabinet Member or the Chairman of a Committee in accordance with Council Procedure Rule 12.

Minutes:

(1)  Mr. Harron was unable to attend the meeting so would be provided with a written response to his question.

 

(2)  Mr. Reynolds asked what was the total sum, year by year, of financial support provided by RMBC to MAGNA to date and he also asked that the total cost plus for example loans, gifts, written off debts etc., plus any interest charged, accrued or cancelled be included.

 

Councillor Alam confirmed there have been no new loans to Magna since 2015.  The current total value of loans to Magna was £440k with the interest outstanding of £26,000.

 

No debts have been written off and no interest had been cancelled.  There was no other financial support provided to Magna apart from the loans already mentioned.

 

In a supplementary question Mr. Reynolds asked of the £440k outstanding what plans were in place to recover the funds and over what period and also what penalties were in place for missed payments.

 

Councillor Alam confirmed an agreement was in place with Magna about what they would be repaying over the next few years.  There were no cancellations of any payments.

 

(3)  Mr. Thirlwall asked could the Leader of the Opposition and the Chair of Standards and Ethics Committee tell him what actions they have taken to encourage UKIP Councillors to stop breaking the law and properly complete their Register of Interests.

 

Councillor McNeely pointed out the Constitution did not allow for questions to be put to the Leader of the Opposition at Council so she, as Chair of the Standards and Ethics Committee, would answer. 

 

As previously stated in answers to questions of this nature previously it was a matter for each individual Councillor to be personally responsible for ensuring compliance with the law in respect of their Register of Interests and all Councillors have been reminded of their responsibilities in this regard in writing as part of a recent Member update.

 

If any individual had concerns in respect of the accuracy of a Member’s Register of interest they should report their concerns to the Council's Standards and Ethics Committee or the Police for investigation.  Any allegations in this regard could potentially be a criminal matter.

 

In a supplementary question Mr. Thirlwall expressed his confusion that the Leader of the Opposition who received an allowance of £8,000 a year could not answer questions about the members that he led.

 

In October, 2018 and again in January, 2019 he named a number of people that had not completed their Register of Interests.  From the list one of them had completed their Register of Interest, two have been referred to the Monitoring Officer for dubious explanations of why they had not registered their properties or where they lived.  Another Member had still not completed his Register of Interest at all, even though it was known he was a property owner.

 

As a lay person Mr. Thirlwall was not able to investigate once the nominations have closed so was unable to find out where candidates  ...  view the full minutes text for item 187.

188.

EXCLUSION OF THE PRESS AND PUBLIC

 

Should it be necessary, in the opinion of the Mayor, to consider excluding the press and public from the meeting in relation to any items of urgent business on the grounds that private information is likely to be divulged.

 

There are no such items at the time of preparing this agenda.

Minutes:

Resolved:-  That under Section 100(A) of the Local Government Act 1972, that should the Mayor deem if necessary the public be excluded from the meeting on the grounds that any items involve the likely disclosure of exempt information as defined in the paragraphs of Part 1 of schedule 12(A) of such Act indicated, as now amended by the Local Government (Access to information) (Variation) Order 2006.

189.

LEADER OF THE COUNCIL'S STATEMENT

 

To receive a statement from the Leader of the Council in accordance with Council Procedure Rule 9.

Minutes:

The Leader wanted to offer his congratulations to firstly, Councillor Andrews as the new Mayor and on the civic parade which was the biggest civic parade seen for some years.

 

Secondly, Reverend Phillip Bashford had now taken over as the Vicar at Rotherham Minster and performed the Mayor’s Civic Service.

 

Finally, Una Jennings had become the South Yorkshire Police District Commander for Rotherham.

 

The Leader went on to refer to the Ofsted focused visit recently which looked into permanence planning for children and young people.  This was an issue that was important to Members. Ofsted were complimentary in their findings saying the Council had demonstrated a strong service which had significantly improved.  The Council, of course remained committed to improve further and wished to send on congratulations and thanks to the staff who worked so hard to make that possible look after the most vulnerable children.

 

In the period where Members could ask questions of the Leader’s statement, Councillor Sansome also offered his congratulations, but drew particular attention to the announcement and concerns about British Steel’s insolvency and the feelings around this issue.  He asked if the Leader would like to comment, particularly for those affected in North Lincolnshire and Teeside.

 

The Leader expressed his concern about the difficulties and the pain of people losing their jobs and the impact this had on communities. The impact on these people were in Rotherham’s thoughts and prayers.  These were worrying times for British industry and political choices needed to be made by the Government to secure those jobs before the country got into unknown territory.

190.

MINUTES OF THE CABINET pdf icon PDF 115 KB

 

To note the minutes of the Cabinet Meeting held on 18th March and 15th April, 2019.

Additional documents:

Minutes:

Resolved:-  That the reports, recommendations and minutes of the meetings of the Cabinet held on 18th March and 15th April, 2019, be received.

 

With regards to Minute No. 129 of the meeting held on 18th March, 2019 Councillor Reeder asked if the proposed Public Space Protection Order was yet in place and was advised by Councillor Hoddinott that the decision that was made at that meeting was to go out to consultation.  The consultation period had now concluded and the service were working very closely with the Ward Councillors to look at the outcomes.  Over the next few weeks a report would be produced and submitted to Cabinet for a decision on whether to put the Order in place.

 

Mover:-  Councillor Read                       Seconder:-  Councillor Watson

191.

RECOMMENDATION FROM CABINET - ADOPTION OF SCHEDULE 3 OF THE LOCAL GOVERNMENT (MISCELLANEOUS PROVISIONS) ACT 1982 RELATING TO 'SEXUAL ENTERTAINMENT VENUES' pdf icon PDF 78 KB

 

To consider a recommendation from Cabinet proposing that the Authority adopt Schedule 3 of the Local Government (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1982.

Additional documents:

Minutes:

Further to Minute No. 128 of the Cabinet held on 18th March, 2019 consideration was given to the report which outlined a proposal to adopt the amended Schedule 3 of the Local Government (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1982 that classified lap dancing clubs and similar establishments, as ‘sexual entertainment venues’. 

 

The report set out in detail the outcome of the consultation with 77% in agreement that lap dancing clubs should be properly regulated.

 

By adopting these regulations the Council would be able to develop a policy which took into consideration people's concerns about locations, the  number of establishments in Rotherham and about the treatment of workers.

 

An Equality Impact Assessment had been included which referred to gender inequality and why better regulation was important.

 

Various Members offered their support to the report whilst concurring with the comments for better regulation and conditions to support the welfare of the workers in the industry.

 

Resolved:-  (1)  That the powers contained within Schedule 3 of the Local Government (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1982 (as amended) be adopted by Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council.

 

(2)  That the appointed day for the provisions of Schedule 3 to come into effect be one month and one day, 24th June, 2019, from this resolution being made.

 

(3)  That authority to discharge the adopted functions in relation to individual licences of Schedule 3 of the Local Government (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1982 be delegated to the Licensing Board.

 

Mover:-  Councillor Hoddinott                 Seconder:-  Councillor Read

 

192.

RESPONSE TO OVERVIEW AND SCRUTINY RECOMMENDATIONS - ADULT RESIDENTIAL AND NURSING CARE HOMES pdf icon PDF 105 KB

 

To note the response of the Cabinet to recommendations from the Health Select Commission in respect of adult residential and nursing care homes.

Additional documents:

Minutes:

Consideration was given to the report which set out in detail the response to the recommendations from the scrutiny workshop undertaken in April, 2018 by the Health Select Commission to consider residential and nursing care home for adults aged over 65.  The purpose of the workshop was to consider progress in bringing about improvements to safety, quality and effectiveness in the sector.

 

Under the Overview and Scrutiny Procedure rules, the Cabinet was required to respond to any recommendations made by scrutiny and this report was submitted to meet that requirement.

 

Councillor B. Cutts expressed his concern about the closure of homes specifically for children and young people when there was demand for the provision.  However, he was advised that closure was based on the provision not being safe.

 

In his right to reply Councillor Roche confirmed that over the last few years the Council had not closed any adult care homes and that standards across the borough had been raised.  Where there had been concerns in privately owned homes residents on placement via the Council had been moved.

 

Resolved:-  That the Cabinet response to the recommendations of the Scrutiny Workshop: Adult Residential and Nursing Care Homes, as set out in Appendix A, be noted.

 

Mover:-  Councillor Roche                      Seconder:-  Councillor Read

193.

RESPONSE TO OVERVIEW AND SCRUTINY RECOMMENDATIONS - ROTHERHAM YOUTH CABINET'S CHILDREN'S COMMISSIONER TAKEOVER CHALLENGE SPOTLIGHT REVIEW ON WORK EXPERIENCE pdf icon PDF 108 KB

 

To note the response of the Cabinet to recommendations from the Overview and Scrutiny Management Board and Rotherham Youth Cabinet review of Work Experience.

Additional documents:

Minutes:

Further to Minute No. 37 of the meeting of the Council held on 25th July, 2018, consideration was given to the report which set out in detail the response to the findings and recommendations from a spotlight review undertaken by Rotherham Youth Cabinet under the auspices of the Children’s Commissioner’s Takeover Challenge regarding improving access to work experience opportunities for all young people in Rotherham.

 

The Council fully supported the Youth Cabinet to influence Government to support schools to deliver high quality work experience. In Rotherham the Council would work with partners, via the Employment and Skills Board and Rotherham Education Strategic Partnership to implement the Employment and Skills Plan and would endeavour to keep the Youth Cabinet fully updated.

 

Under the Overview and Scrutiny Procedure Rules, the Cabinet was required to respond to any recommendations made by scrutiny and this report was submitted to meet that requirement.

 

Resolved:-  That the Cabinet’s response to the spotlight review of work experience under taken by the Rotherham Youth Cabinet be noted.

 

Mover:-  Councillor Watson                    Seconder:-  Councillor Lelliott

194.

RESPONSE TO OVERVIEW AND SCRUTINY RECOMMENDATIONS - SPOTLIGHT REVIEW OF THE OFSTED INSPECTION OF ADULT COMMUNITY LEARNING pdf icon PDF 96 KB

 

To note the Cabinet’s response to recommendations from the Improving Lives Select Commission arising from a spotlight review of the OFSTED Inspection of Adult Community Learning.

Additional documents:

Minutes:

Further to Minute No. 36 of the meeting of Council held on 25th July, 2018, consideration was given to the report which set out the response to the findings and recommendations of a spotlight review undertaken by the Improving Lives Select Commission in March, 2018 which followed the Ofsted Inspection of Adult Community Learning in June 2017.

 

The purpose of the review was to seek assurance that there was a clear understanding of the issues leading to the inadequate judgement in June 2017; that the issues arising from the inspection have been addressed and that there were clear plans in place to ensure that adult learners have pathways to secure employment or skills training. The conclusions and recommendations made by Members were based on information gathered from the spotlight review and examination of related documentation.

 

Under the Overview and Scrutiny Procedure Rules, the Cabinet was required to respond to any recommendations made by scrutiny and the enclosed response was agreed on 15th April, 2019.

 

Councillor Clark thanked all those involved in this review and the support and co-operation of its key players.

 

Resolved:-  That the Cabinet’s response to the spotlight review following the Ofsted Inspection of Adult Community Learning and the up-to-date position be noted.

 

Mover:-  Councillor Watson                    Seconder:-  Councillor Read

195.

ANNUAL REVIEW AND ADOPTION OF THE CONSTITUTION pdf icon PDF 170 KB

 

To consider the recommendations of the Constitution Working Group in respect of proposed amendments to the Council’s Constitution and to adopt the document for the 2019-20 municipal year.

Additional documents:

Minutes:

Consideration was given to the report which outlined how good governance had been a core tenet of the Council’s improvement journey in recent years.  The Constitution had been subject to external review and significant changes have been made to the way in which proposals were developed by Members and officers and how decisions were made across the Authority.

 

As the Constitution was the document that empowered the Authority to discharge its statutory and discretionary responsibilities, it was important that its provisions were reviewed and changes made to strengthen the Council’s governance and accountability arrangements.

 

This report, therefore, having been considered by the Constitution Working Group, was submitted to enable the Council to approve the Constitution for the 2019/20 municipal year and adopt amendments to various provisions which were set out in detail as part of the report and specifically:-

 

·             Public questions to Overview and Scrutiny Management Board relating to items on the agenda.

·             Procedure for the election of Mayor-Elect and Deputy Mayor-Elect.

·             Questions on minutes reported into Council.

·             Increasing the word limit for questions to Council for both Members and the public.

·             Maximising the number of Member questions to Council.

·             Amendments to the Petitions Scheme.

·             Amendments to te Employment Procedure Rules and Officer Code of Conduct.

·             Amendments to the Terms of Reference for the Employment Appeals Panel, Audit Committee, Health and Wellbeing Board, Staffing Committee and Chief Officer Disciplinary Panel.

·             Delegated authority for minor amendments to the Constitution.

 

Members sought clarity on the number of questions and if this was as a whole to spokespersons and cabinet members/chairs and the majority supported and welcomed the amendments to the Constitution as proposed.

 

Councillor Carter was unable to offer his support believing the amendments stifled public debate and found the changes unacceptable.

 

Resolved:-  (1)  That the Constitution of Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council be adopted for the 2019-20 municipal year.

 

(2)  That the Overview and Scrutiny Procedure Rule 14.2 be amended so as to enable public questions to be submitted to the Chairperson of the Overview and Scrutiny Management Board or Select Commissions in respect of matters to be considered on the agenda for the meeting at which they are in attendance.

 

(3)  That a new Council Procedure Rule 8(2) be inserted to establish a procedure for the designation of a Mayor-Elect and Deputy Mayor-Elect at the final meeting of the Council in a municipal year.

 

(4)  That a new Council Procedure Rule 10(10) be inserted to establish a procedure for Members to ask questions in respect of the minutes reported to Council of meetings of the Cabinet and committees and for such questions to be responded to by the Leader of the Council, relevant Cabinet Member or Chairperson.

 

(5)  That the word limit for general questions submitted by Members under Council Procedure Rule 11 be increased from 50 words to 60 words.

 

(6)  That Council Procedure Rule 11(8) be amended to provide for the number of verbal questions asked under Council Procedure Rule 11 to be limited to a maximum of  ...  view the full minutes text for item 195.

196.

MEMBERSHIP OF POLITICAL GROUPS ON THE COUNCIL, POLITICAL BALANCE AND ENTITLEMENT TO SEATS pdf icon PDF 135 KB

 

To report on the establishment of political groups, the political balance of the Council and the entitlement of each group to seats on the authority’s committees.

Minutes:

Consideration was given to the report which set out Section 15 of the Local Government and Housing Act 1989 which placed on Local Authorities the duty to allocate seats to political groups and set out the principles to be followed when determining such allocation following formal notification of the establishment of political groups in operation on the council.

 

There was a requirement to annually review the entitlement of the political groups to seats on the committees of the Council and the allocation of seats must follow two principles:-

 

(a)        Balance must be achieved across the total number of available seats on committees; and

 

(b)        Balance must be achieved on each individual committee or body where seats are available

 

There were presently two political groups in operation on the Council – the Labour Group and the UK Independence Party Group – with two non-aligned Councillors (members who are not in a political group).

 

There were 149 seats available on committees, boards and panels and under the calculation the Labour Group was entitled to 114 seats and the UK Independence Group entitled to 31. This left four seats which could not be given to members of the political groups and should be allocated to the two non-aligned Councillors.

 

The appointment of Members to committees, boards and panels, and the appointment of Chairs and Vice-Chairs were set out on the schedule attached to the Mayor’s letter.

 

Councillor Read proposed and Councillor Watson seconded an amendment to the schedule:-

 

“That approval be given to the appointment of Members to joint committees, as set out on the schedule to be tabled at the meeting, with the exception of the nomination of Cllr Brian Cutts and that the Leader of the UK Independence Party Group be invited to propose an alternative nomination from his political group to serve on the South Yorkshire Police and Crime Panel.”

 

This was based on Councillor Brian Cutts appearing before the Standards and Ethics Committee who concluded that he had been in breach of the Members' Code and nothing had since changed.  On this basis, as this was not a temporary suspension, it was surprising to see him being nominated again by the Opposition.

 

Councillor Cowles had attended the same equalities and diversity training recommended to Councillor Cutts and believed his nomination to serve the Police and Crime Panel was appropriate as was membership of other Councillors in the Chamber.

 

Councillor Brian Cutts was also surprised and unsure as to why he had been removed from the Police and Crime Panel in the first place.

 

Councillor John Turner had listened to the comments and sympathised with his party member and voiced his own views about the law around sexuality, equal rights and free speech.

 

Councillor Watson was disappointed in Councillor Turner’s view on the law and equal rights, but offered his full support to the amendment.

 

Councillor Hoddinott supported the amendment.  The person appointed to the Police and Crime Panel represented all residents across Rotherham regardless of their background, their race  ...  view the full minutes text for item 196.

197.

DESIGNATION OF MONITORING OFFICER pdf icon PDF 118 KB

 

To consider a recommendation to designate the Head of Legal Services as the Monitoring Officer until an appointment is made to the post of Assistant Director of Legal Services.

Minutes:

Consideration was given to the report which detailed how the Council had received the resignation of the Assistant Director of Legal Services, who was also appointed as the Monitoring Officer under Section 5 of the Local Government and Housing Act 1989.

 

This report, therefore, recommended that the Council designate the Head of Legal Services, Bal Nahal, as the Monitoring Officer to ensure compliance with the requirements of the Local Government and Housing Act 1989 until such a time as a permanent appointment was made to the post of Assistant Director of Legal Services.

 

Resolved:-  (1)  That in accordance with Section 5 of the Local Government and Housing Act 1989 that the Head of Legal Services be designated as the Council’s Interim Monitoring Officer until such time a permanent appointment has been made.

 

(2)  That the functions of the Assistant Director of Legal Services detailed within the Articles of the Constitution be undertaken by the Head of Legal Services, as Interim Monitoring Officer, until such time as a permanent appointment has been made.

 

(3)  That the thanks and very best wishes of the Council be conveyed to the former Assistant Director of Legal Services and Monitoring Officer by the Mayor.

 

Mover:-  Councillor Alam                        Seconder:- Councillor Read

198.

THRIVING NEIGHBOURHOODS - UPDATES FROM WARD COUNCILLORS pdf icon PDF 1 MB

 

To receive updates from ward councillors from Brinsworth and Catcliffe, Hoober and Keppel on the activities supporting Thriving Neighbourhoods across the Borough.

Additional documents:

Minutes:

Further to Minute No. 55 of the meeting of the Cabinet held on 19th November, 2018, consideration was given to the annual Ward Updates for Brinsworth and Catcliffe, Hoober and Keppel as part of the Thriving Neighbourhoods Strategy.

 

The Strategy signalled a new way of working for the Council both for Members and for staff and covered every Ward in the borough delivered through Ward Plans developed with residents to address local issues and opportunities. Ward Members would be supported by the neighbourhood team and would work with officers and residents from a range of organisations to respond to residents.

 

Councillors Buckley, Carter and Simpson, on behalf of the Brinsworth and Catcliffe Ward, gave an update on their ward priorities.

 

Councillor Carter described how he and his Ward Councillors had consulted on proposals on which to use their core budget and the many events that had been attended.  He was proud of the agreed priorities which residents had identified such as fly tipping hotspots and litter around the villages.

 

As a result anti-fly tipping cameras had been purchased through the Ward budgets and they were proving to be successful.

 

The Ward was also working with partner organisations such as the friends of St George’s Churchyard, which had been so overgrown and neglected and had fallen into disrepair.

 

Councillor Carter particularly enjoyed the local Remembrance Day service and as a junior doctor himself he was proud to have been involved with partnership proposals to bring forward the installation of a new defibrillator that was installed in Catcliffe, which may help save someone’s life.

 

The Ward had fantastic heritage and was home to the Kiln amongst other things and Members were encouraging collaboration with the Area Housing Panel to look at match funding to provide a power supply, both inside and outside of the Kiln to host community events such as the Christmas nativity.

 

Councillor Simpson described the fantastic local knowledge for local needs and the important community work that Councillors were involved in, such as voluntary work, listening to lonely people, suicide support and help with youth work.

 

He was proud to be involved in the suggested enhancements in and around the town centre along with tourism possibilities of leisure cycling and family walks to and from Rother Valley Country Park. 

 

Councillor Buckley echoed the comments of his Ward colleagues and referred Members to the Ward Plan that had been circulated with the agenda.  The Plan was succinct and was aspirational.  It outlined some of the current achievements, but he wanted to reflect on the process which was working well.

 

Having been involved in the initial Working Party it was rewarding to hear over this year so many positive reports from Ward Members and how they were engaging more with their local communities.  However, there was still room for development.

 

His own Ward had proactive Parish Councils, which had been welcome in moving forward a number of joint working projects.  However, this had also created a number of problems as  ...  view the full minutes text for item 198.

199.

STANDARDS AND ETHICS COMMITTEE pdf icon PDF 87 KB

 

To receive and consider reports, minutes and recommendations of the Standards and Ethics Committee.

 

To confirm the minutes as a true record.

Additional documents:

Minutes:

Resolved:-  That the reports, recommendation and minutes of the meeting of the Standards and Ethics Committee be adopted.

 

Mover:-  Councillor McNeely                  Seconder:-  Councillor Clark

200.

AUDIT COMMITTEE pdf icon PDF 73 KB

 

To receive and consider reports, minutes and recommendations of the Audit Committee.

 

To confirm the minutes as a true record.

Minutes:

Resolved:-  That the reports, recommendation and minutes of the meeting of the Audit Committee be adopted.

 

Mover:-  Councillor Wyatt                      Seconder:-  Councillor Walsh

201.

HEALTH AND WELLBEING BOARD pdf icon PDF 104 KB

 

To receive and consider reports, minutes and recommendations of the Health and Wellbeing Board.

 

To confirm the minutes as a true record.

Minutes:

Resolved:-  That the reports, recommendation and minutes of the meeting of the Health and Wellbeing Board be adopted.

 

Mover:-  Councillor Roche                      Seconder:-  Councillor Mallinder

202.

PLANNING BOARD pdf icon PDF 61 KB

 

To receive and consider reports, minutes and recommendations of the Planning Board.

 

To confirm the minutes as a true record.

Additional documents:

Minutes:

Resolved:-  That the reports, recommendation and minutes of the meetings of the Planning Board be adopted.

 

Mover:-  Councillor Sheppard                 Seconder:-  Councillor Williams

 

203.

STAFFING COMMITTEE pdf icon PDF 88 KB

 

To receive and consider reports, minutes and recommendations of the Staffing Committee.

 

To confirm the minutes as a true record.

 

Additional documents:

Minutes:

Resolved:-  That the reports, recommendation and minutes of the meeting of the Staffing Committee be adopted.

 

Mover:-  Councillor Alam                        Seconder:-  Councillor Read

204.

LICENSING pdf icon PDF 51 KB

 

To receive and consider reports, minutes and recommendations of the Licensing Board Sub-Committees and Licensing Sub-Committees.

 

To confirm the minutes as a true record.

 

Additional documents:

Minutes:

Resolved:-  That the reports, recommendation and minutes of the meetings of the Licensing Board Sub-Committee and Licensing Sub-Committee be adopted.

 

Mover:-  Councillor Ellis                         Seconder:-  Councillor Beaumont

205.

MEMBERS' QUESTIONS TO DESIGNATED SPOKESPERSONS

 

To put questions, if any, to the designated Members on the discharge of functions of the South Yorkshire Police and Crime Panel, South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Authority, Barnsley, Doncaster, Rotherham and Sheffield Combined Authority and South Yorkshire Pensions Authority, in accordance with Council Procedure Rule 11(5).

Minutes:

(1)  Councillor R. Elliott asked would the designated spokesperson confirm his opposition to the latest dangerous proposal from SYFR to reduce the manning of every pump from five firefighters to four and would he vehemently argue against this on the Council’s behalf whilst at the same time lobbying for the return of the second pump?

 

Councillor Taylor confirmed back in 2012 as a member of the Fire Authority he objected vehemently to the removal of the second pump in Rotherham and Barnsley and he would continue.  Once the pump had  been removed from the establishment from his own experience Councillor Taylor believed this would be very difficult to return.

 

The only way it would be returned would be for operational necessity, which must be underpinned by robust evidence alongside sufficient funding to enable it. 

 

If those circumstances did occur he would lobby, but regrettably over the last year he had not seen anything on the Authority that would believe that would change.  Councillor Elliott referred to the proposal as dangerous, but this was another example of forced cuts being driven on an essential service and that this conflicted with what the service wanted to do.

 

If this was what was meant Councillor Taylor agreed that he would argue vehemently as Chair with Ministers against further funding cuts and unfair methodologies that placed South Yorkshire Fire Authority at a disadvantage.

 

In a supplementary question Councillor Elliott pointed out to the Chamber the possible dangers to residents if these proposals went ahead.  However, what about residents were they aware what the Fire Authority wanted to inflict upon them i.e. one fire engine and four fire fighters to protect the 64,000 people on a night shift. 

 

The Fire Authority had started a consultation which, if you could find it, was typical of the Fire Authority.  It was devoid of information and the two questions on the consultation were slanted so to give the views that the Fire Authority would like to receive.  The public needed informing about this consultation and encouraged to respond in a manner that would make the Fire Authority take notice.  So he asked would Councillor Taylor insist that the Fire Authority consultation was widely promoted and publicised i.e. in the local media, local radio and most of all events in public places such as Parkgate Shopping Centre and Rotherham Town Centre.  Let them look residents in the face and tell them they have been short changed.  He asked for a proper consultation and asked would the spokesperson get the Fire Authority in the chamber to explain to Members where their money was going.

 

Councillor Taylor explained about the dangers of whipping up hysteria that members of the public would be placed at greater risk.  For ten years he had ridden in the back of pumps which started off with six riders and at the end of the ten years had come down to four riders.  For the next ten years he was the officer in charge that predominantly rode  ...  view the full minutes text for item 205.

206.

MEMBERS' QUESTIONS TO CABINET MEMBERS AND CHAIRMEN

 

To put questions, if any, to Cabinet Members and Chairmen (or their representatives) under Council Procedure Rules 11(1) and 11(3).

Minutes:

(1)  Councillor Fenwick-Green was aware it was reported recently that sales of electric cars were up a third compared to this time last year so asked what was the Council doing to make it easier for drivers of electric vehicles to charge their cars in Rotherham? 

 

Councillor Lelliott explained the Council had been successful in securing funding from the Government as part of the work on the Clean Air Zone, some of this funding was being used to proactively encourage electric vehicle use by installing more charging points for electric vehicles.

 

Work was currently on-going across a number of sites around the borough and the total number of charging points that would be installed would depend on those works. However, it was estimated that around fourteen public charging points would be installed across the borough, plus as many as twenty in the town centre and at Riverside. A further ten chargers would be installed at Hellaby depot to allow the Council to develop its electric vehicle fleet in years to come.

 

The work was expected to be completed by the end of June.

 

In a supplementary question Councillor Fenwick-Green was aware that problems that drivers with electric cars faced when they came to a charging point was they could not plug a car in because it had iced up.  This was not the case for cars with an internal combustion engine so asked if there were any plans to prevent charging point blocking to allow electric car drivers to charge their vehicles when they needed to.

 

Councillor Lelliott confirmed there were no plans, but the position would be monitored via enforcement officers to ensure it was not being abused.

 

(2)  Councillor Carter asked what plans were there currently to resurface roads such as High Hazel Road and Treeton Lane in Treeton?

 

Councillor Hoddinott confirmed if Councillor Carter had spoken to the Ward Councillor for Treeton he would have found out the Ward Members representing Treeton have already picked up the concerns of local residents, and as a result High Hazel Road, Treeton and Treeton Lane, Treeton have been included on the Highway Repair Programme for 2019/20.

 

The two roads would, therefore, be resurfaced this financial year.

 

(3)  Councillor M. Elliott referred to the annual gardening competition being recently announced and asked why was it only applicable to Council tenants?

 

Councillor Beck explained this recognised the green figured tenants and those taking pride in their own Council home.  It was recognised that many of the housing estates were mixed tenure.  This was something the Council were looking at, but logistically extending the competition to 100,000 homes would make this a challenge.

 

Councillor Elliott took on board Councillor Beck’s comments, but the right to buy made a lot of private householders on Council estates.  He believed the present scheme was discriminatory and hoped the service would look at it again for next year.

 

Councillor Beck shared the spirit in which Councillor Elliott’s question intended, but the staff who worked on this annual  ...  view the full minutes text for item 206.

207.

URGENT ITEMS

 

Any other public items which the Mayor determines are urgent.

Minutes:

There were none.