Agenda, decisions and minutes


Venue: Bodicote House, Bodicote, Banbury, OX15 4AA

Contact: Natasha Clark, Democratic and Elections  Email: democracy@cherwellandsouthnorthants.gov.uk, 01295 221589

Media

Items
No. Item

26.

Declarations of Interest

Members are asked to declare any interest and the nature of that interest which they may have in any of the items under consideration at this meeting.

Additional documents:

Minutes:

There were no declarations of interest.

27.

Communications pdf icon PDF 71 KB

To receive communications from the Chairman and/or the Leader of the Council.

 

Additional documents:

Minutes:

Housekeeping

The Chairman welcomed the members of the public in attendance at our Council meeting and advised:

·         Members of the public were permitted to film, broadcast and report on the meeting, subject to the efficient running of the meeting not being affected.

·         Only those people who had registered to speak could do so and Members of the public were requested not to call out during Council’s discussions on any item.

·         There were no planned fire drills so if the alarm did sound, evacuation instructions given by officers should be followed. 

·         To all meeting attendees, to ensure mobile phones were switched off or on silent.

 

Chairman’s Engagements

A copy of the events attended by the Chairman or the Vice-Chairman had been included in your agenda pack.

 

Members’ Allowance Survey

The Chairman referred to the Member Allowance Survey, a copy of which had been left on their desks and asked members to complete and return the form or the Survey Monkey link by 15 November. The responses received were valued by the Independent Remuneration Panel who use the information when forming their recommendations on member allowances for the next financial year.

 

Post

The Chairman reminded Members to collect any post from pigeon holes.

 

28.

Petitions and Requests to Address the Meeting pdf icon PDF 125 KB

The Chairman to report on any requests to submit petitions or to address the meeting.

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The Chairman advised the meeting that there were no petitions but that there were four requests to address the meeting on agenda item 9, motions. Three requests related to the Oxcam Expressway motions and one request related to the Oxfordshire Pension Fund Divestment motion. Each speaker would be able to speak for up to 5 minutes and would be called to address the meeting prior to the start of the respective motions.

29.

Urgent Business

The Chairman to advise whether they have agreed to any item of urgent business being admitted to the agenda.

 

Additional documents:

Minutes:

There were no items of urgent business.

30.

Minutes of Council pdf icon PDF 138 KB

To confirm as a correct record the Minutes of Council held on 22 July 2019.

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The minutes of the meeting held on 22 July 2019 were agreed as a correct record and signed by the Chairman.

31.

Minutes pdf icon PDF 642 KB

a)       Minutes of Executive, Lead Member Decisions and Executive Decisions not included in the 28 day notice

 

The Leader of the Council to formally propose that the minutes of the meetings of the Executive and Lead Member Decisions as set out in the Minute Book (circulated separately) be received and to report that since the last meeting of Council held on 22 July 2019 no key decisions have been taken by the Executive which were not included in the 28 day notice.

 

b)       Minutes of Committees

 

The Leader of the Council to formally propose that the minutes of committees as set out in the Minute Book (circulated separately) be received.

Additional documents:

Minutes:

a)            Minutes of the Executive, Lead Member Decisions and Executive Decisions made under Special Urgency

 

Resolved

 

That the minutes of the meeting of the Executive and Lead Member decisions as set out in the Minute Book be received and that it be noted that since the last meeting of Council on 22 July 2019 no decisions had been taken by the Executive which were not included in the 28 day notice.

 

b)           Minutes of Committees

 

Resolved

 

That the minutes of Committees as set out in the Minute Book be received.

 

 

32.

Questions pdf icon PDF 117 KB

a)       Written Questions

 

          To receive any written questions and answers which have been submitted with advance notice in accordance with the Constitution.

 

          Constitution.

 

          At the time of agenda publication (11 October 2019), one written question has been submitted.

 

A written reply to the question will be circulated at the meeting. The Member who has received the written reply will be able to ask a supplementary question providing it is relevant to the reply and does not introduce new information.The Member to whom the question was addressed may reply to such supplementary question or may undertake to reply in writing.

 

b)       Questions to the Leader of the Council

 

The Chairman to invite questions to the Leader of the Council (including any matters arising from the minutes).

 

Following a response to their question being provided Members will be entitled to a follow up or supplementary question.

 

c)       Questions to Committee Chairmen on the Minutes

 

The Chairman to invite questions to Chairmen of Committees on any matter arising from the minutes of their committee (if any).

Additional documents:

Minutes:

a) Written Questions

 

The Chairman advised Council that two written questions had been submitted with advance notice in accordance with the Constitution.

 

The first question was from Councillor Cherry and addressed to the Leader of the Council, Councillor Wood, and was in relation the motion on climate change that had been agreed at the 22 July Council meeting. A written answer had been tabled at the meeting (annex to the Minutes as set out in the Minute Book).

 

By way of a supplementary question, Councillor Cherry asked if the Leader would consider establishing a cross-party member working group for this piece of work. In response to the supplementary question, Councillor Wood advised that for the extensive response and confirmed he did not have a supplementary question.

 

The second question was from Councillor Middleton and addressed to the Leader of the Council, Councillor Wood, and was in relation to the Public Works Loan Board. A written answer had been tabled at the meeting (annex to the Minutes as set out in the Minute Book). By way of a supplementary question, Councillor Middleton asked how much the Public Works Loan Board rate rise would impact the cost of Castle Quay Councillor Wood advised he would to circulate a written response to the supplementary question.

 

 

b) Questions to the Leader of the Council

 

Questions were asked and answers received on the following issues:

 

Councillor Billington: Bollard in Kidlington High Street

Councillor Dhesi: Length of time to determine planning applications

Councillor Hussain: Oxfordshire Growth Deal

Councillor Richards: Register of Landlords

Councillor Beere: Transfer of cattle market to Banbury Town Council

 

c) Questions to Committee Chairmen on the Minutes

 

There were no questions to Committee Chairman on the minutes of meetings.

 

33.

Motions pdf icon PDF 140 KB

To debate the following motions which have been submitted with advance notice, in accordance with the constitution. The motions are set in full in the agenda pack. 

 

Proposer

Topic

Councillor Barry Wood

Oxcam Expressway

Councillor Katherine Tyson

Oxford-Cambridge Expressway

Councillor Andrew McHugh

Horton General Hospital

Councillor Ian Middleton

Oxfordshire Pension Fund Divestment

 

 

Additional documents:

Decision:

Resolved

 

(1)            That the following motion, as amended, be adopted:

 

“The Council notes that clarity on potential routes is due but if any road route is likely to have serious environmental implications which is incompatible with the council’s climate change emergency priorities then we’ll seek to stay consistent with our Council’s commitment to combating Climate Change.

 

The Council therefore requests Officers to assess the implications for Cherwell and the Oxon 2050 Plan with due consideration to our climate change emergency motion and to provide recommendations for Members via Scrutiny and the Executive. In the meantime, the Council will maintain an open mind.”

 

(2)            That the following motion be adopted:

 

“This Council deplores the decision of the Oxfordshire Clinical Commissioning Group (‘CCG’) on 26 September to downgrade maternity provision at the Horton General Hospital to a midwife-led unit for the foreseeable future.

 

The decision follows public consultation and evidence-gathering exercises in which neither the public, nor this Council, have confidence. Public trust in the CCG and in Oxfordshire University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (‘OUHFT’) was damaged when the temporary downgrade was enforced, without consultation, in August 2016 and has since been further eroded by the persistent lack of meaningful engagement, which speaks to their Oxford-centric agenda.

 

Council endorses the recent conclusions of the Horton Joint Health Overview & Scrutiny Committee (‘Horton HOSC’), in bringing OUHFT and CCG shortcomings to the fore and resolves to fully support Horton HOSC’s efforts to continue to hold the CCG and OUHFT to account and pursue an appropriate course of action.

 

This Council recognises the vital importance of the Horton General Hospital in providing first-class care to patients across Oxfordshire, Northamptonshire and Warwickshire and welcomes the commitment from OUHFT and the CCG to invest significantly in the Horton site. After years of talk and hollow promises, now is the time for action and that commitment needs to be tangibly demonstrated. Council also notes the pledge of OUHFT and the CCG to “regularly review” the viability of reinstating an obstetric-led maternity unit in Banbury. The real-life birthing experiences of local mothers cannot continue to be overlooked and Council will do all it can to ensure their voices are heard.”

 

(For information: as the motion on the Oxford-Cambridge Expressway submitted by Councillor Wood was agreed as set out at (1) above, the motion submitted by Councillor Tyson on the same topic was not debated. The motion submitted by Councillor Middleton on Oxford Pension Fund Divestment was not agreed by Council. Full details will be included in the minutes).   

Minutes:

The Chairman advised that four motions had been submitted and would be debated in the order submitted, with motions on the same topic grouped. Members of the public who had registered to speak on either of the motions would be invited to address Council at the start of the relevant motion prior to the proposer of the motion presenting their motion to Council.

 

a)    Oxcam Expressway

 

The Chairman invited those people who had registered to address Council on the item to speak prior to Council’s consideration of the item. Council heard from the following public speakers:

 

Professor David Rogers, local resident

Tom Beckett, local resident

Sir David Gilmour, Chair of CPRE Cherwell District

 

It was moved by Councillor Wood and seconded by Councillor Clarke that the following motion, with the inclusion of the amendment proposed by Councillor Tyson and seconded by Councillor Middleton, be adopted:

 

“The Council notes that clarity on potential routes is due but if any road route is likely to have serious environmental implications which is incompatible with the council’s climate change emergency priorities then we’ll seek to stay consistent with our Council’s commitment to combating Climate Change.

 

The Council therefore requests Officers to assess the implications for Cherwell and the Oxon 2050 Plan with due consideration to our climate change emergency motion and to provide recommendations for Members via Scrutiny and the Executive. In the meantime, the Council will maintain an open mind.”

 

The motion as amended was debated. In the course of the debate it was proposed by Councillor Broad and seconded by Councillor Cherry that a recorded vote be taken on the motion.

 

Having been proposed and seconded, a recorded vote was duly taken, and members voted as follows:

 

Councillor Hannah Banfield

 Against

Councillor Andrew Beere

 Against

Councillor Nathan Bignell

 For

Councillor Maurice Billington

 For

Councillor Mike Bishop

 For

Councillor John Broad

 Against

Councillor Hugo Brown

 For

Councillor Mark Cherry

 Against

Councillor Colin Clarke

 For

Councillor Conrad Copeland

 Against

Councillor Ian Corkin

 For

Councillor Nick Cotter

 Against

Councillor Surinder Dhesi

 Against

Councillor John Donaldson

 For

Councillor Sean Gaul

 For

Councillor Carmen Griffiths

 Against

Councillor Timothy Hallchurch MBE

 For

Councillor Simon Holland

 For

Councillor David Hughes

 For

Councillor Shaida Hussain

 Against

Councillor Tony Ilott

 For

Councillor Mike Kerford-Byrnes

 For

Councillor James Macnamara

 For

Councillor Kieron Mallon

 For

Councillor Andrew McHugh

 For

Councillor Tony Mepham

 For

Councillor Ian Middleton

 Against

Councillor Perran Moon

 Against

Councillor Richard Mould

 For

Councillor Cassi Perry

 Against

Councillor Lynn Pratt

 For

Councillor George Reynolds

 For

Councillor Barry Richards

 Against

Councillor Les Sibley

 Abstain

Councillor Katherine Tyson

 Against

Councillor Tom Wallis

 For

Councillor Fraser Webster

 Abstain

Councillor Lucinda Wing

 For

Councillor Barry Wood

 For

Councillor Sean Woodcock

 Against

 

The Chairman confirmed that the motion, as amended, was carried with 23 members voting in favour, 15 against and 2 abstentions.

The Chairman advised Council that as the motion had been carried, the motion submitted by Councillor Tyson on the same topic could not be debated as it would be contrary to the Constitution  ...  view the full minutes text for item 33.

34.

Local Government Ombudsman Annual Report 2018/19 pdf icon PDF 149 KB

Report of Director Law and Governance and Monitoring Officer

 

Purpose of report

 

To provide council with the Local Government Ombudsman’s annual report on Cherwell District Council for the financial year 2018/19.

 

Recommendations

            

The meeting is recommended:

 

 1.1          To note the report.

 

Additional documents:

Decision:

Resolved

 

(1)            That the report be noted.

Minutes:

The Director Law and Governance and Monitoring Officer submitted a report to provide council with the Local Government Ombudsman’s annual report on Cherwell District Council for the financial year 2018/19.

 

Resolved

 

(1)            That the report be noted.

35.

Calendar of Meetings 2020/2021 pdf icon PDF 99 KB

Report of Director: Law and Governance

 

Purpose of report

 

Council is asked to consider the calendars of meetings for the municipal year 2020/21.   

 

Recommendations

            

The meeting is recommended:

 

 1.1          To approve the calendar of meetings for Cherwell District Council (CDC) for the municipal year 2020/21 (Appendix 1).

 

Additional documents:

Decision:

Resolved

 

(1)            That the calendar of meetings for Cherwell District Council (CDC) for the municipal year 2020/21 (annex to the Minutes as set out in the Minute Book) be approved.

Minutes:

The Director: Law and Governance submitted a report which sought consideration of the calendar of meetings for the municipal year 2020/21.   

 

Resolved

 

(1)            That the calendar of meetings for Cherwell District Council (CDC) for the municipal year 2020/21 (annex to the Minutes as set out in the Minute Book) be approved.