Issue - meetings

Report of Head of Law and Governance

Summary

To enable the Executive to receive a summary of the provisions of the Localism Act 2011 and to consider any implications arising at this stage.

Recommendations

The Executive is recommended to:

(1)               Consider the summary of the provisions of the Localism Act 2011 (“the Act”) at Appendix 1.

(2)               Identify any implications of the Act that it wishes to consider more fully at a future meeting and request the relevant officers to report back accordingly at the appropriate time.

(3)               Notes the intention of officers to take a similar report to the February Council meeting when the mandatory statement of pay policy will also be reported for approval.

Recommendations approved, subject to the following amendments to recommendations 2 and 3:

(2)               That it be agreed that the following areas be considered more fully: duty to cooperate; Community Infrastructure Levy; Neighbourhood Planning; and, Referendums on Council Tax Increases, and that relevant officers be requested to report back accordingly at the appropriate time.

(3)               That the report to the February Council meeting be confined to the statement of pay policy. 

The Head of Law and Governance submitted a report which presented a summary of the provisions of the Localism Act 2011 and sought consideration of any implications arising at this stage.

In introducing the report, the Leader of the Council explained that there was still a lot of detail awaited with regard to the Act. He suggested that the areas of particular interest to Members would be related to the proposed planning reforms, in particular: the duty to cooperate; Community Infrastructure Levy; and, Neighbourhood Planning. Members agreed that relevant officers should be requested to report back more fully on these areas at the appropriate time.

In response to the comments of Councillor Sibley, Leader of the Labour Group, the Chairman agreed that officers should also be requested to provide supplementary information on the provision to hold a referendum for excessive council tax.

Resolved

(1)               That the summary of the provisions of the Localism Act 2011 (“the Act”) be noted.

(2)               That it be agreed that the following areas be considered more fully: duty to cooperate; Community Infrastructure Levy; Neighbourhood Planning; and, Referendums on Council Tax Increases, and that relevant officers be requested to report back accordingly at the appropriate time.

(3)               That the report to the February Council meeting be confined to the statement of pay policy. 

Reasons

The Localism Act will clearly have a significant impact on the Council in a number of areas but and consideration of the detailed strategic implications will have to take place at a later date.

Options

As this report is for information only there are no alternative options to consider.