Agenda and minutes

Apologies for absence were received from Councillors Acomb, Bailey, Goodrick, Jowitt, Raper and Shields.

Note: Councillor Clark requested that the notices on motion be brought forward on the agenda.  The Chairman did not agree to this request.

[Amended at the meeting on 1 September 2016.]

There were no public questions.

To approve as a correct record the minutes of the Ordinary Meeting of Council held on 14 April 2016.

The minutes of the Ordinary Meeting of Full Council held on 14 April 2016 were presented.

Resolved

That the minutes of the Ordinary Meeting of Full Council held on 14 April 2016 be approved and signed by the Chairman as a correct record.

There were no items of urgent business which the Chairman considered should be dealt with as a matter of urgency by virtue of Section 100B(4)(b) of the Local Government Act 1972 (as amended).

The following interests were declared.

Councillors V Arnold, Burr, Clark and Sanderson declared a personal non-pecuniary but not prejudicial interest in agenda item 11 as North Yorkshire County Councillors.

The Chairman made the following announcements:

Councillor V Arnold, the previous Chairman of the Council, presented cheques to the value of £1160 to each of her chosen charities, Yorkshire Air Ambulance and Macmillan Cancer Support.

Councillor Farnell, Staff Member Champion, presented Staff Celebration Awards to the following members of staff;

·       Excellence in Leadership award - Marcus Lee,  Team Leader, Revenues and Benefits and Alan McCarten Senior Taxation Officer.

·       Innovation by a Team - Karen Hood, Team Leader for Managing Development and Chris Morris, Managing  Development Hub Officer.

·       Excellence in Customer Service - Phil Ansell, Caretaker at Ryedale House.

There were no questions on notice.

Councillor Cowling, Leader of the Council, presented the following statement:

EU Referendum - The decision by our country to leave the EU is one of the biggest changes that most of us will have seen in our lifetime and will have far reaching consequences.  I believe it is the start of a new and exciting chapter in the history of our country and will provide opportunities which we, as a council, must be ready to take advantage of.  We will need to continue to work with our officers to evaluate the impact on our council.

Tonight on our agenda we have items that are very relevant for the future wellbeing of our district.  They now have to be viewed alongside the decision to leave the EU.  For the time being I believe they remain relevant and in the best interests of our community.

Our corporate business plan - Delivering the Council's priorities - ensures that we focus on those core priorities - the things that matter to Ryedale and its residents.

Our Budget Strategy and Efficiency Statement sets out our plan to deliver the savings required to live within our budget - working towards 2020.

Our Policy & Resources Committee is recommending the use of reserves to fund the transformation programme that we have in place.  Sometimes it is necessary to spend to save, and this is one of those occasions.  We have been really clear that any underspend has to be returned to the NHB reserve.

Following tomorrow's LEP Board meeting there is a meeting of LGNY&Y Leaders and CEXS  when we shall be discussing - again - Combined Authorities, Devolution and single tier authorities - all viewed now in the light of our exit from Europe and what that will mean.  We will be working through some very uncertain times in the coming months and possibly years, so we will need to remain really clear about what our residents and businesses need.  Our Chief Executive has coined a phrase "Delivering what matters for Ryedale" and in these difficult financial times it is never more relevant.

From Councillor Thornton

Could the Leader of Council please inform Council how much was in the 2016/17 and the 2015/16 budgets for T2020 and transformation projects?

The Leader replied

I will get you a written answer to that.

Councillor Thornton then asked the following supplementary question

As this process was started in November 2015 and planned earlier and much completed by the budget meeting in March 2016, could you also include in your response, why was there nothing in the 2015/16 budget and why not in the 2016/17 budget and is this not a departure from the 2015/16 and 2016/17 budgets?

The Leader replied

I'll get you a full written response to that.

From Councillor Potter

I managed to highlight a couple of points out of that one  - specifically delivering the Council's priorities, the things that matter to Ryedale and its residents, sometimes it's necessary to spend to save and delivering what  ...  view the full minutes text for item 20.

Considered - Report of the Chief Executive

It was moved by Councillor Cowling and seconded by Councillor S Arnold that the following recommendation be approved and adopted.

That Council is recommended to approve:

(i) The request from the Leader of Selby District Council that the Chief Executive of Ryedale District Council works, on a part time basis, as the interim Chief Executive of Selby District Council from the 1 August 2016 until further notice.

Councillor Clark moved and Councillor Thornton seconded the following amendment.

Remove the words "until further notice" and add to the recommendation;

(ii) This arrangement to run for a two month period

(iii) Any request for an extension must be referred to Full Council

Upon being put to the vote the amendment was lost.

Voting record

For 4

Against 19

Abstentions 1

Upon being put to the vote the motion was carried.

Resolved

(i) That the request from the Leader of Selby District Council that the Chief Executive of Ryedale District Council works, on a part time basis, as the interim Chief Executive of Selby District Council from the 1 August 2016 until further notice be approved.

Recorded vote

For - Councillors S Arnold, V Arnold, Burr, Cleary, Cowling Cussons, Duncan, Farnell, Frank, Gardiner, Hope, Ives, Jainu-Deen, Keal, Maud, Oxley, Sanderson, Wainwright and Windress

Against - Councillors J Andrews, P Andrews, Clark, Potter and Thornton

Planning Committee - 5 July 2016

Developer Contributions from Small Sites

Policy and Resources Committee - 16 June 2016

Minute 6 - Delivering the Council's Priorities

Minute 9 - Budget Strategy 2017/18 and Efficiency Statement

Minute 10 - Member Involvement in Appeal Panels

Minute 12 - Towards 2020 - Use of Reserves

EXEMPT INFORMATION

That under Paragraph 1, 2 and 3 of Part 1 of Schedule 12A of the Local Government Act 1972 (as amended), the public be excluded from the meeting for the following item as there would be a likely disclosure of exempt information relating to any individual or which is likely to reveal the identity of any individual or the financial or business affairs of a particular person.

Minute 13 - Towards 2020 - Senior Staffing Matters

Planning Committee - 5 July 2016

Minute 21 - Developer Contributions from Small Sites

It was moved by Councillor Windress and seconded by Councillor Cleary that the following recommendations of the Planning Committee be approved and adopted.

The Planning Committee resolved to recommend to the Council the following approach:

(i) Continue to negotiate the on-site provision of affordable housing in line with Policy SP3 of the Ryedale Plan with the exception that on-site affordable housing contributions will not be sought from sites of 10 dwellings or less and which have a maximum combined gross floor space of no more than 1,000square metres;

(ii) Continue to negotiate the on-site provision of affordable housing in line with SP3 of the Ryedale Plan with the exception that on sites of between six and ten dwellings in parishes outside of Malton, Norton and Pickering, financial contributions will be sought in lieu of the existing on-site policy requirement and that financial contributions of an equivalent of 40% of provision will be sought on such sites in west and south west Ryedale;

(iii) Not seek financial contributions from small residential sites through the planning process towards affordable housing on sites of five dwellings or less under Policy SP3 of the Ryedale Plan.

Upon being put to the vote the motion was carried.

Resolved

(i) Continue to negotiate the on-site provision of affordable housing in line with Policy SP3 of the Ryedale Plan with the exception that on-site affordable housing contributions will not be sought from sites of 10 dwellings or less and which have a maximum combined gross floor space of no more than 1,000square metres;

(ii) Continue to negotiate the on-site provision of affordable housing in line with SP3 of the Ryedale Plan with the exception that on sites of between six and ten dwellings in parishes outside of Malton, Norton and Pickering, financial contributions will be sought in lieu of the existing on-site policy requirement and that financial contributions of an equivalent of 40% of provision will be sought on such sites in west and south west Ryedale;

(iii) Not seek financial contributions from small residential sites through the planning process towards affordable housing on sites of five dwellings or less under Policy SP3 of the Ryedale Plan.

Voting record

For 19

Against 4

Abstentions 1

Policy and Resources Committee - 16 June 2016

Minute 6 - Delivering the Council's Priorities

It was moved by Councillor Cowling and seconded by Councillor S Arnold that the following recommendations of the Policy and Resources Committee be approved and adopted.

1.    That the progress made by the Council in delivering its priorities in 2015/16 and the challenges to be faced in 2016/17 be noted

2.    That the Aims and Strategic Objectives of the Council Business Plan for 2016/21 as attached at Annex A of the report be agreed.

Upon being put to the vote the motion was carried.

Resolved

1. That the progress made by the Council in delivering its priorities in 2015/16  ...  view the full minutes text for item 22.

1. Proposed by Councillor Clark and seconded by Councillor Thornton.

The proposed 2020 programme will introduce very significant changes. These changes will impact on policies and the strategy of RDC. These changes will also impact on the residents of Ryedale. The voice of these people is represented on RDC by the elected councillors. Management of the options and changes is clearly the responsibility of the management at RDC. The options and changes themselves are the responsibility of the councillors.

In order to deliver the above Full Council, this calls for a minimum of 2 special Policy and Resource meetings.

1.    P and R information and "way forward" meeting, including e.g. the consultations

2.    2nd P and R meeting to recommend to Full Council before and after any consultations (including consultations with the public)

3.    3rd P and R meeting if needed

Areas to be covered by first P and R meeting:

·         Share with members the presentation made "to the Heads of Service and SUMs on the 06/06/16

·         Share with members the option appraisals

·         Present to members the tendering document which resulted in "iese consultants" being appointed

·         Share with members the reasons for appointing iese

·         Share with members a copy of the contract to iese

·         Share with members the work done so far at a cost of £50,000

·         Share with members the intended work for £90,000

·         Share with members the intended work for the £40,000 on Human Resources

·         Consult with members their priorities for the future of RDC

·         Obtain agreement from members before the consultation with employees is commenced

·         Explain to members what is meant by "behaviour based assessment"

·         get agreement from members before any consultation or implementation of "culture change"

·         Obtain agreement from members before "ceasing any activities"

·         Obtain agreement from members before making any decisions on what is the "best for customers" before any consultation etc is taken

·         Inform members of the design principles of T2020

·         Before the process starts discuss with members what "working closely with members to support customers re present demand" means in relation to members, officers and public

·         Explain to members what is meant by "behaviour of staff"

·         Explain to members what is meant by "less reliance on higher paid specialists"

·         Explain to members what is meant by "focus on demand prevention"

·         Explain to members what is meant by need to focus on "finance and performance"

·         Explain to members what is meant by "Town Team's"

·         Explain to members what is meant by "combined teams wider than Ryedale"

·         Explain to members what is meant by "growing the economy"

·         Explain to members what is meant by "appropriate range of housing"

·         Explain to members what is meant by "one council - members and officers - members and officers working together to concentrate on doing what matters for Ryedale"

2. Proposed by Councillor Clark and seconded by Councillor Thornton.

The issue of bullying has been raised at Full Council on at least three occasions. There has been no satisfactory response from the Leader of the Council. If there is  ...  view the full agenda text for item 23.

As the meeting had lasted for more than three and a half hours, the Chairman proposed that the meeting continue beyond the time limit of  three and a half hours

Upon being put to the vote the motion was lost.

The Chairman declared the meeting closed.

[Note:  This procedural motion was dealt with in exempt session.]

[Amended at the meeting on 1 September 2016.]

Consideration of the Motions on the agenda was therefore deferred until the next meeting of the Council.

Voting record

For 4

Against 11

There being no other business, the meeting closed at 10.35 pm.