Items
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Item |
1. |
Minutes
To approve the minutes of the meeting of the
Executive held on 14 December 2017 as published.
Additional documents:
Minutes:
RESOLVED
That the minutes of the meeting of the Executive
held on 14 December 2017 be approved and signed as a true and
correct record.
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2. |
Declarations of Interest
To receive declarations
of disclosable pecuniary and other interest from Members in respect
of any item to be considered at the meeting.
In accordance with the
Members’ Code of Conduct, the Leader of the Council,
Councillor D J Bittleston, Councillor Mrs B A Hunwicks and
Councillor C S Kemp have declared a non-pecuniary interest in
Agenda Items 6 and 9 arising from their positions as Directors of
the Thameswey Group of Companies.
In accordance with
Officer Procedure Rules, the Chief Executive, Ray Morgan, the
Deputy Chief Executive, Douglas Spinks, Strategic Director, Sue
Barham and Head of Democratic and Legal Services, Peter Bryant,
have declared an interest in Agenda Items 6 and 9 arising from
their positions as Directors of the Thameswey Group of
Companies.
In accordance with
Officer Procedure Rules, the Chief Executive, Ray Morgan, has
declared an interest in Agenda Item 9 arising from his position as
a Director of Victoria Square Woking Limited.
In accordance with
Officer Procedure Rules, the Deputy Chief Executive, Douglas
Spinks, and Head of Democratic and Legal Services, Peter Bryant,
have declared an interest in Agenda Item 9 arising from their
positions as Directors of Woking Necropolis and Mausoleum Limited,
Brookwood Park Limited and Brookwood Cemetery Limited.
In accordance with
Officer Procedure Rules, the Chief Executive, Ray Morgan, and the
Deputy Chief Executive, Douglas Spinks, have declared an interest
in Agenda Item 9 arising from their positions as Directors of
Export House Limited.
Additional documents:
Minutes:
In accordance with the Members’ Code
of Conduct, the Leader of the Council, Councillor D J Bittleston
and Councillor Mrs B A Hunwicks declared a non-pecuniary interest
in minute item 4 – Protocols of the Thameswey Group of
Companies and minute item 7 – Performance and Financial
Monitoring Information arising from their positions as Directors of
the Thameswey Group of Companies. The
interests were such that speaking and voting were
permissible.
In accordance with Officer Procedure Rules,
the Chief Executive, Ray Morgan, Deputy Chief Executive, Douglas
Spinks, Strategic Director, Sue Barham and Head of Democratic and
Legal Services, Peter Bryant, declared an interest in minute item 4
– Protocols of the Thameswey Group of Companies and minute
item 7 – Performance and Financial Monitoring Information
arising from their positions as Directors of the Thameswey Group of
Companies. The interest was such that
speaking was permissible.
In accordance with Officer Procedure Rules,
the Chief Executive, Ray Morgan declared an interest in minute item
7 – Performance and Financial Monitoring Information arising
from his position as a Director of Victoria Square Woking
Limited. The interest was such that
speaking was permissible.
In accordance with Officer Procedure Rules,
the Deputy Chief Executive, Douglas Spinks, and Head of Democratic
and Legal Services, Peter Bryant, declared an interest in minute
item 7 – Performance and Financial Monitoring Information
arising from their positions as Directors of Woking Necropolis and
Mausoleum Limited, Brookwood Park Limited and Brookwood Cemetery
Limited. The interests were such that
speaking was permissible.
In accordance with Officer Procedure Rules,
the Chief Executive, Ray Morgan, and the Deputy Chief Executive,
Douglas Spinks, declared an interest in minute item 7
–Performance and Financial Monitoring Information arising
from their positions as Directors of Export House
Limited. The interests were such that
speaking was permissible.
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3. |
Notices of Motion
Additional documents:
Minutes:
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At its meeting on 7
December 2017, the Council referred the following Notices of Motion
to the Executive.
Councillor W P
Forster
“Care
leavers have had their childhoods punctuated by
instability and trauma, they leave home earlier and have less
support than other young people. As a
result, care leavers have some of the worse life chances in the
country.
A 2016
report by the Children's Society found that when care leavers move
into independent accommodation, they find managing their own
finances extremely challenging. With no
family to support them and insufficient financial education, care
leavers are falling into debt and financial difficulty. The Children's Society recommends that care
leavers should be taken out of Council Tax until they turn
25.
The
Children and Social Work Act 2017 places corporate parenting
responsibilities on borough and district councils for the first
time, requiring them to have regard to children in care and care
leavers when carrying out their functions.
To
ensure that transition from care to adult life is as smooth as
possible and to mitigate the chances of care leavers falling into
debt as they begin to manage their own finances, this Council
agrees not to charge care leavers under 25 living in Woking Borough
any Council Tax from April 2018.
This
Council also agrees to look at ways of supporting care leavers
further to ensure they fulfil their potential.”
The Executive received
the Officer comment and noted that the Council had the power to
introduce a discretionary local scheme discount funded by the
Council for care leavers, if a charge was still payable after
considering statutory schemes.
Councillor A-M Barker suggested that information on the discounts
available to care leavers were made available in the documentation
which was sent out by the Council regarding Council
Tax. The Executive was supportive of
the Motion and agreed to add the suggestion regarding an addition
to Council tax documentation to the reply at Council.
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Recommended to Council
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That the Motion be supported.
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Councillor K
Howard
“With a view to finding a solution to the ongoing problem of
roadside litter, officers will investigate and recommend ways in
which the Council can target people who throw litter from vehicles
on the public highway.”
Councillor K Howard
attended the meeting and spoke in support of the
Motion. In particular, Councillor
Howard highlighted Littlewick Road,
Shores Road and the A320 towards McLaren as being affected by the
problem of roadside litter.
The Executive noted
that new powers were expected to be available to Local Authorities
from April 2018 which would allow councils to issue notices against
car registration plates for littering from vehicles. The Executive agreed that Officers would bring a
report to the Executive on 22 March 2018 regarding the new powers
available to Local Authorities to tackle the problem of roadside
litter.
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Recommended to Council
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That the Motion
be supported.
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4. |
Notice of Motion - Cllr W P Forster - Support for Care Leavers  PDF 117 KB
Additional documents:
Minutes:
|
At its meeting on 7
December 2017, the Council referred the following Notice of Motion
to the Executive.
Councillor W P
Forster
“Care
leavers have had their childhoods punctuated by
instability and trauma, they leave home earlier and have less
support than other young people. As a
result, care leavers have some of the worse life chances in the
country.
A 2016
report by the Children's Society found that when care leavers move
into independent accommodation, they find managing their own
finances extremely challenging. With no
family to support them and insufficient financial education, care
leavers are falling into debt and financial difficulty. The Children's Society recommends that care
leavers should be taken out of Council Tax until they turn
25.
The
Children and Social Work Act 2017 places corporate parenting
responsibilities on borough and district councils for the first
time, requiring them to have regard to children in care and care
leavers when carrying out their functions.
To
ensure that transition from care to adult life is as smooth as
possible and to mitigate the chances of care leavers falling into
debt as they begin to manage their own finances, this Council
agrees not to charge care leavers under 25 living in Woking Borough
any Council Tax from April 2018.
This
Council also agrees to look at ways of supporting care leavers
further to ensure they fulfil their potential.”
The Executive received
the Officer comment and noted that the Council had the power to
introduce a discretionary local scheme discount funded by the
Council for care leavers, if a charge was still payable after
considering statutory schemes.
Councillor A-M Barker suggested that information on the discounts
available to care leavers were made available in the documentation
which was sent out by the Council regarding Council
Tax. The Executive was supportive of
the Motion and agreed to add the suggestion regarding an addition
to Council tax documentation to the reply at Council.
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Recommended to Council
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That the Motion be supported.
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5. |
Notice of Motion - Cllr K Howard - Roadside Litter
Additional documents:
Minutes:
At its meeting on 7
December 2017, the Council referred the following Notice of Motion
to the Executive.
|
Councillor K
Howard
“With a view to finding a solution to the ongoing problem of
roadside litter, officers will investigate and recommend ways in
which the Council can target people who throw litter from vehicles
on the public highway.”
Councillor K Howard
attended the meeting and spoke in support of the
Motion. In particular, Councillor
Howard highlighted Littlewick Road,
Shores Road and the A320 towards McLaren as being affected by the
problem of roadside litter.
The Executive noted
that new powers were expected to be available to Local Authorities
from April 2018 which would allow councils to issue notices against
car registration plates for littering from vehicles. The Executive agreed that Officers would bring a
report to the Executive on 22 March 2018 regarding the new powers
available to Local Authorities to tackle the problem of roadside
litter.
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Recommended to Council
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That the Motion
be supported.
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6. |
Protocols of the Thameswey Group of Companies PDF 119 KB
Reporting Person – Ray Morgan
Additional documents:
Minutes:
|
The Executive received
a report which sought approval of the Executive to recommend to
Council the changes to the Protocols of the Thameswey Group of
Companies proposed by the Overview and Scrutiny Committee at its
meeting on 27 November 2017. The Leader
of the Council, Councillor D J Bittleston, thanked Councillor I
Johnson and Councillor J Kingsbury for their work on reviewing the
Protocols.
Councillor Johnson
highlighted two amendments to the Protocols. The first amendment was a consequential change
following the deletion of Part 1 (public) and Part 2 (press and
public excluded) arrangements for Thameswey Board
papers. It was explained that, as Board
papers would only be provided to Members who had signed a Non
Disclosure Agreement, all Board papers would be Part 2. Therefore, Councillor Johnson proposed that
paragraph 22 concerning website communication on page 12 of
Appendix 2 be removed as it would not be possible to publish any
Board papers on the Thameswey Group website.
The second amendment
proposed by Councillor Johnson was to paragraph 10 on page 5 of
Appendix 2 concerning use of the Thameswey brand. Councillor Johnson proposed that the first
sentence of the second paragraph be amended to read “The
brand should be used consistently in all published material and
communications”.
The Executive agreed
the amendments to the Protocols put forward by Councillor
Johnson. Officers advised that once the
Protocols had been formally adopted by Council, each Thameswey
Board would be advised of the new Protocols at their next
meeting.
Following a question
regarding Councillor access to Thameswey meetings and decisions, it
was confirmed that Councillors who signed a Non Disclosure
Agreement would receive agendas and minutes of respective Thameswey
meetings.
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Recommended to Council
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That the revised Protocols of the Thameswey Group of
Companies, as set out in Appendix 2 to the report, and as amended
by the Executive, be adopted.
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Reason: To
consider the recommendation from the Overview and Scrutiny
Committee.
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7. |
Fixed Penalty Notice (FPN) Policy for Fly Tipping Offences PDF 116 KB
Reporting Person – Douglas Spinks
Additional documents:
Minutes:
|
The Executive received
a report which sought approval of the Executive to recommend to
Council the introduction of a fixed penalty notice (FPN) scheme for
fly tipping offences. Officers advised
that the scheme would provide the Council with a further tool to
tackle the problem of fly tipping.
Following a question regarding who would be authorised to issue
FPNs for fly tipping, the Executive was informed that FPNs would be
issued by authorised officers within the Environmental Health and
Neighbourhood Teams, as well as Environmental Enforcement Officers
contracted through Kingdom, the Council’s litter enforcement
contractor.
The different scales
of fly tips were raised and it was commented that there could be
confusion between small to medium sized fly tips and larger scale
fly tips. Councillor Mrs Hunwicks,
Portfolio Holder for Environmental Control, advised the Executive
that Officers would make a decision in each case and it was
anticipated that the differences should be clear.
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Recommended to Council
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That (i) the Council issue fixed penalty
notices for fly tipping under the Environmental Protection Act
1990;
(ii) the level of
fixed penalty notices shall be set at £400 per penalty notice
for fly tipping, such penalty to be reduced to £300 if paid
within 10 days as provided for under Regulation 2 of the
Unauthorised Deposit of Waste (Fixed Penalties) Regulations
2016;
(iii) authority be
delegated to the Assistant Director (Place), in consultation with
the Portfolio Holder for Environmental and Well Being Services, to
vary the level of all environmental fixed penalty notice charges in
accordance with legislation; and
(iv) authority be
delegated to the Assistant Director (Place) to authorise any
persons to issue fixed penalty notices for fly tipping under the
Environmental Protection Act 1990.
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Reason: The
introduction of a fixed penalty notice scheme for
fly tipping offences is considered a necessary and proportionate
response to the current environmental issues facing the
Council.
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8. |
Parking for the Faith Community and Community Groups PDF 76 KB
Reporting Person – Peter Bryant
Additional documents:
Minutes:
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The Executive received
a report which set out the outcome of the recent review of the
Council’s Policy Statement in respect of allowing members of
the faith community and other community groups to park free of
charge in the Council’s car parks. The Executive agreed with the recommendation of
the review which stated that there should be no material change to
the Council’s Policy Statement.
It was noted that the Policy Statement would be reviewed in January
2023.
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Resolved
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That there be no change in the Council’s
Policy Statement for Parking Charges for Members of the Faith
Community and Community Groups (save for (i) recording that the Policy Statement was affirmed
by the Executive on 18 January 2018 and (ii) providing for a review
in January 2023).
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Reason: The Policy
Statement was due to be reviewed in July 2017.
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9. |
Performance and Financial Monitoring Information
Please bring to the meeting your copy of the
Performance and Financial Monitoring Information (Green Book)
November 2017.
Additional documents:
Minutes:
|
The Executive
considered the Performance and Financial Monitoring Information
(Green Book), November 2017. Discussion
ensued on the number of affordable homes delivered and the Leader
of the Council highlighted that the Council had provided 456
affordable homes over the last four years, exceeding the
Council’s target of 102 per year.
Regarding satisfaction
with street cleaning and landscaping statistics it was noted that,
although they were increasing, the figures were below the target
set for 2017/18. It was suggested that
Officers checked the target setting to ensure it was
correct. Councillor Mrs Hunwicks
informed the Executive that the Serco contract was very flexible in
terms of street cleaning and that Officers regularly met with Serco
to monitor and address issues.
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Resolved
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That the Performance and Financial Monitoring
Information, November 2017, be received.
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Reason: To manage
the performance of the Council.
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