Agenda and decisions

(i)         To receive declarations of disclosable pecuniary and other interests from Members in respect of any item to be considered at the meeting.

(ii)        In accordance with the Officer Employment Procedure Rules, the Strategic Director - Corporate Resources, Kevin Foster declares a disclosable personal interest (non-pecuniary) in any items concerning the companies of which he is a Council-appointed director. The companies are listed in the attached schedule. The interests are such that Mr Foster may advise on those items.

(iii)      In accordance with the Officer Employment Procedure Rules, the Strategic Director - Communities, Louise Strongitharm, declares a disclosable personal interest (non-pecuniary) in any items concerning the companies of which she is a Council-appointed director. The companies are listed in the attached schedule. The interests are such that Mrs Strongitharm may advise on those items.

(iv)      In accordance with the Officer Employment Procedure Rules, the Head of Transformation, Digital and Customer, Adam Walther, declares a disclosable personal interest (non-pecuniary) in any items concerning the companies of which he is a Council-appointed director. The companies are listed in the attached schedule. The interests are such that Mr Walther may advise on those items.

To approve the minutes of the meeting of the Council held on 20 May 2024, as published.

The Mayor to provide a verbal report.

To consider any business which the Chairman rules may be dealt with under Section 100B(4) of the Local Government Act 1972.

No questions have been received from Members of the Council.

To receive questions from Members of the Public of which due notice has been given.

In accordance with Standing Orders, the Council to receive any announcements from the Leader of the Council (or their nominated spokesperson), Committee Chairmen and/or the Chief Executive.

To receive and consider recommendations from the Executive.

The Council had before it a report on the recommendations from the Executive, setting out the extracts from the minutes of the meeting of the Executive held on 12 September 2024.  In accordance with the Constitution, the recommendations were deemed to have been moved and seconded.

The Council resolved that:

(i)      the contract for the provision of Grounds Maintenance and Street Cleaning Services be awarded to the highest scoring tenderer for an initial contract period of eight years and it be noted that the value of the contract is estimated to be £3m during 2025/26, subject to annual indexation thereafter; and

(ii)     authority be delegated to the Head of Environmental Services and Director of Legal and Democratic Services, in consultation with the Portfolio Holder, to complete the necessary contract document exchanges.

The Council resolved that:

(i)      the representations to the Climate Change Strategy consultation made between May – June 2023, attached at Appendix 2a – 2b to the report, be noted;

(ii)     the revised Climate Change Strategy, attached at Appendix 1 to the report, be adopted and set a basis to how the Council will continue to factor in the impact of climate change within decision-making;

(iii)     upon adoption, the Council will embed the objectives of the Climate Change Strategy across all departments and service reviews;

(iv)    a review date be added to the Climate Change Strategy, to be set 5 years from the start of the Government intervention at Woking Borough Council; and

(v)     Officers be requested to amend the committee report template to include ‘environment and climate change’ as an implication.

The Council resolved that:

(i)      the changes to the Housing Standards Enforcement Policy in respect of private rented sector accommodation, as set out in Appendix 1 to the report, be approved;

(ii)     the new Housing Standards Civil Penalty Notice Policy in respect of private rented sector accommodation, as set out in the Appendix 2 to the report, be approved and adopted;

(iii)     delegated authority be given to the Strategic Director - Place, in consultation with the Portfolio Holder, to approve minor modifications and updates to the Housing Standards Enforcement Policy and the Housing Standards Civil Penalty Notice (CPN) Policy;

(iv)    delegated authority be given to the Strategic Director - Place, in consultation with the Portfolio Holder, to agree the inclusion of new legislation and duties relevant to Private Sector Housing imposed on the Council by the Government in the Housing Standards Enforcement Policy and the Housing Standards Civil Penalty Notice (CPN) Policy; and

(v)     the above recommendations, if approved, will be implemented from the 27 September 2024.

The Council resolved that:

(i)      the annual accounts for 2019/20, 2020/21 and 2021/22, as noted by the Audit and Governance Committee on 29 July, be noted and referred to the Council’s external auditors for their audit opinion;

(ii)     the signing off of the accounts by the Council’s Strategic Director for Finance and Section 151 Officer be noted, with the caveat that they are based on the best information available and the policies and conventions in place for the year that the specific accounts refer to; and

(iii)     it be noted that the issues concerning bad debt on investments in group companies identified in the June 2023 Section 114 Notice and Capitalisation Direction will be dealt with in the 2023/24 accounts which are planned to be presented to the Council later in the year along with those for 2022/23.

The Council resolved that:

(i)      the Scheme of Delegations be amended as set out in paragraph 2.3 of this report;

(ii)     the section on Local Choice, as set out in Appendix 1 of this report, be added to Section 3 of the Constitution;

(iii)     the Constitution be updated to confirm that Councillors may not sit on the Licensing Committee, Licensing Sub-Committee A, Licensing Sub-Committee B or the Taxi Licensing Sub-Committee unless they have attended at least the annual mandatory licensing training prescribed by the Council;

(iv)    the paragraphs set out in the Planning Code of Practice for Councillors and Officers be repeated as paragraph 28.6 in Part 4, Section 1 (Standing Orders);

(v)     Para 6.67 (e) in the Scheme of Delegation of the Constitution be amended for clarification to read “any undetermined application can be requested by a Councillor for an application in their ward for determination by the Planning Committee provided a planning reason is supplied in writing to the Development Manager.”;

(vi)    authority be delegated tothe Monitoring Officer in consultation with the Leader of the Council to make any necessary minor amendments to the Constitution arising from the decision to appoint two Deputy Leaders; and

(vi)    the Monitoring Officer be instructed to make the agreed changes to the Constitution.

The Council resolved that:

(i)      Councillor Mukherjee be appointed to the vacancy on the Audit and Governance Committee for the remainder of the 2024/25 Municipal Year;

(ii)     Councillor Spenser be appointed to the vacancy on the Communities and Housing Scrutiny Committee for the remainder of the 2024/25 Municipal Year;

(iii)     Councillor Morley be appointed to the vacancy on the Resource and Finance Scrutiny Committee for the remainder of the 2024/25 Municipal Year;

(iv)    Councillor Pandher be replaced on the Planning Committee by Councillor Pearce for the remainder of the 2024/25 Municipal Year;

(v)     Councillor Pearce be replaced on the Licensing Committee by Councillor Pandher for the remainder of the 2024/25 Municipal Year;

(vi)    Councillor Pearce be replaced on Licensing Sub-Committee B by Councillor Pandher for the remainder of the 2024/25 Municipal Year;

(vii)    Councillor Pearce be replaced on the Taxi Licensing Sub-Committee by Councillor Pandher for the remainder of the 2024/25 Municipal Year;

(viii)   Councillor Pandher be replaced on the Finance Working Group by Councillor Mukherjee for the remainder of the 2024/25 Municipal Year;

(ix)    Councillor Nicholson be replaced by Councillor Greentree as the Council’s representative on the Police and Crime Panel for the remainder of the 2024/25 Municipal Year;

(x)     the new Portfolio allocations, as set out in appendix 1 to the report, be noted;

(xi)    Puneet Jasuja and Annie Ren be appointed as Independent Co-Opted Members; and

(xii)    Puneet Jasuja and Annie Ren be appointed to the Audit and Governance Committee from 1 November 2024.

The Council resolved that Beverley Kuchar be appointed as Strategic Director – Place.

The Council resolved that:

(i)      the appointment of the Strategic Director – Corporate Resources, Kevin Foster, as the Authority’s Electoral Registration Officer, under Section 8 of the Representation of the People Act 1983, with effect from 16 September 2024, be noted;

(ii)     the appointment of the Strategic Director – Corporate Resources, Kevin Foster, as the Authority’s Returning Officer for local government elections, under Section 35 of the Representation of the People Act 1983, with effect from 16 September 2024, be noted.

(iii)     the appointment of the Interim Director of Legal and Democratic Services – Suki Binjal, as the Authority’s Monitoring Officer, under Section 5 of the Local Government and Housing Act 1989, with effect from 16 September 2024, be noted; and

(iv)    the appointment of the Interim Director of Legal and Democratic Services – Suki Binjal, as the Authority’s Data Protection Officer, in accordance with the Data Protection Act 2018, with effect from 16 September 2024, be noted.

No notices of motion have been received from Councillors.

The Mayor will move, and the Deputy Mayor will second:-

"That the press and public be excluded from the meeting during consideration of item 17 in view of the nature of the proceedings that, if members of the press and public were present during this item, there would be disclosure to them of exempt information as defined in paragraph 3 of Part 1 of Schedule 12A, to the Local Government Act 1972.”

Paragraph 3 – Information relating to the financial or business affairs of any particular person (including the authority holding that information).

PART II – PRESS AND PUBLIC EXCLUDED

The Mayor moved and Councillor Boote seconded that the press and public should be excluded from the meeting during consideration of agenda item 17 – Grounds Maintenance and Street Cleaning Contract Re-Tender. 

The Council resolved that the press and public be excluded from the meeting during consideration of agenda item 17 in view of the nature of the proceedings that, if members of the press and public were present during this item, there would be disclosure to them of exempt information as defined in paragraph 3 of part 1 of schedule 12a, to the local government act 1972 (paragraph 3 – information relating to the financial or business affairs of any particular person (including the authority holding that information)).

The Council had before it a report on the Part II recommendations from the Executive, setting out the extracts from the minutes of the meeting of the Executive held on 12 September 2024.  In accordance with the Constitution, the recommendations were deemed to have been moved and seconded.

The Council resolved that the recommendations of the Executive in respect of the Grounds Maintenance and Street Cleaning Contract re-tender be agreed.