Agenda and minutes

Apologies for absence were submitted on behalf of councillors Alice Badcock, Janet Shelley and Catherine Webber.

To adopt and sign as a correct record the council minutes of the meeting held on 15 July 2015 (attached).

RESOLVED: to adopt as a correct record the minutes of the meeting held on 15 July 2015 and agree that the chairman sign them.

None.

The Chairman thanked councillors and officers for their support during the year and those who attended the charity ball and quiz.

Steve Corrigan, Democratic Services Manager read out the following question on behalf of Dr Les Clyne to Matthew Barber, Leader of the council:

“Has the Council asked the developers of the Grove airfield development when they expect the current negotiations on land values between the developers, the landowners, their agents and the trustees for the Grove airfield development to be progressed to the point at which all remaining parties can sign the draft Section 106 agreement? If they have asked, what timescale was quoted? If they have not asked, will they please now do so as a matter of urgency, and will you please send me a copy of their response within 7 working days of you receiving the response."

In response Matthew Barber thanked Dr Clyne for his question and continued interest in this matter. He confirmed that the council had requested updates and every deadline had been missed. He confirmed that he would provide Dr Clyne with an update when further responses were received and provide a written response of this answer with additional information about responses received to date.

None.

None.

To receive the following questions from members of the council under standing order 12.

1.    Question from Councillor Bob Johnston to Councillor Charlotte Dickson, Chairman of the General Licensing Committee.

Could the Chairman please explain how council will reconsider and amend its Air Quality Management Area policies and actions in light of recent emissions-rigging scandal?

2.    Question from Councillor Bob Johnston to Councillor Roger Cox, Cabinet member for housing.

Given the Government's stated desire to reduce family benefit to a maximum of £23,000 per annum, which will result in housing associations no longer being able to house them as social housing rents will be unaffordable, could the Cabinet member please explain what contingency arrangements the Vale (as a statutory housing body) is making to deal with the expected increase in social housing need?"

3.    Question from Councillor Judy Roberts to Councillor Eric Batts, Cabinet member for technical services.

Please could the Cabinet member explain why the Vale is continuing to ignore repeated requests from residents and parish councils for a proper hydrology survey for the Cumnor Hill area?

4.    Question from Councillor Judy Roberts to Councillor Elaine Ware, Cabinet member for corporate strategy.

Could the Cabinet member please confirm her intention to review the Grants Scheme in early 2016?

5.    Question from Councillor Julia Reynolds to Councillor Matthew Barber, Leader of the council.

Letcombe Brook is a chalk stream which are globally rare.  It is seven miles long, from Letcombe Regis, through Wantage, Grove and East Hanney.   It is a key strategic environmental asset and its continual maintenance by the Letcombe Brook Project Officer is vital for flood mitigation and for ensuring the integrity of its habitats by conserving and enhancing the biodiversity and landscape.  The Letcombe Brook Project arose from public concern about pollution, low water levels and years of neglect resulting in litter, erosion, poor bank treatments and frequent flooding.  The Project officer works with a small team of volunteers, developers, residents who are riparian owners, and organises field visits for local schools, which forms part of the National Curriculum.  Advice is given to the East Hanney flood group, tree and bank erosion management is ongoing, indigenous planting has been carried out and invasive species such as himalayan balsam is pulled out on a regular basis.  The brook supports a healthy wild brown trout population and priority species such as otter and UK's most endangered species, the water vole.   Funding from the Environment Agency was withdrawn three years ago. Will the Leader commit to additional funding for the Letcombe Brook Project in the forthcoming budget?

6.    Question from Councillor Chris Palmer to Councillor Matthew Barber, Leader of the council.

Given that the first refugees are due to arrive in Oxford before Christmas, what plans are there locally for any refugees, and what can/ should the Churches in Abingdon do to help?

There are many different things that the Churches can and may well be willing to do to help out. But they need to  ...  view the full agenda text for item 31.

1.    Question from Councillor Bob Johnston to Councillor Charlotte Dickson, Chairman of the General Licensing Committee.

“Could the Chairman please explain how council will reconsider and amend its Air Quality Management Area policies and actions in light of recent emissions-rigging scandal?”

          Councillor Dickson responded as follows:

“Local authority monitoring has always shown that central government predicted vehicle emissions reductions from cleaner vehicles, which was based on manufacturers’ data, were not being recorded in their areas.

           This emission rigging scandal will not undermine any of the existing actions in the Vale Air Quality Action Plan because the actions look at the whole fleet and not individual car manufacturers.  The actions focus on driving behaviour, traffic flows and improving the take up of electric cars.   The fact that some cars are not meeting their predicted emissions standards will mean that the above actions will potentially take longer to achieve the required nitrogen dioxide reductions.”

           In response to a supplementary question she undertook to provide a written update on the implementation of the council’s Air Quality Action Plan.

2.    Question from Councillor Bob Johnston to Councillor Roger Cox, Cabinet member for housing.

“Given the Government's stated desire to reduce family benefit to a maximum of £23,000 per annum, which will result in housing associations no longer being able to house them as social housing rents will be unaffordable, could the Cabinet member please explain what contingency arrangements the Vale (as a statutory housing body) is making to deal with the expected increase in social housing need?"

Councillor Cox responded as follows:

“There are many factors that affect any increase in the demand for social housing, but I believe this council is in a good position to deal with the demands in the future. There are two parts in answering this question. Firstly, how will the decrease in benefit affect those households already in social housing? This is an issue for our housing association partners. Sovereign estimates around 60 households would be affected. So we are working strategically with them to assist those households. Initially, those households would qualify for discretionary housing benefit to assist them in paying the rent for a period of six months. Sovereign Housing Association will then work intensively with the household to try and get them back into work or training so that they can be exempted from the benefit cap. They will only need to work 16 hours per week to be exempt. Also we will encourage both Sovereign and SOHA to make best use of their housing stock and internal transfers to move households away from affordable properties to those that charge only social rent.

 The changes made in the Housing Needs Service, will enable the council to assist households trying to access social housing. There is a real emphasis on preventing homelessness. In 2013/14 the Council prevented 245 households from becoming homeless, in 2014/15 this rose to 323. The trend this year shows that the council will exceed this figure again. The council runs  ...  view the full minutes text for item 31.

On 2 October 2015 Councillor Matthew Barber, Leader of the council, took a decision on the outturn performance of the treasury management function for the financial year 2014/15.

Recommendations to Council: to

1.    approve the treasury management outturn report for 2014/15;

2.    note that the treasury activities in 2014/15 have been carried out in accordance with the treasury management strategy and policy.

Council considered the Leader of the council’s recommendation, made on 2 October 2015, on the outturn performance of the treasury management function for the financial year 2014/15.

RESOLVED: to

1.    approve the treasury management outturn report for 2014/15;

2.    note that the treasury activities in 2014/15 have been carried out in accordance with the treasury management strategy and policy.

At its meeting on 25 November 2015, the Licensing Acts Committee considered the report of the Head of Legal and Democratic Services. This proposed a statement of licensing policy, jointly developed with South Oxfordshire District Council. A copy of the draft policy agreed for recommendation to Council is attached.

The minutes of the Licensing Acts Committee held on 25 November 2015are available on the council’s website at

http://democratic.whitehorsedc.gov.uk/ieListDocuments.aspx?MId=2060&x=1

Recommendations to Council: to

1.    adopt the Joint Statement of Licensing Policy

2.    authorise the Head of Legal and Democratic Services to make minor editorial changes to the Joint Statement of Licensing Policy.

3.    authorise the Head of Legal and Democratic Services to publish the Joint Statement of Licensing Policy in accordance with the Licensing Act 2003.

Council considered the Licensing Acts Committee’s recommendation, made at its meeting on 25 November 2015, on a statement of licensing policy jointly developed with South Oxfordshire District Council.

RESOLVED: to

1.    adopt the Joint Statement of Licensing Policy as attached to the Council agenda for the meeting held on 16 December 2015;

2.    authorise the Head of Legal and Democratic Services to make minor editorial changes to the Joint Statement of Licensing Policy;

3.    authorise the Head of Legal and Democratic Services to publish the Joint Statement of Licensing Policy in accordance with the Licensing Act 2003.

Cabinet, at its meeting on 4 December 2015, considered the recommendations of the Licensing Acts Committee, made at its meeting on 25 November 2015, on the Joint Gambling Policy following the statutory consultation.

The report of the Head of Legal and Democratic Services, which Cabinet considered on 4 December, is attached.

Recommendations to Council: to

(i)            adopt the proposed Joint Gambling Policy;

(ii)        authorise the Head of Legal and Democratic Services to make minor editorial changes to the Joint Gambling Policy; and

(ii)          authorise the Head of Legal and Democratic Services to publish the Joint Gambling Policy in accordance with the Gambling Act 2005 (Licensing Authority Policy Statement)(England and Wales) Regulations 2006.

Council considered Cabinet’s recommendations, made at its meeting on 4 December 2015, on a statement of licensing policy jointly developed with South Oxfordshire District Council.

RESOLVED: to

1.    adopt the proposed Joint Gambling Policy attached to the Council agenda for the meeting held on 16 December 2015;

2.    authorise the Head of Legal and Democratic Services to make minor editorial changes to the Joint Gambling Policy; and

3.    authorise the Head of Legal and Democratic Services to publish the Joint Gambling Policy in accordance with the Gambling Act 2005 (Licensing Authority Policy Statement)(England and Wales) Regulations 2006.

Cabinet, at its meeting on 4 December 2015, considered a report on the council tax base for 2016/17.

The report of the Head of Finance, which Cabinet considered on 4 December is attached. An amended appendix 1 was tabled at the Cabinet meeting setting out corrected figures for five parishes which had changed due to a recalculation of the number of properties in each parish. The revised appendix is attached. Cabinet also noted that to correct this discrepancy in relation to new developments, the inspector would check the alignment of parish boundaries with the council’s geographic information database.

Cabinet agreed to recommend the amended figures to Council for adoption.

Recommendation to Council:

(a)       that the report of the Head of Finance for the calculation of the council’s tax base and the calculation of the tax base for each parish area for 2016/17 be approved;

(b)       that, in accordance with The Local Authorities (Calculation of Council Tax Base) (England) Regulations 2012, the amount calculated by Vale of White Horse District Council as its council tax base for the year 2016/17 be 48,176.9; and

(c)       that, in accordance with The Local Authorities (Calculation of Council Tax Base) (England) Regulations 2012, the amount calculated by Vale of White Horse District Council as the council tax base for the year 2016/17 for each parish be the amount shown against the name of that parish in the revised Appendix 1 attached to the Council agenda for this meeting. 

Council considered Cabinet’s recommendations, made at its meeting on 4 December 2015, on the council tax base for 2016/17.

RESOLVED:

(a)       to approve the report of the Head of Finance to Cabinet on 4 December 2015 for the calculation of the council’s tax base and the calculation of the tax base for each parish area for 2016/17;

(b)       that, in accordance with The Local Authorities (Calculation of Council Tax Base) (England) Regulations 2012, the amount calculated by Vale of White Horse District Council as its council tax base for the year 2016/17 be 48,176.9; and

(c)       that, in accordance with The Local Authorities (Calculation of Council Tax Base) (England) Regulations 2012, the amount calculated by Vale of White Horse District Council as the council tax base for the year 2016/17 for each parish be the amount shown against the name of that parish in the revised Appendix 1 attached to the Council agenda for the meeting held on 16 December 2015. 

The Independent Remuneration Panel undertakes an annual review to determine whether to recommend any inflationary adjustment to councillors’ allowances.  The panel regard this as preferable to adopting any standard index, as an annual review will give better control rather than relying on standard indices. 

For the past three years, the panel has recommended increasing the councillors’ basic allowance in line within the staff pay increase for the forthcoming financial year, and recommended other allowances remained the same.  The Council has a duty to consider the panel’s recommendations before making any changes to the councillors’ allowances scheme.  Council agreed with this recommendation for the past three years and subsequently increased staff pay and the councillors’ basic allowance by the same percentage. 

The panel met recently and considered that any increase in the councillors’ basic allowance in 2016/17 should be linked again to any staff pay increase.  An increase above the staff pay increase is not recommended.  The exact level of staff pay increase will not be known until the budget Council meeting in February 2016. 

The panel considers that there is no justification to increase the special responsibility allowances, the childcare or dependent carer’s allowances, or the travel allowances at this time. 

RECOMMENDATION: to increase the councillors’ basic allowance only for 2016/17, in line with the staff pay increase for that year. 

Council considered the independent remuneration panel’s recommendation on the councillors’ allowances scheme.

RESOLVED:

1.    to increase only the basic allowance for 2016/17, in line with the staff pay increase for 2016/17;

2.    not to increase the special responsibility allowances, the childcare or dependent carer’s allowances, or the travel allowances.

To consider the report of the Head of Legal and Democratic Services on proposed changes to the council’s constitution attached.

Council considered the report of the Head of Legal and Democratic Services on proposed amendments to the council’s constitution.

RESOLVED: to

1.    note the work done by the Joint Constitution Review Group and the intention to bring forward wholescale revisions of the council’s constitution for consideration by Council;

2.    note the overall approach of the review group to develop “mirror” constitutions with South Oxfordshire District Council and commonality of wording where possible;

3.    authorise the Head of Legal and Democratic services to make the necessary amendments to the constitution to amend the scrutiny call-in procedures and the definition of key decisions;

4.    approve the amendments of the officer employment procedure rules for inclusion in the constitution as attached to the report of the Head of Legal and Democratic Services to Council on 16 December 2015;

5.    authorise the Head of Legal and Democratic Services or a deputy monitoring officer to appoint a panel of independent persons drawn from the independent persons appointed by South Oxfordshire and Vale of White Horse district councils under the Localism Act 2011;

6.    authorise the Head of Legal and Democratic services to make any minor or   consequential amendments to the constitution.

The Leader of the council reported government announcements of the second Vale Enterprise Zone and the Didcot Garden Town designation both of which would support infrastructure spending in the district.

He also reported that the district council had achieved the second highest recycling figures in the country.

To receive the following notices of motion under standing order 11.

(1)  Motion to be proposed by Councillor Mike Badcock, seconder to be notified:

That Council requests officers to convene a special Council meeting no later than the date of the annual Council meeting in May 2016 in order to grant the freedom of the Vale of White Horse district to 3 Regiment Royal Logistics Corps, 4 Regiment Royal Logistics Corps and 7 Rifles in recognition of their contribution to the service of the country and the residents of the Vale.

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(2)  Motion to be proposed by Councillor Roger Cox, seconded by Councillor Mike Murray:

This Council commends the Government’s efforts to support people in having the security and stability of owning a home of their own.

This Council welcomes the Government’s Housing and Planning Bill which will help to create a million new homeowners by 2020. The Council endorses the Bill:

·         Turning Generation Rent into Generation Buy. First-time buyers will benefit from the provision of 200,000 Starter Homes which will be available at a 20 per cent discount to first-time buyers under 40.

·         Making planning permission simpler and protecting the greenbelt. The Bill reforms complex planning legislation and grants automatic planning permission in principle on brownfield sites.

·         Selling high-value vacant council assets. Councils should make the best use of their assets, as high value council homes become empty they should be sold to fund new affordable house building in the same area. 

·         Extending Right to Buy to housing association tenants. Ending the unfairness of Right to Buy only being available to council house tenants, this will be extended to 1.3 million housing associations tenants. Homes that are sold to tenants will be replaced with new affordable homes on a one-for-one basis.

·         Giving local people more of a voice through neighbourhood planning and local plans. Shifting power from Whitehall to local people, so communities will have more of a say in planning in their local areas and where homes and businesses should be built.

This Council supports the Housing and Planning Bill, which will allow people who want to work hard to save and aspire to buy their own home achieve their dream.

(3)  Motion to be proposed by Councillor Gervase Duffield, seconded by Councillor Reg Waite:

This Council welcomes the recent announcements of the second Vale Enterprise Zone and the Garden Town initiative and calls on all parts of the Council to have regard to protecting and respecting as far as possible the rural character of the villages affected and to work to avoid an urbanised ‘greater Didcot’.

Council considered the following motions submitted under standing order 11.

(1)  Motion proposed by Councillor Mike Badcock, seconded by notified:

That Council requests officers to convene a special Council meeting no later than the date of the annual Council meeting in May 2016 in order to grant the freedom of the Vale of White Horse district to 3 Regiment Royal Logistic Corps, 4 Regiment Royal Logistic Corps and 7 Rifles in recognition of their contribution to the service of the country and the residents of the Vale.

RESOLVED:

That Council requests officers to convene a special Council meeting no later than the date of the annual Council meeting in May 2016 in order to grant the freedom of the Vale of White Horse district to 3 Regiment Royal Logistic Corps, 4 Regiment Royal Logistic Corps and 7 Rifles in recognition of their contribution to the service of the country and the residents of the Vale.

(2)  Motion proposed by Councillor Roger Cox, seconded by Councillor Mike Murray:

This Council commends the Government’s efforts to support people in having the security and stability of owning a home of their own.

This Council welcomes the Government’s Housing and Planning Bill which will help to create a million new homeowners by 2020. The Council endorses the Bill:

·         Turning Generation Rent into Generation Buy. First-time buyers will benefit from the provision of 200,000 Starter Homes which will be available at a 20 per cent discount to first-time buyers under 40.

·         Making planning permission simpler and protecting the greenbelt. The Bill reforms complex planning legislation and grants automatic planning permission in principle on brownfield sites.

·         Selling high-value vacant council assets. Councils should make the best use of their assets, as high value council homes become empty they should be sold to fund new affordable house building in the same area.

·         Extending Right to Buy to housing association tenants. Ending the unfairness of Right to Buy only being available to council house tenants, this will be extended to 1.3 million housing associations tenants. Homes that are sold to tenants will be replaced with new affordable homes on a one-for-one basis.

·         Giving local people more of a voice through neighbourhood planning and local plans. Shifting power from Whitehall to local people, so communities will have more of a say in planning in their local areas and where homes and businesses should be built.

This Council supports the Housing and Planning Bill, which will allow people who want to work hard to save and aspire to buy their own home achieve their dream.

Those councillors in support of the motion welcomed the initiatives to build starter homes to address the lack of affordable housing for first time buyers and to extend the right to buy programme to meet the aspirations of people to own their own home.   

A number of councillors spoke against the motion. The new starter homes would be smaller and constructed to a lower standard. Housing associations had borrowed against their housing stock and  ...  view the full minutes text for item 39.