Agenda and minutes

Apologies for absence were received from Councillors Baker, Bignell, Chauhan, Chantler, Cooper, Davenport, Dyball, Eastwood, G Eales, T Eales, T Gilford, Golby, Grant, Hawes, Herring, Hinch, Jolley, King, Manners, Morgan, Pritchard, Z Smith, and Solesbury-Timms.

Members are asked to declare any interest and the nature of that interest which they may have in any of the items under consideration at this meeting.

There were no declarations of interest by Members.

To confirm the Minutes of the annual meeting of the Council held on 19^th May 2022.

Subject to the addition that Councillor Barter was absent and sent apologies to the meeting, the minutes of the annual meeting of Council held on 19^th May 2022 were agreed and signed by the Chairman.

To receive communications from the Chairman of the Council.

The Chairman announced the sad passing of former South Northamptonshire District Councillor and Northamptonshire County Councillor Ian Morris, following a short illness. Ian was elected to South Northamptonshire District Council in 2011 and served until 2017. He was a member of Northamptonshire County Council from 2013 until 2021. He served in a number of roles, notably as Cabinet Member for Transport, Highways, Environment and Public Protection and then as Cabinet Member for Adult Social Care and Public Health, a role which saw him play a prominent part in the management of the COVID 19 pandemic in the county. On South Northamptonshire Council he served on a number of committees, including Policy Review and Development, Community and Resources and the Scrutiny Committee.

The Chairman also announced the sad passing of former Northamptonshire County Councillor Rosemary Bromwich. She represented the Towcester division on Northamptonshire County Council from 1997 to 2012. She served as Cabinet Member for Community Services from 2005 to 2006 and then as Cabinet Member for Adult Care from 2007 to 2009. She was Chairman of the Council from 2010 to 2011 and also served on the Police Authority. Rosemary was married to Nick and had two children, Janice and Neil and two grandchildren, James and Poppy.

Jo Gordon, on behalf of the Royal & Derngate Theatre, addressed Council and gave a reading in honour of former Councillor Morris and highlighted some of the important work he did for the theatre.

Councillor Bowen recalled memories of working with former Councillor Morris when she first became an elected member and subsequent years and expressed her heartfelt sadness over the loss of a dear friend.

Councillor Randall offered her condolences to the family of former Councillor Morris on behalf of the Labour group.

Councillor Beardsworth commented that former Councillor Morris was always a kind and personable man; she was shocked to discover of his passing and said that he would be sorely missed.

Councillor Meredith expressed his shock and sadness at the passing of former Councillor Morris; he would remember him fondly and offered his condolences to Councillor Morris’s family.

The Chairman led Council in a minute’s applause in honour of former Councillors Ian Morris and Rosemary Bromwich.

The Chairman advised that he had written to former Councillor Morris’s family on behalf of the Council, and that details of a memorial service had been circulated to all Members, and that further information around the memorial service was available on Councillor Morris’s Facebook page.

The Chairman stated that he and the Vice-Chairman had had the pleasure of representing Council at a number of other events, including numerous Queen’s Jubilee events, Windrush Day, Northampton Pride, Armed Forces Day, and Northampton Carnival. He was also very pleased to greet the Duke of Gloucester this morning at Northampton Museum and Art Gallery, and asked Members to please get in touch with the Chairman’s administration team if they had events that they would like the Chairman to attend.

The Vice-Chairman commended the Mayor of Northampton in respect of  ...  view the full minutes text for item 36.

(1)  Receipt of Petitions (if any) from Local Government Electors for the District

(2)  Questions (if any) from the Public

(1)  The Chairman advised of 1 request to submit a petition.

Hayley Moore presented a petition which related to the safety of Towcester Road and commented that she had witnessed the accident that had taken place on 10^th June, as well as many instances of dangerous driving beforehand. She stated that calming measures on the road needed introducing, including reducing the limit to 30mph.

Councillor Larratt, as the Cabinet Member for Environment, Transport, Highways and Waste, confirmed that a written response to the petition would be provided in due course, and that all aspects of road safety in the area would be thoroughly investigated.

(2)  There was 1 question from a member of the public. A response from the relevant Cabinet Member had been provided and no supplementary question was asked.

Priority Opposition Motion

Proposed: Cllr. Wendy Randall

Seconded: Cllr. Bob Purser

The West Northamptonshire Council wishes to re-assert the importance of the ‘Nolan principles’ of selflessness, integrity, objectivity, accountability, openness, honesty and leadership for all in public life. These principles serve as the foundations of our Councillor Code of Conduct and underpin how Councillors must behave when carrying out their duties.

The honour of becoming an elected representative comes with the responsibility of maintaining and building the confidence in which the democratic political process is held, both for central and local governments. These principles guide not only how decisions and functions are carried out by elected members, but also how they treat officers, the public and their colleagues.

In light of the attention these principles are receiving locally and nationally, this Council therefore notes:

·       The seven Nolan Principles of Public Life (selflessness, integrity, objectivity, accountability, openness, honesty, and leadership) underpin the conduct and behaviour expected of our elected representatives nationally and locally.

·       The obligation as a Council and as individual Councillors to adhere to these principles at all times.

This Council resolves:

1.     To defend and protect these principles as a matter of duty, so as to maintain and build the confidence of residents in their democratic institutions.

2.     That members should confront and report actions or omissions by other members of this council that appear to be contrary to the Code of Conduct adopted by the Council, which includes and reflects the Nolan Principles.

Councillor Randall proposed and Councillor Purser seconded:

“The West Northamptonshire Council wishes to re-assert the importance of the ‘Nolan principles’ of selflessness, integrity, objectivity, accountability, openness, honesty and leadership for all in public life. These principles serve as the foundations of our Councillor Code of Conduct and underpin how Councillors must behave when carrying out their duties.

The honour of becoming an elected representative comes with the responsibility of maintaining and building the confidence in which the democratic political process is held, both for central and local governments. These principles guide not only how decisions and functions are carried out by elected members, but also how they treat officers, the public and their colleagues.

In light of the attention these principles are receiving locally and nationally, this Council therefore notes:

·       The seven Nolan Principles of Public Life (selflessness, integrity, objectivity, accountability, openness, honesty, and leadership) underpin the conduct and behaviour expected of our elected representatives nationally and locally.

·       The obligation as a Council and as individual Councillors to adhere to these principles at all times.

This Council resolves:

·       To defend and protect these principles as a matter of duty, so as to maintain and build the confidence of residents in their democratic institutions.

·       That members should confront and report actions or omissions by other members of this council that appear to be contrary to the Code of Conduct adopted by the Council, which includes and reflects the Nolan Principles.

Councillor Nunn, as Leader, responded by noting that adherence to the Nolan Principles of Public Life was set out in the Members’ Code of Conduct within the West Northamptonshire Council Constitution and stated that he and his group felt that the motion was a wasted opportunity, when the opposition group could have put forward suggestions and ideas for Council and the administration to work towards.

Councillor Randall commented that residents of West Northamptonshire felt angry and let down by recent events in central government and that the motion was put forward to reassure residents that the Nolan Principles of Public Life were adhered to by Members of West Northamptonshire Council.

Upon requisition of a vote, the motion was carried.

Councillor Nunn presented his report as Leader of the Council and highlighted the salient points. In response to questions, the Leader confirmed that he would raise issues relating to the Council’s website to the relevant people. He advised that there was no intention from the administration to increase councillor allowances; a review had recently taken place. He also confirmed that he was happy for Cabinet to receive Scrutiny reports and updates in any format.

Councillor Brown presented his report as Deputy Leader of the Council and highlighted the salient points. In response to questions, he confirmed that the housing enforcement team were working through their list of suspected illegal HMO properties to ascertain their status. He further confirmed that he had no intention, as the Cabinet Member for Housing, to participate in the government’s Right to Buy scheme. He reiterated comments made in respect of the great work by Northamptonshire Fire & Rescue and the Highways department for quicky responding to a fire at Far Cotton. In respect of safe public spaces for women who were non-English speakers, the Deputy Leader stated that he would be happy to work with anyone to look at more venues, and in respect of councillors who were HMO landlords, he advised that they were required to declare these properties on their Register of Interests.

Councillor Breese presented her report as Cabinet Member for Strategic Planning, Built Environment and Rural Affairs and highlighted the salient points. In response to questions, she advised that any policy changes in respect of the Northampton Local Plan would reverse its progress by several years. A number of successful appointments had been made in the Development Management team and with regard to outstanding CIL and Section 106 issues relating to predecessor authorities, she confirmed that it would take another month to determine the scope of these issues. With regards to a question around the Employment Sites SPD (Supplementary Planning Document) and the reference point at Swan Valley, Junction 15A, this was raised at the Planning Policy Committee on 28^th June as a reference point as not being acknowledged and further work would be done around this point during the forthcoming consultation exercise. With regard to proposed unit sizes, she noted that the large units were also raised at the Planning Policy Committee meeting; the existence of a “large” unit must be acknowledged following “small” and “medium”, however there was no intention to build large units.

In Councillor Baker’s absence, Councillor Nunn presented her report and highlighted the salient points. He advised that Ofsted reports were published on the Ofsted website. Further questions would be taken to Councillor Baker, as Cabinet Member for Children, Families and Education, for a response in due course.

In Councillor Smith’s absence, Councillor Nunn presented his report and highlighted the salient points. In response to questions, he confirmed that Neighbourhood Wardens were valued and supported, and would welcome talks with anyone regarding new ideas for partnership working around community safety. Regarding the issuing of Private Hire  ...  view the full minutes text for item 39.

Councillor Nunn presented and proposed the report which sought to update Council on progress towards the Northamptonshire Integrated Care System (ICS) and to gain Council’s support for its planned implementation as described in the report. The report also asked Members to note the nomination process for the Council’s representative on the Integrated Care Board (ICB), to approve the West Health and Wellbeing Board Terms of Reference for the ICS, to note the chairing arrangements for the Integrated Care Partnership Board, to note the proposed governance structure for the Integrated Care Partnership (West Place), to note the proposed Local Area Partnerships (LAPs) for the West Place as part of the ICP, and to note the proposal for one elected member per unitary ward to sit on LAPs.

Councillor Brown seconded the report.

Members made comments as follows:

·       A multi-agency approach was the best way to make a significant difference to the benefit of residents

·       Members had concerns around back-door privatisation

·       Members should be aware of how big the job would be before putting themselves forward for it

·       Ward Members should have conversations with each other to determine who would be the most appropriate to sit on LAPs.

RESOLVED:

Council:

(a)  Noted the nomination process for West Northamptonshire Council’s representative on the Integrated Care Board (ICB) which was approved by Cabinet on the 14th June 2022 is subject to Page 96 strict legal requirements and that the nomination will be made by the Leader of the Council in consultation with the Director of Legal and Democratic Services.

(b)  Approved the West Health and Wellbeing Board Terms of Reference for the Integrated Care System from the 1st July 2022.

(c)   Noted the proposed governance structure for the Integrated Care Partnership (West Place) which were approved at the Integrated Care Partnership Shadow Board on the 31st May 2022 and the West Health and Wellbeing Board on the 7th June 2022

(d)  Noted the chairing arrangements for the Integrated Care Partnership Board.

(e)  Noted the proposed Local Area Partnerships (LAP’s) for the West Place as part of the ICP following consultation with stakeholders

(f)    Noted the proposal for one elected member per unitary ward to sit on each of the nine Local Area Partnerships.

(g)  Noted that further updates would be presented to Cabinet, Council and People Scrutiny as the ICS developed to ensure the Council had appropriate oversight.

Councillor Hallam presented and proposed the report which sought Council’s agreement of the draft council size submission as recommended by the Democracy and Standards Committee meeting at their meeting held on 16^th June 2022, and to note that the report did not consider warding numbers, patterns or size, which would be the subject of the next stage of the review.

Councillor Patel seconded the report.

Members made comment as follows:

·       Concern was raised regarding the likely increase in Member workloads following devolution

·       Officers and members of the working group were praised for the work that went into producing the report

·       More consideration should have been given to where Members would be placed and how ward proportions were worked out

·       Due to the diversity of areas across West Northamptonshire, even a small increase in residents falling under a new ward could equate to several streets in one location, or an entire village in another.

RESOLVED:

Council:

(a)  Noted the work of the cross-party working group and the Democracy and Standards Committee on the first phase of electoral arrangements for West Northamptonshire;

(b)  Approved the submission document set out at Appendix A of the report for submission to the LGBCE;

(c)   Approved a council size number of the Committee’s recommended range of 77-82 councillors; and

(d)  Delegated authority to the Director of Legal and Democratic Services in consultation with the Chair of the Democracy and Standards Committee to make any amendments to the proposed submission to the LGBCE and to finalise the appendices to the submission in light of any comments from the Council and any minor or typographical changes identified.

Councillor Irving-Swift presented and proposed the report which sought to advise Council on the activities of the Audit and Governance Committee over the financial year 2021-22.

Councillor Hughes seconded the report.

Councillors made comments as follows:

·       The Audit and Governance Committee was a good place to gauge the health of the authority

·       Some Members felt that the Chair of the Audit and Governance Committee should be independent/of an opposition party

·       Concern was raised around the lack of resources in the Finance Department

·       The current Chair of the Audit and Governance Committee was doing a good job and had no issue with challenging colleagues in the same political group

RESOLVED:

Council considered the Audit and Governance Committee Annual report which was considered and endorsed by the Audit and Governance Committee at their meeting held on the 22 June 2022.

Councillor Patel presented and proposed the report which sought to advise Council on the Annual Report of the Democracy and Standards Committee for 2021/2022. The report noted the work undertaken by the Committee over its first year.

Councillor Irving-Swift seconded the report.

RESOLVED:

Council:

a)    Noted the Annual Report 2021/2022 of the Democracy and Standards Committee.

Councillor Patel presented and proposed the report which sought to provide an update on behalf of the Democracy & Standards Committee on a number of minor updates to the Constitution made by the Monitoring Officer under delegated authority, to propose revised arrangements for Priority Opposition Motions set out at Paragraph 26 of the Council Procedure Rules, and to recommend the revised Constitution for adoption.

Councillor Brown seconded the report.

The Chairman notified Council that an amendment had been submitted by the Labour group, copies of which had been circulated to Members.

Councillor Randall moved, and Councillor Purser seconded the amendment.

Members debated the amendment and made comments as follows:

·       The recommendations as set out in the original report were representative and democratic; it was important that different perspectives were heard.

·       Some Members felt that it was undemocratic to suggest that only the main opposition group should get a chance to put forward the main opposition motion

Upon requisition of a vote the amendment was carried, and the recommendations as amended were approved.

RESOLVED:

Council:

a)    Noted and approve the updates to the Constitution as set out in Section 5, with the exception of the revised arrangements at 5.2, and

b)    Rejected the recommendation of the Democracy and Standards Committee in relation to 5.2.9 of the report and instead asked the Committee to reconsider the recommendation.

Councillor Lister presented and proposed the report which sought to update Council on the Weston Favell Health and Wellbeing project, and to seek approval from Council to fund £25.1m towards the costs for the Weston Favell Health and Wellbeing Hub project, subject to the project being successful in its Levelling Up Fund (LUF) application for £20m.

Councillor Frost seconded the report.

Members made comments as follows:

·       Some Members stated that they would like all councillors and voluntary organisations involved in the project to be consulted sooner in the process

·       Public transport to and from Weston Favell from other parts of the town would need to be increased to cope with the anticipated increase in demand, as well as other areas of infrastructure.

·       Affordability was key when developing the plan for the Hub and people from all walks of life would be welcome.

·       Some Members raised concern around setting the Council’s budget around decisions that had already been taken.

RESOLVED:

Council:

a)    Noted the progress made to date on the Weston Favell Health and Wellbeing Hub.

b)    Approved in principle West Northamptonshire Council capital funding of £25.1m (for the financial year 23/24) for the Weston Favell Health and Wellbeing Hub, subject

·       to the bid to the Levelling Up Fund being successful and;

·       to a final delegated decision by the Executive Director of Finance with the benefit of a full business case in consultation with the Executive Director of Place, Economy and Environment; the Director of Legal and Democratic Services, the Cabinet Member for Finance and Cabinet Member for Economic Devleopment, Town Centre Regeneration and Growth.

c)     Noted the use of £0.25m pipeline projects one off revenue budget to continue to develop the Weston Favell Health and Wellbeing Hub project ahead of the announcement of the Levelling Up Fund in late 2022.

Councillor Hallam presented and proposed the report which sought Council’s approval for the appointment of Sally Burns as Director of Public Health (DPH) for West Northamptonshire Council and for a proposed remuneration package in excess of £100,000.

Councillor Nunn seconded the report.

RESOLVED:

1.     Council approved the proposed appointment and remuneration.

To debate any motions which have been submitted with advance notice, in accordance with the Council’s Procedure Rules.

Motion 1

Proposed by Cllr. Kevin Parker

Seconded by Cllr. Cécile Irving-Swift

“This Council recognises the importance of green spaces, and more importantly, green spaces which are accessible to all, physically and financially.  

Within West Northamptonshire Council, we have Brixworth Country Park, and Daventry Country Park both offering the chance to engage in both physical and mental health activities, with Daventry including open water swimming during the summer months, and also the Brampton Valley Way which is part of the Sustrans national cycle network. These are all great places for families and individuals alike where all can enjoy the benefits of physical activity and mental wellbeing.  

However, this council notes that there are disparities in the fees charged at the various country parks and recommends that a review is undertaken in order to thoroughly analyse the costs, the harmonising of charges and to consider as and when to implement as necessary.”

Motion 2

Proposed: Cllr Jonathan Harris

Seconded: Cllr Rosie Humphreys

On 1 April 2022, Ofgem increased the energy price cap by 54%. In light of the increased energy price cap, the average standard tariff energy bill will increase by £693 per year. The average pre-pay meter energy bill will increase by £708 per year (Ofgem, 2022).

On 6 April 2022, the Government increased National Insurance by 1.25 percentage points, which is projected to cost the average West Northants family an additional £108 per year. 

The Government has suspended the pensions ‘triple lock’ for 2022/3, meaning that pensioners will see a rise of 3.1% this year (instead of 8.3% under the triple lock formula). This year, this will cost a West Northants resident on the full new state pension an average of £487.

Whilst the government finally, and belatedly, has imposed a ‘Windfall Tax’ on the super profits of oil and gas companies (proposed initially by the Liberal Democrats last year and subsequently Labour), it still will not be sufficient for many residents of West Northamptonshire with the cap rising again this coming Autumn. 

The recent ‘State of Hunger’ report from the Trussell Trust provides for shocking reading:

·         49% increase in the number of children supported by a food bank in the Trussell Trust network between 2018/19 and 2019/20

·         700,000 households used a food bank in 2019/20. The proportion of couples with children referred to a food bank increased from 19% in early 2020 to 24% during the Covid-19 pandemic in mid-2020.

·         6 in 10 of working age people referred to a food bank in early 2020 had a disability, over three times more than in the general population

·         95% of people referred to food banks are destitute

·         Food bank use is driven by economic need – that is, not having enough money to buy food once essential bills have been paid.

The report goes on to indicate a key contributing factor and two background factors contributing to the significant growth of  ...  view the full agenda text for item 47.

Motion 1

Councillor Parker proposed and Councillor Irving-Swift seconded:

“This Council recognises the importance of green spaces, and more importantly, green spaces which are accessible to all, physically and financially.

Within West Northamptonshire Council, we have Brixworth Country Park, and

Daventry Country Park both offering the chance to engage in both physical and mental health activities, with Daventry including open water swimming during the summer months, and also the Brampton Valley Way which is part of the Sustrans national cycle network. These are all great places for families and individuals alike where all can enjoy the benefits of physical activity and mental wellbeing.

However, this council notes that there are disparities in the fees charged at the various country parks and recommends that a review is undertaken in order to thoroughly analyse the costs, the harmonising of charges and to consider as and when to implement as necessary.”

Councillor Harris proposed and Councillor Beardsworth seconded an amendment to the motion.

Amended motion to read:

“This Council recognises the importance of green spaces, and more importantly, green spaces which are accessible to all, physically and financially. 

“Within West Northamptonshire Council, we have Brixworth Country Park, and Daventry Country Park both offering the chance to engage in both physical and mental health activities, with Daventry including open water swimming during the summer months, and also the Brampton Valley Way which is part of the Sustrans national cycle network. These are all great places for families and individuals alike where all can enjoy the benefits of physical activity and mental wellbeing.

However, this council notes that there are disparities in the fees charged at the various country parks.

This council therefore proposes to:

Undertake a review to thoroughly analyse and review pricing structures to create parity, implement outcomes as necessary, to include free parking access for Blue Badge holders.

Explore wider options for a short-term minimum parking window to enable those taking part in park run activities to be able to pay a pro-rata rate for an hour rather than a full 4-hour fee.

Through an invest to save analysis, explore wider use of technology, which could potentially utilise ANPR, for example.”

Councillor Parker accepted the amendment to the motion.

Members debated the motion and made the following comments:

·       Motions could be put forward by any member of any political group

·       The issue was too complicated with too many factors to be dealt with by a motion

·       Residents should be encouraged to visit parks, however, inherited disparities between parking rates would drive some away and needed resolving

·       A budgeted strategy was needed; there were also disparities amongst car parks in Northampton town centre due to similar reasons that were losing the town money

Upon requisition of a vote, the motion as amended was carried.

Motion 2

Councillor Harris proposed and Councillor Humphreys seconded:

“On 1 April 2022, Ofgem increased the energy price cap by 54%. In light of the increased energy price cap, the average standard tariff energy bill will increase by £693  ...  view the full minutes text for item 47.

The Chairman to advise whether they have agreed to any items of urgent business being admitted to the agenda.

There was no urgent business on this occasion.