Agenda and minutes

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.

None advised.

To confirm the Minutes of the meeting of the Council held on 28^th September 2023.

The minutes of the meeting held on 28th September 2023 were agreed and signed by the Chairman.

To receive communications from the Chairman of the Council.

The Chairman announced that the following awards were won at the Public Finance Awards 2023:

·       The WNC Finance Team was awarded Finance Team of the Year - Councils and Local Services

·       The Fund Accounting and Investment Team, Cambridgeshire and Northamptonshire Pension Fund was awarded with the Achievement in Financial Reporting and Accountability.

The Chairman asked Council to note the following dates:

·       7th December, 6pm: Northamptonshire Children’s Trust briefing, the Atrium, One Angel Square

·       13th December, 2pm: “Angels in Angel” Christmas performance, the Atrium, One Angel Square

The Chairman presented Councillors Addison and Gonzalez de Savage with past Chairman Badges.

The Chairman asked if it was the wish of Council to propose the suspension of standing orders in order to allow Members to remain seated while speaking. He advised that the Constitution would be reviewed in the future to propose to make this change permanent.

Councillor Beardsworth proposed and Councillor Barrett seconded that standing orders be suspended.

Upon a vote, the proposition was agreed.

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

(2)  Statements (if any) from the Public

The Chairman advised of 6 requests to address the meeting.

Dave Pearson, on behalf of Clean Air Northamptonshire, addressed Council in relation to Motion 3. He stated that the Government’s tree planting targets had been repeatedly missed, and that the Council’s failure to appoint a tree officer and the removal of mention of a tree officer from the motion was indicative of the low priority given to the issue. He highlighted the importance of a local transport plan that would reduce traffic and a tree planting programme to sequester air pollution. Mr Pearson expressed disappointment with the quality of debate on air pollution at the last Council meeting, commenting that it “descended into party politics”.

Jake Blackburn addressed Council in relation to item 10. He stated that in relation to the ongoing trial of former MP David Mackintosh and Howard Grossman, if the jury decided that the evidence provided by a WNC councillor under oath was to be disbelieved, this would raise concerns regarding probity and could be a breach of the WNC Code of Conduct. Given the scope of the circumstances, Mr Blackburn believed an enquiry should be held into the conduct of the councillor in question and that they should be suspended from their council duties until such enquiries had taken place.

Tina Matthews, on behalf of the Umbrella Fair Organisation’s “1000 Voices” campaign, addressed Council in relation to Motion 3. She stated that WNC was not doing enough in terms of the level of action required to have a significant impact on air quality and believed that the Council should consider the recommendations of Mobilising Primary Care in Islington on Air Pollution; 1 key recommendation was that in the absence of a public awareness campaign about the health harms of air pollution, future rollouts should be supplemented by local communications campaigns to help solidify messages about air pollution. Ms Matthews further stated that the Council was not equipping residents with the knowledge required to take appropriate action to prevent harm to themselves. The Council should keep talking about levels of pollution, put pressure on the Government and local authorities to act, stop burning fossil fuels, and aim for more sustainable transport systems.

Ryan Michlig addressed Council in relation to Motion1. He commented that vapes were intended to be used as smoking cessation devices and were dangerous in the wrong hands. There had been a change in the market since the Covid pandemic with more single use vapes being made available. He stated that underage use was a big problem, but specialist sellers in town did not sell to underage users. More education was needed, and Mr Michlig suggested that the Council should be speaking to children in schools to alert them to the harms of vaping.

Gordon Kerr addressed Council in relation to Motion 3. He commented that there was no balanced scientific view on the veracity on the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and questioned where funding for a new tree officer would come from.  ...  view the full minutes text for item 155.

Proposed by: Councillor Bob Purser

Seconded by: Councillor Wendy Randall

This council’s Corporate Plan states we have “the ambition for our residents to live in good housing in places which are clean and green.  So that everyone has access to affordable, safe, quality, accommodation, and security of tenure”

A target was set of to produce 500 units of social housing during the lifetime of this Council. Current house building is not meeting the needs of those on our housing list. Developers repeatedly negotiate a reduction in social and affordable housing targets from the Council’s policy, meaning the social housing target will likely be missed.

This council notes:

·       there are currently 4,452 families on our housing register waiting list and a further 600 households currently in temporary accommodation, according to the latest Cabinet papers

·       There are 1,950 homeless households and 5,850 households in overcrowded accommodation according to the Anti-poverty Strategy.

·       Significant key brown field social housing projects, namely The Clock House and Avenue Campus, have recently been deemed not financially viable and significant funds have been returned to HM Treasury

·       Around 4,000 homes across West Northamptonshire lie empty and unused, according to the latest data

The personal cost of living in overcrowded or temporary accommodation to family life is significant, including stress, depression, and child underdevelopment.

This council therefore calls on the Leader and Cabinet to:

·       Request the Cabinet Members for Housing, Finance, and Planning to redouble their efforts to identify the requirements needed to create a pipeline for planned, affordable and deliverable housing

·       Identify those houses that are unoccupied and explore what opportunities there are to work with owners to bring them back into use

·       Consider using Empty Dwelling Management Order (EDMO) powers granted by the Housing Act 2004 to take control of unoccupied properties and make them available for those in need of housing

Councillor Purser proposed and Councillor Randall seconded:

“This council’s Corporate Plan states we have “the ambition for our residents to live in good housing in places which are clean and green. So that everyone has access to affordable, safe, quality, accommodation, and security of tenure.”

A target was set of to produce 500 units of social housing during the lifetime of this Council. Current house building is not meeting the needs of those on our housing list. Developers repeatedly negotiate a reduction in social and affordable housing targets from the Council’s policy, meaning the social housing target will likely be missed.

This council notes:

·       There are currently 4,452 families on our housing register waiting list and a further 600 households currently in temporary accommodation, according to the latest Cabinet papers

·       There are 1,950 homeless households and 5,850 households in overcrowded accommodation according to the Anti-poverty Strategy.

·       Significant key brown field social housing projects, namely The Clock House and Avenue Campus, have recently been deemed not financially viable and significant funds have been returned to HM Treasury

·       Around 4,000 homes across West Northamptonshire lie empty and unused, according to the latest data

The personal cost of living in overcrowded or temporary accommodation to family life is significant, including stress, depression, and child underdevelopment.

This council therefore calls on the Leader and Cabinet to:

·       Request the Cabinet Members for Housing, Finance, and Planning to redouble their efforts to identify the requirements needed to create a pipeline for planned, affordable and deliverable housing

·       Identify those houses that are unoccupied and explore what opportunities there are to work with owners to bring them back into use.

·       Consider using Empty Dwelling Management Order (EDMO) powers granted by the Housing Act 2004 to take control of unoccupied properties and make them available for those in need of housing

Council debated the motion and the following comments were made:

·       It was essential for developers to provide the necessary infrastructure when constructing large housing developments.

·       Northampton Borough Council built 8 homes in 20 years under administrations ran by different parties; WNC have built many more since its creation.

·       Figures showed that there were around 4,000 empty homes in the West Northants area and the DLUC website showed that 50% of these were council tax exempt homes; the Council could not act against those.

·       It was suggested that the Council’s actions did not match its vision. NPH should be empowered to build more.

·       It was suggested that the Council not comparing itself to other similar authorities was akin to checking its own homework.

·       The Council’s own planning officers needed to be challenging viability assessments in every instance.

·       Health and Wellbeing was one of the Council’s priorities, but it was not looking after vulnerable people. Central government needed to change and provide much more support to local authorities.

·       If a home was empty and eligible for use by the Council, it should be brought into use.

·       Homes in Northampton were cheaper than the surrounding areas; some Members did not accept  ...  view the full minutes text for item 156.

Cabinet Members each highlighted the salient points of their reports. Members made comments and asked questions and the following points were raised:

·       Regarding the attendance of the Monitoring Officer at the ongoing trial of former MP David Mackintosh and Howard Grossman, the Leader confirmed that senior officers worked independently and had the freedom to make decisions on how best to spend their time to meet their objectives.

·       Updates on the Landlord Incentive Scheme were available on the Council’s website.

·       Discussions around a Clean Air and Climate Summit had been discussed at the cross-party Sustainability Working Group and further communications with interested members and groups would be forthcoming.

·       Regarding the Sixfields Stadium East Stand, work was due to be completed soon; no further Cabinet decisions were required, appeals had been dismissed, and only minor matters remained.

·       The new A5 roundabout opened on Friday 24th November. The Council was working closely with national Highways and Persimmon to get the A43 junction opened quickly, and the Cabinet Member for Environment, Transport, Highways and Waste was confident following discussions that things would progress quickly.

·       Regarding the recent speed limit change to Towcester Road, there had been an issue with lighting of the road signs which caused issues.

·       A meeting was due to take place with officers regarding flooding issues in Far Cotton and members would be briefed in due course.

·       Concerns were identified through the Active Travel consultation regarding the Abington Park Crescent/King Edward Road/Park Avenue South junction. The Cabinet Member for Environment, Transport, Highways and Waste had met with officers and ideas would be put to ward members.

·       Congestion in the town centre was difficult to manage; the town centre’s roads were based on the medieval design of the town which was not fit for modern traffic levels. There were no plans to implement a low emissions zone in the town centre.

·       Various scenarios had been offered in respect of possible solutions to traffic issues in Kingsthorpe, but none had been met with approval by Kingsthorpe residents.

·       The Cabinet Member for Housing, Culture and Leisure confirmed his ongoing commitment to working with those involved with the creation of the Ecton Brook Community Hub. He assured Members that he would meet with the Cabinet Member for Finance to ensure that next year’s budget had earmarked funds, where available, for the project.

·       The draft Homelessness and Rough Sleeper Strategy was in its final stages; stakeholder and collaboration events would be taking place in January and was due to go to Overview and Scrutiny in February, and then to Cabinet. The Structural Changes Order dictated that it must be in place by 1st April 2024 and the Cabinet Member for Housing, Culture and Leisure assured Members that it would be.

·       There was a uniform approach to community managed libraries; where they were occupying former district or county council spaces, they paid market rents less a 40% deduction. It was noted that local parish and town councils had a large role in keeping these libraries open.

·       The  ...  view the full minutes text for item 157.

Councillor Hughes proposed the report which provided details of progress made against agreed outcomes for Children and Young People. The report outlined priorities, alongside potential future challenges for the partnership over the coming year. The Youth Justice Plan highlighted the partnership arrangements and budget position for the Youth Offending Service.

Councillor Fowler seconded the report.

Members discussed the report and made the following comments:

·       Members commented that it would be useful to have more information on outcomes for young offenders in their later years; did they become adult offenders?

·       It was important that the Council had a view of entire picture; how much research was done into the impacts on young people of different demographics.

·       More emphasis was needed on prevention, not only intervention.

·       It was good to see progress; engagement in prevention in some areas saw reduced antisocial behaviour.

RESOLVED:

Council approved the content of the Youth Justice Plan for 2023/24.

Councillor Fowler proposed the report which sought to update Council on the progress of the 2022/23 Annual Review of the Service Delivery Contract (SDC) between Northamptonshire Children’s Trust (NCT) and West and North Northamptonshire Councils which included the 2022/23 Annual Report.

Councillor Hughes seconded the report.

Members discussed the report and made the following comments:

·       There was concern that the Council may have waited too long to intervene with the Children’s Trust.

·       It was hoped that cross-party communication could be sent to the Government to urge them for better funding for adults and children’s social care.

·       Over the last 5 years class sizes had grown and teachers faced ever more complex issues. Many children did not want to go to school; class sizes needed to be reduced.

·       There was concern that the report did not include a section on diversity and inclusion.

·       It was difficult to see how pressures would ever reduce since the issues were reflected nationally.

·       There was a good sense of moving forwards in the report.

·       The £2.2m overspend mentioned in the Cabinet Member for Finance report was the forecast for the year, and not the year to date. This included the anticipated Children’s Trust overspend. The recent collaboration with the Trust had given the Council much more confidence around its finances.

RESOLVED:

Council:

a)    Noted that the Annual Report contained at Appendix 1-11 of the report was completed in line with the service delivery contract.

b)    Noted that KPI’s in the SDC remained the same since the start of the contract with NCT and that the KPIs would be reviewed during 2024/25

c)     Noted that any changes to the SDC would need to be agreed by all parties, brought back to a future Joint Committee meeting for approval and, once approved, be implemented by a Change Control to the SDC.

Councillor Hinch proposed the report which Council’s consideration of the proposed recommendations of the Democracy and Standards Committee in relation to updates to the Constitution and the revised member complaints procedure.

Councillor Kilbride seconded the report.

Members discussed the report and made the following comments:

·       Some Members had concerns regarding the removal of anonymity due to perceived power imbalances.

·       Some Members felt that the changes within the report were seen as positive step forwards.

·       £25 could buy a bottle of alcohol.

·       Officers should be encouraged to respond to complaints from residents. At present, they did not.

RESOLVED:

Council:

a)    Approved the recommendations relating to updates to the Constitution as set out in Section 5 of the report

b)    Approved the revised Member Complaints Procedure at Appendix 2 of the report; and

c)     Delegated to the Monitoring Officer the power to make these amendments and any consequential amendments that may be necessary.

Councillor Nunn proposed the report which provided Council with an update on the Local Council Tax Reduction Scheme (LCTRS) for West Northamptonshire Council (WNC) for the financial year 2023-2024 and asked Members to approve a no change scheme for the financial year 2024-2025 in line with the recommendation from Cabinet.

Councillor A Brown seconded the report.

Members discussed the report and made the following comments:

·       A question was asked in relation to the Hardship Fund and whether, financial challenges notwithstanding, the Council would have funds to fill the gap now that the fund was being properly utilised.

·       It was confirmed that there was a chance to make alterations at the draft budget meeting. Members were assured that the Council was not at risk of running out of money halfway through the year.

RESOLVED:

Council:

a)    Noted the contents of this report

b)    Approved a Local Council Tax Reduction Scheme for the financial year 2024-2025 as set out in the report including amending the LCTRS Regulations for pensioners in line with the uprating announced by DLUHC and uprating the working age Regulations in line with those announced by Department for Work and Pensions (DWP).

c)     Gave delegated authority to the Executive Director, Finance to make any changes to the LCTRS regulations up to and including 31 January 2024 in consultation with the Portfolio Holder for Finance.

Decision taken under urgency procedures

Councillor Lister proposed the report which sought to notify Council of the decision taken by the Leader of the Council to approve the acquisition of the Former Bus Depot in Northampton for a regeneration scheme.

Councillor Nunn seconded the report.

Members discussed the report and made the following comments:

·       It was important to retain the heritage of the former bus depot and retain its frontage in some form.

·       It was hoped that due diligence had been carried out and would not cost so much to deliver that the project would have to be given to a third party.

·       The development would give St James the boost it needed, but the Council should be mindful of the flooding issues in the area.

RESOLVED:

Council noted the decisions taken by the Deputy Leader of the Council set out at Appendices A and B of the report.

Motion 1

Proposed by: Councillor Cathrine Russell

Seconded by: Councillor Koulla Jolley

“The popularity of vapes (e-cigarettes) among young people has risen noticeably since the introduction of disposable vapes; one in nine underage children in the UK use them as of April 2023, compared to one in thirteen in 2021. In West Northamptonshire, 5% of school pupils reported using vapes (e-cigarettes) regularly last year, with almost half of year 10 girls admitting having tried them.

Vapes (e-cigarettes) were not designed for recreational use. Short term effects of vaping can include vomiting, sweating, dizziness, and difficulty breathing. But health experts warn that the excessive use of vapes (e-cigarettes) by children could be linked to lung collapse, lung bleeding and air leak. Last year, there were 15 hospitalisations of children aged under 10 due to vaping-related illnesses in the UK. 

Trading Standards West Northamptonshire are working to capacity to tackle illicit sales of vapes (e-cigarettes) to children, including seizing over 5,000 disposable vapes since April. But they, and this council, are restricted in their powers of enforcement by the current lack of legislation.

This Council recognises:

·       Youth vaping is becoming a national public health issue, with the extent of the damage to our Children’s health still unknown

·       Current government plans to end youth vaping as part of its Smoke Free Generation, which includes the reduction in the number of appealing flavours available, regulating colourful and attractive eye-catching packaging, and moves to close legal loopholes around giving free vape (e-cigarette) samples to under 18s.

·       The strenuous efforts of West Northamptonshire Trading Standards within existing legislation in combating illegal vape (e-cigarette) sales and

·       West Northamptonshire Public Health in educating young people and families on the consequences of youth vaping

And resolves to invite:

·       The encouragement of West Northants residents to take part in the government’s open consultation on its anti-smoking and youth vaping plans by the deadline of 6 December 2023

·       The Leader of the Council to write to the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care on the pressing need for tighter restrictions on the marketing of vape products, their availability to underage children, and for more powers to be given to local authorities to confront and issue on-the-spot fines for traders found selling to children

·       Officers to increase communications to the public on the Council’s ongoing efforts, alongside Public Health and Trading Standards, to tackle underage use of vape products

·       The Cabinet Members for Community Safety and Wellbeing to work with Public Health in accelerating and expanding current plans on educating young people and the wider public on the consequences of youth vaping.”

Motion 2

Proposed by: Cllr Sally Beardsworth

Seconded by: Cllr Rosie Humphreys

“Council Notes:

Four years ago, this government pledged to ban Section 21 no fault evictions. The Renters Reform Bill, promised in the Conservative 2019 election manifesto, was debated in the Commons for the first time last month. It has since been announced that the no fault ban will be indefinitely delayed until reforms to the justice  ...  view the full agenda text for item 163.

Motion 1

Councillor Russell proposed and Councillor Jolley seconded:

“The popularity of vapes (e-cigarettes) among young people has risen noticeably since the introduction of disposable vapes; one in nine underage children in the UK use them as of April 2023, compared to one in thirteen in 2021. In West Northamptonshire, 5% of school pupils reported using vapes (e-cigarettes) regularly last year, with almost half of year 10 girls admitting having tried them.

Vapes (e-cigarettes) were not designed for recreational use. Short term effects of vaping can include vomiting, sweating, dizziness, and difficulty breathing. But health experts warn that the excessive use of vapes (e-cigarettes) by children could be linked to lung collapse, lung bleeding and air leak. Last year, there were 15 hospitalisations of children aged under 10 due to vaping-related illnesses in the UK.

Trading Standards West Northamptonshire are working to capacity to tackle illicit sales of vapes (e-cigarettes) to children, including seizing over 5,000 disposable vapes since April. But they, and this council, are restricted in their powers of enforcement by the current lack of legislation.

This Council recognises:

·       Youth vaping is becoming a national public health issue, with the extent of the damage to our Children’s health still unknown

·       Current government plans to end youth vaping as part of its Smoke Free Generation, which includes the reduction in the number of appealing flavours available, regulating colourful and attractive eye-catching packaging, and moves to close legal loopholes around giving free vape (e-cigarette) samples to under 18s.

·       The strenuous efforts of West Northamptonshire Trading Standards within existing legislation in combating illegal vape (e-cigarette) sales and

·       West Northamptonshire Public Health in educating young people and families on the consequences of youth vaping

And resolves to invite:

·       The encouragement of West Northants residents to take part in the government’s open consultation on its anti-smoking and youth vaping plans by the deadline of 6 December 2023

·       The Leader of the Council to write to the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care on the pressing need for tighter restrictions on the marketing of vape products, their availability to underage children, and for more powers to be given to local authorities to confront and issue on-the-spot fines for traders found selling to children

·       Officers to increase communications to the public on the Council’s ongoing efforts, alongside Public Health and Trading Standards, to tackle underage use of vape products

·       The Cabinet Members for Community Safety and Wellbeing to work with Public Health in accelerating and expanding current plans on educating young people and the wider public on the consequences of youth vaping.”

Council debated the motion and made the following comments:

·       The protection of children was a priority for the Council. A new licensing policy should be brought in, strong monitoring would help to address the problem.

·       The Cabinet Member for Children, Families and Education recently attended the Youth Summit and engaged in productive dialogue with young people about the dangers of vaping.

·       There was lots being done on this issue as was  ...  view the full minutes text for item 163.

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

None advised.