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Agenda and minutes
Council
Monday, 3 June 2019 6:30 pm, MOVED
Venue: The Council Chamber, St. Giles Square, Northampton, NN1 1DE.
Contact: Email: democraticservices@northampton.gov.uk
01604 837722
Declarations of Interest
Minutes:
There were
none.
To approve the
minutes of the proceedings of the Meeting of the Council held on
11th March and 16th May 2019.
Additional documents:
Minutes:
The minutes of the
Council meetings held on 11 March 2019 and 16 May 2019 were
agreed.
Apologies.
Minutes:
Apologies were
received from Councillors Bottwood, Flavell and Marriott.
Mayor’s Announcements.
Minutes:
There were no
Mayoral announcements.
Public Comments and Petitions
Minutes:
Lisa Bradshaw
addressed Council advising that there was a lot of fly tipping and
littering in the Bouverie Estate. She
went on to refer to littering from take aways and HIMOs.
Ms Bradshaw suggested that there was a
need for more communication between Housing Services and Planning;
she appreciated however, their heavy workloads. Parking was another concern that Ms Bradshaw
brought to Council’s attention; she was pleased that NPH had
put in some parking restriction measures but had not implemented
all of them. She noted that the area of
Spring Boroughs had received a number of improvements. Ms Bradshaw concluded her address by conveying her
concerns about the Council’s complaints process.
Ms Anne Wankiri
confirmed that she was appealing to Council to provide a Centre for
the African Community. She noted that
there is a real need for such a Centre for the African Community to
receive advice, help each other and network. Ms Wankiri commented
that a Centre would help the African Community to be able to attend
Wellbeing Sessions. There is a hub that is currently used but this
is not in an ideal location.
Mr Daniel Soan
addressed Council commenting that he supported option B of the
report (agenda item 9 – Community Governance Review of the
Borough – Potential options for consultation and future
action.) In his opinion, options had
originally been limited and these options were a true
choice. Mr Soan referred to Parish
Precepts commenting that with a Parish Council it can be ensured
that money is spent locally. He went to
query how there can be any differences in costs for Borough or
Parish elections. Mr Soan closed his
address by urging Council to approve
option B of the report.
Mr Huffadine-Smith
addressed Council. He commented that he was a Parish Councillor for
both Upton Parish Council and Duston Parish Council but was making
his address as an individual. Mr
Huffadine- Smith referred to agenda item 9 – Community Governance
Review of the Borough – Potential options for consultation
and future action; giving his opinions on community, governance and
review. He commented that now is the
time to think of West Northamptonshire as a whole. Mr Huffadine-Smith felt that the proposals put
forward for Kingsthorpe were excellent; he then concluded his
address by commenting that the proposal for widening the boundary
for Duston Parish Council could include the northern boundary of
Duston.
Mr David Garlick
commented that he was addressing Council in respect of Opposition
Group Business – “Tackling Climate Change –
Playing Our Part2 and Notice of Motion iii). In his opinion two excellent notices of motion had
been submitted in relation to climate change and urged Council to
unanimously carry these Notices of Motion. Everyone needs to work
together. Mr Garlick added that global warming is a threat to
everyone and there is a need to start reducing gases to protect the
planet. Mr Garlick added that there is
a need for a Northampton Zero Carbon Group.
Member and Public Question Time 
PDF 129 KB
Minutes:
The Mayor advised that 14 questions had
been received from Councillor and members of the public and that
the answers had been tabled in accordance with the
Constitution.
Questions and answers were given as
tabled supplementary questions were asked as detailed
below.
In response to a supplementary question
relating to question 7, Councillor Nunn commented that he needs to
be inclusive of all Groups, not just specific ones; he provided
examples of various Groups that he had met with.
In response to a supplementary question
relating to question 13, Councillor Hallam advised that currently
there are no charging points in the town centre but there are
charging points at various locations in the borough.
Cabinet Member Presentations PDF 74 KB
Additional documents:
Minutes:
Councillor Nunn, as Leader of the
Council, elaborated on his report and noted that clarity had now been
received from Government to proceed with Unitary in
2021. Children’s Services would
be delivered through the creation of a Children’s Trust.
Responding to questions Councillor Nunn noted that the
Children’s Trust would be an item for discussion at the next
meeting of the Cross Party Working Group. The West Northants Joint Committee would now have
a greater significance for a longer period; it was not expected for
there to be additional costs. Councillor Nunn conveyed his thanked
to the Head of Regeneration and Economic Development for all the
important work that he had done and that interim arrangements for
his replacement were being put in place. Councillor Nunn confirmed that sites for an
additional park and ride scheme were being investigated.
Councillor Larratt submitted his
Cabinet Member report and elaborated thereon noting key Councillor
briefing sessions that had been programmed into the schedule. He
highlighted an additional session on HIMO licensing – 26 June
2019 at 6pm and identical session at 11 June 2019 at
1:30pm. Councillor Larratt highlighted
a letter that he had recently received following the Shine a Light
on Tibet event; the letter emphasised the gratitude for presence at
the event. The letter was read out to
Council. Responding to questions,
Councillor Larratt confirmed that a meeting is being convened
regarding street lighting. In respect
of Section 106 Agreements, Councillor Larratt advised that there is
provision for elected Members to be involved, pre-planning and that
a Protocol had been drafted. Regarding Travellers, the Police had
agreed to use its S61 Powers more frequently, which was
welcomed. Should proposals for a
Travellers’ Site be put forward they would be
pursued.
Councillor Hibbert submitted his
Cabinet Member report and elaborated thereon. Responding to supplementary questions, Councillor
Hibbert advised that a review regarding the death of a recent rough
sleeper, a case review would be initiated in the usual
way. He added that rough sleepers can
be identified should they stay in the Night Shelter and the formal
process can then be followed regarding housing. Councillor Hibbert advised that the aim of the
list for Direct Lets is to reduce it from over 350 to
200. Councillor Hibbert confirmed that
he would liaise with Northampton Partnership Homes regarding the
wording of their arrears letters that are issued to
tenants. He confirmed the Outreach Team
work with vulnerable homeless women.
Councillor Eldred presented his
Cabinet Member report and highlighted the key points. He conveyed his thanks to the Billing Team and
Post Room staff for successfully issuing bills to
residents. Responding to supplementary
questions, Councillor Eldred advised that the Guildhall Team has
promoted and marketed the Guildhall, generating income. He was confident that the accounts would be signed
off this year and value for money is being received from the
Auditors, as are the residents of Northampton.
At this juncture of the meeting,
the Mayor advised that the time limit for Cabinet Member
…
view the full minutes text for item 7.
Opposition Group Business
Councillor
Beardsworth to make a statement on “Tackling climate change,
playing our part”
Minutes:
Councillor
Beardsworth made a statement on “Tackling climate change,
playing our part.” She commented
that there had been a Climate Change debate over the years and
gradually Government had concluded there is a threat to our
planet. Good progress had been made in
2018; for example 5% reduction in the UK’s energy
usage. Councillor Beardsworth
highlighted the need for all to work collaboratively. There is a need for leadership and the Council to
commit to reducing the carbon footprint in Northampton. Councillor Beardsworth added that there is a need
to make progress now so that the work can be forwarded to the
Unitary Authority to continue.
In response,
Councillor Hallam agreed with much of Councillor
Beardsworth’s statement and he referred to the recent
demonstration, outside the Guildhall, that had taken place on
climate change. He added that the
collection charge for bulky waste had been reduced from £25
to £15 but it would be some time before it could be
ascertained whether this reduction had made a difference in fly
tipping. Recycling can also make a difference, for example in Far
Cotton there has been a reduction in fly tipping of 14%. Councillor
Hallam noted that climate change is complex and commented on the
seriousness of plastics and the damage to the planet. He added that on 18 June 2019 a cross Party
meeting comprising Councillors, Officers and young people had been
scheduled.
Councillor
Beardsworth reiterated that the Council needs to show leadership,
there must be a clear plan on climate change that could be
forwarded to the new Unitary Authority but the Plan must be worked
on now. Northampton Borough Council
needs to work with Northamptonshire County Council and the other
districts on this and work on “getting people out of
cars.” There is a need to improve
insulations too and aim to reach Swedish insulation standards.
(Copy herewith)
Additional documents:
Minutes:
Councillor Larratt,
as Deputy Leader of the Council, presented the report
“Community Governance Review of the Borough – Potential
options for consultation and further actions”, he drew
Council’s attention to the report of Opinion Research
Services (ORS) and the options for consultation. He added that
consultation would be wide-reaching and it would initially be
discussed by the Working Group.
Councillor Larratt highlighted that it is important that
Northampton and the Communities have a strong voice.
Councillor Nunn
seconded the report.
Councillor Stone
commented that a Northampton Unitary had been wanted and there was
a real need for a strong voice for Northampton. She added that the Labour Group had no objections
to Parish Councils but the voice of Northampton must not be
diluted. She was pleased that two
alternatives were going out to consultation. She enquired how the consultation would take place
and emphasised the importance of this decision to the town.
Councillor Malpas
commented that he could not support this report, the borough of
Northampton is an ancient borough. He
added that Councillors wanted to be one big Unitary and there was a
need for Councillors to be united. He went on to refer to the
difficulties some Parish Councils can experience, adding that with
a Town Council there is uniformity.
Councillor
Beardsworth referred to consultation that took place some years
previously regarding parishing the whole town and residents had not
wanted this then. She acknowledged that
Kingsthorpe had been proposed to be a Parish Council and she had
not been consulted on this. She added
that the proposals for a Kingsthorpe Parish Council were big and it
would be bigger than the Town Council in Towcester. Councillor Beardsworth commented that
residents had informed her that they did not agree with a Parish
Council for Kingsthorpe. She suggested that locality based Councils
should be investigated after the new Unitary Authority had been set
up. A Town Council would have a strong
voice for Northampton.
Councillor Birch
advised that she was an advocate of Community Governance and
supported a larger Town Council for Northampton. Councillor Birch felt that residents in her ward
would want to be associated with Northampton, Civic and ancient
traditions; which would fall in line with a Town
Council. She commented that the town is
suffering from an identity crisis.
Councillor Nunn
commented that the report was asking Council to consider going out
to consultation and let the people decide.
Councillor
Davenport commented that she was speaking on behalf of the
residents of Far Cotton. The residents want
accountability. Parish Councillors do
not receive an allowance, a Community Council would receive a
precept. Residents felt that they had
not previously been consulted with.
Councillor Smith
advised that she concurred with Councillor Birch’s comments.
She emphasised that consultation must go out as far and wide as
possible; it should not be restricted to Residents’
Associations only. She added “Northamptonian” is
key.
Councillor Meredith
stated that consultation has to go out widely and every household
must be issued with …
view the full minutes text for item 9.
Notices of Motion
i)
Councillor Hibbert to propose and Councillor King to
second:
At the moment, most private renters are on short term
contracts of six months or a year, and can be required to
leave once that term has ended without the landlord having to
give any other reason. These no-fault evictions, introduced
under Section 21 of the 1988 Housing Act, significantly add
to homelessness issues in England, leave
tenants wary of asking for repairs, and means renters –
including 1 in 4 families – never really know where home will
be in a year’s time.
This Council calls upon the Government to amend
Section 21 and/or introduce minimum tenancies of 2 years to provide
greater security for tenants.
ii)
Councillor Beardsworth to propose and
Councillor B Markham to second:
This council recognises the strength of public
opinion recently expressed in London and Northampton to address the
issue of climate change and the need to address carbon reduction to
protect the health and wellbeing of future generations. The council also notes that the UK parliament has
declared a Climate Emergency.
The Council therefore declares “a Climate
Emergency” in Northampton and commits to a target of making
Northampton carbon neutral by 2030.
The Council Requests a report to be submitted to the
council in 12 months’ time and updated in January 2021
setting out the action that has been taken in respect to this
motion and detailing how progressing this objective has been
communicated to and integrated within the start up plans of the
West Northamptonshire Unitary Council.
iii)
Councillor Joyce to propose and Councillor Nunn to
second:
All parties within this council acknowledge the
urgency of dealing with climate change. We need cross party
agreement to develop strategies for a greener, more sustainable
society in Northampton. A green revolution is required.
Working with partners we will seek to implement the
following actions, which we strongly believe will benefit
Northampton in leading an eco-friendly Britain:
·
A ban on single-use plastics within school
environments. Schools across Northampton produce a huge amount of
plastic waste each week
·
Northampton schools would benefit from educating
their students on eco issues through school schemes, where programs
could be set up in order to teach students how to stay green in
lessons, such as Personal, Social, Health and Economic education or
by holding educational assemblies with influential
speakers.
·
To help further reduce the damaging effects of
plastic littering, the council should support and work closely with
schemes operated by companies like TerraCycle who turn many unrecyclable plastics
(such as crisp packets and wrappers) into outdoor
furniture.
·
To explore with Local businesses and partners
options for an eco-rewards scheme that would allow individuals and
groups to gain something back from recycling.
·
Northampton Borough Council to commit to reducing
carbon emissions, both as an organisation and as the local planning
authority and resolve to go further than the UK100 Agreement. To
act in line with the scientific consensus that we must reduce
emissions to net-zero carbon by 2030, thus use the …
view
the full agenda text for item 10.
Minutes:
The Mayor agreed to
alter the order that the Notice of Motions would be considered.
The Mayor advised
that Councillor Hibbert wished to withdraw Notice of Motion
i), which had been seconded by
Councillor King. Council agreed to the withdrawal of Notice of
Motion i).
Councillors Aziz,
Cali and Haque left the meeting at 9:20pm and rejoined Council at 9:30pm
Ms Rachel McGrath,
Chair Northampton Food Poverty Network, addressed Council on Motion
iv) advising that the Network had been
in operation for a number of years. She
added that no one should have to go hungry and there are over one
million children living in poverty. She
referred to a Special Commissioners report that had estimated that
there are 14 million people living in poverty. Ms McGrath referred to the upcoming summer holiday
period advising that this is when
families look forward to breaks but it can create acute financial
stress for others, particularly with the loss of free school meals
over this period. Holiday hunger can cause stress. She added that
there is a need for “Kids’ Clubs” over the school
summer holidays that provides both meals and activities. She
highlighted that child poverty is becoming the norm.
Councillor Roberts proposed and
Councillor T Eales seconded:
“Northamptonshire currently has
15,220 children receiving free school meals. For many of these
children this is the only hot/substantial meal they
receive.
During school holidays there is a loss
of free school meals given out during term time, in addition to
the extra childcare costs around the holidays, families already
struggling with low budgets find it difficult to feed their
children. This has the most impact over the longer summer holiday.
Those children most at risk of hunger during the holidays may also
suffer from social isolation, loneliness, and inactivity. These
factors combined can lead to significant weight loss or gain,
and negative impacts on physical and
mental well-being.
In 2018 there
were a number of campaigns run by charities such as Food cycle and
End Hunger UK. There was a £2m fund for children’s food
from government, to help prevent Holiday Hunger.
We call on this
council to work with Partners to establish Holiday clubs where
children can receive social activities as well as food that will
provide financial relief for parents on very low incomes, so that
no child should go hungry over the school
holiday.”
The motion was
debated.
Upon a requisition for a recorded vote, there voted
for the recommendations:
Councillors Aziz, Beardsworth, Birch, Cali, Duffy, G
Eales, T Eales, Haque, Joyce, B Markham, McCutcheon, Meredith,
Roberts, Smith and Stone
There voted against the recommendations:
Councillors Ansell, Eldred, Golby, Graystone,
Hadland, Hallam, Hibbert, J Hill, Kilbride, King, Lane, Larratt, M
Markham, Nunn, Oldham, Patel, Sargeant, Kilby-Shaw and Walker
There abstained the Mayor, Councillor
Davenport.
The Motion was not carried.
Martin Sawyer
addressed Council on Motion ii) commenting that he had been a
Climate Change activist in his youth. He had studied ecology and
had left … view
the full minutes text for item 10.
Matters of Urgency Which By Reason Of Special Circumstances The Mayor is of The Opinion Should Be Considered.
Minutes:
The Mayor confirmed
that he had agreed to hear the following item as a matter of
urgency. This was agreed by Council.
Housing Revenue Account (HRA) Capital Programme Budget PDF 111 KB
Minutes:
Councillor Eldred
proposed the report that sought approval of an increase in the HRA
budget envelope and sought approval of Cabinet to approve new
capital schemes and variations to existing schemes. He highlighted the salient points.
Councillor Hibbert
seconded the report.
RESOLVED:
That Council approves:
a)
An increase in the HRA budget
envelope by an additional £25M to
enable additional HRA
capital programme expenditure for 2019/20
funded through borrowing, for the acquisition of blocks of homes as
the element of delivering affordable homes on major developments.
b)
An increase in the HRA budget
envelope by an additional £6M to enable
additional capital programme expenditure for 2019/20 funded through
borrowing, for the acquisition or development of specialist homes
(form of supported living) in support of Social Care
outcomes.
c)
That Cabinet be authorised to approve new capital schemes and
variations to existing schemes during 2019/20, subject to a
business case, the funding being available and the schemes being in
accordance with the objectives and priorities of the
Council.