Agenda and minutes

Prior to the start of the of the proceedings, the Chair reported that Members were joined in the public gallery by family and friends of Huntingdonshire resident and cycling campaigner, Mike Gough, who tragically lost his life in a road collision earlier this month.  The Council were informed that Mike was a former employee of the District Council and was one of the founder members of Hunts Walking and Cycling Group. He was also an enthusiastic advocate for more cycling infrastructure and safer streets. The Council conveyed their best wishes to his family, friends and former colleagues at this sad time.

Councillor Paul Hodgson-Jones to open the meeting with a ‘Thought for the Day’.

A ‘Thought for the Day’ was presented by Councillor P J Hodgson-Jones.

To approve as a correct record the Minutes of the meeting of the Council held on 21st February 2024.

Subject to the replacement of the initial N with the initial A for Councillor Jennings in the second paragraph of Minute Number 23/59, the Minutes of the meeting of the Council held on the 21st February 2024 were approved as a correct record and signed by the Chair.

To receive from Members declarations as to disclosable pecuniary, other registerable and non - registerable interests in relation to any Agenda item. See Notes below.

No declarations were received.

To note the Chair and Vice-Chair’s engagements since the last Council meeting.

The Chair reported on the resignation of ex Councillor Richard West as District Councillor for Great Paxton. Richard had served as a District Councillor for 18 consecutive years. Owing to his notable and distinguished service, the Council were informed that Group Leaders had agreed to convey to Richard the title of Honorary Alderman and this would be undertaken at a future meeting. A by-election for the Great Paxton seat would be held on Thursday 2nd May 2024.

Members were also advised that this would be the last meeting attended by Paul Fox, Interim Director for People who would be leaving the authority at the end of March. Members placed on record their gratitude to Paul for his support during the transitional period in which he had been employed.

The Council then noted those engagements attended by the Chair and Vice-Chair since the last meeting (a copy of which is appended in the Minute Book).

To answer any questions submitted by the public in accordance with the Constitution.

The deadline for the receipt of public questions is five days prior to the meeting and must be submitted to the Monitoring Officer.

The Chair reported that there had been no public questions received by the deadline for consideration by the Council.

Councillor S J Conboy, Executive Leader and Chair of the Cabinet to present the refreshed Corporate Plan for approval by the Council.

(The Plan was considered at the meeting of the Cabinet on 19th March 2024 and the Executive Leader will provide an update on the Cabinet’s deliberations).

With the assistance of a report by the Business Intelligence and Performance Manager (a copy of which is appended in the Minute Book) the Executive Leader Councillor S J Conboy presented an updated Corporate Plan for 2023-24 to the Council for approval.

By way of introduction, the Executive Leader reminded the Council that the Corporate Plan set out the Council’s priorities, desired outcomes and how it proposes to achieve these during the period.

In presenting the refreshed document, Councillor Conboy drew attention to the proposed amendments to the refreshed Plan. These included changes to the wording of the priority ‘Doing our Core Work Well’ to make it easier to understand and reference, together with the proposal to widen the lowering of carbon emissions to encourage the reduction across the District. Attention was also drawn to the proposed actions for 2024/25 and the amendments which were proposed to the operational performance indicators for 2024/25. The Council were informed that several additional indicators were expected to be required by the Office for Local Government to support local government to improve performance. It was hoped that these could be utilised to identify areas of strength and development as well as benchmarking so that the Authority could understand how to drive better value public sector value for money and improve performance on behalf of Huntingdonshire residents.

In responding to the remarks by the Executive Leader, the Leader of the Opposition Councillor J A Gray reiterated the importance in ensuring that targets were set appropriately. He also commented on the absence of any apparent self-reflection within the previous year, naming Civil Parking Enforcement and the pay negotiations as examples.

In terms of the number of actions within the refreshed Plan, Councillor Gray acknowledged that this was ambitious but urged the Joint Administration not to lose sight of the day-to-day functions that a growing number of residents were increasingly dissatisfied with. Reference was made specifically to grass cutting, bin collections and the garden waste subscription scheme. Comments were made regarding the increasing problems with rubbish and litter and blocked drains in the rural areas which in his opinion were not being addressed as adequately as in the urban areas.

In responding to the comments which had been made, Councillor S Ferguson acknowledged the importance of setting realistic, appropriate, and stretch targets for the Council and undertook to work with the entire Council to ensure that this was achieved. He also acknowledged that there had been challenges over the course of the previous two years. With regards to the issue of blocked drains, Councillor Ferguson also took the opportunity to advise the Council that in 2023 in St Neots alone, Cambridgeshire County Council had cleared 6,099 drains compared to the 5 years prior to when he was elected in which there had been no clearing of drains in St Neots and Godmanchester under the previous administration. Councillor S L Taylor suggested that the introduction of the green waste subscription charge would enable additional budgetary provision to  ...  view the full minutes text for item 69.

The Executive Councillor for Finance and Resources, Councillor B Mickelburgh to present amendments to the Fees and Charges Schedule, Annex A  of the 2024/25 Budget and Medium Term Financial Strategy 2025/26 to 2028/29 for approval.

With the assistance of a report by the Director of Finance and Resources (a copy of which is appended in the Minute Book) the Executive Councillor for Finance and Resources, Councillor B A Mickelburgh presented a series of corrections to Annex A the Fees and Charges Schedule which had been approved at the previous meeting of the Council as part of the 2024/25 Budget and Medium-Term Financial Strategy 2025/26 to 2028/29.

By way of introduction, the Executive Councillor for Resources and Finance explained that a review of the annex following the previous meeting had identified that several fees and charges had been omitted. These were highlighted within the agenda pack and included the statutory services set by Central Government for example zoo and bingo hall licensing fees. Members were assured that these had not affected the Core Budget or the Medium-Term Financial Strategy and had been reviewed by the Overview and Scrutiny Panel (Performance and Growth) at their last meeting.

In commenting on the proposed schedule the Leader of the Opposition, Councillor J A Gray commented on the level of the increases in some areas which were significantly above levels of inflation. Specific reference being made to some One Leisure charges and those for houses for multiple occupation. Comment was also made with regards to the inclusion of the charge for the garden waste subscription charge and it was for this reason, Councillor Gray indicated that he would not be supporting the recommendation.

Whereupon, it was moved by Councillor B A Mickelburgh, duly seconded by Councillor S Wakeford and

RESOLVED

that the highlighted amendments to the Fees and Charges Schedule, Annex A of the 2024/25 Budget and Medium-Term Financial Strategy 2025/26 to 2028/29 as set put in the report now submitted be approved.

In accordance with the Council Procedure Rules, all questions –

v  Must be relevant to an item which the Council has powers or duties;

v  Must not relate to an item which is included elsewhere on the Agenda

v  Should be limited to obtaining information or pressing for action; and

v  Should not exceed two minutes in duration.

Questions should not divulge or require to be divulged, confidential or exempt information.

With reference to discussions at recent meetings of Parish Councils, Councillor S Cawley outlined the concerns which were being expressed regarding the potential for an increase in fly tipping following the implementation of the new green bin subscription service. An assurance was sought that the District Council would do all it could to enforce fly tipping and to have robust plans in place to tackle the issue. In response to which, the Executive Councillor for Customer Services, Councillor S Ferguson reiterated that the Enforcement Team continued to take the issue of fly tipping seriously and that a new schedule of fines for enforcement had recently been approved. He also reiterated the importance of education, so that residents did not find themselves being prosecuted when they passed their waste to commercial operators who later fly tipped. When prosecutions did take place, he was keen to ensure that they were publicised. The Executive Councillor for Leisure, Waste and Street Scene, Councillor S L Taylor also took the opportunity to provide an update on the take-up rate for the garden waste subscription service and Members were informed that 42% of households had now taken up the scheme, against a target of 30%.

Referring to the recent correspondence which had been sent to Parish Councils for distribution to residents regarding the availability of green bin freighters, Councillor K Gulson commented on the complaints which were being fielded by Parish Councils from residents who were unaware of the community initiatives before they paid for a bin, together with the numerous questions and concerns regarding the operation of the initiatives. In response to which, the Executive Councillor for Leisure, Waste and Street Scene explained that she was concerned that residents were not aware of these initiatives given that they had been discussed at great length at Overview and Scrutiny, in workshops with members, towns and parish councils and community groups. Members were remined that they had been put in place to address the concerns of those who had been unable to afford a green bin. Details regarding the operation of the schemes were available on the District Council website.

Comment was also made with regards to the inaccuracies of several freighter locations on the What3Words App. In response to which the Executive Councillor for Leisure, Waste and Street Scene, Councillor S L Taylor explained that officers were currently assessing the situation.

In response to a request from Councillor N J Hunt for an update regarding progress with the Shopfront Improvement Scheme in Huntingdon, Ramsey, St Ives and St Neots, the Executive Councillor for Jobs, Economy and Housing Councillor S Wakeford reported on the number of applications received and awards made in each area. Members noted that he was pleased with the level of interest received thus far and the take up of the programme which was now operational in all four market towns.

In response to a request from Councillor D J Shaw for an update on the current backlog of planning applications and enforcement cases,  ...  view the full minutes text for item 71.

Councillor S J Conboy, Executive Leader to present on the activities of the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority.

Councillors M A Hassall and J Neish to provide an update on the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority Overview and Scrutiny Committee.

Councillor S J Corney to provide an update on the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority Audit and Governance Committee.

This item provides an opportunity for District Council Members to ask questions and comment on Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority issues.

If Members wish to raise questions or issues requiring a detailed response, it would be helpful if they can provide prior notice so that the necessary information can be obtained in advance of the meeting.

(Decision Summaries for March meetings of the Combined Authority are marked TO FOLLOW).

In conjunction with the decision summaries of the recent meetings of the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority (copies of which are appended in the Minute Book), the Council received an update on the activities of the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority Board (CPCA). Copies of the decision summaries are appended in the Minute Book.

With the assistance of a PowerPoint presentation, Councillor M A Hassall provided an update on the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority Overview and Scrutiny Committee. As part of the presentation, Council Hassall drew attention to the challenges to the Improvement Plan arising from the imposition of a Best Value Notice for a further 6 months. These could be split into 3 categories – Strategic Alignment, Delivery Confidence and Cross-Partnership challenges and Councillor Hassall provided further information on each point in turn.

Council was then advised of the measures that had been put in place to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee. These were in the areas of Forward Planning, Agenda Management, Formal Feedback to the Board and Staff Support. Councillor Hassall reiterated the importance of effective Overview and Scrutiny in improving the outcomes for residents and ensuring that issues were accurately represented.

In responding to the presentation, Councillor J A Gray commented on the impression that he had received that the Board was not aligned and questioned whether this was a reflection of ineffective leadership. In response to which, Councillor Hassall explained that his comments concerning the need to look at the strength of the governance arrangements were independent of the mayor and concerned the governance of the Authority as a whole. He made reference to the setting of the Mayoral precept which permitted a situation whereby the mayor could set an increase of 200% provided that a two thirds majority of the Board did not vote against it and the need to establish better links between the CPCA and Constituent Councils. Councillor Gray also commented on the irony of an Authority which was under a Best Value Notice increasing its precept by 200%.

Members were provided with an update on the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Audit and Governance Committee by Councillor S Corney. In doing so, the Council were advised that discussions had centred around the Auditors Annual Report and the Improvement Framework. Members noted that the imposition of the Best Value Notice had resulted in a substantial increase in costs over the course of the past year. However, on a more positive note Councillor Corney went on to report that the Chair of the Improvement Board had met with Board Members and Constituent Council Chief Executives to develop a clear vision and ambition to promote investment and opportunities for the region and it had been reported that relationships had improved with the Department for Levelling Up Housing and Communities. Arising from Councillor Corney’s presentation and from the previous comments which had been made concerning governance, a suggestion was made by Councillor P Hodgson Jones regarding the potential establishment of a  ...  view the full minutes text for item 72.

An opportunity for Members to raise any issues or ask questions arising from recent meetings of the Council’s Committees and Panels.

A list of meetings held since the last Council meeting is attached for information and Members are requested to address their questions to Committee and Panel Chairs.

A copy of the list of meetings held since the last meeting of the Council held on 21st February 2024 is appended in the Minute Book and Members were advised that any issues or questions could be raised in relation to these meetings.

Councillor C H Tevlin drew attention to the reduced attendance of the District Council’s representative at meetings of the Cambridgeshire Police and Crime Panel. It was agreed that the Chief Executive would review the matter outside of the meeting.

With reference to the recent meeting of the Corporate Governance Committee, Councillor J A Gray took the opportunity to draw attention to issues relating to staffing levels around procurement. Members were advised that a significant number of the internal audit actions currently had procurement issues addressed against them and procurement regulations were about to get more complicated and would require additional staffing resources. The Executive Councillor for Customer Services agreed with the observations which had been made regarding the need for additional staffing and had already raised the matter with the Chief Executive.

Also, with reference to the meeting of the Corporate Governance Committee, Councillor P Hodgson-Jones reported that the process for appointing Independent Persons to the Committee had been ongoing and would be reported to a future meeting of the Council. However, in view of the impact of these appointments on the size of the Committee a working group had been established to consider the terms of reference and the structure of the Committee. This would provide an opportunity to consider the way the Committee works to delivery proper scrutiny of the Council’s operations and support policy direction. A report would be forthcoming to Council in due course.

Group Leaders to report on variations to the Membership of Committees and Panels if necessary.

There were no changes to report.

The meeting ended at 21.26pm.