Agenda and minutes

This meeting is to be webcast. Members are reminded of the need to activate their microphones before speaking. The Democratic and Electoral Services Team Manager will read the following announcement:

“The chairman would like to remind everyone present that this meeting will be broadcast live to the internet (or filmed) and will be capable of repeated viewing (or another use by such third parties).

If you are seated in the lower public seating area it is likely that the recording cameras will capture your image and this will result in the possibility that your image will become part of the broadcast.

This may infringe your human and data protection rights and if you wish to avoid this you should move to the upper public gallery.”

The Democratic and Electoral Services Manager reminded everyone present that the meeting would be broadcast live to the Internet and that the Council had adopted a protocol for the webcasting of its meetings.

To declare interests in any item on the agenda.

(a)        Pursuant to the Council’s Code of Member Conduct, Councillor R Basset declared a non-pecuniary interest in agenda item 17 due to being a non-executive director of Qualis.

(b)        Pursuant to the Council’s Code of Member Conduct, Councillor S Murray declared a non-pecuniary interest in agenda item 11 by virtue of knowing Stephen Lye, Chairman of the Members’ Remuneration Panel.

To approve as a correct record and sign the minutes of the meeting held on 16 December 2021, as attached.

RESOLVED:

That the minutes of the Council meeting held on 16 December 2021 be taken as read and signed by the Chairman as a correct record.

(a)        Chairman’s Announcements

Chairman’s Announcements

(a)        Civic Awards

The Chairman announced that this years Civic Awards would be held in the Conference Suite at the Civic Offices on the 19 March 2022. This would be a great trial of using the Conference Suite on such a scale and if all goes well then many more events could be held there.

Unfortunately, only 100 people can be accommodated for, I know many will be disappointed but I have had to limit the number of attendees on this occasion. Hopefully next year everyone can attend and enjoy the award ceremony.

(b)       Flowers

The Chairman announced that she intended that the flowers from this evenings meeting to go to the reception area in the Civic Offices to be enjoyed by all of the staff and visitors.

(c)        Russian invasion of the Ukraine

It was with great sadness that I hear this morning of the Russian invasion of the Ukraine, my thoughts and prayers and I hope I speak for everyone here tonight, are with the people of the Ukraine in these very dark hours.

To answer questions asked after notice in accordance with the provisions contained within Part 4 of the Council Rules of the Constitution on any matter in relation to which the Council has powers or duties or which affects the District:

(a)        to the Leader of the Council;

(b)        to any Portfolio Holder; or

(c)        to the Chairman of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee.

Questions, if any, will follow if not received in time to be incorporated into the agenda.

Draft Budget Reports and supporting Appendix with reference to Epping High Street

Question by G Foy to Councillor J Philip, Finance, Qualis Client and Economic Development Portfolio Holder

To consider if it was appropriate for the proposed request for another £100k to support the digging up of the recently laid Yellow Tarmac, costing £84k, and replacing it to make it a permanent change should be justified based on just 37 positive responses out of 58 responses received back to the survey in August 2021, at a time when social distancing was still a worry for many and that it would be 15 Bays that have been lost and not 9 as stated in the report.

Response given by Councillor J Philip, Finance, Qualis Client and Economic Development Portfolio Holder

The surface will only be replaced when it had reached the end of its life as it was a temporary surface. The £100k has been identified for a permanent replacement of the surface as and when it becomes necessary, the temporary surface was not anticipated to need replacing with a permanent surface for another 24 months hence the £100k in the 5 year forward plan and not for this year.

The consultation received 58 responses in total.

• 64% Positive
• 10% Neutral
• 26% Negative

The consultation consisted of;

• Social Media Communications;
• Dedicated page on the Council website;
• Hand delivered letter to all of the High Street businesses inviting them to comment;
• Email to Epping Town Council to cascade to Town Councillors and Epping Market Stall Holders; and
• Email to Ward Councillors.

The results show a clear majority in favour of retaining the scheme and it should be noted that usually in consultations such as this it was the people who were not happy that tend to respond.

Supplementary question by G Foy to Councillor J Philip, Finance, Qualis Client and Economic Development Portfolio Holder

It was easier to state 64% but to be clear it was less than 50% of the people sitting in this room, it was only 37 people that responded to say they wanted it to be permanent. I have asked questions of officers, who wont respond, would you be happy for the Council to spend another £100k and take away 15 parking spaces. I have spoken to many of the independent traders and retailers and none of them are happy with this proposal so its no good saying 64% when the numbers really were 37 out of 8,000 people who live in Epping and the surrounding area. This consultation took place a year ago when people were concerned with social distancing. Mr Foy asked the Councillors that were here tonight to consider whether or not there should be another consultation survey as a result of the pandemic now being over.

Response given by Councillor J Philip, Finance, Qualis Client and Economic Development Portfolio Holder

Councillor Philip stated that he was distressed to hear what Mr Foy was saying, he was clearly listening to places that are not reflecting  ...  view the full minutes text for item 64.

To answer questions asked after notice in accordance with the provisions contained within the Council’s rules in Part 4 of the Constitution on any matter in relation to which the Council has powers or duties or which affects the District:

(a)                  to the Chairman of the Council;

(b)                  to the Leader of the Council;

(c)                  to any Member of the Cabinet; or

(d)                  the Chairman of any Committee or Sub-Committee.

The Council’s rules provide that answers to questions under notice may take the form of:

(a)             direct oral answer;

(b)             where the desired information is in a publication of the Council or other published work, a reference to that publication; or

(c)             where the reply cannot conveniently be given orally, a written answer circulated later to the questioner.

Answers to questions falling within (a) and (b) above will be made available to the member asking the question one hour before the meeting. Answers to questions falling within (c) above will be circulated to all councillors.

Questions, if any, will follow if not received in time to be incorporated into the agenda.

The Council noted that there were no questions by members under notice that had been submitted for consideration at this meeting.

To receive reports and any announcements from the Leader and members of the Cabinet on matters falling within their area of responsibility:

(a)        Report of the Leader;

(b)        Report of the Community and Regulatory Services Portfolio Holder (attached);

(c)        Report of the Corporate ServicesPortfolio Holder (attached);

(d)        Report of the Customer and Partnerships Portfolio Holder (attached);

(e)        Report of the Environmental and Technical Services Portfolio Holder (attached);

(f)         Report of the Finance, Qualis Client and Economic Development Portfolio Holder (attached);

(g)        Report of the Housing Services Portfolio Holder (attached); and    

(h)        Report of the Planning and Sustainability Portfolio Holder (attached).

The Council received written reports from Portfolio Holders. The Chairman invited the Leader of Council to provide an oral report and the opportunity for other members of the Cabinet to give updates on matters concerning their relevant portfolios.

(a)        Leader of Council

Councillor C Whitbread advised that he had been busy with a number of meetings in recent weeks with the Leaders of Harlow and Uttlesford to discuss the outcomes of the new Government White Paper on Levelling Up that was published at the beginning of February and to look at areas that EFDC may wish to work together in the future.

He advised he had also had meeting with all of the Essex Leaders last Monday and we continue to speak on a regular basis to partners across the district and county where we were looking to move forward on a range of issues as the year progresses and when the next meeting takes place he advised that he would have more information to pass on to members.

(b)       Customer and Partnerships Portfolio Holder

Councillor S Kane stated that he would like to publicly state his thanks to the ICT Team and the Finance Business Team who have concluded a year-long project to get a stable and supportive environment into the corporate finance systems so that the Council can advance on putting some of the enhancements that have been on hold, until this had been completed.

He asked Members’ to pass onto residents and businesses in their wards that there were still available some business support grants and although we have now come out of the covid restrictions there were a number of businesses who had suffered and could use these grants, he therefore urged people to apply for a grant where applicable. They were open to micro and small businesses and applications could be made up until the 4 March 2022.

(c)        Community and Regulatory Services Portfolio Holder

Councillor A Patel advised that in May 2022 the district would play host to Ride London which was the worlds greatest festival of cycling. Saturday 28 May 2022 was stage 1 which was the Women’s World tour Ride London Classic. The world’s top female athletes will take part with a peloton of twenty teams of six riders.

On Sunday 29 May 2022 Ride London Essex 100 will see twenty five thousand riders take part in a 100 mile challenge ride starting in central London and passing through Essex and returning to finish line on Tower Bridge in central London.

The event organiser was London Marathon Events and EFDC would be working closely with the organisers to ensure the district was able to capitalise on the phenomenal opportunities an event of this magnitude could bring. Ride London was a huge charitable event which raised large sums of money for good causes. In its first seven editions this event raised approximately £80 million for charities. Ride London would be broadcast live on TV and was a wonderful opportunity for EFDC to showcase  ...  view the full minutes text for item 66.

The Council’s rules provide for questions by any member of the Council to the Leader or any Portfolio Holder, without notice on:

(i)            reports under the previous item; or

(ii)           any other matter of a non operational character in relation to the powers and  duties of the Council or which affects all or part of the District or some or all of  its inhabitants.

The Council’s rules provide that answers to questions without notice may take the form of:

(a)            a direct oral answer from the Leader or, at the request of the Leader, from another member of the Cabinet;

(b)            where the desired information is in a publication of the Council or other published work, a reference to that publication;

(c)            where the reply cannot conveniently be given orally, a written answer circulated later to the questioner; or

(d)            where the question relates to an operational matter, the Leader or a member of the Cabinet will request that a response be given direct to the questioner by the relevant Service Director.

In accordance with the Council’s rules, a time limit of thirty minutes is set for questions. Any question not dealt with within the time available will receive a written reply. The Chairman may extend this period by up to a further ten minutes at their discretion.

The Chairman thanked Members for giving notification of their intention to ask a question without notice. She informed members that as this was budget meeting she would like to give emphasis to the budget and therefore would allow only 20 minutes for questions.

(a)        Improving the district’s infrastructure

Councillor S Murray advised that his question was to the Leader of Council, Councillor C Whitbread. He stated that he had visited every residence in his ward in the last 10 days and that his question was to the feedback he had received.

What steps could the Leader undertake in the very near future to improve three very poor parts of the district’s infrastructure that were currently badly affecting many local residents:

·        The poor state of the pavements making them difficult for many pedestrians to use, particularly the elderly;

·        The expensive and infrequent bus service within and between the towns and villages in the district; and

·        The almost non-existent provision for cyclists in terms of safer cycling routes and dedicated secure storage facilities in our town centres.

Councillor C Whitbread stated that two of the three statements were County Council issues and with regard to the state of the pavements across the whole County there were different issues with pavements and pot holes. He advised that these issues were reported on a regular basis by himself and other County Councillors, some of which were at the Council meeting. There was over 5,100 miles of roads and pavements across Essex and they have to be properly inspected on a regular basis. The Leader advised that there was a County Councillor that covered Councillor Murray’s ward and he should be discussing this issue with him and getting him to put forward reports.

With regards to safer cycling routes this could also be put forward to the County Council but would take a long time as there were limited funds.

Since the pandemic there had been a fall in the usage of buses as there were in many types of public transport and these were just starting to recover. There was the Bus Back Better consultation being carried out at present.

The Leader stated that he was happy to talk to Councillor Murray offline in more detail about the issues he had raised.

(b)        Street Lighting in Loughton    

Councillor B Jennings advised that his question was to the Leader of Council, Councillor C Whitbread and asked if Councillor Whitbread was aware of the street lighting in Loughton was not working. Since before Christmas last year the street lights in Loughton High Road have been going out one by one and there were now only 18 of the 42 lights that were still working. The lights, which were installed in 2003, are apparently obsolete and cannot be easily replaced by modern LED’s. In an article date 7 December 2021 County Councillor Lee Scott, Cabinet Member for Highways Maintenance and Sustainable Transport, which included street lighting, was reported as saying that replacing these luminaires was a priority  ...  view the full minutes text for item 67.

To consider any motions, notice of which has been given under the Council’s rules.

Motions, if any, will follow if not received in time to be incorporated into the agenda.

The Chairman reported that there were no motions to be considered at the meeting.

Stephen Lye, Chairman of the Independent Remuneration Panel, presents a report to Council recommending the Members’ Allowance Scheme for 2022/23.

The Chairman of the Remuneration Panel, Mr S Lye presented a report following the annual review of the Epping Forest District Members’ Allowances Scheme, which set out the Panels conclusions and recommendations with regard to the application of members’ allowances for the 2022/23 municipal year.

Report as first moved ADOPTED

            RESOLVED:

            Basic Allowance

(1)        That, for the 2022/23 municipal year, no change be made to the level of Basic Allowance of £4,300 per member per annum, currently included in the Council’s Members’ Allowances Scheme;

(2)        That for 2023/24 and future municipal years, the Council be encouraged to increase the Basic Allowance to bring the Council up to the level of the Basic Allowance paid by other Councils;

Special Responsibility Allowance

(3)        That for the 2022/23 municipal year, no changes be made to the level of the Special Responsibility Allowances currently included in the Members’ Allowances Scheme;

(4)        That for the 2022/23 municipal year, the implementation level of Special Responsibility Allowance applied to the responsibilities identified in the Members’ Allowances Scheme remain unchanged

Revised Scheme and Guidance

(5)        That, subject to the above recommendations and other matters set out in this report, the Members’ Allowances Scheme and Guidance for 2022/23, attached at Appendix 2 to this report, be adopted and implemented with effect from 26 May 2022; and

(6)        That the Panel continue to be kept appraised of the Council’s intentions regarding any future restructure or governance review proposals arising from the electoral review of the Council being undertaken by the Local Government Boundary Commission for England that directly affect the application of Special Responsibility Allowance for the specific member roles and responsibilities currently reflected in the Members’ Allowances Scheme.

(Finance, Qualis Client and Economic Development Portfolio Holder) To consider the attached report.

Notes

That a recorded vote is held on the recommendations contained within the report, in accordance with the Council Procedure Rule V3 ‘Voting at Budget Decision Council 18 February 2016 Meetings’ which directs Members to comply with the Local Authorities (Standing Orders) (England) (Amendment) Regulations 2014, immediately after any vote is taken at a budget decision meeting there must be recorded in the minutes of the proceedings of that meeting the names of the persons who cast a vote for the decision or against the decision or who abstained from voting.

“Budget decision” means a meeting at which:

(a)        a calculation is made (whether originally or by way of substitute) in accordance with any of the Sections 31A, 31B, 34 to 36A, 42A, 42B, 45 to 49, 52ZF, 52ZJ of the Local Government Finance Act 1992, as amended; or

(b)        a precept is issued under Chapter 4 of Part 1 of that Act and includes a meeting where making the calculation or issuing the precept as the case may be was included as an item of business on the agenda for that meeting.

References to a vote are references to a vote not only on the substantive budget motions agreeing the budget, setting council taxes or issuing precepts, but also on any amendments proposed at the meeting.

Mover: Councillor J Philip, Finance, Qualis Client and Economic Development Portfolio Holder

Councillor J Philip presented a report of the Budget for 2022/23 (including Medium-Term Financial Plan, Capital Programme and Fees and Charges). He thanked Mr A Small, Strategic Director and S151 Officer and Mr C Hartgrove, Interim Chief Financial Officer for an excellent budget and for their sound financial advice. He also thanked members of the Audit and Governance Committee.

There voted for the recommendations (40) namely: Councillors  R Balcombe, R Bassett, N Bedford, P Bhanot, R Brookes, L Burrows, D Dorrell, I Hadley, S Heap, S Heather, B Jennings, J Jennings, J Jogia, S Jones, H Kane, S Kane, P Keska, J Lea, A Lion, T Matthews, C McCredie, J McIvor, R Morgan, S Murray, S Neville, C Nweke, M Owen, A Patel, J Philip, S Rackham, B Rolfe, M Sartin, J Share-Bernia, D Stocker, D Sunger, B Vaz, C Whitbread, H Whitbread, and K Williamson.

There voted against the recommendations (2) namely: Councillors J H Whitehouse and J M Whitehouse.

Abstentions (0).

Report as first moved ADOPTED

            RESOLVED:

(1)     That the draft General Fund Revenue and Housing Revenue Account budgets for 2022/23 as presented in Attachment 1a, be approved (pages 91-112 of the agenda).

(2)     That the draft General Fund and Housing Revenue Account Capital programmes for 2022/23 to 2026/27 presented in Attachment 1b, be approved (pages 113-124 of the agenda).

(3)     That the proposed Fees and Charges for 2022/23, including an average rent increase of 4.1% on Council Dwellings, presented in Attachment 1c, be approved (pages 125-141 of the agenda).

(4)     That the updated General Fund Medium-Term Financial Plan for 2022/23 to 2026/27 presented in Attachment 1d, be approved (pages 143-150 of the agenda).

(5)     That the Section 151 Officer’s report – in accordance with Section 25 of the Local Government Act 2003 – on the robustness of the estimates for the purposes of the Council’s 2022/23 budgets and the adequacy of the reserves, presented in Attachment 2, be noted (pages 151-156 of the agenda).

(6)     That the Section 151 Officer’s recommendation to maintain a minimum £4.0 million contingency balance in the Council’s General Fund Reserve in the medium-term, including a contribution to the Reserve as part of the General Fund revenue budget proposals for 2022/23, be approved.

(7)     That the Treasury Management Outturn report 2020/21 considered by the Audit & Governance Committee on 22nd November 2021, presented in Attachment 3, be noted (pages 157-173 of the agenda).

(8)     That the Treasury Management Mid-Year Update report 2021/22 considered by the Audit & Governance Committee on 22nd November 2021, presented in Attachment 4, be noted (pages 175-186 of the agenda).

(9)     That the draft Treasury Management Strategy 2022/23 considered by the Audit & Governance Committee on 17th January 2022 and recommended for Council approval, presented in Attachments 5a, be approved (pages 191-205 of the agenda).

(10)  That the draft Capital Strategy 2022/23 to 2026/27, considered by the Audit & Governance Committee on 17th January 2022, presented in Attachment  ...  view the full minutes text for item 70.

(Customer and Partnerships Portfolio Holder) The Cabinet recommend that Council note that the Local Council Tax Support scheme for 2021/22 will continue unchanged for 2022/23.

Mover: Councillor S Kane, Customer and Partnerships Portfolio Holder

Councillor S Kane submitted a report regarding the Local Council Tax Support Scheme for 2022/23, which remained unchanged from 2021/22.

Report as first moved ADOPTED

            RESOLVED:

            That the Local Council Tax Support Scheme 2022/23 be approved.

(Finance, Qualis Client & Economic Development Portfolio Holder) To consider the attached report.

Mover: Councillor J Philip, Finance Qualis Client and Economic Development Portfolio Holder

Councillor J Philip presented a report regarding the Council Tax Setting 2022/23. He advised that a supplementary agenda had been published due to a slight discrepancy in the precepts for Theydon Garnon Parish, therefore Appendix B and Appendix C referred to in the main agenda on pages 239 and 240 should be replaced with those published in the supplementary agenda.

He advised that the Cabinet had recommended a District Council Tax increase based on Band D properties of £5.00 a year which equated to less than 2 pence a day. The report also included the Town and Parish precepts and the Essex precepts for the Essex County Council, Essex Police and Crime Commissioner and Essex County Fire and Rescue Service.

Report as first moved ADOPTED

            RESOLVED:

(1)     To note that under delegated authority, the Strategic Director and Section 151 Officer, had calculated the Council Tax Base for 2022/23 for the whole Council area as 54,865.3 (Item T in the formula in Section 31B of the Local Government Finance Act 1992, as amended) and for dwellings in those parts of its area to which a Parish Precept relates as set out in Appendix A (attached to the agenda).

(2)     That the following amounts be calculated for the year 2022/23 in accordance with sections 31 to 36 of the Local Government Finance Act 1992:

(a)    £111,981,897 being the aggregate of the amounts which the Council estimates for the items set out in Section 31A(2) of the Act taking into account all precepts issued to it by Parish Councils;

(b)    £99,455,621 being the aggregate of the amounts which the Council estimates for the items set out in Section 31A(3) of the Act;

(c)     £12,526,276 being the amount by which the aggregate at 2(a) above exceeds the aggregate at 2(b) above, calculated by the Council in accordance with Section 31A(4) of the Act as its Council Tax requirement for the year. (Item R in the formula in Section 31B of the Act);

(d)    £228.31 being the amount at 2(c) above (Item R), all divided by Item T (the amount at (1) above, the tax base), calculated by the Council, in accordance with Section 31B of the Act, as the basic amount of its Council Tax for the year (including Parish precepts);

(e)    £3,887,186 being the aggregate amount of all special items (Parish Precepts) referred to in Section 34(1) of the Act;

(f)      £157.46 being the amount at 2(c) above less the result given by dividing the amount at 2 (e) above by Item T (1) above), calculated by the Council, in accordance with Section 34(2) of the Act, as the basic amount of its Council Tax for the year for dwellings in those parts of its area to which no Parish precept relates;

(g)    That it be noted that Essex County Council, Essex Police, Fire & Crime Commissioner and Essex Fire & Rescue Service have issued precepts to the Council in accordance with Section  ...  view the full minutes text for item 72.

(Leader) To consider the attached report regarding the report and that the recommendation be agreed for submission to the Local Government Boundary Commission for England.

Mover: Councillor C Whitbread, Leader of the Council.

Councillor C Whitbread advised that this was the first time in 22 years since a full Boundary Review of the Epping Forest District had taken place. He stated that the next stage of the review was starting to progress and Member’s have to decide on the number that they would like to put forward. He stated that all groups had worked well together to get to this juncture and thought that the number suggested was probably too high as the Boundary Commission were looking for us to reduce our numbers maybe more than we are suggesting. Members decided at the previous Full Council that they wanted to continue with the approach that was currently in place for elections at this Council and in an ideal world there needed to be 3 seat wards to meet the requirements but we can make arguments in cases where it would not geographically work.

He reiterated that Members had elected to go for a small reduction from 58 down to 54, which was divisible by 3. When we come to the next stage and start looking at the ward maps we need to take into account growth and changes in areas over time.

Report as first movedADOPTED

            RESOLVED:

(1)        That the draft submission on a future Council Size of 54 Members, attached to the agenda at Appendix A, be agreed for submission to the Local Government Boundary Commission for England as part of the ongoing review of the Council’s size and ward boundaries.

(Corporate Services Portfolio Holder) To consider the attached report from Cabinet recommending the Pay Policy Statement to Council.

Mover: Councillor D Sunger, Corporate Services Portfolio Holder

Councillor D Sunger presented a report regarding the Council’s Pay Policy Statement for 2022/23, which was required by Section 38 (1) of the Localism Act 2011 and set out details of the Council’s current practices and policies. This specifically included the Council’s approach to its highest and lowest paid employees.

Report as first movedADOPTED

            RESOLVED:

That the Council’s Pay Policy Statement for 2022/23 attached as an appendix to these minutes, be adopted.

(Finance, Qualis Client & Economic Development Portfolio Holder) To consider the attached report and discuss any actions required.

Mover: Councillor J Philip, Finance and Economic Development Portfolio Holder

Councillor J Philip introduced the Qualis Quarterly Monitoring Report for Q4 2020/21 and the Quarterly Monitoring Report for Q1 2021/22.

He advised that the Governance framework for Qualis, as agreed by Cabinet in February 2020, included the requirement that Qualis should report to Epping Forest District Council on its performance Quarterly.

The report presented the fourth Quarter’s monitoring report for the Qualis trading year 2020/21 and covered the period from 1October 2020 to 30 September 2021. The Quarter 1 position covered 1 October 2021 to 31December 2021 was also provided as part of this reporting.

Cabinet received the same report at their meeting on 7 February 2022 and the report was debated in great detail.

Councillor J Philip stated that there were two monitoring reports and the headlines were that they are primarily in line with the expectations of Qualis. Planning permission had now been granted for the five sites in Epping which had allowed the expenses to move from the profit and loss account into work in progress. He highlighted that there were some recommendations from the Qualis Auditors at the end of the auditing of their last years accounts and those recommendations were being implemented. He advised that he met with the Managing Director of Qualis on a weekly basis and made sure that proper rigour was applied.   

Report as first moved:  ADOPTED

            RESOLVED:

(1)  That the Qualis Quarterly Monitoring Report  - Q4 2019/20 (Outturn) be agreed.

(Customer and Partnerships Portfolio Holder) Cabinet recommends to Council to adopt the Calendar of Meetings for 2022/23.

Mover: Councillor S Kane, Customer and Partnerships Portfolio Holder

Councillor S Kane submitted a report regarding the Calendar of Council meetings for 2022/23. He asked Members to agree to one alteration in that Annual Council be moved from Tuesday 23 May 2023 to Thursday 25 May 2023.

Report as first movedADOPTED

            RESOLVED:

That subject to Annual Council being moved from Tuesday 23 May 2023 to Thursday 25 May 2023, the draft Calendar of Council Meetings for 2022/23, as attached, be adopted.

To receive the report of the Chairman of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee and to answer any questions without notice asked in accordance with Council Rules.

The Council received a written report from Councillor M Sartin, Chairman of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee which was noted.

(a)          To receive from Council representatives the reports (attached - if any) on the business of joint arrangements and external organisations and to receive answers to any questions on those bodies which may be put without notice; and

(b)               To request written reports from representatives on joint arrangements and external organisations for future meetings.

The Chairman directed Members to the second Council supplementary agenda and the business contained therein.

(a)        Grange Farm Trust Vacancy

Councillor C Whitbread stated that the report noted the retirement of Parish Councillor B Scrutton from the Grange Farm Trust and he would like to nominate Chigwell Parish Councillor Rashni Holden as his replacement. Normally appointments would be made at Annual Council but the Grange Farm Trust had requested this appointment sooner so that they could carry on with their work.

            RESOLVED:

That Parish Councillor Rashni Holden be appointed to the vacant position representing Epping Forest District Council as a Managing Trustee for the Grange Farm Trust.

(b)       The Royal Gunpowder Mills

The Chairman advised that her report was as and hoped Members found it an interesting read.

(c)        Requests for Updates

Councillor Janet Whitehouse requested a report from the Partnership Governor of the Princess Alexander Hospital to be brought to the next meeting. She thanked the Chairman for regularly bringing a report on the Royal Gunpowder Mills to Council.

She also requested that any Members who had not brought a report forward this municipal year would do at the next meeting. If they were representing the Council on bodies then Members really ought to know what was happening.

Councillor S Murray requested a report from Councillor R Bassett, as the Councils representative on the Epping Forest Campus of the new college and to report on two items:

(i)            What the final capital receipt was that the college authorities have received for the whole of the site of the former Epping Forest High School or Lucton Boys/Girls School before that; and

(ii)           How that capital receipt had been spent and how much was spent on the Epping Forest Campus and didn’t make its way to Hackney, Redbridge, Havering or London.

Councillor Bassett asked if Councillor Murray could send him an email detailing his queries and he would take it up with the Principle at a meeting they had in the morning.

(Leader) To consider the attached report.