Agenda and minutes

Council - Thursday 23rd May 2024 7.00 pm

Venue: Council Chamber, Civic Offices, High Street, Epping

Contact: Gary Woodhall Tel: (01992) 564243  Email:  democraticservices@eppingforestdc.gov.uk

Media

Items
No. Item

1.

Webcasting Introduction

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.”

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The Democratic Services Team 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.

2.

District Council Elections - 2 May 2024

The Chairman to welcome the following new Members of the Council following the all-out elections held on 2 May 2024.

 

Councillor

Ward

Barbara Cohen

Buckhurst Hill East & Whitebridge

Bob Church

Buckhurst Hill West

Edward Barnard

Epping East

Mandy George

Epping West & Rural

Rashni Chahal Holden

Grange Hill

Will Kauffman

Loughton Fairmead

Arash Ardakani

Loughton Fairmead

Sheree Rackham

Loughton Roding

Graham Wiskin

Loughton St John’s

Tom Bromwich

North Weald Bassett

Mary Dadd

Ongar

Tippy Cornish

Theydon Bois with Passingford

Sue Jones

Theydon Bois with Passingford

Martin Morris

Waltham Abbey North

 

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The Chairman welcomed the new Members of the Council following the all-out elections held on 2 May 2024, and presented each of them with a certificate.

 

Councillor

Ward

Barbara Cohen

Buckhurst Hill East & Whitebridge

Bob Church

Buckhurst Hill West

Edward Barnard

Epping East

Mandy George

Epping West & Rural

Rashni Chahal Holden

Grange Hill

Will Kauffman

Loughton Fairmead

Arash Ardakani

Loughton Fairmead

Sheree Rackham

Loughton Roding

Graham Wiskin

Loughton St John’s

Tom Bromwich

North Weald Bassett

Mary Dadd

Ongar

Tippy Cornish

Theydon Bois with Passingford

Sue Jones

Theydon Bois with Passingford

Martin Morris

Waltham Abbey North

 

3.

Chairman of Council - Year of Office

Additional documents:

Minutes:

Cllr D Sunger addressed the Council as the outgoing Chairman.

 

Cllr D Sunger advised the Council that he was honoured to have been appointed as the first Sikh Chairman of the Council, and hoped that he had served the role with dignity over the course of his year.

 

Cllr D Sunger stated that he had attended over 100 events and meetings during his year as Chairman with his wife, and had been proud to represent the District. He had met so many residents from all walks of life and travelled to every corner of our District. Some of the events during his year had included Ride London which travelled though the District, visiting the Royal Gunpowder Mills in Waltham Abbey, riding the Epping OngarRailway Memory Train, planting a tree for the Queens Green Canopy in Theydon Bois, laying wreaths for Remembrance Sunday and the parade through Epping, attending the Childrens Talent Show organised by Cllr L Mead’s daughter, the official opening of the Loughton Foodbank, and the very moving Holocaust Memorial event in Loughton. The Civic Awards event in March and celebrating with many of the various religious communities we have in our District -  including Hanukkah, Christian Carol Services, Diwali, Eid, Vasaki and the Hindu New Year – were particular highlights.


There had also been two significant anniversaries during the year: the Youth Council’s 15th anniversary; and the 50th anniversary of the founding of the District Council.

 

Cllr D Sunger thanked the Council for appointing him as Chairman, and for their support throughout the municipal year of both himself and his chosen charity, Chigwell Riding Trust, which was celebrating its 60th anniversary. Cllr D Sunger also thanked his Vice-Chairman, Cllr L Burrows, for supporting him this year, and to the officers from Corporate Communications – especially P Seager - and Democratic Services who had ensured that he was always been fully briefed and ready for the events he attended. And finally, Cllr D Sunger also thanked his family, especially his wife Teri, for their support throughout the year.

 

Cllrs C Whitbread, K Rizvi, A Lion, S Patel and C C Pond, and the Chief Executive, G Blakemore on behalf of the staff, expressed their appreciation for Cllr D Sunger’s hard work and dedication throughout his term of office as Chairman.

4.

Election of Chairman

To elect a Chairman of the Council for the municipal year 2024/25.

 

The new Chairman will then make a declaration of acceptance of office.

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The nomination of Cllr L Burrows for the office of Chairman of Council was proposed by Cllr H Whitbread and seconded by Cllr C Whitbread.

 

            Resolved:

 

            (1)        That Cllr L Burrows be elected Chairman of the Council for the municipal year 2024/25.

 

Cllr L Burrows thereupon made a Declaration of Acceptance of Office of Chairman of the Council and presented Cllr D Sunger with his Past Chairman’s badge.

 

Cllr L Burrows in the Chair

 

Cllr L Burrows thanked the Council for the honour, which he would accept with humility, and hoped that he could live up to the example set during the past year by Cllr D Sunger. Cllr L Burrows stated that he intended to be fair to all Councillors during his term of office, and that he would be a voting Chairman throughout his year.

5.

Appointment of Vice-Chairman pdf icon PDF 53 KB

To appoint a Member to be Vice-Chairman of the Council for the municipal year 2024/25. Nominations received will be reported at the meeting.

 

The new Vice-Chairman will then make a declaration of acceptance of office.

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The nomination of Cllr L Mead for the Office of Vice-Chairman of the Council was proposed by Cllr C C Pond and seconded by Cllr S Murray.

 

            Resolved:

 

(1)        that Cllr L Mead be elected Vice-Chairman of the Council for the 2024/25 municipal year.

 

Cllr L Mead thereupon made a Declaration of Acceptance of Office of Vice-Chairman of the Council and was presented with her Vice-Chairman’s chain by the Chairman. Cllr L Mead thanked the Council for the honour of her appointment.

6.

Declarations of Interest

To declare interests in any item on the agenda.

Additional documents:

Minutes:

There were no declarations of interest made pursuant to the Council’s Code of Member Conduct.

7.

Minutes

To approve as a correct record and sign the minutes of the meeting held on 9 April 2024 (to follow at the next meeting).

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The Democratic Services Team Manager reported that the minutes of the last meeting were not ready but would be available for agreement at the next meeting of the Council.

8.

Announcements

(a)        Chairman’s Announcements

 

To be announced at the meeting.

 

(b)       Members not seeking re-election or not re-elected

 

To note that the following Members in 2023/24 had not sought re-election.

 

Councillor

Ward

Deborah Barlow

Grange Hill

Pranav Bhanot

Chigwell Row

Peter Bolton

North Weald Bassett

Andy Green

Broadley Common, Epping Upland & Nazeing

Simon Heap

Buckhurst Hill East

Judy Jennings

Loughton St Mary’s

Bob Jennings

Loughton St John’s

Jayna Jogia

Loughton Forest

Helen Kane

Waltham Abbey South West

Sam Kane

Waltham Abbey Honey Lane

Caroline Pond

Loughton St John’s

Aniket Patel

Buckhurst Hill West

Basil Vaz

Chipping Ongar, Greensted & Marden Ash

David Wixley

Loughton Fairmead

 

To note that the following Members in 2023/24 had not been re-elected.

 

Councillor

Ward

Heather Brady

Passingford

Cherrie McCredie

Epping Hemnall

Lesley Paine

Lower Sheering

John Philip

Theydon Bois

 

(c)        Long Service Awards

 

Members who achieve a certain period of service are asked to attend the meeting to receive a Long Service Award in recognition of their service to the Council. The following Members are each entitled to receive a Long Service Award.

 

Councillor

Ward

Award

Caroline Pond

Loughton St John’s

Gold

John Philip

Theydon Bois

Silver

David Wixley

Loughton Fairmead

Silver

Heather Brady

Passingford

Bronze

Helen Kane

Waltham Abbey South West

Bronze

 

Additional documents:

Minutes:

(a)        Announcements by the Chairman of the Council

 

The Chairman announced that his chosen charity for the year was the Essex Air Ambulance and hoped that Members would give generously throughout the year.

 

(b)       Members not seeking re-election or not re-elected

 

The Council noted that D Barlow, P Bhanot, P Bolton, A Green, S Heap, J Jennings, R Jennings, J Jogia, H Kane, S Kane, C P Pond, A Patel, B Vaz and D Wixley had not sought re-election on 2 May 2024, and that H Brady, C McCredie, L Paine and J Philip had not been re-elected.

 

Various Councillors paid tribute to the service that the former Councillors listed above had given over a number of years.

 

(c)        Long Service Awards

 

The Chairman informed the Council that the five former Councillors eligible for Long Service awards were not available to attend tonight’s meeting. They would be invited to join the Chairman in his Office at a later date to collect their Long Service awards.

9.

Report of the Appointment Panel pdf icon PDF 92 KB

The Leader of the Council will present the report regarding:

 

(a)        Notice of Constitution of Political Groups, Group Leaders and Deputies;

 

(b)        Appointments made by the Leader to the Cabinet, Cabinet Committees and

Outside Organisations carrying out Executive Functions;

 

(c)        Membership, Chairmanship and Vice-Chairmanship of Committees, Sub-Committees and Panels (Non-Executive Bodies); and

 

(d)        Appointments to Outside Organisations carrying out Council, regulatory or non-Cabinet Functions.

 

The Council will need to vote on (c) and (d) in instances where the number of nominations exceed the number of places available.

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The Leader of the Council, Cllr C Whitbread, reported on the appointments which he had made to the Cabinet for 2023/24. His appointments to Outside Organisations carrying out Executive Functions would be reported to the next meeting in July 2024. Furthermore, the Leader also reported on the recommendations of the Appointments Panel in relation to the membership, chairmanship and vice-chairmanship of committees, sub-committees and panels, along with the appointment of Council representatives to Outside Organisations carrying out Council, Regulatory or non-Executive functions. The Council voted on any appointments where the number of nominations exceeded the number of places available.

 

Some of the outstanding nominations for committee places from the political groups were made at the meeting, and the Council noted that any outstanding nominations after tonight would be reported at the next Council meeting in July. The appointment of Council representatives to the Epping Forest Local Liaison Groups and the Epping Forest Local Highways Panel were deferred to the next meeting, pending further information being obtained on their proposed structure for 2024/25. Nominations to these two bodies made by the political groups would be carried over for consideration in July.

 

Following the electoral review and the restructuring of the Council’s ward structure, the Area Plans Sub-Committees needed to be re-aligned with the new wards. The Appointments Panel had considered this issue and proposed a structure which would mirror the previous allocation of wards to each Sub-Committee. There was an amendment to this proposal from Cllr K Williamson, seconded by Cllr C Whitbread, for the new ward of Epping West & Rural to move from Area Plans Sub-Committee East to Area Plans Sub-Committee West. The amendment was carried.

 

            Resolved:

 

            (1)        That, in accordance with Regulation 8 of the Local Government    (Committees and Political Groups) Regulations 1990, the constitution of the political groups be agreed as set out in Appendix 1;

 

            (2)        That details of appointments made by the Leader of the Council for            Cabinet members carrying out Executive functions as set out in Appendix 2     be noted;

 

            (3)        That the Membership, Chairmanship and Vice-Chairmanship of         Committees, Sub-Committees and Panels (non-Executive bodies) be      approved as set out at Appendix 3 with any outstanding nominations reported at the meeting;

 

            (4)        That the group representatives for the purposes of notifying substitute      members for meetings be confirmed as follows:

 

                        (a)        Conservative Group:

 

                                              Councillor C Whitbread (Group Leader);

                                              Councillor N Bedford (Deputy Group Leader); and

                                              Councillor R Balcombe;

 

                        (b)        Liberal Democrat Group:

 

                                              Councillor J M Whitehouse (Group Leader); and

                                              Councillor C Amos (Deputy Group Leader);

 

                        (c)        Loughton Residents Association Group:

 

                                              Councillor C Pond (Group Leader);

                                              Councillor L Mead (Deputy Group Leader); and

                                              Councillor I Allgood;

 

            (5)        That appointments to outside organisations carrying out Council      regulatory or non-Cabinet functions, as set out at Appendix 4 be approved;

 

(6)        That the appointments made by the Leader of the Council to outside organisations carrying out Executive functions, as set out at Appendix 5, be received with any outstanding nominations  ...  view the full minutes text for item 9.

10.

Scheme of Delegation

The Council’s Constitution requires that the Scheme of Delegation of functions which are not the responsibility of the Leader of Council be agreed at the Annual Council meeting. The following links direct Members to the relevant sections of the Constitution:

 

·       Appendix 1 – Responsibility for Local Functions;

 

·       Appendix 2 – Delegation of Council functions to other Committees; and

 

·       Appendix 3 – Delegation to Officers from Full Council.

 

Recommendation:

 

(1)        That the Scheme of Delegation of non-executive functions be agreed.

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The Council’s Constitution required that the Scheme of Delegation of functions which were not the responsibility of the Leader of Council be agreed at the Annual Council meeting. There were no additions, deletions or revisions proposed as part of this exercise.

 

            Resolved:

 

            (1)        That the Scheme of Delegation of non-executive functions be agreed.

11.

Council Meeting Dates for 2024/25

At its meeting on 19 December 2023, the Council adopted the Calendar of Meetings for the period May 2024 to May 2025, which included ordinary meetings of the Council for the year. It is a requirement of the Constitution that a programme of ordinary meetings of the Council be approved at the Annual Meeting of the Council; the dates set out below were those adopted on 19 December 2023.

 

Recommended:

 

(1)        That ordinary meetings of the Council be held on the following dates during 2024/25:

 

            (a)        23 July 2024;

 

            (b)        15 October 2024;

 

            (c)        17 December 2024;

 

            (d)        20 February 2025;

 

            (e)        8 April 2025; and

 

            (f)         22 May 2025.

Additional documents:

Minutes:

At its meeting on 19 December 2023, the Council adopted the Calendar of Meetings for the period May 2024 to May 2025, which included ordinary meetings of the Council for the year. It was a requirement of the Constitution that a programme of ordinary meetings of the Council be approved at the Annual Meeting of the Council.

 

            Resolved:

 

            (1)        That ordinary meetings of the Council be held on the following dates            during 2024/25:

 

                        (a)        23 July 2024;

 

                        (b)        15 October 2024;

 

                        (c)        17 December 2024;

 

                        (d)        20 February 2025;

 

                        (e)        8 April 2025; and

 

                        (f)         22 May 2025.

12.

Exclusion of Public and Press

Exclusion:

To consider whether, under Section 100(A)(4) of the Local Government Act 1972, the public and press should be excluded from the meeting for the items of business set out below on grounds that they will involve the likely disclosure of exempt information as defined in the following paragraph(s) of Part 1 of Schedule 12A of the Act (as amended) or are confidential under Section 100(A)(2):

 

Agenda Item No

Subject

Exempt Information Paragraph Number

Nil

Nil

Nil

 

The Local Government (Access to Information) (Variation) Order 2006, which came into effect on 1 March 2006, requires the Council to consider whether maintaining the exemption listed above outweighs the potential public interest in disclosing the information. Any member who considers that this test should be applied to any currently exempted matter on this agenda should contact the proper officer at least 24 hours prior to the meeting.

 

Background Papers: 

Article 17 of the Constitution (Access to Information) define background papers as being documents relating to the subject matter of the report which in the Proper Officer's opinion:

 

(a)        disclose any facts or matters on which the report or an important part of the report is based;  and

 

(b)        have been relied on to a material extent in preparing the report and does not include published works or those which disclose exempt or confidential information and in respect of executive reports, the advice of any political advisor.

 

The Council will make available for public inspection for four years after the date of the meeting one copy of each of the documents on the list of background papers.

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The Council noted that there were no items of business which necessitated the exclusion of the public and press from the meeting.