Agenda and minutes

The Democratic Services Team Manager will read the following announcement:

“The Chairman would like to remind everyone that this meeting will be filmed live or recorded,  uploaded to the internet and will be capable of repeated viewing.

Therefore, by participating in this meeting, you are consenting to being filmed and to the possible use of those images and sound recordings.

If any public speakers on Microsoft Teams do not wish to have their image captured, they should ensure that their video setting throughout the meeting is turned off and set to audio only.

Members and public speakers are reminded to turn on their microphones before speaking and turn them off when they have finished.”

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.

To declare interests in any item on the agenda.

(a)        Pursuant to the Council’s Code of Member Conduct, Cllr S Murray declared a personal interest in item 10 of the agenda, Member Allowance Scheme 2025/26, by virtue of having known S Lye for many years. The Councillor had determined that his interest was non-pecuniary and would remain in the meeting for the consideration and determination of the item.

(b)        Pursuant to the Council’s Code of Member Conduct, Cllr R Bassett declared a personal interest in item 14 of the agenda, Final Draft Budget Proposals 2025/26, by virtue of being the Chairman of the Qualis Board and the Chairman of Community Transport. The Councillor had determined that his interest was non-pecuniary and would remain in the meeting for the consideration and determination of the item.

(c)        Pursuant to the Council’s Staff Code of Conduct, A Small declared a personal interest in item 22 of the agenda, Chief Executive Officer – Report to Council II, by virtue of being specifically mentioned in the report. A Small had determined that his interest was pecuniary and would leave the meeting for the consideration and determination of the item.

(d)        Pursuant to the Council’s Staff Code of Conduct, J Gould declared a personal interest in item 22 of the agenda, Chief Executive Officer – Report to Council II, by virtue of being specifically mentioned in the report. J Gould had determined that her interest was pecuniary and would leave the meeting for the consideration and determination of the item.

To approve as a correct record and sign the minutes of the meeting held on 17 December 2024 (attached).

RESOLVED:

(1)        That the minutes of the Council meeting held on 17 December 2024 be taken as read and signed by the Chairman as a correct record.

(a)        Chairman’s Announcements

(a)        Announcements by the Chairman of the Council

The Chairman announced that he had had the honour to be invited by the City of London Corporation to celebrate His Royal Highness The Duke of Gloucester’s Golden Jubilee Anniversary as a Ranger of Epping Forest. The event had been held at Lopping Hall in Loughton, and the Chairman highlighted that the exterior of the back door told the story of the Forest in Victorian terracotta tiles. The Epping Forest Youth Councillors were also in attendance and gave a presentation on their use of the Forest and their hopes for its future.

The Chairman also stated that he had been invited to a Royal Garden Party at Buckingham Palace in May, and reminded the Council that there would be a Quiz Night on 22 February 2025 at Thornwood Village Hall to raise funds for the Essex & Herts Air Ambulance. It was not too late to join in if any Councillor spoke to the Chairman or Vice-Chairman after the meeting.

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.

The Council noted that no public questions had been received for consideration at the meeting.

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 of Council (verbal);

(b)        Report of the Housing & HGGT Portfolio Holder (attached);

(c)        Report of the Finance & Economic Development Portfolio Holder (attached);

(d)        Report of the Shaping Our District Portfolio Holder (attached);

(e)        Report of the Commercial & Estates Portfolio Holder (attached);

(f)         Report of the Transformation Portfolio Holder (attached);

(g)        Report of the Contracts Delivery Portfolio Holder (attached);

(h)        Report of the Community Health & Wellbeing Portfolio Holder (attached); and

(i)         Report of the Technical Services Portfolio Holder.

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

(a)        Leader of the Council

The Leader of the Council reported that he had been very busy dealing with Devolution and Local Government Reorganisation matters, and had attended a number of meetings on the subject, including Essex Leaders and Chief Executives, and North Essex Councils. A considerable amount of work would be required before the Government’s next deadline of 21 March 2025. To keep Members informed, following the recent webinars, the Leader was minded to instigate a Portfolio Holder Advisory Group with cross-party membership to ensure that information was disseminated across the Council. The Leader and the Executive Directors were working hard to ensure that the voice of Epping Forest was heard during the discussions.

In addition, the Cabinet and the Senior Management Team had been busy ensuring that the Council provided its services to residents during this period.

The report of the Leader of the Council was noted.

(b)       Housing & HGGT Portfolio Holder

The report of the Housing & HGGT Portfolio Holder was noted.

(c)        Finance & Economic Development Portfolio Holder

The report of the Finance & Economic Development Portfolio Holder was noted.

(d)       Shaping Our District Portfolio Holder

The report of the Shaping Our District Portfolio Holder was noted.

(e)        Commercial & Estates Portfolio Holder

In addition to his report, the Commercial & Estates Portfolio Holder reported the following:

·       The budget for 2025/26 was supported by £2million of interest income from Qualis.

·       The budget was also supported by interest earned on the money received from Google following the sale of land at North Weald Airfield.

·       The development at Verdant Place had a practical completion date of 28 February 2025, and two reservations had already been secured for the site.

·       The commercial development of the Cartersfield site had been completed ahead of schedule and within budget.

·       The development at Brooker Road by Qualis would give the Council an annual income of £560,000 in future years.

·       Qualis Commercial had generated an additional £3million of income for the Council.

The report of the Commercial & Estates Portfolio Holder was noted.

(f)        Transformation Portfolio Holder

The report of the Transformation Portfolio Holder was noted.

(g)       Contracts Delivery Portfolio Holder

The report of the Contracts Delivery Portfolio Holder was noted.

(h)       Community Health & Wellbeing Portfolio Holder

The report of the Community Health & Wellbeing Portfolio Holder was noted.

(i)         Technical Services Portfolio Holder

The report of the Technical Services Portfolio Holder was noted.

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.

(Chairman of the Member Remuneration Panel) To consider the Panel’s recommendations and agree the Member Allowance Scheme for 2025/26.

The Council considered the report of the Member Remuneration Panel on the Members’ Allowance Scheme for 2025/26, presented by Mr S Lye on behalf of the Panel. The Panel was recommending that there be no change to any of the elements within the Scheme for the municipal year 2025/26.

Cllr S Murray highlighted that the Member Remuneration Panel was independent with no Councillors sitting on it, the proposed Basic Allowance for 2025/26 would be the lowest when evaluated against the comparator authorities, and the second lowest when evaluated against the other Essex District Councils.

The Leader of the Council, Cllr C Whitbread, thanked the Panel for their work in reviewing the Scheme.

Resolved:

Basic Allowance:

(1)        That, for the 2025/26 municipal year, no change be made to the Basic       Allowance, currently at £4,600 per annum per Member;

(2)        That for 2026/27 and future municipal years, the Council be       encouraged to increase the Basic Allowance to maintain the Council above    the level of the Basic Allowance paid by the lowest of comparator Councils;

Special Responsibility Allowance:

(3)        That for the 2025/26 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 2025/26 municipal year, the implementation level of           Special Responsibility Allowance applied to the responsibilities identified in the Members’ Allowances Scheme be retained at their current level;

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 2025/26, attached at Appendix 2 to this report, be adopted and implemented with effect from 9 May 2025; and

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

(Transformation Portfolio Holder) To consider and approve the Pay Policy Statement for 2025/26.

The Leader of the Council, Cllr C Whitbread, presented a report from the Cabinet on the Council’s Pay Policy Statement for 2025/26.

The Leader reported that the Council was required to produce a Pay Policy Statement for each financial year, setting out the details of its remuneration policy, under Section 38(1) of the Localism Act 2011. Specifically, it should include the Council’s approach to its highest and lowest paid employees and was published annually on the Council’s website. The Pay Policy Statement had been considered by the Cabinet at its meeting on 13 January 2025, and was recommended for approval.

Cllr S Murray highlighted how important the Council’s staff were to the delivery of the Council’s services, and acknowledged the efforts of one particular officer, Mr P Hawkins, who was retiring after 33 years of service to the Council. The Leader of the Council, Cllr C Whitbread, agreed with the comments of Cllr S Murray, and highlighted the efforts of all the Council’s staff in delivering services for residents.

Resolved:

(1)        That the Pay Policy Statement for 2025/26 be approved.

(Finance & Economic Development Portfolio Holder) To consider the attached report concerning the Local Council Tax Support Scheme for 2025/26.

The Finance & Economic Development Portfolio Holder, Cllr H Whitbread, presented a report requesting approval for the Local Council Tax Support Scheme for 2025/26.

Cllr H Whitbread reported that there were no changes from the Scheme in 2024/25 for 2025/26, and consequently there was no legal requirement for the proposed Scheme to be subject to a public consultation exercise. The total cost of the Scheme was £7million, which was shared by all of the precepting authorities within the District.

Resolved:

(1)        That the Local Council Tax Support Scheme for 2025/26 be approved.

(Finance & Economic Development Portfolio Holder) To consider and approve the attached Council Tax Empty & Second Homes Premiums Policy.

The Finance & Economic Development Portfolio Holder, Cllr H Whitbread, presented a report regarding the review of the Council Tax Empty and Second Homes Premiums Policy.

The Portfolio Holder reported that the review had recommended changes to the Council’s approach to empty and second homes, to encourage non-resident owners to allow others to use empty and unoccupied properties as a main residence. This would reduce the shortage of residential dwellings and ease the demand for housing within the District, which would have a positive impact on the availability of properties as well as on community safety and the environment.

Cllr H Kauffman felt that the report required more evidence to support the recommendations, such as how many empty and second homes were there across the District, what would be the expected revenue from this and the expected cost of collecting that revenue? There would be some empty properties across the District used for tourism, which the Council would want to encourage, and the proposed measures appeared draconian.

Cllr H Whitbread stated that detailed figures had been included in the report which was considered by the Overview & Scrutiny Committee, and the Councillor would share this with Cllr H Kauffman. This was an ‘on-balance’ decision and Cllr H Whitbread understood if other Councillors had reservations.

Cllr D Sunger highlighted that there was a housing crisis currently within the District with many people waiting to move into a home of their own. The Councillor welcomed this report which would encourage non-resident homeowners to bring their properties back into use.

The Portfolio Holder confirmed that Policy had a phased implementation as outlined in the report.

Resolved:

(1)        That the implementation of the following, which will be subject to a new Council policy, be approved:

(a)        The application of the current premium of 100% for all dwellings which were unoccupied and substantially unfurnished (empty dwellings) from a period of two years to one year with effect from 1 April 2025;

(b)        The application of a premium of 100% for all dwellings which were no one's residence but furnished (second homes) with effect from 1 April 2026; and

(c)        That the Section 151 Officer be given delegated powers to implement the Policy in line with the Council’s requirements and any guidance given by the Secretary of State or regulation.

(Finance & Economic Development Portfolio Holder) To consider and agree the attached Council Budget proposals for 2025/26.

N.B.

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

Council 20 February 2024

(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.

The Portfolio Holder for Finance & Economic Development, Cllr H Whitbread, presented the report of the Cabinet on the final draft budget proposals for 2025/26.

The Portfolio Holder reported that the proposals had been subject to rigorous scrutiny to deliver the best possible budget for the District. The collaborative approach undertaken last year was continued for this year, and the engagement of the Overview & Scrutiny Committee in the process had been very constructive. The Council had an exceptional team of Finance Officers, and the Portfolio Holder personally thanked them for their efforts in putting this budget together.

The Portfolio Holder reminded the Council that only 13% of its income came from Council Tax receipts; the majority of the Council’s income relied on grants, commercial income generation and interest payments from Qualis. The Council had received £88million from the sale of land at North Weald Airfield to Google, but this money was reserved for expenditure on capital projects although the interest generated by this money had been used for to support the revenue budgets. The District Council Tax had been raised by 2.99% for 2025/26, but was still the lowest District Council Tax in Essex.

The Portfolio Holder highlighted that the Medium Term Financial Plan had initially shown deficits of £1million for the General Fund, and £276,000 for the Housing Revenue Account (HRA) in 2025/26. Key challenges included lower grants from the Government, rising operational costs, increase in National Insurance employer contributions, and inflationary pressures on all costs. A particular point of recent debate had been the transfer of the Cottis Lane Car Park in Epping from Qualis to EFDC. However, the Section 151 Officer had explicitly stated that excluding the car park would unbalance the budget, and had requested that a minimum of £4million remain in the Council’s reserves.

The Portfolio Holder stated that, despite the proposed rise in Council Tax, the Council had to still generate £1.3million of savings. It was regrettable that the in-house Policing Service, who had provided an excellent service, had been cut, but wherever possible, job losses within the Council had been minimised. 

Due to a small underspend in the ICT budget, it had been possible to restore the grants to the Citizens Advice Bureau, Voluntary Action Epping Forest, and Epping Forest Community Transport to enable all three organisations to continue the work they do throughout the District.

The Portfolio Holder explained that the Capital Programme had £50million of expenditure planned for the period up to 2030, including the construction of the new Epping Leisure Centre, and the new Air Traffic Control Tower at North Weald Airfield. The HRA Capital Programme had planned expenditure of £143million over the next five years for the maintenance and improvement of the Council’s housing stock.

The Portfolio Holder concluded that this budget had been difficult to set, with uncertainty over Government grants in the future and Local Government Reorganisation, but felt that it kept the District Council Tax low, preserved Council services and maintained financial responsibility. The Portfolio Holder commended  ...  view the full minutes text for item 73.

(Finance & Economic Development Portfolio Holder) To consider the attached report for setting the Council Tax for 2025/26.

The Portfolio Holder for Finance & Economic Development, Cllr H Whitbread,  presented a report from the Cabinet regarding the setting of the Council Tax for 2025/26.

Cllr H Whitbread advised the Council that the Cabinet had recommended a Council Tax increase of 2.99% or £4.99 based on a Band ‘D’ property for the year. The report detailed the precepts for the Town and Parish Councils within the District, Essex County Council, the Essex Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner and the Essex Fire and Rescue Service. Overall, the average Council Tax for residents in a band ‘D’ property within the District would rise by £86.02 or 4.09% in 2025/26.

Resolved:

(1)        That the calculation of the Council Tax Base for 2025/26 by the            Strategic Director and Section 151 Officer under delegated authority for the whole Council area as 55,945.1 (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 related as set out in Appendix A of the report, be noted;

(2)        That the following amounts be calculated for the year 2025/26 in       accordance with sections 31 to 36 of the Local Government Finance Act 1992:

(a)        £126,791,846 being the aggregate of the amounts which the Council estimated for the items set out in Section 31A(2) of the Act considering all precepts issued to it by Parish Councils;

(b)        £112,292,882 being the aggregate of the amounts which the Council estimated for the items set out in Section 31A(3) of the Act;

(c)        £14,498,964 being the amount by which the aggregate at 2(a) above exceeded 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)        £259.16 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)        £4,876,966 being the aggregate amount of all special             items (Parish Precepts) referred to in Section 34(1) of the Act;

(f)         £171.99 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 the issuing of precepts to the Council by Essex County Council, Essex Police, Fire & Crime Commissioner and Essex Fire & Rescue Service in accordance with Section 40 of the Local Government Finance Act 1992 for each of the category of dwellings in the Council’s area be noted;

(h)        That the Council,  ...  view the full minutes text for item 74.

(Transformation Portfolio Holder) To consider and agree the attached Calendar of Meetings for 2025/26.

The Leader of the Council, Cllr C Whitbread, presented a report from the Cabinet on the Calendar of Meetings for 2025/26.

Some members of the Council expressed concerns that only two dates had been scheduled for each the Communities and Place Scrutiny Committees for the whole of the municipal year, and that both should have more dates scheduled for the municipal year. The Leader suggested that the Council agree the dates as set out in the report, and that Officers would propose two additional dates for the Communities and Place Scrutiny Committees for agreement at the next meeting of the Overview & Scrutiny Committee.

Resolved:

(1)        That, as attached at Appendix 1 of the report, the draft Calendar of Council Meetings for 2025/26 be adopted, subject to the agreement of two additional dates for each of the Communities Scrutiny Committee and Place Scrutiny Committee by the Overview & Scrutiny Committee at its next meeting.

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.

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 Chairman of the Overview & Scrutiny Committee, Cllr R Baldwin, informed the Council that at the Committee’s last meeting held on 26 January 2025, it had considered the draft budget proposals for 2025/26 agreed earlier in the meeting. Cllr R Baldwin opined that the collaborative approach adopted had been very effective and this should continue in future years.

Cllr R Baldwin had also chaired the informal call-in meeting regarding the decision to bring the Cottis Lane Car Park back into the ownership of the Council. The informal meeting had examined in some detail all of the issues and options involved in the decision, and at the end of the meeting the call-in was withdrawn.

There were two meetings of the Overview & Scrutiny Committee left in this municipal year, and the meeting scheduled for 25 March 2025 would feature the annual presentation from the Youth Council.

(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.

Cllr S Murray highlighted the email he had sent earlier in the day updating Councillors on the forthcoming publication of the Annual Report of the Roding Valley Meadows Nature Reserve Management Committee. The Reserve was owned by the Council and the Grange Farm Trust, and was managed by the Essex Wildlife Trust.

Cllr S Murray had highlighted that the Reserve was 67 hectares in size and was the largest area of species-rich water meadow in Essex. It was a mosaic of herb-rich meadows, hedgerows, marsh, ponds, scrub, and woodland, and was famous for its array of wildflowers. From 1938 to 1965, part of the land was occupied by RAF Chigwell and was declared a local nature reserve in 1986. It was considered a real environmental plus for the District, was always open and the best times to visit was probably Spring, Summer and Autumn.

Cllr S Murray stated that he would be delighted to provide further details to any interested Councillors.

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):

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.

Resolved:

(1)        That under Section 100(A)(4) of the Local Government Act 1972, the   public and press be excluded from the meeting for the items of business set   out below on the grounds that it would involve the likely disclosure of exempt information as defined in the following paragraphs of Part 1 of Schedule 12A of the Act (as amended):

(Leader of the Council) To consider the attached, restricted report.

The Leader of the Council, Cllr C Whitbread, presented a restricted report regarding the current situation with the Council’s Chief Executive. The technical details within the report were presented by the interim Service Manager for the People Team. The Council wished to record their appreciation of the service provided by the Chief Executive.

Resolved:

(1)        That Tier 1 ill health retirement be granted to the Chief Executive, in accordance with the Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS) Regulations.

(Leader of the Council) To consider the attached, restricted report.

The Leader of the Council, Cllr C Whitbread, presented a restricted report regarding the appointment of an Acting Chief Executive and Deputy Chief Executive.

The Leader reported that, following the decision to grant retirement on the grounds of ill health to the Chief Executive, the Council was under an obligation to appoint a new Head of Paid Service. The existing two Executive Directors had been covering the absence of the Chief Executive, and it was felt that A Small should be appointed as Acting Chief Executive Officer due to his previous experience at Aylesbury Vale District Council, and J Gould be appointed Acting Deputy Chief Executive. A Small was currently the Council’s Section 151 Officer, and it was intended to appoint a new Chief Financial Officer who would assume the Section 151 Officer responsibilities.

Resolved:

(1)        That Andrew Small be appointed Acting Chief Executive and Head of Paid Service, with immediate effect;

(2)        That Jennifer Gould be appointed Acting Deputy Chief Executive, with immediate effect; and

(3)        That the Leader of the Council be delegated authority to make such interim changes to the Executive Team as necessary to backfill posts, consistent with the intentions set out in the report.