Agenda and minutes

Apologies for absence were submitted on behalf of Councillors Hodgkins, Richards, Roberts, Smith and Surtees.

To confirm the minutes of the meeting held on 7 August 2018.

It was moved by Councillor Allen, seconded by Councillor Hall and

RESOLVED – the minutes of the meeting held on 7 August 2018 be confirmed and signed by the Mayor.

To receive verbally from Members any disclosures which they are required to make in accordance with the Council's code of conduct or in pursuance of Section 106 of the Local Government Finance Act 1992. This is in addition to the need for such disclosure to be also given when the relevant matter is reached on the Agenda.

Councillors Bill, Bray, Crooks, O’Shea and Wright declared non-pecuniary interests in agenda item 12 “Unitary proposals for Leicestershire and plan for East Midlands Strategic Alliance” as members of Leicestershire County Council.

To receive such communications as the Mayor may decide to lay before the Council.

The Mayor informed Council of recent engagements and forthcoming events.

(a)          Question from Councillor Cartwright to the Executive member for culture, sport & leisure, communications & partnerships

“WW1 Silhouette Memorial to Fallen Troops

The 6ft aluminium Tommy Silhouettes have been purchased by cites around the world. But for hundreds of British Councils it seems honouring those who made the ultimate sacrifice is not a priority.

Former head of the Army Lord Dannatt personally wrote to 433 local Council leaders asking them to support the charity campaign. At the time of me writing this question to Council only 160 councils had agreed to make a £750.00 donation to buy one of the silhouettes to display in their town or city for the centenary of the end of the war.

Did Lord Dannatt write to Hinckley & Bosworth Borough Council?

Has Hinckley & Bosworth Borough Council purchased any WW1 silhouettes?”

            Response from Councillor Cook:

            “Thank you for your question

This Council has, and always will, honour those who serve today, those who fought, the many who died in conflict, and those who survive as veterans of our armed forces, and merchant navy.

General the Lord Dannatt GCB CBE MC DL, writing as Patron of There But Not There, The 2018 Armistice project for the Charity Remembered, sent an e-mail to the Leader of the Council in late June.

The e-mail set out the campaign objectives of ‘There but not There’, described simply as:

•       To commemorate the Fallen, highlighting the sacrifices made by so many through Tommy installations across the country

•       To educate all, particularly our younger generation, to help them understand why and how 888,246 British and Commonwealth service personnel lost their lives

•       To help heal those suffering from the hidden wounds of post-traumatic stress disorder and other legacies of recent combat operations, by raising funds for our beneficiary charities

The e-mail also offered support and advice for those wanting to purchase Tommies for their own installations.

I am very pleased to inform you and fellow Councillors that we have recently purchased two 6ft aluminium Tommy Silhouettes for installation at Hinckley War Memorial. One has been funded by our Economic Regeneration Team and the other has been kindly funded by volunteers from Hinckley Past & Present. 

These two silhouettes will be installed within the Hinckley War Memorial setting during the month of October, in readiness for Remembrance Sunday.

We have also written to all parish councils giving information about the silhouettes and the charities that a purchase will help to support, suggesting that parishes may be able to raise the funds to purchase a silhouette for installation in their town or village.

These silhouettes compliment a number of initiatives which aim to ensure our War Memorials are looking their best allowing us to mark the 100 year Anniversary of the end of WW1.

We hope that you and other Members support and welcome our positive approach.”

(b)          Question from Councillor Cartwright to the Leader of the Council:

“Would the leader of the Council please explain to me and all other members how  ...  view the full agenda text for item 199.

(a)          Question from Councillor Cartwright to the Executive member for culture, sport & leisure, communications & partnerships

“WW1 Silhouette Memorial to Fallen Troops

The 6ft aluminium Tommy Silhouettes have been purchased by cities around the world. But for hundreds of British Councils it seems honouring those who made the ultimate sacrifice is not a priority.

Former head of the Army Lord Dannatt personally wrote to 433 local Council leaders asking them to support the charity campaign. At the time of me writing this question to Council only 160 councils had agreed to make a £750.00 donation to buy one of the silhouettes to display in their town or city for the centenary of the end of the war.

Did Lord Dannatt write to Hinckley & Bosworth Borough Council?

Has Hinckley & Bosworth Borough Council purchased any WW1 silhouettes?”

            Response from Councillor Cook:

            “Thank you for your question

This Council has, and always will, honour those who serve today, those who fought, the many who died in conflict, and those who survive as veterans of our armed forces, and merchant navy.

General the Lord Dannatt GCB CBE MC DL, writing as Patron of “There But Not There”, The 2018 Armistice project for the Charity Remembered, sent an e-mail to the Leader of the Council in late June.

The e-mail set out the campaign objectives of ‘There but not There’, described simply as:

•       To commemorate the Fallen, highlighting the sacrifices made by so many through Tommy installations across the country

•       To educate all, particularly our younger generation, to help them understand why and how 888,246 British and Commonwealth service personnel lost their lives

•       To help heal those suffering from the hidden wounds of post-traumatic stress disorder and other legacies of recent combat operations, by raising funds for our beneficiary charities

The e-mail also offered support and advice for those wanting to purchase Tommies for their own installations.

I am very pleased to inform you and fellow Councillors that we have recently purchased two 6ft aluminium Tommy Silhouettes for installation at Hinckley War Memorial. One has been funded by our Economic Regeneration Team and the other has been kindly funded by volunteers from Hinckley Past & Present. 

These two silhouettes will be installed within the Hinckley War Memorial setting during the month of October, in readiness for Remembrance Sunday.

We have also written to all parish councils giving information about the silhouettes and the charities that a purchase will help to support, suggesting that parishes may be able to raise the funds to purchase a silhouette for installation in their town or village.

These silhouettes compliment a number of initiatives which aim to ensure our War Memorials are looking their best allowing us to mark the 100 year Anniversary of the end of WW1.

We hope that you and other Members support and welcome our positive approach.”

(b)          Question from Councillor Cartwright to the Leader of the Council:

“Would the leader of the Council please explain to me and all other members how  ...  view the full minutes text for item 199.

Last time we had a full Council meeting I reflected on some of the examples of the hard work that officers of this council do on behalf of our communities. This time I have great pleasure in reflecting on a couple of examples where that work is being recognised by others.

Firstly I want to congratulate everybody who has been involved in Snapdragon this year. Not only did they deliver the best Snapdragon festival ever, but they have now been nominated in the category of the best free festival in the Leicestershire Tourism Awards 2018. We all wish them well in the judging and look forward to the continued growth and further success of this festival.

The council has also been awarded the RSPCA Stray Dog Footprint gold standard for the 7th year in a row and we will also be given a platinum award in recognition of this continued achievement at PawPrints tenth anniversary and winners’ reception in November this year. Another great achievement and right that we should be proud that our officers should get such recognition.

Because of my reduced mobility at present I was not able to attend the grand opening of the extension to the Barlestone Village Hall, which this Council supported through its Developing Communities Fund. Officers, the Deputy Leader and Mayor attended the event and I am delighted that we are now seeing the results of this Council’s long overdue investment in our rural communities. I’m sure more of these projects will be completed in the coming months and years and I’m hopeful that we shall be able to commit even further funds to more new schemes in the future.

I attended Planning Committee last week and we determined the MIRA TIC-IT application. After much consideration I supported the officer’s recommendation to approve the application and I do believe that this will be a good development for our area. But we must also do what we can to develop further the interest in the battlefield and to make sure that we celebrate what we have in our borough. We must do more to enable people to follow the steps of those who fought and to understand what the battle was like. We should also seek to make 22nd August a day when the whole borough can take part in remembering the events of that day in 1485. In deciding what we can do to make more of our history we need to involve our communities as well as local parish councils and businesses. We should also take care to involve those groups who have an interest in what we do, including The Battlefields Trust and The Richard III Society. Members from all areas will be able to get involved in the development of these proposals.

Moving to the business on our agenda this evening we have a proposal before Council to give council tax support for some of the borough’s most vulnerable individuals, specifically young people leaving care. Whilst this is a small  ...  view the full agenda text for item 200.

In his position statement, the Leader referred to the success of the Snapdragon festival and achievement of the RSPCA Stray Dog Footprint gold standard and congratulated officers involved. He mentioned the recent opening of the extension to Barlestone Village Hall, the consideration of the MIRA application by the Planning Committee, and agenda items for the evening.

To receive for information only the minutes of the Scrutiny Commission meeting held on 13 September.

The minutes of the Scrutiny Commission were received for information. It was noted that an error on the list of substitutes had been corrected.

To inform Council of the introduction of a new licensing regime for animal activities and to seek approval of a new charging scheme for such licences.

Members were informed of a new licensing regime for animal activities and a proposed new charging scheme for such licences. In response to a comment about the zoo not being mentioned, it was noted that this was covered by separate legislation.

A member asked whether increased licence fees would in turn increase boarding fees and lead to owners leaving dogs home alone instead of boarding. Officers agreed to look into this and respond outside of the meeting. Another member asked about the appeals process if the operator did not agree with a risk rating and again it was agreed that this would be circulated following the meeting.

It was moved by Councillor Morrell, seconded by Councillor Allen and

RESOLVED – the new regime and charging scheme be approved.

To introduce a care leavers’ discount for council tax.

The Scrutiny Commission gave consideration to this report at its meeting on 13 September. An extract from the minutes of that meeting is attached.

Consideration was given to the recommendation to introduce a care leaver’s discount for council tax and to reduce to nil the amount of council tax payable by young people leaving care from 1 April 2019 as permitted by section 13A of the Local Government Finance Act 1992.

It was moved by Councillor Ladkin, seconded by Councillor Morrell and

RESOLVED –

(i)            The Care Leavers Council Tax Relief policy be approved;

(ii)           A local council tax discount be awarded to this class of charge payers to reduce their council tax bill to nil.

Councillor Hall, seconded by Councillor Morrell, will propose the following amendment to the printed recommendation:

Motion to amend the recommendation:

I have spent significant time in recent weeks working with colleagues across Leicestershire in considering the Borough Councils response to the LCC proposal for Local Government Reform in Leicestershire and the East Midlands.

Whilst I and other district leaders are working together to consider a range of options, LCC have refused to join with us insisting that they will only speak with us after they have tabled their own proposals.

In an e-mail response to me on 12th September the County Council Leader reiterated that it would help the debate if the districts were to put their proposals out.

This is not how we should be discussing things, but I hope this evening that members will support this motion to give LCC at least part of what they ask for.

Officers of this council are working with colleagues from other councils to consider the options available for Leicestershire and the East Midlands region. They will be looking at ways of collaborating to reduce overall cost, possible district mergers and unitary structures.

I have however made a decision that for Hinckley and Bosworth we can move more quickly to introduce change without affecting the overall outcome of these discussions, and in doing so we shall send a clear message to our community, the County Council, our officers, the rest of the East Midlands and Westminster.

Since 1997 Leicester City Council with a population of 450,000 and Rutland County Council with a population of around 38,000 have operated successfully as Unitary Councils. I believe it is now the time for Hinckley and Bosworth to follow that course. We can either sit back and wait for others at County Hall to plot our demise, or we can take a positive step to deliver a council which will work better for our residents, I believe that the time is right for HBBC to take steps to become a unitary council.

In Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and Greater London, national and regional governments are supported by a single tier of unitary councils ranging from 22,000 people in Orkney to 600,000 in Glasgow. The size of those councils are determined not by economics but by community geography and cohesion.

We are a council representing a population of some 110,000 people, we are big enough to shed the shackles of the County Council and in doing so we would enable our officers to focus their efforts on addressing all of the issues which matter to our residents.

This change would be consistent with the creation of a regional government for the East Midlands, could be modified to support the outcome of district councils’ collective work in Leicestershire, and indications are that it would have the support of our residents.

I therefore propose that the recommendation in this report is amended as follows.

2. RECOMMENDATION

2.1       To note the decision of LCC for a unitary structure of local  ...  view the full agenda text for item 204.

Council was updated on the recent announcement by Leicestershire County Council (LCC) regarding its decision to develop proposals for a unitary structure of local government in Leicestershire, and for the creation of an East Midlands Strategic Alliance. In presenting the report, Councillor Hall updated members on the outcome of the survey that had been undertaken with residents, with 85% of respondents indicating they would support retaining the borough council. He also updated on responses to options for a town council for Hinckley. Councillor Hall, seconded by Councillor Morrell, moved the recommendations in the officer’s report along with two additional points which had been circulated to members before the meeting:

“2.8      This Council should take all necessary steps to become a unitary borough council for the Hinckley & Bosworth area;

2.9       A timetable covering the steps required to move to unitary status, and the key issues to be resolved, be brought to the next Council meeting”.

In moving the above, Councillor Hall made a further amendment to 2.8, which was supported by Councillor Morrell:

“2.8      This Council should review all necessary steps to become a unitary borough council for the Hinckley & Bosworth area”.

A member urged caution about moving to unitary status as the biggest costs currently experienced by unitary authorities, such as social care, would be imposed on HBBC. It was also suggested that it was better for the districts to continue collaboratively.

An amendment was moved by Councillor Lay and seconded by Councillor Camamile that 2.8 should read:

“2.8      This Council should explore and appraise the potential for a unitary borough council for the Hinckley & Bosworth area”.

Following further discussion, the amendment was accepted by the mover and seconder of the original motion, who also agreed that paragraph 2.9, which they had proposed early in the debate, be removed.

Upon being put to the vote, the motion was CARRIED and it was

RESOLVED –

(i)            The decision of LCC for a unitary structure of local government in Leicestershire and its timetable for formally consulting and considering its proposal be noted;

(ii)           The initial appraisal of a range of options that have been investigated with the support of specialist consultants be noted;

(iii)          A request to East Midlands Councils and LCC that consideration be given to the review of options for establishing a strategic body for the East Midlands that could be responsible for the strategic commissioning of social care, public health, transport and education, be endorsed;

(iv)         It be reaffirmed that this Council does not believe that it is in the best interests of the borough’s residents to scrap Hinckley & Bosworth Borough Council in favour of a unitary council for Leicestershire;

(v)          The outcome of the borough-wide survey on residents’ views on retaining the borough council and on options for a town council for Hinckley be noted;

(vi)         A timetable for reporting on the outcomes of LCC’s stakeholder engagements exercise and its Cabinet’s decision on its preferred option be agreed;

(vii)        A review be undertaken in conjunction with other Leicestershire  ...  view the full minutes text for item 204.

To consider the passing of a resolution under Section 100A(4) of the Local Government Act 1972 excluding the public from the undermentioned item of business on the grounds that it involves the likely disclosure of exempt information as defined in paragraphs 3, 5 and 10 of Schedule 12A of the 1972 Act.

On the motion of Councillor Allen seconded by Councillor Ladkin, it was

RESOLVED – in accordance with section 100A(4) of the Local Government Act 1972, the public be excluded from the following item of business on the grounds that it involves the disclosure of exempt information as defined in paragraphs 3, 5 and 10 of Part I of Schedule 12A of that Act.

To report on recent government guidance on the future of Local Economic Partnerships (LEPs).

The Scrutiny Commission gave consideration to this report at its meeting on 13 September. An extract from the minutes of that meeting are attached.

Consideration was given to the recent government guidance on the future of local economic partnerships and implications of this. It was moved by Councillor Hall, seconded by Councillor Ladkin and

RESOLVED – the recommendations contained within the report be approved.