Agenda and minutes

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Contact: Rebecca Owen  Democratic Services Officer

Items
No. Item

23.

Apologies and substitutions

Minutes:

Apologies for absence were submitted on behalf of Councillors Bray and Ward.

24.

Minutes pdf icon PDF 50 KB

To confirm the minutes of the meeting held on 11 May 2017.

Minutes:

On the motion of Councillor Sutton, seconded by Councillor Williams, it was

 

RESOLVED – the minutes of the meeting held on 11 May 2017 be confirmed and signed by the chairman.

25.

Declarations of interest

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.

Minutes:

No declarations were made at this stage.

26.

Blaby and Hinckley & Bosworth Community Safety Partnership update pdf icon PDF 305 KB

To update the Scrutiny Commission on the role, focus, performance, successes and challenges for Hinckley & Bosworth Borough in relation to the Blaby and Hinckley & Bosworth Community Safety Partnership.

Additional documents:

Minutes:

Inspector Dan Eveleigh and officers updated members on the performance of the Blaby and Hinckley & Bosworth Community Safety Partnership including outlining projects undertaken and crime statistics. The significantly reduced budgets and likelihood of further reductions were also highlighted.

 

Some concern was expressed about the increase in acquisitive crime and in response this was acknowledged but it was explained that there were emerging crimes and threats that had to be addressed too, such as anti-social behaviour, cyber crime and child sexual exploitation. Whilst acquisitive crime was still taken seriously, the priority had to be crimes that caused most harm.

 

It was agreed that the amount of work undertaken by the partnership on the budget available was commendable.

 

Councillors Boothby, Nickerson and Wright left the meeting at this point.

27.

Planning appeals update pdf icon PDF 102 KB

Report to update members on the progress of current planning appeals.

Additional documents:

Minutes:

Members received an update on planning appeal performance and were updated on new appeals received since the report was dispatched. It was also reported that the performance target had been exceeded.

 

It was requested that future reports highlight whether the original decision, if by members, was against officer recommendation and that the report contain numbers rather than percentages.

 

Some discussion ensued on who would pay to clean up sites following an illegal incursion. The difficulty of removing illegal encampments from sites where the landowner had given permission was also highlighted and it was requested that the Chief Executive contacts the MP to ask him to lobby for a change in legislation to enable removal regardless of whether or not the landowner had given permission for the incursion.

 

RESOLVED – the report be noted and the requested information be contained in future reports.

28.

Annual review of the Constitution 2017 pdf icon PDF 100 KB

To present the revised constitution for recommendation to Council.

Additional documents:

Minutes:

Members received a report which highlighted recommended changes to the council’s constitution. It was noted that the document had been completely rewritten and reformatted yet there were relatively few substantive changes to the content. A member asked whether there was any intention to increase the number of Executive members (due to the recommended amended wording in relation to the appointment of Executive members), and in response it was reported that this change was included following a change in legislation and not due to an intention to amend the numbers.

 

RESOLVED – the constitution be RECOMMENDED to Council for approval.

29.

Scrutiny Commission Work Programme 2016-18 pdf icon PDF 122 KB

Work programme attached.

Minutes:

The Scrutiny Commission gave consideration to the overview & scrutiny work programme. It was agreed that the report on the special expenses area would cover the legal requirements, comparisons with other authorities, best practice and alternative models and that options would be brought to the August meeting.

 

Earlier in the meeting, following a minute’s silence in recognition of the Grenfell Tower fire, members had requested a report on fire safety in council owned properties. This was added to the work programme.

 

It was also stated that the recommendations of the Independent Remuneration Panel would be brought to the August meeting.