Agenda and draft minutes

Apologies for absence were submitted on behalf of Councillors C Allen, Cook, Cope, S Gibbens, Glenville, Hollick, Moore, Stead-Davis, Sutton and Walker.

To confirm the minutes of the meeting held on 3 September 2024.

It was moved by Councillor Bray, seconded by Councillor Bools and

RESOLVED – the minutes of the meeting on 3 September be confirmed as a correct record.

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.

No interests were declared.

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

The Mayor provided an update on events that he and the Deputy Mayor had attended recently.

To deal with questions under Council Procedure Rule number 14.

“There has been repeated mention of a promise to provide an NHS ‘walk-in centre’ for Hinckley.

I would like to learn more about this proposal for the benefit of borough residents, as my own enquiries have produced little information.

I would very much appreciate if the Executive member could confirm when this promise was made and who made it, plus provide me with all and any supporting correspondence and documentation please”.

Response from Councillor Bray, Leader of the Council:

“Reference to the provision of a walk-in centre was mentioned in Conservative election literature as far back as 2015 that was distributed in Barwell, Burbage and Hinckley so I suggest Cllr Allen checks his archive. In addition to comments about a walk-in centre, his colleagues also talked about improving GP access, which again many residents believe is a broken promise.

Everyone will also remember the visit of the disgraced former Health Secretary Matt Hancock in December 2018 which included the announcement to relocate ‘the out-of-hours primary care service from Hinckley & Bosworth Community Hospital into the new developed urgent care hub in Hinckley Health Centre providing out-of-hours urgent care for local patients’. The former Conservative Council Leader updated the Council on this in the following January. Cllr Allen was a member of Mr Hall’s Executive at the time so I’m surprised he doesn’t remember this”.

“There has been repeated mention of a promise to provide an NHS ‘walk-in centre’ for Hinckley.

I would like to learn more about this proposal for the benefit of borough residents, as my own enquiries have produced little information.

I would very much appreciate if the Executive member could confirm when this promise was made and who made it, plus provide me with all and any supporting correspondence and documentation please”.

Response from Councillor Bray, Leader of the Council:

“Reference to the provision of a walk-in centre was mentioned in Conservative election literature as far back as 2015 that was distributed in Barwell, Burbage and Hinckley so I suggest Cllr Allen checks his archive. In addition to comments about a walk-in centre, his colleagues also talked about improving GP access, which again many residents believe is a broken promise.

Everyone will also remember the visit of the disgraced former Health Secretary Matt Hancock in December 2018 which included the announcement to relocate ‘the out-of-hours primary care service from Hinckley & Bosworth Community Hospital into the new developed urgent care hub in Hinckley Health Centre providing out-of-hours urgent care for local patients’. The former Conservative Council Leader updated the Council on this in the following January. Cllr Allen was a member of Mr Hall’s Executive at the time so I’m surprised he doesn’t remember this”.

By way of supplementary question, Councillor Allen asked for confirmation about whether the development of a walk-in centre had been mentioned as a wish or a promise. In response, Councillor Bray stated he felt that was irrelevant whether it was an aspiration or a promise as expectations had been raised as a result.

“Can the Leader provide residents of the borough with an update on the crematorium project please?”.

Response from Councillor Lynch, Executive member for finance:

“I’m surprised to receive this question as the Scrutiny Commission was fully appraised of the current position at its meeting on 9 May 2024.

Officers have engaged consultants to identify the best options for the council to progress this project. Officers are currently appraising these options and will engage with members when due diligence has been applied to the options presented.

The administration inherited this project from the previous Conservative administration and is determined to ensure it succeeds”.

“Can the Leader provide residents of the borough with an update on the crematorium project please?”.

Response from Councillor Lynch, Executive member for finance:

“I’m surprised to receive this question as the Scrutiny Commission was fully appraised of the current position at its meeting on 9 May 2024.

Officers have engaged consultants to identify the best options for the council to progress this project. Officers are currently appraising these options and will engage with members when due diligence has been applied to the options presented.

The administration inherited this project from the previous Conservative administration and is determined to ensure it succeeds”.

By way of supplementary question, Councillor Allen requested the current position following progress since the Scrutiny Commission meeting mentioned. In response, Councillor Lynch said he hoped further information would be available within the next few weeks.

“Welcome to this October meeting of Council.

Tonight’s agenda includes a report on the annual achievements of the Council against our corporate plan priorities and objectives. I would like to congratulate our officers from across all council services for their contribution to this.

Also on the agenda is a key report on procurement of the HGV fleet, which is vital to ensure we continue to offer our residents the best and most reliable waste and recycling services, including road sweeping and street cleansing. We will also be considering a submission to the Local Government Boundary Commission for England (LGBCE) on council size as part of the full review of electoral boundaries which is being undertaken by the LGBCE. The council size submission is the first phase of the review which will be followed by a review of ward boundaries.

In addition to these report items we will also be considering a motion on benefit payments, in particular the two-child limit to benefit payments.

I have set out a few other key updates.

Devolution

You may have picked up that last week the government confirmed a range of devolution deals within England. It has signed of mayoral combine authority deals for Greater Lincolnshire and Hull & East Yorkshire, with mayors being elected in May 2025. They will then be given control over transport, housing, skills and investment to shape the future of their areas.

Combined county authority deals were also agreed for Devon and Torbay and Lancashire, with the plan for them to be established in early 2025 and handed the responsibility for adult education. The government at the same time announced it will not proceed with the mayoral deals with Norfolk County Council and Suffolk County Council, but intends to continue discussions over devolution in Norfolk and Suffolk.

In Leicestershire, the district leaders have written to the leaders of Leicestershire County Council, Rutland County Council and the City Mayor seeking the opportunity of joint talks about the opportunities and risks associated with devolution. We feel strongly that any developing devolution deal will need input from district councils, given our remit for planning, housing, economic development and our contribution to other agendas, like community safety and the health and wellbeing of our communities.

We have also written to the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for State to express our desire to be constituent members of any combined authority in Leicestershire and the East Midlands and our willingness to explore devolution with our neighbouring county and city authorities. It is important that this matter is addressed in the forthcoming publication of the government’s Devolution Framework Review.

The government has clearly expressed its desire to have every area of the country with some form of devolution deal with the opportunity for new powers. This is linked to its mission for economic growth. It is important, therefore, that we are at the table locally and nationally in these discussions, to help carve out the best deal for our local communities. I will keep members updated  ...  view the full agenda text for item 194.

In his position statement, the Leader referred to:

·         Devolution deals

·         Cineworld Hinckley which would be remaining open following intervention by the council

·         The rural strategy

·         The launch of the free tree scheme

·         The cultural strategy

·         The solar panel project for the leisure centre which had been granted planning permission

·         The success of the Macmillan coffee morning which raised over £300.

Members expressed thanks to officers from across the authority.

To receive for information only the minutes of the Scrutiny Commission meeting held on 29 August 2024.

The chair of the Scrutiny Commission presented the minutes of the last meeting.

To seek approval of the procurement of the replacement HGV fleet from 1 September 2025 along with the associated supplementary budgets.

Members were advised of the requirement to replace the HGV fleet. It was noted that whilst disappointing that it wasn’t feasible to procure an all-electric fleet due to the cost of purchase and the infrastructure requirements, the move to using HVO had proven to be a good compromise. It was moved by Councillor Hodgkins, seconded by Councillor Bray and unanimously

RESOLVED –

(i)            The procurement of the replacement HGV fleet from 1 September 2025 be approved;

(ii)          The following supplementary budgets be approved:

(a)  A supplementary capital budget of £4,422,608 for the fleet;

(b)  A supplementary revenue budget of £420,616 for the annual financing cost and additional maintenance;

(c)  An increase in the council’s capital financing requirement of £4,422,608 to allow for the purchase of the HGVs.

To seek approval of the annual review of achievements against the council’s corporate plan.

Updated document attached.

Consideration was given to the annual report summarising achievements against the council’s corporate plan 2024 to 2028. Members thanked officers from across the organisation for their hard work. It was moved by Councillor Bray, seconded by Councillor Bools and unanimously

RESOLVED –

(i)            The annual summary of achievements be endorsed;

(ii)          The positive work being undertaken to deliver the corporate plan on behalf of the community be noted.

To seek approval of the proposed submission on Council size to support the Local Government Boundary Commission’s review of electoral boundaries.

The proposed submission to the Local Government Boundary Commission for England (LGBCE) in relation to Council size was presented. It was noted that this was part of the full review of electoral boundaries within the district. In relation to the proposal to establish a working group to look at ward boundaries as the next stage of the review, it was confirmed that the group would be politically balanced. It was moved by Councillor Bray, seconded by Councillor Bools and unanimously

RESOLVED –

(i)            The submission to the Local Government Boundary Commission on Council size be approved;

(ii)          The proposed request to the LGBCE to increase the number of members from 34 to 36 be approved;

(iii)         The creation of a member working group for completion of the next stage of the review to consider ward boundaries be approved.

Motion from Councillor M Mullaney, seconded by Councillor Bools

“The two-child limit to benefit payments was introduced by the Conservative government in 2017 and is supported by the current Labour government. It prevents families from claiming child tax credit or universal credit for more than two children in the household.

Council notes the recent research conducted by the End Child Poverty Coalition which has found that:

·         1.5 million children in the UK live in households subject to the two-child limit on benefit payments. That is roughly one in ten children in the UK

·         In 2023/24, the two-child limit cost families up to £3,235 per child each year

·         There is a strong correlation between families affected by the two-child limit and those who are living in poverty

·         Scrapping the two-child limit would lift 250,000 children out of poverty overnight, and significantly reduce the level of poverty that a further 850,000 children live in

·         Scrapping the two-child limit would cost £1.3 billion, however it is estimated that child poverty costs the economy £39 billion each year.

In Hinckley & Bosworth, 1,680 children in 470 households are currently affected by the two-child limit to benefit payments. That is 7% of all children in the authority area. At the same time, 6, 427 local children are living in poverty.

Council strongly believes that the two-child limit to benefit payments is a cruel and armful policy that should be scrapped. Research from the University of York has shown its introduction has had no positive impacts on employment and earnings. Instead, it has dragged thousands of local families into poverty.

Council notes the Liberal Democrats have consistently opposed the two-child limit to benefit payments since it was introduced – calling for it to be axed in their 2017, 2019 and 2024 manifestos. Council notes with concern the stance of the Labour government which is committed to keeping the cap – going as far as suspending the whip from MPs who rebel against this position.

Council resolves to:

·         Instruct the Chief Executive to write to the Chancellor of the Exchequer and the Prime Minister indicating Hinckley & Bosworth Borough Council’s strong belief that the two-child limit to benefit payments should be scrapped, which would help 1,680 children living in Hinckley & Bosworth

·         Ensure the number of children a family has is considered when a hardship grant is given out by the council”.

Councillor M Mullaney, seconded by Councillor Bools, proposed the following motion:

“The two-child limit to benefit payments was introduced by the Conservative government in 2017 and is supported by the current Labour government. It prevents families from claiming child tax credit or universal credit for more than two children in the household.

Council notes the recent research conducted by the End Child Poverty Coalition which has found that:

·         1.5 million children in the UK live in households subject to the two-child limit on benefit payments. That is roughly one in ten children in the UK

·         In 2023/24, the two-child limit cost families up to £3,235 per child each year

·         There is a strong correlation between families affected by the two-child limit and those who are living in poverty

·         Scrapping the two-child limit would lift 250,000 children out of poverty overnight, and significantly reduce the level of poverty that a further 850,000 children live in

·         Scrapping the two-child limit would cost £1.3 billion, however it is estimated that child poverty costs the economy £39 billion each year.

In Hinckley & Bosworth, 1,680 children in 470 households are currently affected by the two-child limit to benefit payments. That is 7% of all children in the authority area. At the same time, 6, 427 local children are living in poverty.

Council strongly believes that the two-child limit to benefit payments is a cruel and armful policy that should be scrapped. Research from the University of York has shown its introduction has had no positive impacts on employment and earnings. Instead, it has dragged thousands of local families into poverty.

Council notes the Liberal Democrats have consistently opposed the two-child limit to benefit payments since it was introduced – calling for it to be axed in their 2017, 2019 and 2024 manifestos. Council notes with concern the stance of the Labour government which is committed to keeping the cap – going as far as suspending the whip from MPs who rebel against this position.

Council resolves to:

·         Instruct the Chief Executive to write to the Chancellor of the Exchequer and the Prime Minister indicating Hinckley & Bosworth Borough Council’s strong belief that the two-child limit to benefit payments should be scrapped, which would help 1,680 children living in Hinckley & Bosworth

·         Ensure the number of children a family has is considered when a hardship grant is given out by the council”.

During debate, the matter of balancing financial concerns with the risk of child poverty was highlighted.

Councillor Bray along with eight further members stood to request voting on the motion be recorded. The vote was taken as follows:

Councillors Bools, Bray, Cartwright, J Crooks, W Crooks, Flemming, Gibbens, Green, Hodgkins, Lynch, L Mullaney, M Mullaney, Pendlebury, Webber-Jones, Weightman and Williams voted FOR the motion (16);

Councillors Allen, Harris, Lambert, O’Shea and Surtees abstained from voting.

The motion was therefore declared CARRIED and it was

RESOLVED –

(i)            The Chief Executive be instructed to write to the Chancellor of the Exchequer and the Prime Minister indicating Hinckley  ...  view the full minutes text for item 199.