Agenda and minutes

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Items
No. Item

67.

Minutes

To sign the Minutes of the meeting of the Council held on 10 February 2022.

Supporting documents:

Minutes:

RESOLVED that the Minutes of the meeting of the Council held on 10 February 2022 be approved and signed as a correct record inclusive of the correction published in the addendum to the agenda.

 

68.

Apologies for absence

To receive any apologies for absence.

Additional documents:

Minutes:

Apologies for absence were received from Councillors Adamson, Brunt, Harper and Sachdeva.

 

69.

Declarations of interest

To receive any declarations of interest.

Additional documents:

Minutes:

There were no declarations of interest made to the meeting.

 

70.

Urgent business

To consider any urgent business.

Additional documents:

Minutes:

There was no urgent business to be taken by the meeting.

71.

Public questions

To consider any questions received from members of the public under Council Procedure Rule 2.14.

Supporting documents:

Minutes:

A question was asked by Mr Chris Reynolds about Woodhatch and Whitebushes Community Development. A response was given by Councillor Ashford, the Executive Member for Community Partnerships, in accordance with Council procedure rule 2.14.

 

Note: For more information on responses to Council questions, please see the following page on the Council’s website:

 

https://reigate-banstead.moderngov.co.uk/ecCatDisplay.aspx?sch=doc&cat=13260

 

72.

Questions by Members

To consider any questions received from Members of the Council under Council Procedure Rule 2.15.

Supporting documents:

Minutes:

Eleven questions with notice were received from Members of the Council. Questions 10 and 11 from Councillors Essex and Ritter were additional. Oral responses were therefore received at the meeting to the first nine questions with written responses provided to questions 10 and 11 in accordance with Procedural Rule 2.15.7.

 

Question by

To be answered by

Subject

1.        

Councillor Baker

Councillor Schofield, Deputy Leader of the Council

HMS Ark Royal Ensign

2.        

Councillors Buttironi and J King

Councillor Neame, Executive Member for Housing and Support

Support for Ukrainian refugees

3.        

Councillor Stevens

Councillor Schofield, Deputy Leader of the Council

Council Tax relief

4.        

Councillor Booton

Councillor Schofield, Deputy Leader of the Council

Heritage Open Day brochure

5.        

Councillor Ritter

Councillor Ashford, Executive Member for Community Partnerships

Woodhatch and Whitebushes Community Development

6.        

Councillor Sinden

Councillor Humphreys, Executive Member for Economic Prosperity

Redhill market

7.        

Councillor Chandler

Councillor Sachdeva, Executive Member for Leisure & Sport

Supporting Run Reigate

8.        

Councillor Torra

Councillor Bramhall, Executive Member for Neighbourhood Services

Street cleansing and littering

9.        

Councillor Essex

Councillor Bramhall, Executive Member for Neighbourhood Services

Cost of vehicle fuel and building heating

10.    

Councillor Ritter

Councillor Schofield, Deputy Leader of the Council

Russian and Belarussian energy contracts

11.    

Councillor Essex

Councillor Humphreys, Executive Member for Economic Prosperity

Business cases for purchase of diesel vehicles

 

Note: For more information on responses to Council questions, please see this page on the Council’s website:

 

https://reigatebanstead.moderngov.co.uk/ecCatDisplay.aspx?sch=doc&cat=13264

 

73.

Recommendations

To receive and consider the recommendations of the Council’s Executive, committees and sub-committees.

Supporting documents:

Minutes:

RESOLVED that the recommendation of the Audit Committee, from its meeting on 15 March 2022, (Minute 43: to agree the Annual Report of the Audit Committee 2020/21), be adopted.

 

At the invitation of Madam Mayor, Councillor Harrison, as the Chair of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee, spoke on the Overview and Scrutiny Annual Report for 2021/22.

 

RESOLVED that the recommendation of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee, from its meeting on 17 March 2022 (Minute 80/to agree Annual Report of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee 2020/21), be adopted.

 

RESOLVED that the recommendations of the Executive, from its meeting on 24 March 2022, (Minute 73/IT Strategy 2022/23 – 2026/27 and Minute 78/Treasury Management Strategy 2022/23) be adopted.

 

74.

Report of the Council's Independent Remuneration Panel on Members' Allowances for 2022/23

To receive the Report and Recommendations of the Independent Remuneration Panel.

Supporting documents:

Minutes:

The Head of Paid Service introduced the report of the Council’s Independent Remuneration Panel, which set out proposals on the Member Allowances Scheme for 2022/23. The Panel’s report contained seven recommendations for Council to consider as well as providing the consequential budget implications. If adopted, the Panel recommended that the changes apply from 1 April 2022, with applicable elements applied retrospectively back to this date.

 

Councillor Schofield moved and Councillor Hudson seconded a motion to approve the recommendations.

 

Councillors Lewanski and Neame requested to speak on the recommendations and proposed that these not be agreed with Member Allowances remaining unchanged for a further year.

 

Councillors Schofield and Hudson both spoke in favour of adopting the Panel’s recommendations. It was highlighted that Members had voted in favour of not changing Member Allowances for 2021/22. The recommend 2% increase to the Basic Allowance was modest and accommodated within the 2022 budget.

 

Madam Mayor called for a show of hands on the Panel’s recommendations with 24 Members voting in favour.

 

RESOLVED that:

1.    The Basic Allowance be increased from £5,670 to £5,783.

2.    The Special Responsibility Allowances remain unchanged.

3.    The Travel Allowances remain unchanged.

4.    The Subsistence Allowances remain unchanged.

5.    The Dependent Carers’ Allowances remain unchanged.

6.    Arrangements for Maternity, Paternity and Adoption Leave remain unchanged.

7.    A full review of Member Allowances be undertaken in accordance with the programme set out in the Panel’s report.

 

75.

Overview and Scrutiny Committee Work Programme 2022/23

To agree an Overview and Scrutiny Committee Work Programme for 2022/23.

Supporting documents:

Minutes:

At the invitation of Madam Mayor, Councillor Harrison, as the Chair of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee, spoke on the Overview and Scrutiny Work Programme for 2022/23. It was noted that this was different to that which had been agreed by the Committee at its last meeting with the additional items excluded, to allow for further consultation with the Leader of the Council.

 

RESOLVED that the Work Programme for the Overview and Scrutiny Committee for the 2022/23 Municipal Year be adopted.

 

76.

Motion: Retrofitting insulation

Councillor Booton will move and Councillor Essex will second the motion.

Supporting documents:

Minutes:

Councillor Booton moved the motion which called for action to deliver net-zero by upgrading homes through energy-saving measures such as better insulation. For this to be achieved by establishing a retrofit taskforce in Reigate and Banstead, to sign-up to the Great Homes Upgrade Campaign and to write to the Prime Minister, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, and the President of COP26 calling for urgent action to be taken to retrofit homes of all tenure types by 2030.

 

In moving the motion, Councillor Booton highlighted that housing was responsible for 28% of emissions and that tackling energy consumption was of benefit to the climate as well as helping residents address rising energy costs. The Council was to be commended for the work it had already done to support residents to access retrofitting technologies. The UK’s Climate Change Committee had highlighted the lack of an integrated offer to retrofit the majority of homes. However, the Government’s newly published energy security strategy did not address reducing demand for energy.

 

Councillor Essex seconded the motion and noted that the Inter-Governmental Panel on Climate Change had stated it was not possible to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees without immediate action to reduce emissions. The Government’s energy security strategy was criticised for only addressing energy supply and for not looking at how to reduce demand for energy. Out of 32,000 low incomes homes in Surrey, only 547 had been retrofitted in two and a half years. More funding was therefore needed to hit these targets but also to insulate all homes. It was noted that this was at a time when more households were finding themselves in energy poverty. Climate change and the rising costs of living needed to be tackled together.

 

In accordance with Procedure Rule 2.2.1, Madam Mayor referred the motion to the Executive for consideration without further debate at the meeting.  

 

77.

Statements

To receive any statement from the Leader of the Council, Members of the Executive, Chairmen of Committees or the Head of Paid Service.

Additional documents:

Minutes:

A statement was made by Councillor Neame, the Executive Member for Housing & Support, regarding the work of the Council to fulfil the commitment to residents to offer affordable mixed tenure within the housing supply. It was reported that working with developers, the Council had produced more affordable homes including 25 in the North of the borough, 32 affordable rental properties in Redhill town centre, and smaller individual accommodations in Horley for more vulnerable residents. Additionally, the Council had provided funding towards Raven Housing Trust’s zero-carbon development.

 

78.

Leader's announcements

To receive any announcements by the Leader of the Council.

Additional documents:

Minutes:

Apologies had been received from the Leader of the Council, Councillor Brunt, with Councillor Schofield, the Deputy Leader of the Council, deputising. Councillor Schofield had no announcements.

 

79.

Mayor's announcements

To receive any announcements from the Mayor.

Additional documents:

Minutes:

Madam Mayor provided Council with an overview of her activities since the last meeting. These included a coffee morning in aid of Ukraine which raised over £2,000, participation in a YMCA Sleep Easy to raise funds to keep young people off the streets and planting a cherry tree in the grounds of the Town Hall to commemorate the Queen’s forthcoming Platinum Jubilee and as part of the Queen’s Green Canopy initiative. Thanks were given to all those who had supported these events with special comment made regarding Charlotte Stockman, Neil Gallen and Councillor Neame for their support of the coffee morning.

 

Forthcoming events were also highlighted and included the Borough’s Community Centres hosting events to honour the Queen’s 96th birthday on 21 April 2022, a quiz to support Age Concern on 23 April 2022, Madam Mayor’s garden being opened to the public to benefit her chosen charities, a YMCA Curry Night fundraiser on 17 May 2022, and the Big Jubilee Lunch on 5 June 2022 to encourage communities to get to know each other better, with 40 applications received for street parties in the Borough.

 

Madam Mayor had also attended the final service of Father Andrew Cunnington as vicar at St Matthew’s Church in Redhill. It was highlighted that during his sixteen years of ministry, Father Andrew had set-up the Street Pastors scheme and St Matthew’s Church Foodbank.

 

Awarding of Past Mayor’s badge

Former Mayor Keith Foreman was recognised by Madam Mayor and the Members of Council for his work as Mayor during the 2019/20 Municipal Year and was awarded with the past Mayor’s badge. Mr Foreman took the opportunity to express his gratitude for the honour and to give his thanks for the support he had received from his Deputy Mayor, Councillor Absalom, the staff in the Mayor’s Office and his wife/consort. 

 

Recognition of Councillors

Madam Mayor and the Members of Council recognised the service of those Councillors who were standing down. Councillor Schofield, the Deputy Leader of the Council, noted that:

·       Councillor Lynch had served for 19 years and had been the Chair of the Licensing Committee for much of that time;

·       Councillor Horwood had served for 12 years, holding three portfolios during that time, was a regular member of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee and had proudly been the Deputy Mayor during 2012/13;

·       Councillor Philpot had served for four years and had been a member of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee including enjoying her membership of the Budget Scrutiny Panel; and

·       Councillor Feeney had served for three years and had been a member of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee and the Vice Chair of the Audit Committee having successful chaired the Audit Committee on occasion.

All were to receive certificates and shields in recognition of their service.

Madam Mayor also took the opportunity to recognise those Members with over 20 years of service who were named as Councillors Blacker, Bramhall, Harper, and Turner. Thanks were expressed for their hard work in representing the people of the  ...  view the full minutes text for item 79.