Agenda, decisions and minutes

There were no apologies for absence.

Councillors Chris Blow, Angela Goodwin, Diana Jones, Ramsey Nagaty, Susan Parker, Maddy Redpath, Deborah Seabrook, Paul Spooner and Catherine Young were in attendance.

There were no apologies for absence.

Councillors Chris Blow, Angela Goodwin, Diana Jones, Ramsey Nagaty, Susan Parker, Maddy Redpath, Deborah Seabrook, Paul Spooner and Catherine Young were also in attendance.

In accordance with the local Code of Conduct, a councillor is required to disclose at the meeting any disclosable pecuniary interest (DPI) that they may have in respect of any matter for consideration on this agenda.  Any councillor with a DPI must notparticipate in any discussion or vote regarding that matter and they must also withdraw from the meeting immediately before consideration of the matter.

If that DPI has not been registered, the councillor must notify the Monitoring Officer of the details of the DPI within 28 days of the date of the meeting.

Councillors are further invited to disclose any non-pecuniary interest which may be relevant to any matter on this agenda, in the interests of transparency, and to confirm that it will not affect their objectivity in relation to that matter.

There were no disclosures of interests.

There were no disclosures of interests.

To confirm the minutes of the meeting of the Executive held on 21 April 2020.

The minutes of the meeting held on 21 April were confirmed as a correct record.

The minutes of the meeting held on 21 April were confirmed as a correct record.

The Leader of the Council acknowledged the far-reaching impact and effect of the current Covid-19 crisis and noted that many of the Council’s planned projects and schemes would have to be reviewed and new tasks would appear. With a long way to go before Council business could return to usual the situation meant that new ways of working were imperative. The Leader announced that there would be a review of what had been successful and what may not have worked as expected.

The Leader praised the many Council officers who had been redeployed, some of whom had been taken out of their comfort zone and noted the amazing work done by the Community and Housing teams in support of the most vulnerable in the Guildford community.  The Leader thanked the teams who had kept the Council’s core services going throughout the lockdown across the borough and emphasised the importance of maintaining and developing the newly found community spirit that the crisis had produced. The anticipated recession that may arise from the lockdown would mean the Council should continue to be innovative and flexible in helping those in need of support.

The newly appointed Executive would be working closely with officers to establish a recovery plan to deal with the changed world that all will face. It was also very important that the Executive work closely together across all portfolios to get the best results possible. This would be a challenging time and the Council must ensure that it works closely with everyone across the whole borough, residents and businesses alike.

The Leader expressed gratitude to all the residents and businesses who had expressed their thanks for the work that the Council had undertaken over the last weeks.

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The Leader of the Council acknowledged the far-reaching impact and effect of the current Covid-19 crisis and noted that many of the Council’s planned projects and schemes would have to be reviewed and new tasks would appear. With a long way to go before Council business could return to usual the situation meant that new ways of working were imperative. The Leader announced that there would be a review of what had been successful and what may not have worked as expected.

The Leader praised the many Council officers who had been redeployed, some of whom had been taken out of their comfort zone and noted the amazing work done by the Community and Housing teams in support of the most vulnerable in the Guildford community.  The Leader thanked the teams who had kept the Council’s core services going throughout the lockdown across the borough and emphasised the importance of maintaining and developing the newly found community spirit that the crisis had produced. The anticipated recession that may arise from the lockdown would mean the Council should continue to be innovative and flexible in helping those in need of support.

The newly appointed Executive would be working closely with officers to establish a recovery plan to deal with the changed world that all will face. It was also very important that the Executive work closely together across all portfolios to get the best results possible. This would be a challenging time and the Council must ensure that it works closely with everyone across the whole borough, residents and businesses alike.

The Leader expressed gratitude to all the residents and businesses who had expressed their thanks for the work that the Council had undertaken over the last weeks.

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RESOLVED: 

(1)   To invite group leaders to submit nominations in respect of the appointment of a district council representative to:

a)    The Surrey County Council Adults and Health Select Committee, and

b)    The Countryside Access Forum. 

for determination by the Leader of the Council for onward submission to the Surrey Leaders’ Group by the deadline of 12 June 2020.

(2)    To agree that the call-in procedure shall not apply in respect of any decision taken by the Leader referred to in paragraph (1) above.

Alternative options considered and rejected by the Executive:

None

Details of any conflict of interest declared by the Leader or lead councillors and any dispensation granted:

None

The Executive noted that the Council had been invited by the Surrey Leaders' Group to nominate representatives to serve on the SCC Adults and Health Select Committee and the Countryside Access Forum. The Surrey Leaders' Group was formed of the leaders of the twelve Surrey local authorities. The deadline for receipt of nominations was Friday 12 June 2020.

The Deputy Leader of the Council and Lead Councillor for Service Delivery introduced the report.

There were no nominations for either appointment.

RESOLVED: 

(1)   To invite group leaders to submit nominations in respect of the appointment of a district council representative to:

a)    The Surrey County Council Adults and Health Select Committee, and

b)    The Countryside Access Forum. 

for determination by the Leader of the Council for onward submission to the Surrey Leaders’ Group by the deadline of 12 June 2020.

(2)    To agree that the call-in procedure shall not apply in respect of any decision taken by the Leader referred to in paragraph (1) above.

RESOLVED:

(1)        With regard to Guildford Park Car Park (GPCP), to cease the development of the car park and authorise officers to seek planning permission for a purely residential scheme on the site.

(2)        With regard to Bright Hill Car Park (BHCP), to authorise the Waste, Parking and Fleet Services Manager in consultation with the Lead Councillor for Environment to agree the provision of public parking based purely on a standalone business case with a maximum payback period for any additional investment of 10 years.

(3)        Authorise the Waste, Parking and Fleet Services Manager to develop medium and long-term strategies and actions plans based on the Parking Study within the Parking Annual Business Plan for formal adoption by the Executive.

Reason:

To finalise the position for GPCP in relation to the provision of the car park and housing, set clear assessment criteria for parking at BHCP and to authorise officers to develop a medium to long term parking strategy based on the findings of the study.

Alternative options considered and rejected by the Executive:

GPCP alternative options included continuing with parking or reducing the parking provision to bring down the build costs. BHCP alternative options included doing nothing, repairing the current car park and retaining the car park as is.

Details of any conflict of interest declared by the Leader or lead councillors and any dispensation granted:

None

The meeting heard that the Council was in the process of developing Guildford Park Road Car Park (GPCP) for housing and replacement parking and was also considering developing Bright Hill Car Park (BHCP) for housing.

Since the original decision had been made to develop both sites, certain factors concerning costs and the demand for housing and parking had changed. Consequently, it was felt prudent to undertake an in-depth parking study to understand if existing plans were still appropriate. The Executive was asked to consider a report setting out the background and key information resulting from the Parking Study and the officer recommendations concerning the immediate decisions for both car parks and the development a medium to long term strategy for car park provision.

The Lead Councillor for Environment introduced the report.

Discussion centred on the matter of electrical charging facilities in the town. Also mentioned was the overall provision of parking and how this would interact with planning for the future of the town centre. The Waste, Parking and Fleet Services Manager noted the comments. The meeting heard that the Council was working in partnership with Surrey County Council to install on-street electric car charging facilities in residential areas of the town. It was expected these installations would be in place later this year. In addition, the Council had made charging facilities available in its own public car parks. These car parks were often located close to residential areas and it was proposed would provide additional amenity for residents.

Following a roll call, the Executive unanimously

RESOLVED:

(1)       With regard to Guildford Park Road Car Park (GPCP), to cease the development of the car park and authorise officers to seek planning permission for a purely residential scheme on the site.

(2)       With regard to Bright Hill Car Park (BHCP), to authorise the Waste, Parking and Fleet Services Manager in consultation with the Lead Councillor for Environment to agree the provision of public parking based purely on a standalone business case with a maximum payback period for any additional investment of 10 years.

(3)       To authorise the Waste, Parking and Fleet Services Manager to develop medium and long-term strategies and actions plans based on the Parking Study within the Parking Annual Business Plan for formal adoption by the Executive.

Reason:

To finalise the position for GPCP in relation to the provision of the car park and housing, set clear assessment criteria for parking at BHCP and to authorise officers to develop a medium to long term parking strategy based on the findings of the study.

RESOLVED:

(1)   To adopt the Statement of Community Involvement (2020) as set out at Appendix 1 to the report submitted to the Executive.

(2)   To authorise the Planning Policy Manager to make such minor alterations to improve the clarity of the document as he may determine in consultation with the relevant Lead Councillor.

Reasons:

Under the legislative requirements the Council is required to review the SCI every five years from the date of its adoption. This review has been undertaken and has led to certain updates being proposed. It is considered important to have an up to date, adopted SCI which sets out how the Council will consult, engage and communicate with the public and statutory consultees on planning matters. An up to date SCI, aligned to planning processes is also important to minimise the risk of legal challenge. Furthermore, adopting the SCI will enable the Council to commence the public consultation on the draft Local Plan Development Management Policies in line with the Council resolution on 5 May 2020.

Alternative options considered and rejected by the Executive:

To not adopt the SCI which would mean the Regulation 18 consultation on the LPDMP could not be undertaken in line with the Council decision of 5 May 2020 and the Council would not have an up to date SCI that aligns with current processes being undertaken in light of the Covid 19 pandemic.

Details of any conflict of interest declared by the Leader or lead councillors and any dispensation granted:

None

The Executive considered a report on the proposed revision of the Council’s  Statement of Community Involvement (SCI), which sets out how the Council would consult, engage and communicate with the public and statutory consultees on all planning matters. Officers had reviewed the existing SCI in light of the recent impact that COVID-19 had on the Council’s ability to conduct consultation, as well as new legal requirements and current planning processes. As a result of this review, an updated Statement of Community Involvement (SCI) 2020 had been produced.

The Lead Councillor for Climate Change introduced the report.

The Executive noted that the revised document covered new ways of consulting and covered the entire planning process. With regard to questions raised about the scope of consultation for the revised SCI itself, the meeting heard that the Council would always consult with every party that was required by statute and in compliance with the General Data Protection Regulation and this remained unchanged.

Following a roll call, the Executive unanimously

RESOLVED:

(1)   To adopt the Statement of Community Involvement (2020) as set out at Appendix 1 to the report submitted to the Executive.

(2)   To authorise the Planning Policy Manager to make such minor alterations to improve the clarity of the document as he may determine in consultation with the relevant Lead Councillor.

Reasons:

Under the legislative requirements the Council is required to review the SCI every five years from the date of its adoption. This review has been undertaken and has led to certain updates being proposed. It is considered important to have an up to date, adopted SCI which sets out how the Council will consult, engage and communicate with the public and statutory consultees on planning matters. An up to date SCI, aligned to planning processes is also important to minimise the risk of legal challenge. Furthermore, adopting the SCI will enable the Council to commence the public consultation on the draft Local Plan Development Management Policies in line with the Council resolution on 5 May 2020.

RESOLVED: To agree that the Local Development Scheme (LDS), as set out in Appendix 1 to the report submitted to the Executive shall have effect from 3 June 2020.

Reason:

To progress the consultation on the new Guildford Borough Local Plan: Development Management Policiesby having a Local Development Scheme (LDS) with an up to date timetable for the Local Plan.

Alternative options considered and rejected by the Executive:

None

Details of any conflict of interest declared by the Leader or lead councillors and any dispensation granted:

None

The Executive considered a report which sought approval of an updated Local Development Scheme (LDS) for the new Local Plan: Development Management Policies. The LDS sets the timetable for plan production and opportunities for stakeholders to be involved in the process and the key milestones within that process.

The Lead Councillor for Climate Change introduced the report.

Following a roll call, the Executive unanimously

RESOLVED: To agree that the Local Development Scheme (LDS), as set out in Appendix 1 to the report submitted to the Executive shall have effect from 3 June 2020.

Reason:

To progress the consultation on the new Guildford Borough Local Plan: Development Management Policiesby having a Local Development Scheme (LDS) with an up to date timetable for the Local Plan.

RESOLVED: To formally adopt the Procurement Strategy 2020-2023.

Reason:

In order to manage the Council’s spend more effectively a strong Procurement function is necessary, the Procurement Strategy is required in order to support this.

Alternative options considered and rejected by the Executive:

None

Details of any conflict of interest declared by the Leader or lead councillors and any dispensation granted:

None

The Executive considered a report that set out the key components of the draft Procurement Strategy 2020-2023 for formal adoption.

The draft Strategy’s primary objective was to support the Council in delivering its strategic objectives and to ensure that in the procurement of goods, works and services the best value for money was achieved

Councillors noted that part of the Future Guildford programme was to deliver substantial savings.  The Procurement Savings Strategy, which was appended to the report, had set a target of £1.2 million annually by 2022.

The report was introduced by the Lead Councillor for Resources.

The draft strategy was welcomed by the Executive as the Council continued to work through challenging budgetary circumstances. The matter of the Climate Emergency was recognised as being a key driver across all Council activities and a strong message that the Council would continue to send to those with whom it undertook business.

Following a roll call, the Executive unanimously

RESOLVED: To formally adopt the Procurement Strategy 2020-2023.

Reason:

In order to manage the Council’s spend more effectively a strong Procurement function is necessary, the Procurement Strategy is required in order to support this.