Agenda and minutes

Apologies for absence were submitted on behalf of Councillors Chris Blow, Angela Goodwin, David Goodwin, Tony Rooth, and Will Salmon and Honorary Freemen Andrew Hodges, Jen Powell, and David Watts, and Honorary Aldermen Catherine Cobley, Sarah Creedy, Jayne Marks, and Lynda Strudwick.

To receive and note any disclosable pecuniary interests from councillors. 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 not participate 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 interest.

To receive any communications or announcements from the Mayor.

The Mayor thanked everyone who came along to Weybourne House to support the Halloween Charity lunch in aid of Shooting Star Children’s Hospices and the Mayor’s Support Fund, in particular to the Civic Secretary and those who generously donated raffle prizes. The Mayor was delighted to announce that the event raised over £1,000.

On Friday 22 October, the Mayor attended on behalf of the Borough Council, the launch of the Surrey Royal British Legion’s Poppy Appeal at the ATC in Pirbright.

The Mayor reminded Councillors that they had already received invitations to attend the Armistice Day 2 minutes’ silence at 11 o’clock on Thursday 11 November and the Remembrance Day Church Service and Parade on Sunday 14 November 2021.

The Mayor asked Councillors who had not already done so, to confirm whether they can attend as soon as possible.

The Mayor expressed thanks to those Councillors who had already volunteered to sell poppies on behalf of the Royal British Legion this coming weekend. Any further volunteers were asked to contact the Civic Secretary.

Finally, on behalf of the Council, the Mayor wished Councillor Chris Blow a full and speedy recovery from his recent fall.  The Mayor was pleased to announce that although Councillor Blow was still in hospital, he was making good progress and was very grateful for all the messages of support he had received.  

To receive any communications or announcements from the Leader of the Council.

The Leader congratulated the Mayor for hosting the Halloween Charity lunch in aid of Shooting Star Children’s Hospices and the Mayor’s Support Fund, and thanked her for her commitment to the Mayoralty.

The Leader announced that residents should have received a bin collection calendar by the end of this week, with details of collection dates including our Christmas timetable and reminder of which item goes into which bin to ensure maximisation of what we re-use and recycle.

The Leader informed councillors that the Council would be launching Crowdfund Guildford on 10 November.  The launch event would be online at guildford.gov.uk/crowdfundguildford

and it was going to be a new way for local people and groups to raise funds and support Guildford.

The Leader drew the Council’s attention to a special exhibit of the Surrey Infantry Collection at Guildford House Gallery to commemorate the period of Remembrance and to celebrate 100 years since the Poppy was adopted as a symbol of Remembrance. The exhibit is open from 6 to 14 November between 10 30am and 3.30 pm.   

Finally, the Leader apologised that the feedback from the recent car free day was still being reviewed and had not yet been published.  The Leader was able to report early positive headlines such as 90% of those who responded would like Guildford to be more pedestrianised, 80% were satisfied with the event, and 90% would like to see a similar event again.  However, areas for improvement were highlighted such as the need for better links with available public transport and more cycle friendly options.  The Leader would circulate the feedback to councillors upon completion of the review.

In response to a question in which it was noted that disabled parking bays in the town centre had been suspended during Car Free Day, the Leader confirmed that for future Car Free Days, he would take into account the needs of disabled drivers, many of whom have no alternative to travelling by car.

To receive questions or statements from the public in relation only to the business for which this extraordinary meeting has been called.

No members of the public had given notice of their wish to ask a question or make a statement.

To hear questions (if any) from councillors of which due notice has been given in relation only to the business for which this extraordinary meeting has been called.

Councillor Paul Spooner asked the Lead Councillor for Climate Change, Councillor Jan Harwood, the following question:

“The published agendas for the Executive on 26 October 2021 and Full Council on 1 November 2021 included Regulation 19 Consultation on Local Plan: Development Management Policies and the Local Development Scheme 2021.

Shortly prior to the Executive the items were removed from the agenda on the basis that more time was needed to consider comments. Can the Lead Councillor explain why, after two and a half years since the change of administration in May 2019, this important part of the Local Plan has been ‘pulled’ at the last minute and advise the Council on the repercussions of this delay for the community across the Borough in not having up to date Development Management Policies and can the Lead Councillor provide a new timeline for progressing the Local Plan to Regulation 19 and through to adoption with an updated Local Development Scheme 2021”.

The Lead Councillor’s response was as follows:

“The Development Management Policies item expected at Executive last week has been delayed in order to consider a number of minor amendments as requested by the Joint EAB. We expect this item to be brought back to the Executive at its next meeting on 23 November, with a view to submission to full council at its meeting on 7 December. This short delay is unlikely to affect the consultation timetable.

Given the strength of feeling amongst all councillors on the topic of development management and planning, we are hoping to achieve wide apolitical support for these important policies. We believe a small procedural delay is worth it to make sure these last-minute amendments do not have unintended consequences”

Councillor Jan Harwood

Lead Councillor for Climate Change

In response to a supplementary question, the Lead Councillor confirmed that the report and papers on the agenda for this meeting would not be reissued for subsequent consideration of this matter.  Councillors who had received a hard copy of the papers were requested to retain them. It was anticipated that any changes would be of a fairly minor nature.

In response to another supplementary question in which the lead councillor was asked to confirm whether the 71 amendments proposed by the Joint EAB to 26 policies would be robustly considered and brought back to the Executive as mentioned, the Lead Councillor confirmed that this had been the reason for the delay, as the Executive was not comfortable in recommending the policies to Council and were currently working through attempts to reach a broader consensus.

In response to a further supplementary question, in which the Lead Councillor was asked to consider referring the proposed amendments to the DMPs to the Climate Change Board to enable it to review their impact on climate change, the Lead Councillor responded by stating that every member of the Climate Change Board was already represented on the Joint EAB.  The Lead Councillor felt that as these issues had been robustly and extensively  ...  view the full minutes text for item CO61

Prior to the Executive meeting on 26 October 2021, councillors were informed that this matter had been withdrawn from the agenda due to the need for additional time to enable Executive Members to give full consideration to the feedback given by Members of the Joint Executive Advisory Board at their meeting on 20 September 2021, and that this matter, together with the Local Development Scheme, would be considered at the next earliest opportunity.

As the Local Plan was part of the policy framework of the Council, and it was a requirement that proposals contained within policy framework documents that were presented to the Council were approved by the Executive, this item had therefore been withdrawn from the agenda for this extraordinary meeting of the Council.

Following two public consultation exercise on the Council’s revised corporate priorities and consideration by the Joint Executive Advisory Board on 15 March 2021, the Council considered a report on the adoption of a new Corporate Plan for the period 2021-2025.

At its meeting on 26 October 2021, the Executive considered this matter and a modification to the draft Corporate Plan was suggested to include reference to the importance of biodiversity.  The Leader indicated that he would confer with the Lead Councillor for Climate Change to see if this could be included. Subject to such modification, the Executive endorsed the recommendation to the Council to adopt the Corporate Plan.

The Leader of the Council, Councillor Joss Bigmore proposed, and the Deputy Leader of the Council, Councillor Jan Harwood seconded the following motion:

“That the proposed new Corporate Plan 2021-2025, as set out in Appendix 1 to the report submitted to the Council, be adopted.

Under Council Procedure Rule 15 (o), Councillor Bigmore as the mover of the original motion, indicated that, with the consent of his seconder and of the meeting, he wished to alter his motion so that it read as follows:

“That the proposed new Corporate Plan 2021-2025, as set out in Appendix 1 to the report submitted to the Council, be adoptedsubject to the following minor modifications:

(1)   Amend the first paragraph of the second page of the Foreword (page 963 of the agenda) as follows:

“Sustainable transport systems, cycle ways and footpaths and improved public transport routes are vital. New housing developments will be required to have lower carbon emissions. High energy efficiency standards, electric vehicle charging points and renewable energy sources will all be features. By using land more sustainably, we can also protect and create new habitats to enhance biodiversity”.

(2)   In the second sentence of the third paragraph of the second page of the Foreword (page 963 of the agenda), substitute “I am immensely proud of the way in which our staff responded to the crisis” with “We are immensely proud of the way in which our staff responded to the crisis”.

(3)   In the third sentence of the fifth paragraph of the second page of the Foreword (page 963 of the agenda), omit “As I write,”.

(4)   In the third sentence of the sixth paragraph of the second page of the Foreword (page 963 of the agenda), substitute “I’m confident we will become a greener borough with a renewed, thriving economy, coming together to support our communities and most vulnerable residents.” with “We are confident we will become a greener borough with a renewed, thriving economy, coming together to support our communities and most vulnerable residents.”

(5)   Under the Homes and Jobs theme (page 969 of the agenda), amend the fourth corporate priority as follows:

·       Facilitate Support high quality development of strategic sites

(6)  Under the Environment Theme (page 971 of the agenda), insert a fourth corporate priority as follows:

·       Make every effort to protect and enhance  ...  view the full minutes text for item CO63

Councillors were reminded that, at its extraordinary meeting held on 6 July 2021, the Council had agreed to pursue options for collaboration with Waverley Borough Council, namely the appointment of a single management team.  At its meeting on 28 July 2021, the Council had agreed the job description, person specification and the appointment of a Joint Appointments Committee to carry out the recruitment and make recommendations to both Councils for approval.

Following a rigorous two-day process, which included an external stakeholder panel, and with the advice and support of South East Employers, the Joint Appointments Committee had recommended the appointment of Tom Horwood as the Joint Chief Executive of Guildford and Waverley Borough Councils.

The full Council may only make or approve the appointment where no well-founded objection has been made by the Leader on behalf of the Executive in accordance with the provisions of Part II of Schedule 1 of the Local Authorities (Standing Orders) (England) Regulations 2001. The Council noted that this provision had been complied with and no well-founded objection had been made by the Leader of the Council on behalf of the Executive.

It was also noted that Waverley Borough Council had also confirmed that no such objection has been made by their Leader on behalf of the Waverley Executive.

The Leader of the Council, Councillor Joss Bigmore proposed, and the Deputy Leader of the Council, Councillor Jan Harwood, seconded a motion to appoint Mr Horwood to the post of Joint Chief Executive.

During the debate, the following points were raised:

·       Concern over the process in respect of the appointment, which was perceived as being rushed, and yielded only one candidate

·       Concern over the collaboration process, with insufficiently robust financial information

·       The appointments process followed the very detailed legal and HR advice given to both councils 

Following the debate, the Council

RESOLVED:

  (1) That Tom Horwood be appointed to the post of Joint Chief Executive of Guildford and Waverley Borough Councils, and to the statutory roles of Head of Paid Service, Returning Officer and Electoral Registration Officer for both Councils.

(2)   That the above appointments be confirmed once contract negotiations have been finalised.

Reason:

To ensure the Council complies with the requirements of:

(1)   Section 4 of the Local Government and Housing Act 1989 in respect of the appointment of a (Joint) Head of Paid Service.

(2)   Sections 8 and 35 of the Representation of People Act 1983 in respect of the appointment of Electoral Registration Officer and Returning Officer respectively.

A recorded vote on this matter was requested by Councillor Keith Witham, supported by four other councillors.  The motion was carried with thirty-two councillors voting in favour, eight against, and three abstentions, as follows:

To order the Common Seal to be affixed to any document to give effect to any decision taken by the Council at this meeting.

The Council

RESOLVED: That the Common Seal of the Council be affixed to any documents to give effect to any decisions taken by the Council at this meeting.