Agenda and minutes

Before the commencement of proceedings all those present, at the invitation of the Mayor, Councillor Mark Francis, joined in singing the National Anthem.

A presentation of two framed certificates will be made to the Mayor to mark the 25^th anniversary of our twinning with Melun, France.

A presentation of a framed pennant will be made to the Mayor to mark the Magna Carta celebrations held in May 2015.

Councillor R.W. Sider BEM made the following presentation:

“On Sunday 8 November 2015, the Borough of Spelthorne celebrated, in Staines-upon-Thames, the 25th anniversary of its twinning with the City of Melun, France.

On this occasion, the Mayors of Spelthorne and Melun reaffirmed their commitment to maintain close links and the desire to work together for the benefit of their residents in a spirit of friendship and understanding.

In commemoration of this auspicious occasion I would now like to present you, Mr Mayor, with a framed certificate confirming this commitment and signed by yourself and the Mayor of Melun, Henri Mellier, our Chief Executive, Roberto Tambini and the President of the Association for International Relations in Melun, Colette Mélot.” 

The Mayor received the framed certificate from Councillor R.W. Sider BEM.

Councillor V.J. Leighton then made the following presentation:

“As part of the celebrations to commemorate the signing of the Magna Carta, over the weekend marking the 800th anniversary of this auspicious event I managed the organisation of a River Flotilla.

The Flotilla, which was led by the Mayor in ‘The Jolly Brit’, a former tender of the Royal Yacht Britannia, included a wide range of craft, from a 70’ barge to canoes from local rowing clubs. Pride of place after the Mayor went to two Dunkirk Little Ships and a river trip boat enabled non-boat owners to join as passengers. This river pageant of over 30 boats cruised upstream from Sunbury to the Lammas Park in Staines upon Thames, where a medieval fair, ‘The Baron’s Gathering’ continued into the evening so those from the boats could join in the entertainment. Each vessel in the flotilla flew a memento pennant which had been designed especially for this occasion by a local resident.

My huge thanks go to my team of local volunteers who helped put this on, to the local businesses who sponsored the event and to our staff who helped with the arrangements to make it such a success.

I would now like to present you, Mr Mayor, with a framed pennant from the Flotilla, to commemorate this special event in your Mayoral year.”

The Mayor received the framed pennant from Councillor V.J. Leighton.

The Deputy Mayor, Councillor A.E. Friday, announced that he wished to speak on a subject which was valued highly in Spelthorne: tradition. He said, “The origins of the Mayoral chain go back to the middle ages when Mayors, as the chief officials of medieval towns, adopted the gold chain as their symbol of office. The chain of office represents the responsibility, authority and dignity which are attached to the office of the Mayor and today is worn when the Mayor is on official duties and at civic occasions.

The Spelthorne Mayoral chain was first commissioned for the start of Cllr James Caiger’s  Mayoral year of 1974 – 75, to celebrate the inauguration of Spelthorne Borough Council. The chain of office consists of two parts - the chain itself and the badge.

After 40 years and 41 Mayors, we have now run out of space to engrave the Mayor’s name, so the decision was made earlier this year, after much deliberation, to purchase a new chain and have the Mayoral badge refurbished. Civic regalia are a symbol of continuity, of local identity and of civic pride.”

The Mayor removed the badge which was then fastened to the new chain. The Deputy Mayor, Councillor A.E. Friday presented the new Chain of Office to the Mayor of Spelthorne, Councillor Mark Francis.

To receive a presentation from Mr. Kevin Hurley, Police and Crime Commissioner for Surrey.

Kevin Hurley spoke about the work Surrey Police had been doing to keep Surrey the safest county in the country. He detailed the progress that had been made on Surrey Police’s six priorities to:

• Take a zero-tolerance policing approach: success of Joint Enforcement Team to tackle crime; burglary was down 25%
• Deliver more visible street policing: in spite of funding challenges, the force was increasing police officer numbers.

• Put victims at the centre of the criminal justice system: there had been a massive increase in domestic violence crimes which he believed was due to more incidents being reported rather than an increase in the crime itself. He admitted that Surrey Police had not done well on child protection issues but that a recovery plan was in place and that HM Inspectorate of Constabulary had intervened to ensure the force was going in the right direction on this.
• Give the public a greater say in how their streets are policed: receiving public feedback through local crime summits, social media
• Protect local policing: not facing any more significant cuts from central government but able to raise precept by 2%.
• Be uncompromising in standards of service: Facing challenges due to changes in the types of crime that needed investigating, such as cyber crime, child sexual exploitation and rising numbers of reported domestic violence.

Mr Hurley concluded by saying that he was grateful for the partnership between the office of the Police and Crime Commissioner, the Police and Spelthorne Borough Council; meaning that all in all, Surrey Police was in a good position to move forward and keep the residents of Spelthorne safe.

Mr Hurley then answered questions from members of the Council.

To confirm as a correct record the minutes of the Council meeting held on 22 October 2015.

The minutes of the Council meeting held on 22 October 2015 were agreed as a correct record.

To receive any disclosures of interest from Councillors in accordance with the Council’s Code of Conduct for members.

There were none.

To receive any announcements from the Mayor.

The Mayor thanked Councillors Friday, Sider and Leighton for their presentations to him this evening.

He reminded members that they were invited to his Charity lunch at

Great Fosters hotel on 31 January 2016 from 1pm for a 1.45pm start.

The Mayor introduced to the Council, Councillor Colin Barnard who was the newly-elected member representing Shepperton Town ward. The Mayor congratulated him on his election and wished him a long and successful career as a councillor. 

Councillor Barnard thanked members for their support and said he hoped to uphold the work of the well-respected late Councillor Robert Watts and follow in his footsteps.

To receive any announcements from the Leader.

The Leader, Councillor Q.R. Edgington, on behalf of all councillors wished the Chief Executive, Roberto Tambini and his senior Management Team, a very happy Christmas and thanked them for all their hard work this year. He asked that the Council’s thanks be passed on to all members of Spelthorne staff and wished them and their families a happy Christmas.

The Leader informed the Council that a recent report by UHY Hacker-Young Chartered Accountants, showed Staines-upon-Thames was leading the way in new business creation with 43 more new businesses per ten thousand population than a year ago, against a UK average of 14. The town’s strong transport links with London and Heathrow together with comparatively low office rents made it an ideal choice for start-ups, according to the report’s author.

The Leader welcomed Councillor Colin Barnard and congratulated him on his election. Finally, the Leader announced his engagement to Councillor Penny Forbes-Forsyth and wished all the councillors a happy Christmas.

To receive any announcements from the Chief Executive.

The Chief Executive, Roberto Tambini congratulated the Leader and Councillor Penny Forbes-Forsyth on their engagement and wished them well on behalf of the Council staff.

Mr Tambini reminded the Council of its agreement at the last meeting to investigate the possibility of twinning with the German town of Vaihingen, Stuttgart. He advised that following exploratory but informal talks with the Mayor of Stuttgart, Wolfgang Meinhardt, regretfully and with sincere apologies,  Wolfgang had declined the idea at the moment, nice though it would be, because they were so busy dealing with the refugee crisis.

Mr Tambini reminded members who had not yet completed the Members’ Allowances survey, that there were hard copies available in the Members’ room.

The Leader, or their nominee, to answer any questions raised by members of the public in accordance with Standing Order 14.

The following question has been received from Mr. Alan Doyle:

“There is a clear instruction in the 'Duty to Cooperate NPPG (Ref ID 9-006-20140306) that local authorities should where necessary 'align' their planning policies with those of the Local Enterprise Partnership. Indeed, Paragraph 6 goes on to state clearly that this is a 'fundamental requirement'. Currently, what Local Enterprise Partnership planning policies does Spelthorne Council have to align itself with?”

The Mayor reported that one question had been received from a member of the public under Standing Order 14.  Mr Alan Doyle asked the following question at the meeting:

“There is a clear instruction in the 'Duty to Cooperate NPPG (Ref ID 9-006-20140306) that local authorities should where necessary 'align' their planning policies with those of the Local Enterprise Partnership. Indeed, Paragraph 6 goes on to state clearly that this is a 'fundamental requirement'. Currently, what Local Enterprise Partnership planning policies does Spelthorne Council have to align itself with?”

The Portfolio Holder for Planning, Councillor V.J. Leighton, responded as follows:

“Thank you for your question, Mr Doyle.

Cooperating with other bodies in preparing Local Plans is a statutory requirement and the government has set out detailed guidance on this.  It is important that those requirements are understood in their proper context.

Our Local Enterprise Partnership – Enterprise M3 - covers an area from the New Forest to Spelthorne.  It does not prepare planning polices but its role, as explained in the Planning Practice Guidance (nPPG), is to “help deliver economic growth by directing strategic regeneration funds and in providing economic leadership through Strategic Economic Plans”. Their remit does not require them to have regard to constraints that may exist and which District and Borough Councils have to take into account when preparing their local plans.

We are required to ‘have regard’ to the work of LEPs but the guidance makes clear that cooperation in this respect is not the same as having to necessarily ‘agree’ on matters.

The ‘fundamental requirement’ referred to in guidance is for local planning authorities to work collaboratively with the LEP and ensure District local plans ‘align’ with each other to deliver an effective framework for strategic planning matters.

In summary the LEP does not produce ‘planning polices’ and we do not have to ‘align’ with the strategies they do produce but only have ‘regard’ to them as we balance development needs with other constraints.”

To receive any petitions from members of the public.

There were none.

To consider the recommendations of the Cabinet from its meeting on 9 December 2015.

Statement of Gambling Policy 2016-2019

The Council considered the recommendation from the Cabinet on the Statement of Gambling Policy 2016-19 and

Resolved that the revised Statement of Gambling Policy 2016-19 be adopted.

Calendar of Meetings for 2016-17

The Council considered the recommendation from the Cabinet, which was included in the Supplementary agenda, on the Calendar of Meetings for 2016-17 and

Resolved that the Calendar of Meetings for the Municipal Year June 2016 to May 2017, as set out at Appendix 1 in the Supplementary agenda, be approved.

To receive a recommendation of the Planning Committee from its meeting on 21 October 2015.

The Council considered the recommendation from the Planning Committee on a review of the Local List of Requirements for the validation of Planning applications.

Resolved to agree that Part 3(d) of the Constitution (Delegations to Officers) be amended so that any future amendments to the Local List of Requirements for the validation of planning applications are delegated to the Head of Planning and Housing Strategy.

To receive the report from the Leader of the Council on the work of the Cabinet at its meeting on 9 December 2015.

The Leader, Councillor Q.R. Edgington, presented his report which outlined some of the important issues the Cabinet had decided at its meeting held on 9 December 2015.

To receive the report from the Chairman of the Licensing Committee on the work of his Committee.

The Chairman of the Licensing Committee, Councillor R.W. Sider BEM, presented his report, which outlined the matters the Committee had decided since the last Council meeting.

To receive the report from the Chairman of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee on the work of his Committee.

The Chairman of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee, Councillor A.E. Friday, presented his report, which outlined the matters the Committee had decided since the last Council meeting.

To receive the report from the Chairman of the Planning Committee on the work of his Committee.

The Chairman of the Planning Committee, Councillor R.A. Smith-Ainsley, presented his report, which outlined the matters the Committee had decided since the last Council meeting.

To receive any motions from Councillors or members of the public.

There were none.

The Leader, or their nominee, to answer questions from Councillors on issues in their Ward, in accordance with Standing Order 15.

There were none.

The Leader, or their nominee, to answer questions from Councillors on matters affecting the Borough, in accordance with Standing Order 15.

There were none.

To consider the appointment of Mrs. Denise Turner-Stewart as a representative Trustee on the Staines Parochial Charity with immediate effect until April 2018, as a replacement for Councillor Mark Francis.

Resolved that Mrs Denise Turner-Stewart be appointed as a Council representative Trustee to serve on the Staines Parochial Charities until April 2018, as a replacement for Councillor Mark Francis.

The Mayor, Councillor Mark Francis, wished all the councillors, officers and members of the public present a happy Christmas.