Council considered the recommendation of the Members’ Code of Conduct Committee on the Policy on Gifts, Hospitality and Sponsorship.

It was moved and seconded that the Policy on Gifts Hospitality and Sponsorship be amended as proposed in the supplementary agenda papers, and subject to the following changes proposed by the Committee:

a.    That the nominal value for gifts be raised to £50;

b.    Offers of hospitality open to all members to be recorded by officers

c.    Gifts below the nominal value received by Refuse operatives, Community Day centre staff, Meals on Wheels and Spelride drivers from grateful members of the public are not required to be recorded

d.    Gifts below the nominal value received by the Mayor or Deputy Mayor, in the course of fulfilling their civic role are not required to be recorded.

The Monitoring Officer thanked the Committee for their consideration of his report on the Policy and advised the Council on the recommendations before them.

Councillor H.R. Williams moved and Councillor I.T.E. Harvey seconded an amendment to the recommendation as follows:

under part a. – amend the words “be raised to £50” to read “remain at £35”

and remove part d. in its entirety.

The Leader, Councillor I.T.E. Harvey, called for a recorded vote on the amendment.

The vote was as follows:

The amendment was carried.

The Council then voted on the substantive motion and

Resolved that the Policy on Gifts Hospitality and Sponsorship be amended as attached and subject to the following changes proposed by the Committee:

a.    That the nominal value for gifts remain at £35;

b.    Offers of hospitality open to all members to be recorded by officers and

c.    Gifts below the nominal value received by Refuse operatives, Community Day centre staff, Meals on Wheels and Spelride drivers from grateful members of the public are not required to be recorded.

Council considered the recommendation of the Cabinet on the Pay Award 2019/20.

The proposal had been subject to consultation and negotiation with UNISON.

Resolved to approve the 2019/20 pay award of 2.5% to all staff.

Council considered the recommendation of the Cabinet on the Members’ Allowances Scheme for 2019/20, as set out in Annex 1 to the Independent Remuneration Panel’s report.

Resolved to approve the recommendations of the Independent Remuneration Panel in relation to the Members’ Allowances Scheme 2019-2020, as set out below:

¹ On an assumption of a 2.5% staff pay award

² Based on the existing Cabinet and excluding the Leader, Deputy Leader and Cabinet member for Finance

Council considered the recommendation of the Members’ Code of Conduct Committee on the appointment of Independent Persons 2019–2023.

Resolved:

1.    That the Monitoring Officer (Michael Graham) be authorised to establish a Joint Appointments Panel with participating Surrey councils’ monitoring officers so that the Panel may:

(a)  advertise for, short-list, and interview candidates and

(b)  make recommendations to the respective councils for the appointment of Independent Persons under Section 28(7) of the Localism Act 2011, for a four-year term of office expiring in May 2023;

2.    That the Independent Persons appointed by this Council be entitled to receive the same level of travelling expenses as are provided for councillors under the Scheme of Allowances for Councillors; and

3.    That the Monitoring Officer be authorised to withdraw from joint arrangements in the event that we are not content with the process or proposed  appointments, and make separate arrangements for Spelthorne Borough Council to appoint its Independent Persons.

Council considered the recommendation of the Cabinet on the Pay Policy Statement for 2019/20.

The Pay Policy Statement set out the Council’s policies on a range of issues relating to the pay of its workforce, particularly its senior staff and the lowest paid employees, including:

•         Remuneration of its Chief Officers

•         Remuneration of its lowest paid employees

•         The relationship between the remuneration of its Chief Officers and the remuneration of those employees who are not Chief Officers

•         The publication of and access to information relating to remuneration of Chief Officers.

Resolved to approve the Pay Policy Statement 2019/20.

Council considered the recommendation of the Cabinet on the Capital Programme for the period 2019/20 to 2022/23 in the light of the available resources and the corporate priorities and the Prudential Indicators for 2019/20 to 2022/23.

Resolved to approve:

1.    the Capital Programme for 2019/20 to 2022/23

2.    the Prudential Indicators for 2019/20 to 2022/23

The Council considered the recommendation of Cabinet on the detailed Revenue Budget for 2019-20 and the proposed Council Tax for 2019-20. The Mayor referred councillors to the Budget Book (green cover) reflecting the decisions and recommendations made by Cabinet on 20 February 2019, including the precepts being levied by Surrey County Council and the Surrey Police.

The Mayor asked the Council to agree, in accordance with Standing Order 20.4, that the respective Budget speeches of the Group Leaders may each exceed 10 minutes in length if necessary.

Resolved to agree that the respective Budget speeches of the Group Leaders may each exceed 10 minutes in length if necessary.

The Leader of the Council, Councillor I.T.E. Harvey and the portfolio holder for Finance, Councillor H.R. Williams, made a joint statement on the Budget and the Council Tax and moved and seconded the recommendations on the detailed Budget for 2019-20 as set out in the report circulated in the Budget Book.  The Leader of the Ashford and Staines Residents’ Group, Councillor D. Saliagopoulos then made a statement. Councillor I.J. Beardsmore, Leader of the Liberal Democrats declined the opportunity to make a speech.

A copy of Councillors Harvey and Saliagopoulos speeches are attached to these minutes as Appendices A and B respectively.

At the conclusion of the debate on the Revenue Budget, the Mayor explained it was a legal requirement to record in the minutes of the proceedings the names of the persons who cast a vote for the decision or who abstained from voting.

The voting was as follows:

Resolved:

1. To continue the Council’s Local Council Tax Support Scheme with the current rules and regulations;
2. To continue the complete disregard of war pension / armed forces pension income from benefit calculations;
3. The growth and savings items as set out in the report’s appendices;
4. The Council Tax Base for the whole council area for 2019/20. [Item T in the formula in Section 31b(3) of the local government Finance Act 1992, as amended (the “act”)] should be 39,688.00 band D equivalent dwellings and calculate that the Council Tax requirement for the Council’s own purpose for 2019/20 is £202.44 Per Band D equivalent dwelling;
5. To approve a £5 or 2.53% increase on Band D in the Spelthorne Borough Council element of the Council Tax for 2019/20. Moreover:

a)    The revenue estimates as set out in Appendix 1 be approved.

b)    No Money, as set out in this report is appropriated from General Reserves in support of Spelthorne’s local Council tax for 2019/20.

c)    To agree that the Council Tax base for the year 2019/20 is 39,688.00 band D equivalent dwellings calculated in accordance with regulation 3 of the Local Authorities (Calculation of Council tax base) Regulations 1992, as amended, made under Section 35(5) of the Local Government Finance Act 1992.

6.    That the following sums be now calculated by the Council for the year 2019/20 in accordance with Section 31 to 36 of the Local Government Act 1992:

7.    That the following amounts be calculated for the year 2019/20 in accordance with Sections 31 to 36 of the Local Government Finance Act 1992 as amended by the Localism Act 2011: 

Being the amounts given by multiplying the amount at (F) above by the number which in the proportion set out in Section 5(1) of the Act, is applicable to dwellings listed in a particular valuation band divided by the sum which in that proportion is applicable to dwellings listed in valuation band ‘D’, calculated by the Council, in accordance with Section36(1) of the Act, as the amounts to be taken into account for the year in respect of categories of dwellings listed in different band.

8.    That it be noted  that for the year 2019/20 Surrey County Council and Surrey Police and Crime Commissioner have stated the following amounts in precepts issued to Spelthorne Borough Council in accordance with Section 40 of the Local Government Finance Act 1992 for each of the categories of dwellings shown below:

Precepts issued to the Council

9.    That, having calculated the aggregate in each case above the Council in accordance with Sections 30 and 36 of the Local Government Finance Act 1992 as amended by the Localism Act 2011, hereby sets the amounts as the amounts of Council tax for the year 2019/20.

The Council has determined that its relevant basic amount of Council Tax for 2019/20 is not excessive in accordance with the principles approved under Section 52ZB Local Government Finance Act 1992.

As the billing authority, the council has not been notified by a major precepting authority that its relevant basic amount of Council Tax for 2019/20 is excessive and that the billing authority is not required to hold a referendum in accordance with Section 52ZK Local Government Finance Act 1992.

Council considered the recommendation of the Cabinet on the Treasury Management Strategy Statement for 2019/20.

The proposed Strategy represented an appropriate balance between risk management and cost effectiveness.

Resolved to approve the Treasury Management Strategy Statement for 2019/20.

Council considered the recommendation of the Cabinet on the Capital Strategy.

The aim of the Capital Strategy was to provide a clear and concise account to residents and other stakeholders of how the Council is going to prioritise its capital expenditure in the short, medium and long term, and how it manages risks with respect to delivering those capital objectives.

The proposed Capital Strategy had been created in line with guidance documents provided by CIPFA.

Resolved to adopt the Capital Strategy as attached to the supplementary agenda.