Agenda and minutes

To observe a minutes silence in remembrance of Alderman John Packman, past Leader of Spelthorne Borough Council.

The Council observed a minutes silence in remembrance of Alderman John Packman, past Leader of Spelthorne Borough Council.

To confirm as a correct record the minutes of the Annual Council meeting held on 27 May 2021 and the Extraordinary Council meeting held on 10 June 2021.

The minutes of the Annual Council meeting held on 27 May 2021 and the Extraordinary Council meeting held on 10 June 2021 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.

Councillor T. Fidler declared that he would not take part in the debate or vote on item 12b,Exempt Report - Proposed Award of Leisure Centre Contractor contract - Key Decision, to avoid any conflict of interest.

To receive any announcements from the Mayor.

The Mayor made the following announcements:

Since the AGM the Mayoress and I have attended several functions including Ashford Youth Club open day, the opening of the Spelthorne Business Hub in Sunbury, the Service for the Judiciary last Tuesday, and yesterday the awarding of the Queens Award for Voluntary Service, to Sunbury Arts Centre, which was presented by the Lord Lieutenant, Michael More Molyneux. I understand that only two such awards have been made in Surrey this year.

This was a remarkable achievement for the Arts Centre, who have been operating on an entirely voluntary basis since 1982. The citation states that it is the highest award available to the Voluntary Sector in the UK. The entire volunteer team are to be congratulated, and Cllr Leighton, who originally proposed them, should be thanked too. Sunbury Arts Centre is the Boroughs only dedicated arts and cultural centre and is in use daily.

As we come to the end of the educational year I am aware that at least two headteachers, Louise Duncan, Headmistress of Sunbury Manor School and Liz Fielding, Head of St Nicholas’s primary school in Shepperton, are retiring and I want to thank them for their service to education in Spelthorne and wish them a long and happy retirement.

Members have been advised of an exchange visit to our French twinned town, Melun, for the weekend commencing 1st October for what is described as a Brie fete. Places are limited, and self-funded, but if any Member is interested please contact Dawn Richards, as soon as possible.

To receive any announcements from the Leader.

The Leader made the following announcements:

The Prime Minister announced on 12 July that the Borough, along with the rest of the country, would move to step four of the roadmap out of lockdown from 19 July. This step sees the lifting of many of the restrictions that have impacted our daily lives. I know this has been, and continues to be, a very difficult time for many residents and businesses in the Borough. It has been 16 and a half months since Spelthorne was the first Surrey council to declare a Borough-wide emergency and, during this time, the Council has done everything possible to support communities and is committed to continuing to do so.

The Council continues to support business in Spelthorne and to date has distributed over £50million in relief and grants during the pandemic. The fourth Additional Restrictions Grant application window closes on 18 July so I would urge all eligible businesses yet to apply to do so.

Over the past few weeks, pop up vaccination centres have been deployed across the Borough and I would urge you to please protect yourselves and others by getting fully vaccinated. All adults can now receive their first jab and, after eight weeks, they will be able to have their second dose.

Spelthorne will be doubling its investment in green initiatives over the next 12 months through a one-off increase of the Better Neighbourhood Grant, meaning £39,000 will be going to grassroots schemes to generate a cleaner, greener Spelthorne. Ward councillors will now have a £2000 annual allowance to support community projects and green projects in their ward, of which half will be for green projects.

The Spelthorne Business Hub is now open in Sunbury-upon-Thames. The Hub provides a co-working environment for start-up companies, entrepreneurs, and businesses, alongside an exciting programme of business support. The Hub will provide a creative base for entrepreneurs to develop and grow their ideas and I wish all the businesses involved a successful future.

Spelthorne Borough Council's Planning Committee has approved plans to build a new Leisure Centre in the Borough. The state-of-the-art facility will be located in Knowle Green in Staines-upon-Thames and will benefit from a comprehensive range of facilities. Construction, which will be to the Passivhaus standard, is due to begin in 2022 with completion in 2024.

The official launch of a new jetty on the River Thames in Staines was celebrated at the start of June. Located in Memorial Gardens, the jetty has been created to allow tour boats operators to pick-up and drop-off customers, connecting Staines with Hampton Court and Windsor. I would like to thank The River Thames Task Group, for their work to improve access and leisure activities along Spelthorne's 12 mile stretch of river.

At the Corporate Policy and Resources committee on 5 July, the process to undertake an investigation into the events surrounding the award of the contract for the Waterfront hotel development in Staines was formally started.  It is in everyone’s interests that this is thorough,  ...  view the full minutes text for item 232/21

To receive any announcements from the Chief Executive.

The Chief Executive announced that the Council’s magazine, the Bulletin, was in the process of being delivered to 45,000 households across the borough. The Bulletin contained the annual report for 2020-21 which details some of the tremendous work that Spelthorne Borough Council and its staff have delivered in support of its communities, particularly those most vulnerable throughout the Coronavirus pandemic.

The impact of the pandemic has been profound and has seen this authority assist more than 17,000 vulnerable residents and support businesses with £50million of grants and additional support. The Chief Executive stated that he wished to place on record his thanks to the Council’s staff who continued to do their utmost for the borough’s communities.

The pandemic has had an impact on many people’s wellbeing as well as a financial cost to the authority.

The Chief Executive explained that Councillors had asked to be kept informed of some of those costs and asked the Deputy Chief Executive and S151 Officer to provide an update.

The Deputy Chief Executive and S151 Officer reported that the COVID-19 pandemic had had significant financial impact on the Council, as had been the case for all councils, and the ongoing impacts on service income streams could continue for a number of years.

In May 2020 the Council took prompt action to set an emergency budget allowing up to an additional £2.2m of net spend to be funded from Reserves. This budget was set at a time when councils had received only one tranche of emergency COVID-19 funding from the government and the share allocated to districts and boroughs was particularly low. Happily, the funding for local government was significantly improved and in particular funding for districts and boroughs, in recognition of their proportionately greater reliance on sales, fees and charges. As a result, as reported to Cabinet in May 2021, the Revenue Outturn impact on the Council was considerably better than we initially feared, and we did not need to apply any of the additional £2.2m reserves and indeed were able to add to reserves.

Since the pandemic commenced we have distributed the funding support from Government for businesses across the borough. In 2020-21 we distributed £18m of business rates relief towards retail, leisure and hospitality businesses. In 2021-22 with the more reduced scheme we are anticipating distribution £11m of business rates relief. In 2020-21 we distributed as business support grants (excluding LRSG) £19m and we anticipate distributing (Restart & ARG) £6m in 2021-22. In particularly we still have £2.2m of Additional Restrictions Grant, which is the discretionary grant for businesses who do not pay business rates, with an applications window for businesses to apply currently open

As part of the broad ranging COVID-19 recovery plan we have a number of specific actions to support economic recovery across the Borough. The Deputy Chief Executive and S151 officers explained that he was delighted to attend the opening of the Council’s incubator for fledging and small businesses in Sunbury and that putting this support in place was  ...  view the full minutes text for item 233/21

The Leader, or his nominee, to answer any questions raised by members of the public in accordance with Standing Order 13.

Note: the deadline for questions to be considered at this meeting is 12 noon on Thursday 8 July 2021.

At the time of publication one question had been received as follows:

Question from Mr A. McLuskey

In the light of the utter pointlessness of the Esso pipeline about to be laid from Southampton to Heathrow and the tarnished reputation of the organisation’s parent company will Spelthorne Council agree to press for a cancellation of this deeply disruptive and anti-environmental project?

The Mayor reported that, under Standing Order 13, ten questions had been received from four members of the public and that two of those questions (questions 3 and 5) had been grouped together for response.

1.    Question from Mr A. McLuskey

In the light of the utter pointlessness of the Esso pipeline about to be laid from Southampton to Heathrow and the tarnished reputation of the organisation’s parent company will Spelthorne Council agree to press for a cancellation of this deeply disruptive and anti-environmental project?

Response from the Leader, Councillor L. Nichols

The Southampton to London pipeline was subject to a Development Consent Order (DCO) which was approved by the Secretary of State for Business, Energy, and Industrial Strategy in October 2020. This decision followed a thorough and detailed examination process, conducted by the Planning Inspectorate. This pipeline is to be replaced by a new one, primarily due to the age and condition of the existing facility.

The Development Consent Order process sits under the Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects regime. With this Consent Order having been approved by the Government, there is no means to challenge the decision. The Borough Council has a role in deciding applications for certain requirements of the DCO which are submitted by Esso.  These applications relate primarily to specific technical details of how the works are to be carried out and the processes involved. However the principle of the pipeline replacement has been agreed through the approved DCO in October 2020.

2.    Question from Mr A. Woodward

The Council persists in stating that they are legally bound to comply with the housing numbers from central Government, using this as a justification for releasing green belt and employing consultants to provide a rationale for this. There are clearly exceptional circumstances in Spelthorne, large areas of green belt, the area already covered by water and the high levels of flood risk, so could the Leader explain why no consideration has been given to using an alternative methodology for assessing housing numbers, as set out in the relevant Government guidance? Housing and economic needs assessment - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

The relevant paragraph of the guidance is given below.

Where an alternative approach results in a lower housing need figure than that identified using the standard method, the strategic policy-making authority will need to demonstrate, using robust evidence, that the figure is based on realistic assumptions of demographic growth and that there are exceptional local circumstances that justify deviating from the standard method. This will be tested at examination.

Response from the Chairman of the Environment and Sustainability Committee, Councillor I. Beardsmore

With the permission of the Mayor, Councillor I. Beardsmore prefaced his answers with updates about recent judgements by the Planning Inspectorate. Councillor I. Beardsmore explained that the updates were very relevant so some of the answers he would be providing.

Firstly, four weeks ago in Hertfordshire a predatory developer obtained planning permission to build100 houses in farmers field. It was opposed by the authorities concerned because the site  ...  view the full minutes text for item 234/21

To agree the representation of the different political groups and the appointment of members to the Development Sub-Committee  as found at Appendix A (attached).

Please note, the Corporate Policy and Resources Committee were unable to nominate to all of the available seats but the Development Sub-Committee can still be formed and is able to carry out its functions providing there is a quorum present at the meeting.

The Quorum for the Sub-Committee is one quarter (two members).  

The Mayor informed members that the Corporate Policy and Resources Committee were unable to nominate to all five of the available seats at their meeting on 5 July 2021 but that the Development Sub-Committee could still be formed and would be able to carry out its functions providing there was a quorum present at their meetings.

The Quorum for the Sub-Committee is one quarter (two members). 

The Mayor further clarified that those seats without nominations were for Conservative Group Councillors and could not be filled by other groups as there was a legal requirement for the sub-committee to be politically proportionate.

It was proposed by Councillor L. Nichols and seconded by Councillor J. Sexton and resolved that the allocation of seats on the Development Sub-Committee as shown at Appendix A be approved.

To appoint councillor representatives to serve on the following Outside Bodies:

1. South West Middlesex Crematorium Board

(1 representative and 1 deputy)

2. Surrey Police and Crime Panel

(1 representative)

At the time of publication the following nominations were received:

South West Middlesex Crematorium Board Representative: 

Councillor R. Noble

South West Middlesex Crematorium Board Deputy:          

Councillor R. Dunn

Surrey Police and Crime Panel Representative:                  

B. Spoor

The Mayor explained that as there were three appointments to be made he would take each one separately.

It was proposed by Councillor L. Nichols and seconded by Councillor J. Sexton and resolved that Councillor Robert Noble serve as the Council’s representative on the South West Middlesex Crematorium Board.

It was proposed by Councillor L. Nichols and seconded by Councillor J. Sexton and resolved that Councillor Richard Dunn serve as the Council’s Deputy representative on the South West Middlesex Crematorium Board

It was proposed by Councillor L. Nichols and seconded by Councillor J. Sexton and resolved that Councillor Bernie Spoor serve as the Council’s representative on the Surrey Police and Crime Panel.

In accordance with the Council’s Constitution, to appoint the Substitute members to serve on the Council’s Committees as detailed in Appendix B, attached.

It was proposed by Councillor L. Nichols and seconded by Councillor J. Sexton and resolved that the Substitute members to serve on the Council’s Committees, as detailed in Appendix B, be approved.

To consider the recommendations of the Corporate Policy and Resources Committee from its meeting on 5 July 2021 on the following items;

a)    Exempt Report - Ashford Victory Place - Key Decision

b)    Exempt Report - Proposed Award of Leisure Centre Contractor contract - Key Decision

The Council considered the recommendation of Corporate Policy and Resources Committee on Ashford Victory Place.

Resolved to approve the specification changes (option A) sought by Planning Committee prior to submitting revisions to the Local Planning Authority (LPA).

Councillor T. Fidler left the room for the consideration of this item.

The Council considered the recommendation of Corporate Policy and Resources Committee on the Proposed Award of the Leisure Centre Contractor contract.

Resolved to approve the award of a Pre-Construction Services Agreement (PCSA) to the preferred bidder identified in the report as the main contractor for the construction of the proposed new leisure centre; and the expenditure for this appointment.

To agree the amendments to the Council’s Constitution as detailed in the report.

The Council considered a report from the Group Head of Corporate Governance on amendments to the Constitution consequential to the change to the Committee System.

It was moved by Councillor L. Nichols and seconded by Councillor J. Sexton and resolved to approve the amendments to the Constitution as set out in the report.

To consider the appointment of a representative Trustee to the Staines Parochial Charity following confirmation from the Charity of the below nomination:

Mrs Daphne Harman, for a four year period ending in July 2025.

It was proposed by Councillor L. Nichols and seconded by Councillor J. Sexton and

Resolved that Mrs Daphne Harman be appointed as a Council representative trustee to serve on the Staines Parochial Charity for a four year term of office until July 2025.

Council is asked to approve the amendments to the Spelthorne Joint Committee Constitution as set out in this report.

The Council considered a report from the Group Head of Corporate Governance on amendments to the Spelthorne Joint Committee constitution following implementation of the committee system.

It was moved by Councillor S. Mooney and seconded by Councillor C. Barnard that this item and item 16, Appointment of Chairman to the Spelthorne Joint Committee for a two year term to May 2023, be deferred as it was unclear how long the tenure of the Chairmanship should be and clarification should be sought.

Members debated the motion to defer and noted that the minutes of the Spelthorne Join Committee meeting held on 15 July 2019 stated that the Chairmanship “would now be a two yearly tenure and that chairmanship would now revert to last year’s chairman, County Councillor Richard Walsh to continue into his second year.

The reasons for the change are two-fold: As committee cycles run only for four formal meetings, a longer stint allows the chairman to become more established in the role and follow through on issues. Secondly, the timing of the change means that no chairman should be actively up for re-election whilst holding this office.

The legal advisers from both authorities supported this change. No change is the constitution is required at this stage.”

A vote was held and the motion to defer FELL.

It was moved by Councillor L. Nichols and seconded by Councillor J. Sexton and resolved to approve the amendments to the Spelthorne Joint Committee constitution as set out in the report.

Council is asked to appoint a Chairman to the Spelthorne Joint Committee, from the members listed below, for a two year term to May 2023.

The members of this Committee are:

Jim McIlroy

Naz Islam

Chris Bateson

Lawrence Nichols

Olivia Rybinski

Richard Smith-Ainsley

The Chief Executive informed the Mayor that just prior to the meeting starting Councillor J. Boughtflower had informed him that he would be taking up the current vacant Conservative position on the Spelthorne Joint Committee and therefore Councillor Boughtflower would need to be added to the list of members to be considered for the position of Chairman.

It was proposed by Councillor J. Sexton and seconded by Councillor R. Smith-Ainsley that Councillor L. Nichols be nominated to the position of Chairman of the Spelthorne Joint Committee for a two year term to May 2023.

It was proposed by Councillor S. Mooney and seconded by Councillor N. Gething that Councillor J. Boughtflower be appointed Chairman of the Spelthorne Joint Committee for a two year term to May 2023.

A vote was held and it was resolved that Councillor L. Nichols be nominated to the position of Chairman of the Spelthorne Joint Committee for a two year term to May 2023. 

To receive any motions from Councillors in accordance with Standing Order 16.

Note: The deadline for motions to be considered at this meeting was Monday July 5 2021 and three were received.

Motion 1

To appoint a member “Mental Health Champion” to:

·         advocate for mental health issues in council meetings and policy development and reach out to the local community to raise awareness of mental health issues and challenge stigma.

·         listen to people with experience of mental health note their perspective on local needs and priorities.

·         scrutinise areas that have an impact on people's mental health.

·         foster local partnerships between agencies to support people with mental health problems more effectively.

·         identify at least one priority each year for focused work.

·         have access to advice, support and other member champions to share information, experience and ideas.

Proposer:     Cllr D. Saliagopoulos

Seconder:    Cllr T. Lagden

Motion 2

To appoint, when possible, an existing officer of the Council to act as a lead officer for mental health to:

·         Advise the member Champion on current issues and priorities;

·         Support implementation of strategies initiated by the member champion;

·         Raise awareness within the council’s staff about mental health issues;

·         Seek external support for activities led by the council to promote mental health and wellbeing;

·         Liaise with mental health challenge national partners to secure information and advice;

·         In conjunction with the member champion, look to support positive mental health in our community, including in local schools, neighbourhoods etc.

Proposer:     Cllr D. Saliagopoulos

Seconder:    Cllr T. Lagden

Motion 3

This Council resolves to establish the principle that a permanent memorial be created to recognise those in the Borough of Spelthorne who have sadly lost their lives during the unprecedented Covid 19 pandemic.

If that is agreed, we request that Officers begin a consultation process with the desired aim to establish the form and location of such a memorial no later than the annual Council meeting in May 2022.

The consultation should primarily include the families of those who lost their lives due to the virus and other community and voluntary organisations that provided, and continue to provide, support to those most affected.

Proposer:     Cllr R. Noble

Seconder:    Cllr M. Gibson

In accordance with Standing Order 16 the Council received three written Notices of Motions.

Motion 1

Councillor D. Saliagopoulos moved and Councillor T. Lagden seconded the following motion:

To appoint a member “Mental Health Champion” to:

·         advocate for mental health issues in council meetings and policy development and reach out to the local community to raise awareness of mental health issues and challenge stigma.

·         listen to people with experience of mental health note their perspective on local needs and priorities.

·         scrutinise areas that have an impact on people's mental health.

·         foster local partnerships between agencies to support people with mental health problems more effectively.

·         identify at least one priority each year for focused work.

·         have access to advice, support and other member champions to share information, experience and ideas.

The motion was carried.

Resolved to

·         appoint a member “Mental Health Champion” to:

·         advocate for mental health issues in council meetings and policy development and reach out to the local community to raise awareness of mental health issues and challenge stigma.

·         listen to people with experience of mental health note their perspective on local needs and priorities.

·         scrutinise areas that have an impact on people's mental health.

·         foster local partnerships between agencies to support people with mental health problems more effectively.

·         identify at least one priority each year for focused work.

·         have access to advice, support and other member champions to share information, experience and ideas.

Motion 2

The Mayor informed the Council that this motion had been altered and that a copy of the altered motion had been circulated to all members in advance of the meeting. In accordance with Standing Order 18.7 the Mayor sought the consent of the Council and it was resolved that the altered motion be accepted.

Councillor D. Saliagopoulos moved and Councillor T. Lagden seconded the following motion:

To appoint, when possible, an existing officer of the Council to act as a lead officer for mental health to:

·         advise the member Champion on current issues and priorities;

·         support implementation of strategies initiated by the member champion;

·         in conjunction with the member champion, look to support positive mental health in our community, including in local schools, neighbourhoods etc

The motion was carried.

Resolved to

appoint, when possible, an existing officer of the Council to act as a lead officer for mental health to:

·         advise the member Champion on current issues and priorities;

·         support implementation of strategies initiated by the member champion;

·         in conjunction with the member champion, look to support positive mental health in our community, including in local schools, neighbourhoods etc

Motion 3

Councillor R. Noble moved and Councillor M. Gibson seconded the following motion:

This Council resolves to establish the principle that a permanent memorial be created to recognise those in the Borough of Spelthorne who have sadly lost their lives during the unprecedented Covid 19 pandemic.

If that is agreed, we request that Officers begin a consultation process with the desired aim to establish the form and location of such a memorial no  ...  view the full minutes text for item 243/21

To receive the report from the Leader of the Council on the work of the Corporate Policy and Resources Committee at its meeting on 5 July 2021.  

The Leader of the Council, Councillor L. Nichols, presented the report of the Corporate Policy and Resources Committee meetings held on 5 July 2021 which outlined the matters the Committee had decided since the last Council meeting.

To receive the report from the Chairman of the Environment and Sustainability Committee on the work of his Committee.

Please note, there will be a further report to follow as the Environment and Sustainability Committee will be convening for an Extraordinary meeting on 13 July 2021.

The Chairman of the Environment and Sustainability Committee, Councillor I. Beardsmore, presented the report of the Environment and Sustainability Committee meetings held on 30 June 2021 and 13 July 2021, which outlined the matters the Committee had decided since the last Council meeting.

The Chairman of the Environment and Sustainability Committee drew members attention to the omission of the word sound between a and strategic at point 2 on page 3 of the supplementary agenda. This sentence should have read:

“That they would benefit from independent support and advice on the formulation of a sound strategic vision for the borough.”

To receive the report from the Chairman of the Community Wellbeing and Housing Committee on the work of her Committee.

Before the consideration of this item it was moved by Councillor I. Beardsmore and seconded by Councillor C. Barnard to suspend standing orders to continue for a further 30 minutes as per Standing Order 5.2.

The Chairman of the Community Housing and Wellbeing Committee, Councillor S. Dunn, presented the report of the Community Housing and Wellbeing Committee meeting held on 29 June 2021 which outlined the matters the Committee had decided since the last Council meeting.

To receive the report from the Chairman of the Neighbourhood Services Committee on the work of her Committee.

The Chairman of the Neighbourhood Services Committee, Councillor A. Brar, presented the report of the Neighbourhood Services Committee meeting held on 24 June 2021 which outlined the matters the Committee had decided since the last Council meeting.

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

The Chairman of the Economic Development Committee, Councillor C. Barnard, presented the report of the Economic Development Committee meeting held on 22 June 2021 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 T. Lagden, 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 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 Administrative Committee on the work of his Committee.

The Chairman of the Administrative Committee, Councillor T. Mitchell, presented the report of the Administrative Committee meeting held on 1 July 2021 which outlined the matters the Committee had decided since the last Council meeting.

The Leader, or his nominee, to answer questions from Councillors on matters affecting the Borough, in accordance with Standing Order 14.

Note: the deadline for questions to be considered at this meeting is 12 noon on Thursday 8 July 2021.

At the time of publication no questions had been received.

The Mayor reported that two general question had been received, in accordance with Standing Order 15, from Councillors J. Boughtflower and S. Mooney.

Question 1 is from Councillor J. Boughtflower

Can the Leader confirm that Cllr Sexton was on, or not on, Cabinet at the time of the 8 April 2020 Cabinet meeting and what period of time by dates Cllr Sexton was a Cabinet member.

Cllr Sexton clearly stated “I was not” on Cabinet during the time the Aroura Deal was made at the public meeting of the Corporate Policy and Resources Committee held on the Monday 5 July 2021.

The residents clearly need to know the factual position of this matter

Response from the Deputy Leader, Councillor J. Sexton

Thank you for your question Councillor Boughtflower, I agree that it is important that the facts be made clear for all.

At the meeting of the Corporate Policy and Resources Committee on Monday 5 July I did state that I was not on Cabinet at the time the Tender report on Staines Development was considered and at the time of making that statement I genuinely believed it to be an accurate one. Members present at that meeting or watching online will have noted that I sought confirmation from the Monitoring Officer who at that time also thought my statement was correct. However, having had the opportunity to review previous Cabinet meetings I have found that the Tender report was presented to Cabinet on 8 April 2020, and it appears that I was present however, there was some uncertainty as the attendance records indicate that I had given apologies but the minutes note that I was in attendance.

Committee Services have now confirmed that I was a member of the Cabinet from January 2020 until June 2020

In accordance with Standing Order 14.3, Councillor J. Boughtflower asked the following supplementary question:

Can Councillor Sexton inform us of if any other errors have been made?

Response to supplementary question from Councillor J. Sexton:

With respect Councillor Boughtflower, you were not at the meeting. I don’t understand what you are inferring, it was a genuine mistake. 

Question 2 is from Councillor S. Mooney

I note the agenda item from the recent Policy and resources committee meeting on Monday evening states the Committee are asked to:

1.    consider the establishment of an investigatory task group; and

2.    the Terms of Reference for the task group (the terms of reference are to follow and will be published as soon as possible).

Does the Leader acknowledge that much of the concerns raised about the Arora proposal highlights the need for absolute clarity and impartiality in terms of the investigation. What assurances can he give to this chamber that the investigation will be transparent and shared with all councillors, including the terms of reference. To what extent will any of the Councillors or Officers involved with the development of the contract have any involvement in defining the terms of reference, selecting the person to conduct the  ...  view the full minutes text for item 252/21