Agenda and minutes

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

There were no disclosures of interest.

To consider a report on the Capital Budgets for Council Development Programme.

The appendices to this report contain exempt information within the meaning of Part 1 of Schedule 12A to the Local Government Act 1972, as amended by the Local Government (Access to Information) Act 1985 and by the Local Government (Access to information) (Variation) Order 2006:

Paragraph 3 – Information relating to the financial or business affairs of any particular person (including the authority holding that information) and in all the circumstances of the case, the public interest in maintaining the exemption outweighs the public interest in disclosing the information because, disclosure to the public would prejudice the financial position of the authority.

Councillors considered the report and appendices on the Capital Budgets for Council Development Programme and a presentation delivered by the Group Head of Regeneration and Growth.

Council was asked to decide whether the capital provision for the developments listed in the report (being those development projects where budget provision had been approved in the general budget cycle rather than specific reports to the Council) were to be included in such Capital Programme.

The six developments were decided individually as follows:

Motion 1 - Ceaser Court phase II, Sunbury

It was moved by Councillor J.R. Boughtflower, and seconded by Councillor L.E. Nichols, that:

“Ceaser Court phase II, Sunbury is included in the Capital Programme to be presented to full Council for approval on the 25 February 2021 in the sums of £14.6m phases 1 & 2 and £6.3m in 21/22 for phase 2. Before these developments are progressed these will be reviewed and revalidated by the new Programme Board.”

Councillor J.R. Boughtflower spoke to the motion and informed members that this development, and the others, would provide much needed affordable housing for the borough and would protect the green belt.  Councillor J.R. Boughtflower advised that private developers had not delivered affordable housing in the last year and generally when they did it would be shared ownership which was too expensive for most Spelthorne residents. Councillor J.R. Boughtflower explained that the Council’s housing list was growing, and 11 families were currently bidding for each home that became available.

Councillor L.E. Nichols stated that the new programme board would oversee the Council’s regeneration projects and ensure they are refined and delivered in a collaborative and transparent way with the input of ward Councillors sought in the early stages. These new arrangements would make members more accountable for their decisions and would result in better schemes being delivered.

Councillor R.A. Smith Ainsley proposed an amendment to the motion, seconded by Councillor J. Vinson, to remove the second sentence:

“Before these developments are progressed these will be reviewed and revalidated by the new Programme Board.”

A vote was held on the amendment which FELL.

Councillor T. Fidler proposed an amendment to the motion, seconded by Councillor C. Bateson to:

add the word “provisional” before sums and to amend the second sentence to read: Before these developments are progressed these will be reviewed by “a properly constituted sub-committee of the proposed Policy and Resources Committee or equivalent agreed cross-party entity in the interim by the Full Council.”

A vote was held, and the amendment was CARRIED.

The substantive motion was debated, and a recorded vote conducted as requested by Councillor J.R. Boughtflower with the result as follows:

FOR (35)

Attewell, Barnard, Barratt C, Barratt R, Bateson, Boughtflower, Brar, Buttar, Chandler, Doran J, Doran S, Dunn R, Dunn S, Fidler, Gething, Gibson, Grant, Harman, Harvey H, Harvey I, Islam, Lagden, Leighton, Madams, McIlroy, Nichols, Noble, Rybinski, Saliagopoulos, Sexton, Sider, Siva, Smith-Ainsley, Spoor, Vinson.

AGAINST (0)

ABSTAIN (2)

Doerfel, Mitchell.

RESOLVED: Ceaser Court phase II, Sunbury is included in  ...  view the full minutes text for item 20/21