Agenda, decisions and minutes

To receive apologies for absence (if any).

Received from Councillors Nic Dodin, Sally Miller, Barry Mugglestone, Stephanie Nunn and Matt Sutton.

Apologies were received from Councillors Nic Dodin, Sally Miller, Barry Mugglestone, Stephanie Nunn and Matt Sutton.

To sign as a true record the minutes of the meeting of the Council held on 17 November 2021 (attached).

Minutes of meeting held on 17 November 2021 approved, without division.

The minutes of the meeting held on 17 November 2021 were approved, without division.

RESOLVED:

That the minutes of Council held on 17 November 2021 be agreed as a correct record.

Members are invited to disclose any interest in any of the items on the agenda at this point of the meeting. 

Members may still disclose any interest in an item at any time prior to the consideration of the matter.

Note: Section 106 of the Local Government Finance Act 1992 imposes restriction

on voting in respect of any Member by whom any Council Tax has remained

unpaid for at least two months.

Any Member in doubt as to the position may seek advice before the

meeting from the Monitoring Officer.

All Members present disclosed a pecuniary interest in agenda item 7 – the Council’s budget 2022/23 as they were occupiers of land with a liability for Council Tax and a pecuniary interest in agenda item 8 – Members’ Allowances Scheme 2022/23 as they were in receipt of a Member’s Allowance.

Legal dispensation to allow all Members to take part in the meeting and vote in such instances – AGREED without division.

As shown below, all Members present disclosed a pecuniary interest in agenda item 7 – the Council’s budget 2022/23 as they were occupiers of land with a liability for Council Tax and a pecuniary interest in agenda item 8 – Members’ Allowances Scheme 2022/23 as they were in receipt of a Member’s Allowance.

Legal dispensation to allow all Members to take part in the meeting and vote in such instances – AGREED without division.

7. THE COUNCIL'S BUDGET 2022/23.

Councillor Bob Perry, Pecuniary, Member is occupier of land with a liability for Council Tax.

7. THE COUNCIL'S BUDGET 2022/23.

Councillor Brian Eagling, Pecuniary, Member is occupier of land with a liability for Council Tax.

7. THE COUNCIL'S BUDGET 2022/23.

Councillor Carol Smith, Pecuniary, Member is occupier of land with a liability for Council Tax.

7. THE COUNCIL'S BUDGET 2022/23.

Councillor Carole Beth, Pecuniary, Member is occupier of land with a liability for Council Tax.

7. THE COUNCIL'S BUDGET 2022/23.

Councillor Christine Smith, Pecuniary, Member is occupier of land with a liability for Council Tax.

7. THE COUNCIL'S BUDGET 2022/23.

Councillor Christine Vickery, Pecuniary, Member is occupier of land with a liability for Council Tax.

7. THE COUNCIL'S BUDGET 2022/23.

Councillor Christopher Wilkins, Pecuniary, Member is occupier of land with a liability for Council Tax.

7. THE COUNCIL'S BUDGET 2022/23.

Councillor Ciaran White, Pecuniary, Member is occupier of land with a liability for Council Tax.

7. THE COUNCIL'S BUDGET 2022/23.

Councillor Damian White, Pecuniary, Member is occupier of land with a liability for Council Tax.

7. THE COUNCIL'S BUDGET 2022/23.

Councillor Darren Wise, Pecuniary, Member is occupier of land with a liability for Council Tax.

7. THE COUNCIL'S BUDGET 2022/23.

Councillor David Durant, Pecuniary, Member is occupier of land with a liability for Council Tax.

7. THE COUNCIL'S BUDGET 2022/23.

Councillor Denis O'Flynn, Pecuniary, Member is occupier of land with a liability for Council Tax.

7. THE COUNCIL'S BUDGET 2022/23.

Councillor Dilip Patel, Pecuniary, Member is occupier of land with a liability for Council Tax.

7. THE COUNCIL'S BUDGET 2022/23.

Councillor Gerry O'Sullivan, Pecuniary, Member is occupier of land with a liability for Council Tax.

7. THE COUNCIL'S BUDGET 2022/23.

Councillor Gillian Ford, Pecuniary, Member is occupier of land with a liability for Council Tax.

7. THE COUNCIL'S BUDGET 2022/23.

Councillor Graham Williamson, Pecuniary, Member is occupier of land with a liability for Council Tax.

7. THE COUNCIL'S BUDGET 2022/23.

Councillor Jan Sargent, Pecuniary, Member is occupier of land with a liability for Council Tax.

7. THE COUNCIL'S BUDGET 2022/23.

Councillor Jason Frost, Pecuniary, Member is occupier of land with a liability for Council Tax.

7. THE COUNCIL'S BUDGET 2022/23.

Councillor Jeffrey Tucker, Pecuniary, Member is occupier of land with a liability for Council Tax.

7. THE COUNCIL'S BUDGET 2022/23.

Councillor John Crowder, Pecuniary, Member is occupier of land with a liability for Council Tax.

7. THE COUNCIL'S BUDGET 2022/23.

Councillor John Mylod, Pecuniary, Member is occupier of land with a liability for Council Tax.

7. THE COUNCIL'S BUDGET 2022/23.

Councillor  ...  view the full minutes text for item 37.

To receive announcements (if any).

A minute’s silence was held in memory of Dick Leonard MP – the former Member of Parliament for Romford from 1970 to 1974. The Mayor also paid tribute to Richard Cursons – a Democratic Services Officer who had also sadly passed away recently.

The Mayor also led a moment’s applause in support of the people of Ukraine. The Mayor thanked Members for their good wishes following his recent recovery from illness. The Mayor also recorded his thanks to his family, friends and NHS staff.

The Leader of the Council stated that if Members to make donations in support of the Ukraine relief effort, this could be done via the British Red Cross. The Leader added his best wishes to the Mayor on his recent recovery.

To consider any procedural motion in relation to the conduct of business for this meeting.

Mayoral decision that agenda items 7 and 8 be dealt with via a single combined debate.

Procedural motion on behalf of the Administration to accept for debate and amendment of the report on Members’ Allowances AGREED by 23 votes to 19 with 6 abstentions.

Procedural motion that the maximum speech time in general debate be extended to 10 minutes AGREED by 25 votes to 24 with 0 abstentions on the casting vote of the Mayor.

A Mayoral decision was taken that agenda items 7 and 8 be dealt with via a single combined debate.

A procedural motion on behalf of the Administration to accept for debate an amendment of the report on Members’ Allowances was AGREED by 23 votes to 19 with 6 abstentions (see division 1).

A procedural motion that the maximum speech time in general debate be extended to 10 minutes was AGREED by 25 votes to 24 with 0 abstentions on the casting vote of the Mayor (see division 2).

A To consider the report of Cabinet on 16 February 2022 (attached)

B To note the decision of the Greater London Authority on its budget and precept for 2022/23 and the effect thereof on the Council’s budget

C To agree a budget for 2022/23 and then

D To set the Council Tax for 2022/23

NOTE: ALL RELEVANT REPORTS FROM THE CABINET MEETING OF 16 FEBRUARY 2022 ARE ATTACHED.

Following debate, amendment on behalf of the Residents’ and Upminster and Cranham Residents Associations’ Groups NOT CARRIED by 22 votes to 21 with 6 abstentions.

Amendment on behalf of the North Havering Residents Association Group AGREED by 8 votes to 6 with 35 abstentions.

Report of Cabinet, as amended by North Havering Residents Association Group AGREED by 28 votes to 8 with 13 abstentions.

Council had before it a report of Cabinet incorporating the budget proposals for 2022/23. This referred to reports presented to Cabinet at its meeting on 16 February 2022 which were also included in the agenda papers for the Council meeting. A report of the Chief Executive proposed the Members’ Allowances Scheme 2022/23.

This included an additional recommendation regarding the approval of a decision by Audit Committee as shown in the supplementary agenda. This also included a slight alteration to recommendation 12 as shown in the second supplementary agenda.

Deemed motion on behalf of the Administration

That the reports be adopted and their recommendations carried into effect.

Amendment by the Residents and Upminster and Cranham Residents Associations’ Groups

That the Members’ Allowances Scheme be amended in line with figures on the right-hand column under ‘Alternative Budget’ as shown in appendix 1 to these minutes.

Any resultant savings to be allocated to Street Cleaning and road and pavement maintenance.

Explanatory note: The business of the Adjudication and Review Committee would be transferred to the Governance Committee.

Amendment by the North Havering Residents Associations’ Group

Given the enormous pressure the Council’s budget is under and the asks being made of staff to deliver more productivity within a reduced overall salary budget next year, it is proposed that councillors are asked to do the same. It is therefore proposed that all Special Responsibility Allowances are reduced by 15% reducing the overall budget requirement for Special Responsibility Allowances by at least £77,000. It is further proposed that, given the need to focus the Council’s scarce resources on delivering priority services to residents, the resulting saving of £77,000 is transferred from the oneSource Democratic Services budget to the Neighbourhoods Street Cleansing budget to fund the lease for a glutton street cleansing unit (for at least 18 months as this is the recommended length of lease given the procurement) at a cost of approximately £7,000 per annum and additional staffing costs of around £70,000 per annum for the same period including oncosts, equipment and uniform costs, a total cost of around £77,000 per annum.

Recommendations:-

·       That Special Responsibility Allowances are reduced by 15% across the board to deliver a saving of at least £77,000 from 2022/23.

·       That a permanent budget virement of £77,000 is made from the oneSource Democratic Services budget to the Neighbourhoods Street Cleansing Budget from 2022/23.

Following debate, the amendment on behalf of the Residents’ and Upminster and Cranham Residents Associations’ Groups was NOT CARRIED by 22 votes to 21 with 6 abstentions (see division 3).

The amendment on behalf of the North Havering Residents Association Group was AGREED by 8 votes to 6 with 35 abstentions (see division 4).

The report of Cabinet, as amended by the North Havering Residents Association Group was AGREED by 28 votes to 8 with 13 abstentions (see division 5).

RESOLVED:

1.             That the following as submitted in the report to Cabinet of 16 February 2022 be approved:

·        The General Fund budget for 2022/23

·        The Council Tax  ...  view the full minutes text for item 40.

The record of voting decisions is attached as appendix 2 to these minutes.