Agenda and minutes

Venue: Council Chamber - Civic Offices, Shute End, Wokingham RG40 1BN

Contact: Anne Hunter  Democratic and Electoral Services Lead Specialist

Media

Items
No. Item

1.

Statement by Councillor John Halsall

Minutes:

We are the healthiest, finest in the land on many counts, the healthiest, most prosperous, and one of the most desirable places to live, with the lowest level of deprivation.  We have not cut services, rather we are opening leisure centres, and community centres, and libraries.  We unusually collect bins every week.  Our financial management and prudence are rated by CIPFA as amongst one of the best despite having one of the lowest levels of Government funding.  It is the result of 20 years of good Conservative administration. 

 

I am very proud to have been at the helm these last 3 years, to steer the Borough through extremely challenging waters of Covid, Ukraine and restructuring.  I have never forgotten that we are only here to serve our residents.  I have brought all our partners into the orbit of the Council, making it the Golden Thread which runs through the Borough, the indispensable partner.  I wanted our Officers to be proud to work here, and this to be a place to work of choice, to be confident, innovate and to make decisions.  I have never criticised Officers and never will. 

 

I was the first Leader to declare a Climate Emergency.  I was the first to forbid the discharge from hospitals into care homes against Government diktat.  I successfully led the national campaign against the Government’s Planning Reforms and proposed increase in housing numbers for Wokingham.  Every field, tree and blade of grass lost is deeply painful to me.  I am delighted that the Planning Reforms have been officially abandoned, but it is still necessary to substantially lower housing numbers in the Borough, giving control from developers to the local authority and residents.  I have created the platform for job creation and prosperity for many decades to come.  I was able to achieve a lot in a short period of time because of the whole hearted support of our professional team of Officers and Directors who are second to none.  They espouse the ‘can do’ innovative behaviour that I wanted, and in making mistakes learning from them without fear of censure.  We have done some remarkable things.  I have been proud to be at the head of such a brilliant organisation, and well done to all.  Working with Susan Parsonage, John Kaiser and Graham Ebers has been fun, stimulating, creative and very effective.  We are truly blessed to have had them.  I wish them all well and I thank them from the bottom of my heart. 

 

We face difficult times ahead, with adverse winds and gale force increasing, but happily less severe than those that we have just endured.  As a very desirable place, it means that not a square inch of the Borough is not without an option.  If the Borough does not have a current and approved Local Plan with a five-year land supply, speculative development will be rife.  It has currently neither.  All development to date has taken place under the Core Strategy, altered by Gary.

 

The exclusion of  ...  view the full minutes text for item 1.

2.

Election of Mayor for the Municipal Year 2022/23

To elect a Mayor for the 2022/23 Municipal Year.

 

The outgoing Mayor will address the Council for up to 5 minutes.

 

The outgoing Mayor will then call for nominations for the Office of Mayor for the 2022/23 Municipal Year.

 

The outgoing Mayor will ask the Council to vote on the nomination(s).

 

At this point in the proceedings, the outgoing Mayor and the incoming Mayor may adjourn in order to place the Cloak and Chain of Office on the incoming Mayor. 

 

The incoming Mayor will take the chair and make the Declaration of Acceptance of Office as required by Section 83(3) of the Local Government Act 1972.

 

The Mayor to address the Council for up to 5 minutes.

 

The Mayor to present the Past Mayor’s Badge to the outgoing Mayor. 

 

Minutes:

Keith Baker, the current Mayor, welcomed recently elected Members. Councillor Baker thanked all those who had invited him to their events over his time in Office.  He highlighted some of the events that he had attended and praised his chosen charity, Chance to Dance.

 

A number of Members thanked Keith Baker for his hard work during his year in Office and the fair approach that he had taken.

 

Keith Baker thanked Caroline Kelly, the Mayor’s Assistant and Sophia Burr, Communications for their support over the year.  He thanked his Deputy Mayor Abdul Loyes for his considerable support.  Keith Baker went on to thank Anne Hunter, Democratic and Electoral Services Lead Specialist, for her hard work and support over his term of office.

 

At this point in the meeting Keith Baker resigned as Mayor with immediate effect.  He indicated that his Group would be nominating him for Mayor, and he felt it inappropriate to preside over the nomination proceedings.  The Deputy Mayor assumed the chairing of the meeting.

 

The Deputy Mayor called for nominations for the office of Mayor for the 2021/23 Municipal Year.

 

It was proposed by Clive Jones and seconded by Stephen Conway that Caroline Smith be elected as Mayor for the 2022/23 Municipal Year.

 

It was proposed by Pauline Jorgensen and seconded by Stuart Munro that Keith Baker be elected as Mayor for the 2022/23 Municipal Year.

 

Voting was as follows

 

Keith Baker

Caroline Smith

Sam Akhtar

Rachel Bishop-Firth

Keith Baker

Shirley Boyt

Parry Batth

Prue Bray

Laura Blumenthal

Rachel Burgess

Chris Bowring

Stephen Conway

Anne Chadwick

David Cornish

Phil Cunnington

Gary Cowan

David Davies

Andy Croy

Michael Firmager

Peter Dennis

John Halsall

Lindsay Ferris

Peter Harper

Paul Fishwick

Pauline Helliar Symons

Jim Frewin

Graham Howe

Maria Gee

Norman Jorgensen

David Hare

Pauline Jorgensen

Chris Johnson

John Kaiser

Clive Jones

Abdul Loyes

Sarah Kerr

Charles Margetts

Tahir Maher

Rebecca Margetts

Morag Malvern

Stuart Munro

Adrian Mather

Gregor Murray

Andrew Mickleburgh

Jackie Rance

Alistair Neal

Wayne Smith

Beth Rowland

Bill Soane

Ian Shenton

Alison Swaddle

Imogen Shepherd-DuBey

Shahid Younis

Rachelle Shepherd-DuBey

 

Caroline Smith

 

Mike Smith

 

RESOLVED: That Caroline Smith be elected as Mayor for the 2022/23 Municipal Year.

 

Caroline Smith made the statutory acceptance of office pursuant to Section 83 of the Local Government Act 1972.

 

Caroline Smith addressed the Council as follows:

 

I would like to thank you for electing me to be your Mayor and as the First Citizen to be representing the Council and the citizens of Wokingham Borough for the coming year is both very humbling and an awesome task that I will discharge to the very best of my ability.  It is a huge honour so thank you for your confidence.

 

I would like to begin with another thank you to our outgoing Mayor.  Keith Baker has done a brilliant job during his year in Office, and I do not just mean chairing these meetings with just the right amount of discipline and fairness.  He has also done a great job in representing  ...  view the full minutes text for item 2.

3.

Appointment of Deputy Mayor for the Municipal Year 2022/23

To appoint a Deputy Mayor for the 2022/23 Municipal Year.

 

The Mayor will call for nominations for the Office of Deputy Mayor for the 2022/23 Municipal Year.

 

The Mayor will ask the Council to vote on the nomination(s).

 

The Deputy Mayor will make the Declaration of Acceptance of Office as required by Section 83(3) of the Local Government Act, 1972.

 

The Mayor will present the Deputy Mayor’s badge of office to the Deputy Mayor. 

 

The Deputy Mayor will address the Council for up to 3 minutes.

 

Minutes:

The Mayor called for nominations for the office of Deputy Mayor for the 2022/23 Municipal Year.

 

It was proposed by Clive Jones and seconded by Stephen Conway that Beth Rowland be appointed as Deputy Mayor for the 2022/23 Municipal Year.

 

It was:

 

RESOLVED: That Beth Rowland be appointed as Deputy Mayor for the 2022/23 Municipal Year.

 

Beth Rowland made the statutory acceptance of office pursuant to Section 83 of the Local Government Act 1972.

 

Beth Rowland thanked the Council for appointing her to the office of Deputy Mayor.

4.

Apologies

To receive any apologies for absence

Minutes:

There were no apologies for absence received.

5.

Minutes of Previous Meeting pdf icon PDF 442 KB

To confirm the Minutes of the Council Meeting held on 24 March 2022.

 

Minutes:

The Minutes of the meeting of Council held on 24 March 2022 were confirmed as a correct record and signed by the Mayor.

6.

Declarations of Interest

To receive any declarations of interest

Minutes:

There were no declarations of interest received.

7.

Public Question Time

To answer any public questions

 

A period of 30 minutes will be allowed for members of the public to ask questions submitted under notice.

 

The Council welcomes questions from members of the public about the work of the Council

 

Subject to meeting certain timescales, questions can relate to general issues concerned with the work of the Council or an item which is on the Agenda for this meeting.  For full details of the procedure for submitting questions please contact the Democratic Services Section on the numbers given below or go to www.wokingham.gov.uk/publicquestions

 

Minutes:

In accordance with the agreed procedure the Mayor invited members of the public to submit questions to the appropriate Members.

7.1

Jo Beales asked the Executive Member for Highways and Transport the following question:

 

Question

My question is on child safety outside Maiden Erlegh and Aldryngton schools on the Silverdale Road and surrounding roads. Last week there was an accident between a 13 yr old child and a car on the Silverdale Road. The child was taken to RBH, due to their injuries. A couple of years ago, 2 primary school children were pinned against a wall by a car, with severe injuries, which required an air ambulance. 

 

Child safety in this area needs urgent attention before a fatality occurs. Each school day at school drop off and pick up times, the roads around the school area are clogged with cars. Parents drive onto pavements, they block pavements to get into the Tesco car park to drop off or pick up their child(ren), so children have to walk on the main road to get to school! The parents don't care of the impact on surrounding pedestrians, as long as they can get as close to the school as possible. 

 

We need to reduce the number of cars in this area around the schools, can we install parking restrictions on Sevenoaks Road and barriers along certain stretches of Silverdale and Sevenoaks Roads, to protect the pedestrians?

Minutes:

 

Question

My question is on child safety outside Maiden Erlegh and Aldryngton Schools on the Silverdale Road and surrounding roads. Last week there was an accident between a 13 year old child and a car on the Silverdale Road.  The child was taken to RBH, due to their injuries.  A couple of years ago, two primary school children were pinned against a wall by a car, with severe injuries, which required an Air Ambulance. 

 

Child safety in this area needs urgent attention before a fatality occurs.  Each school day at school drop off and pick up times, the roads around the school area are clogged with cars.  Parents drive onto pavements, they block pavements to get into the Tesco car park to drop off or pick up their child(ren), so children have to walk on the main road to get to school!  The parents don't care of the impact on surrounding pedestrians, as long as they can get as close to the school as possible. 

 

We need to reduce the number of cars in this area around the schools, can we install parking restrictions on Sevenoaks Road and barriers along certain stretches of Silverdale and Sevenoaks Roads, to protect the pedestrians?

 

Answer

Thank you for your question, I completely agree with you about the issues around Silverdale Road and the school there.  I cycled up there about six months ago to talk to the Headmaster about it, to try and work out some form of design to improve the school accesses.  The issue we have got is that area is very constrained and not all the roads are in the control of the Borough Council, some of them are private.  We talked about all sorts of things and I have had Officers look at the layout of the land in front of the caretaker’s bungalow, and the land at the back of Aldryngton to see if there is anything that can be done.  So far it is proving really, really difficult because of the layout and the very narrow entrance, but we are trying.  I would therefore like to reassure you that we do understand the concerns of parents and residents over the traffic and road safety issues.

 

We are also working in partnership with schools to prepare travel plans that discourage unnecessary vehicle use during school days and introduce controls over on-street parking using waiting restrictions where this is possible to support residents.  As I said, unfortunately, in this area we do not have control of all the roads, and that is very difficult. 

 

Recently, in response to requests from residents, the Council has extended on-street parking controls in Silverdale Road to deter poor parking behaviour close to the schools.  Residents may request additional controls at any time via the Council’s website which will be fully assessed by Officers.  There is a regular cadence of new parking controls as these get assessed, so please get that referral request into the website. 

 

We are also limited about what we can  ...  view the full minutes text for item 7.1

7.2

Jan Heard asked the Executive Member for Planning and Enforcement the following question:

 

Question

Just before the election, representatives of main parties were interviewed on BBC Radio Berkshire regarding the proposed development on Hall Farm.  Two declared opposition to 4,500 Houses on Hall Farm and wanted more information from Officers regarding other sites.  Another subsequently made a pledge in writing to oppose overdevelopment. Two Independents also publicly stated their opposition to Hall Farm.

 

Given the outcome of the election, and stated opposition to Hall Farm of representatives of all parties, I ask the Executive Member of Planning the following; in a climate where 97% of new development has been in southern wards, and 4,500 doubles numbers of houses required in the period, will this Council take Hall Farm out of the LPU?

Minutes:

 

Question

Just before the election, representatives of the main parties were interviewed on BBC Radio Berkshire regarding the proposed development on Hall Farm.  Two declared opposition to 4,500 Houses on Hall Farm and wanted more information from Officers regarding other sites.  Another subsequently made a pledge in writing to oppose overdevelopment. Two Independents also publicly stated their opposition to Hall Farm.

 

Given the outcome of the election, and stated opposition to Hall Farm of representatives of all parties, I ask the Executive Member of Planning the following: In a climate where 97% of new development has been in southern wards, and 4,500 doubles numbers of houses required in the period, will this Council take Hall Farm out of the LPU?

 

Answer

I did not actually see the broadcast that you are referring to.  I am sure that it was exciting.  I do not feel that I should be answering this question but the process is the process so I will.

 

It was interesting reading your question that you refer to the Opposition, I do not know because I have not listened, to other sites.  I would say that for the last six years, it started with David Lee and then it moved on to Stuart Munro, we have had cross party working groups.  All sites have been discussed so it is not something that I have kept a secret.  It has all been discussed and alternatives have been sought.  If you want clarification on that I am sure our lead Officers will give it to you.  What I would say is was that electioneering?  I do not know.  I would suggest that in the future you may come back at a later date and ask the new administration if they will take out Hall Farm.  For now I will say that we have had a massive response to the Local Plan, compared to with regards to when we did it with Grazeley.  We are going through those responses, but as I said, please come back and ask the new administration if they would take out Hall Farm.

 

Supplementary Question

I appreciate that someone may well be in your place soon.  I would like to leave my supplementary for people of all parties to ponder over.  I would be really pleased if you would consider taking Hall Farm off of the Local Plan Update, but also to make sure that relevant policies and voices are given full weight in planning matters.  If I can draw attention in particular to the Arborfield and Barkham Neighbourhood Plan and also Wokingham Council’s Landscape Officer. 

 

Supplementary Answer

I think that will be up to the new administration.

7.3

David Spedding asked the Executive Member for Highways and Transport the following question. Due to his inability to attend the meeting the following written answer was provided:

 

Question

How can the Council support safer roads around schools at drop off and collection times?

Minutes:

 

Question

How can the Council support safer roads around schools at drop off and collection times?

 

Answer

The Council is currently in the early stages of identifying schools to take part in a potential pilot project for School Streets in Wokingham.  School Streets projects require the involvement of schools as it is the schools themselves that manage the temporary barriers.  Once we have identified suitable schools, we will make contact with them to see whether there is any interest in participating. 

 

From this financial year we also have funding allocated to a “Safer Routes to Schools” project which will seek to improve safety, and the perception of safety around schools and on key routes to schools to help encourage walking and cycling to school.  Unfortunately, this funding will not enable us to address all schools in the first year so it is envisaged this will be a rolling programme over a number of years.  Work is currently underway to identify which schools will be the first to receive the benefit of this funding.

 

In terms of cars parking dangerously around schools, particularly at drop off and pick up times, we do enforce illegal parking where restrictions are in place and can focus enforcement in particular areas for some periods of time, although we have limited resource so unfortunately, we cannot be everywhere at all times.  We can also consider changing the parking controls and speed limits where data supports this, though an important first step would be for the school to develop and maintain a school Travel Plan which outlines how it expects its staff, pupils and visitors to travel and behave around the school. The My Journey Team is able to assist with this and also help each school attain Modeshift Stars accreditation which demonstrates their commitment to helping people travel more sustainably.

 

I would encourage those who have safety concerns at specific locations to contact the Council through our website and raise these concerns so that they can be investigated and addressed on a case by case basis.

7.4

Rachel Fielding asked the Executive Member for Highways and Transport the following question. Due to her inability to attend the meeting the following written answer was provided:

 

Question

As a local resident and parent of a child at Aldryngton Primary School, the number of cars driving and parking dangerously along Silverdale Road seems to be increasing.  How can we improve the route to prioritise pedestrians and make it safer for children walking to school; Reading Borough Council have recently started implementing ‘school streets’, would this be a path you would consider following?

Minutes:

 

Question

As a local resident and parent of a child at Aldryngton Primary School, the number of cars driving and parking dangerously along Silverdale Road seems to be increasing.  How can we improve the route to prioritise pedestrians and make it safer for children walking to school; Reading Borough Council have recently started implementing ‘school streets’, would this be a path you would consider following?

 

Answer

As mentioned in the previous response, Officers are in the early stages of identifying schools to take part in a potential pilot project for School Streets in Wokingham.  The Council recognises that Silverdale Route is an important link road for residents, businesses and schools and therefore closing it during school opening and closing times might prove challenging.  However, there are a number of things we can look at to improve routes and make it feel safer for children walking to school.  The Council’s “Safer Routes to Schools” project aims to address some of the issues. 

 

It is good to see that Aldryngton Primary is already engaged with us in travel planning and the Modeshift Stars scheme and that they are clearly interested in sustainable travel to school.  The team working on the schools’ projects will ensure that Aldryngton Primary is considered as part of their work.

 

As I set out in my response to CP1 earlier, Officers are also investigating whether there are any measures that might deter antisocial driving behaviours such as footway parking and have already discussed with the School, measures that might reduce issues on the private access roads serving the School and nearby shops.

8.

Petitions

To receive any petitions which Members or members of the public wish to present.

Minutes:

There were no petitions received.

9.

Mayor's or Head of Paid Service's Announcements

To receive any announcements from the Mayor or the Head of Paid Service

Minutes:

There were no Mayor’s or Head of Paid Service’s Announcements.

10.

Returning Officer's Report on May 2022 Elections pdf icon PDF 318 KB

The Council’s Assistant Director Governance, as Returning Officer, to report on the Borough elections held on 5 May 2022.

 

RECOMMENDATION:  That the Council notes the report of the Returning Officer.

Minutes:

The Council considered a report from the Returning Officer, which gave details of the results of the local elections held on 5 May 2022.

 

The report outlined the election process, the results and the turnout for each Borough ward contested.

 

It was proposed by Clive Jones and seconded by Stephen Conway that the report of the Returning Officer be noted.

 

Upon being put to the vote, it was:

 

RESOLVED: That the report of the Returning Officer be noted.

11.

Motion of No Confidence

In accordance with the Council’s Constitution the following motion:

 

“That this Council has no confidence in the Leader”

 

has been submitted, signed by the Members below.

 

Clive Jones

Stephen Conway

Prue Bray

Gary Cowan

Lindsay Ferris

Tahir Maher

Imogen Shepherd-Dubey

Sarah Kerr

Caroline Smith

Morag Malvern

Minutes:

Due to the resignation of the Leader of Council this item was no longer required.

12.

Election of Leader of the Council

To elect the Leader of the Council (if applicable) and receive notification from the Leader of his/her Deputy and the remainder of the Members appointed to the Executive and their respective portfolios, Deputy Executive Members and, if applicable, the terms of delegation to Executive Members and Officers.

 

The Leader of Council/Executive Members will be allowed to speak for up to 10 minutes in total.

 

The Leader of the Opposition will be allowed to speak for up to 5 minutes.

Minutes:

Following the resignation of the Leader of Council and in accordance with the governance arrangements which were adopted by Council at its meeting on 18 November 2010, the Mayor called for nominations for the Office of Leader of the Council for a four-year term (or until the Leader’s Term of Office as a Councillor expires).

 

It was proposed by Stephen Conway and seconded by Prue Bray that Clive Jones be elected as Leader of the Council for a four-year term.

 

It was proposed by Charles Margetts and seconded by Gregor Murray that Pauline Jorgensen be elected as Leader of the Council for a four-year term.

 

In line with Rule 4.2.15.5 of the Constitution Chris Bowring requested that a recorded vote be held.

 

Voting was as follows:

 

Clive Jones

Pauline Jorgensen

Rachel Bishop-Firth

Sam Akhtar

Shirley Boyt

Keith Baker

Prue Bray

Parry Batth

Rachel Burgess

Laura Blumenthal

Stephen Conway

Chris Bowring

David Cornish

Anne Chadwick

Gary Cowan

Phil Cunnington

Andy Croy

David Davies

Peter Dennis

Michael Firmager

Lindsay Ferris

John Halsall

Paul Fishwick

Peter Harper

Jim Frewin

Pauline Helliar-Symons

Maria Gee

Graham Howe

David Hare

Norman Jorgensen

Chris Johnson

Pauline Jorgensen

Clive Jones

John Kaiser

Sarah Kerr

Abdul Loyes

Tahir Maher

Charles Margetts

Morag Malvern

Rebecca Margetts

Adrian Mather

Stuart Munro

Andrew Mickleburgh

Gregor Murray

Alistair Neal

Jackie Rance

Beth Rowland

Wayne Smith

Ian Shenton

Bill Soane

Imogen Shepherd-DuBey

Alison Swaddle

Rachelle Shepherd-DuBey

Shahid Younis

Caroline Smith

 

Mike Smith

 

 

RESOLVED:  That Clive Jones be elected as Leader of the Council for a four-year term.

 

13.

Continuation of the Meeting

Minutes:

At this point in the meeting, 8.31pm, in accordance with Procedure Rule 4.2.12 (m), the Council considered a Motion to continue the meeting beyond 9pm for a maximum of 30 minutes to enable further business on the Agenda to be transacted.  The Motion was proposed by Prue Bray and seconded by Stephen Conway.

 

Upon being put to the vote, the Motion was declared by the Mayor to be carried.

 

14.

Statements from the Leader of the Council, Executive Members and Leader of the Opposition

Minutes:

 

Clive Jones, Leader of the Council:

Thank you once again Madam Mayoy, can I once again congratulate you most sincerely on your appointment as Mayor.  Can I also congratulate Beth Rowland on her appointment as your Deputy.  I hope that you really enjoy your terms of office.

 

I would like to begin by thanking John Halsall, the outgoing Leader of the Council, and his Executive colleagues for all of their work over the last three years.  I am particularly grateful for John’s willingness to bring other political groups into discussions on the Council’s response to Covid, and to John Kaiser for agreeing to the request to share his budget thinking with the Overview and Scrutiny Committee.  I congratulate Pauline Jorgensen on becoming Leader of the Conservative Group, and I hope that we will be able to work together in the spirit of cooperation. 

 

I would like to thank all of my colleagues including the members of the Wokingham Borough Partnership for giving me the honour of being the Leader of Wokingham Borough Council.  They have placed enormous trust in me, and I will do my very best to serve all of the residents of the Borough in a professional, effective and efficient manner.  There will be a willingness from myself and my colleagues to consult with others and to call on the skills and experience of Councillors of all parties to help us tackle the considerable challenges that the Borough faces.  Now more than ever is the time for grown up politics, which puts the interests of residents and businesses above party political point scoring.  The challenges that the Borough faces are great; the cost of living crisis is hitting individuals, families and businesses here in Wokingham.  The Government has imposed an unsustainable new housing allocation on the Borough, which greatly exceeds local need.

 

A climate emergency requires urgent action, not just to protect us here and now, but for the security of our children and our children’s children.  Meanwhile Ministers are putting the Council’s finances under intense pressure with an enormous bill looming for their Social Care Reforms, and new rules that require us to put aside more money to cover the financing of investments, assets and capital loans.  The cost of living crisis is hitting many families here in Wokingham, but we can, and we must help to address its local consequences, including acute hardship for a growing number of residents and rising costs on businesses and the Council.  We will be placing an emphasis on anti-poverty measures and working closely with local businesses to see what the Council can do to help them.  I will take the Business, portfolio, and we have created a new position on the Executive.  I am delighted that Rachel Bishop-Firth will be the Executive Member for Equalities, Inclusion and Fighting Poverty. 

 

People need affordable and decent homes to live in.  We must aim to improve on the Council’s record of building social housing.  Stephen Conway, as well as being the Deputy  ...  view the full minutes text for item 14.

15.

Changes to the Constitution pdf icon PDF 97 KB

To receive a report from the Monitoring Officer setting out proposed changes to the Constitution as considered by the Constitution Review Working Group.

 

RECOMMENDATION:  That Council agree the following changes to the Constitution, as recommended by the Monitoring Officer via the Constitution Review Working Group that:

 

1)              Sections11 Officers, be amended as set out in Appendix 1 of the report;

 

2)              Section 5.5.1 List of items delegated to Individual Executive Members be amended as set out in Paragraph 2 of the report;

 

3)              Section 12.1.16.24 Fees and Charges, be amended as set out in Paragraph 2 of the report.

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The Council considered a report regarding proposed changes to the Constitution, as considered by the Constitution Review Working Group.

 

It was proposed by Imogen Shepherd-DuBey and seconded by Prue Bray that the recommendations set out within the report be agreed.

 

Upon being put to the vote it was:

 

RESOLVED That:

 

1)              Sections 11 Officers, be amended as set out in Appendix 1 of the report;

 

2)              Section 5.5.1 List of items delegated to Individual Executive Members be amended as set out in Paragraph 2 of the report;

 

3)              Section 12.1.16.24 Fees and Charges, be amended as set out in Paragraph 2 of the report.

16.

Member Question Time

To answer any member questions

 

A period of 30 minutes will be allowed for Members to ask questions submitted under Notice

 

Any questions not dealt with within the allotted time will be dealt with in a written reply.

 

Minutes:

In accordance with the agreed procedure the Mayor invited Members to submit questions to the appropriate Members.

16.1

Rachelle Shepherd-DuBey had asked the Executive Member for Highways and Transport a question

 

Question

At the planning stage of the Winnersh Relief Road ‘northern roundabout’ and the North Wokingham Distribution Road ‘southern roundabout’ concern was raised about the safe usage of the uncontrolled crossings by pedestrians and cyclists as traffic volumes would not allow sufficient gaps to allow people to cross in safety.  Signal-controlled toucan crossings were suggested at that time but were dismissed by the Borough Council.

 

These routes are well used by residents including school students from at least three local schools, who are finding it increasingly difficult to cross the road safely.  With the North Wokingham Distribution Road due to open in June 2022 the situation is only going to get worse.  What improved safety measures can be introduced to make these uncontrolled crossings safer?

Minutes:

This Member question was withdrawn prior to the meeting.

17.

Political Balance of the Council and Allocation and Appointment to Seats on Committees and Boards pdf icon PDF 300 KB

To receive a report on the political balance of the Council and to appoint to Council Committees/Panels/Boards in accordance with the Groups’ wishes as set out in Appendix 1.

 

Further information relating to the nominations will be circulated before or at the meeting. 

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The Council considered a report on the political balance of the Council and the appointment to the Council’s Committees and Boards, in accordance with the wishes of the Groups.

 

It was proposed by Clive Jones and seconded by Stephen Conway that the recommendations in the report be agreed.

 

Norman Jorgensen questioned the standing of the coalition group and what would happen should the Group dissolve.  Members were advised that all 28 Members had formally signed up to join the Wokingham Borough Partnership Group and had met all legal requirements.  It was clarified that for the purposes of political balance there were two political groups on the Council.  Keith Baker sought confirmation that as far as the Council was concerned there was not a Liberal Democrat Group, or a Labour Group or an Independent Group.  It was reiterated that for the purposes of political balance there were two political groups, however individual Councillors were still members of their respective political parties

 

Upon being put to the vote, it was:

 

RESOLVED That:

 

1)       it be noted that the representation of the political groups on the Council, as advised to the Chief Executive, is 28 Wokingham Borough Partnership Group Members and 26 Conservative Group Members;

 

2)       the appointment and composition of Committees and Boards as set out in Para 2.1, including the changes to those currently set out in the Constitution, be approved;

 

3)       the allocation of seats on Committees and Boards on the basis that, of the 86 seats (as set out in Para 3.4), 48 be allocated to the Wokingham Borough Partnership Group and 38 be allocated to the Conservative Group;

 

4)       the proposals submitted by the respective Group Leaders be approved and that those Members be appointed to the Committees and Boards as set out in Appendix 1 to the minutes;

 

5)       that the principles of proportionality be applied when Members are appointed to Sub Committees, Panels or Working Groups;

 

6)       it be noted that the Constitution states that the Chairman of the Standards Committee will be appointed at Annual Council and agrees that as with all other committees the Chairman will be appointed at the first meeting of the Standards Committee;

 

7)       the appointment of the Independent Persons to assist the work of the Standards Committee and the co-opted Parish/Town Council Representatives as set out in Appendix 1, be noted;

 

8)       the elected Member representatives on the Wokingham Borough Wellbeing Board, as set out in Appendix 1, as nominated by the Leader of Council in accordance with Section 194 of the Health and Social Care Act 2012, be noted.

Appendix 1 - Appointment to Committees/Boards pdf icon PDF 333 KB

18.

Appointments to Panels/Working Groups, Etc pdf icon PDF 301 KB

To consider and approve the appointment of Members to serve on Joint Committees, Various Bodies and Panels/Working Groups in accordance with the Groups’ wishes, as set out in Appendix 2.

 

Further information relating to nominations will be circulated before or at the meeting.

Minutes:

Members were asked to refer to a list of nominations to various Panels, Working Groups, Joint Committees, and Various Bodies, as circulated at the meeting as Appendix 2.

 

Where more nominations had been received than places, individual votes were taken.

 

Pauline Jorgensen proposed the following amendment which was seconded by Chris Bowring.

 

“To increase the number of seats on the Constitution Review Working Group from 4 to 5, and thus improve the political balance so that there are 3 Wokingham Borough Partnership Members, and 2 Conservative Members to ensure the Working Group is more reflective of the balance of the Council.”

 

Gary Cowan suggested that the Constitution Review Working Group consider whether it wished to recommend that it increase in size. 

 

It was clarified that the Constitution Review Working Group was politically balanced for a committee of four and that this was reflected in recommendation 5 of the Political Balance report considered earlier.

 

The proposer of the report Clive Jones did not accept the amendment.

 

Upon being put to the vote, the amendment was lost.

 

Upon being put the vote, it was:

 

RESOLVED: That Members be appointed to the Council’s Panels, Working Groups, Joint Committees and Various Bodies, as set out in Appendix 2 to the Minutes.

Appendix 2 - Appointment to Panels/Working Groups/Joint Committees and Various Boards pdf icon PDF 306 KB

19.

Appointments to Outside Bodies pdf icon PDF 101 KB

To consider and approve the appointment of Members to serve on Outside Bodies in accordance with the Groups’ wishes, as set out in Appendix 3.

 

Further information relating to nominations will be circulated before or at the meeting.

Minutes:

Members were asked to refer to a list of nominations to various Outside Bodies, as circulated at the meeting as Appendix 3.

 

Where more nominations had been received than places, individual votes were taken.

 

At this point in the meeting 9.26pm, in accordance with Rule 4.2.13.11h) it was proposed by the Mayor and seconded by Pauline Jorgensen that Rule 4.2.8 be suspended to allow the meeting be extended for up to 30 minutes in order to complete the business on the agenda. 

 

Following a vote, this was declared by the Mayor to be carried.

 

Upon being put to the vote, it was:

 

RESOLVED: That Members be appointed to the Outside Bodies, as set out in Appendix 3 to the Minutes.

Appendix 3 - Appointments to Outside Bodies pdf icon PDF 127 KB