Agenda and minutes

The Mayor’s Chaplain, Rev McLean opened the meeting with prayers.

Apologies for absence from the meeting were received on behalf of Councillors C McFall and J Rogerson.

The minutes of the meeting held on 30 April 2024 and the minutes of the Annual Meeting held on 14 May 2024 were approved as a correct record and signed by the Chairman.

There were no declarations of disclosable pecuniary, other registrable or non-registrable interests.

There was no public participation.

The Mayor reported on a wide range of events she had attended since the last meeting. She highlighted her privilege at attending the Buckingham Palace Garden Party and commemorating the 80^th Anniversary of D-Day with a number of events both in and out of the Borough. The Mayor thanked Reverend McLean for leading her Mayor’s Civic Sunday Service and thanked her congregation for the beautiful flowers they had arranged.

The Leader began by expressing his appreciation on behalf of the Council for the hard work and professionalism of all members of staff, volunteers and the returning officers for the role they played in the General Election. He noted that the integrity of the election process and the peaceful transfer of power was enjoyed in the United Kingdom, which was not the case everywhere.

The Leader welcomed William Holden to the Council following the by-election for St Mary’s Ward. He also congratulated Jonathan Hinder and Maya Ellis following the General Election and paid tribute to Nigel Evans who had been MP for the last 32 years, and had given half of his life to the Ribble Valley,

He informed the Mayor that when he became leader, Ribble Valley Borough Council faced the prospect of becoming part of a much larger entity which would have diluted the voice of residents. At the time, he asked Nigel Evans if he could arrange a meeting with the Local Government Minister Simon Clarke, which he did, and they got the assurance that Ribble Valley Borough Council would not be wound up against it’s will. He also paid tribute to Nigel’s humility in defeat and remarked that he was genuinely one of a minority of MPs who had not let power affect him, noting he had been appointed by his peers as Deputy Speaker on two occasions in 2010 and 2020.

The Leader wished to draw attention to matters which occured both in the 2024 general election and in the 2023 Borough Election, namely;

• Political signs destroyed or removed
• Personal attacks on Nigel Evans
• Personal attacks on fellow Councillors

He noted that some people say if you’re in the public eye you are fair game, but he felt that if this behaviour became normalised it was a platform for escalation. He remarked that one of the most shocking things he had witnessed was the labour MP Jess Philips, who had been through a traumatic campaign of intimidation. He thought it appalling that new MPs were being offered panic alarms and some MPs being protected by private security firms. He added that every elected person or member of a Political Party had a role to play, and that if they were even indirectly involved they should face the consequences.

The Leader felt that politics was becoming more and more fractured as elected politicians did not or could not respond to the needs of their Constituencies and the many issues, including:

• Static Per Capita Income Since 2007
• A lack of housing
• A fractured Society

He noted Ribble Valley’s record on these issues:

• Income rising
• Approximately 5,000 additional houses completed since 2008 with a quarter of them being affordable
• A thriving civic society, with many voluntary organisations, active Parish and Town Councils and one of the safest and healthiest Boroughs in the country

The Chancellor had set out plans to increase housebuilding by 50% over the term of the new parliament, by introducing mandatory targets and reviewing green  ...  view the full minutes text for item 154.

Report of the Chief Executive enclosed.

The Chief Executive submitted a report for Council to consider a change to the representation on an Outside Body for the remainder of the municipal year 2024/25.

The report requested that members consider a request for Councillor Stuart Hirst to replace Councillor Tony Austin as the Council’s representative on the Lancashire Waste Partnership for 2024/25. The Deputy Leader, Councillor Simon Hore, thanked Councillor Austin for his dedication and work on the partnership to date.

RESOLVED:

That the Council approve that Councillor Stuart Hirst represent the Council on the Lancashire Waste Partnership for the remainder of the municipal year 2024/25.

The Leader of the Opposition, Councillor Lee Jamson began by agreeing with the sentiments expressed by the Leader for outgoing MP Nigel Evans. He wished him well and felt his 32 years as an MP deserved recognition.

Councillor Jameson then noted that it was excellent to see the money allocated to improve Clitheroe market but that there was a lot to do to upgrade the market area and stalls to make it a much more attractive place to visit and spend money. He stated that the Council needed a long-term plan supported by a clear vision of investment and improvement, and asked the Leader what he intended to do to make that happen? 

The Leader responded, that prior to the pandemic several improvements were undertaken to Clitheroe Market utilising capital funding, including new uniform canopies on all of the cabins and hand painted signs. Further improvements had been identified which were put on hold during the pandemic as the market saw a change in shopping patterns as a direct result of the pandemic.  The previously approved changes to the market were no longer considered suitable due to the changes to shopping patterns during the pandemic and the suggested changes at the market were reconsidered. A full review of the market was commissioned which was reported to Health and Housing Committee in March 2023. A number of the suggestions within the report are being progressed at the market whilst ensuring that minimal disruption is caused to the existing traders. All of these improvements will be funded by UKSPF with the existing capital budget retained for future works at the market. The Director of Economic Development and Planning meets with the traders quarterly to discuss issues, understand the current trends at the market and explore options for continually seeking to ensure that the market continues to thrive. Future investment in the market will follow on from discussions with the traders and service Committee to ensure that the improvements directly relate to the continued success of the market.

In a supplementary question, Councillor Jameson noted that he had recently discussed the Market with architects and met with the Market Traders and felt that the opinion of some Market Traders was miles away from that of Council Officers and some were angry. He asked the Leader what could be done to quiet the issue down?

The Leader responded that the Market had a long history of being redeveloped, and before his time as Leader there was to be a major redevelopment which did not happen. He had visited Market Traders and received differing opinions from each one. He noted it was important to keep the Market as it was for the time being, but the works would retain the setts, clean, and replace the tarmac, without disruption to trading. He noted that further works could be considered under the Jubilee Fund, if it was later agreed to update the stalls, and that if the works were relooked at under the UKSPF then there was  ...  view the full minutes text for item 156.

To receive and consider, where appropriate, the minutes of the committees since the last meeting (items marked *** are referred to Council for decision).

1.     Council – 30 April 2024

2.     Annual Council – 14 May 2024

3.     Community Committee – 28 May 2024

4.     Planning and Development Committee – 30 May 2024

5.     Personnel Committee – 5 June 2024

6.     Health and Housing Committee – 6 June 2024

7.     Licensing Committee – 11 June 2024

8.     Economic Development Committee – 13 June 2024

9.     Policy & Finance Committee – 18 June 2024

10.  Accounts and Audit Committee – 26 June 2024

11.  Planning and Development Committee – 27 June 2024

RESOLVED:

That the minutes of the above committees be received with the exception of Minute numbers 39 and 115.

Minute 39 – Scheme of Delegation and Code of Conduct.

RESOLVED:

That the Council approve the Scheme of Delegation as amended and the Code of Conduct for Planning.

Minute 115 – Appointment of Working Groups.

RESOLVED:

That the Council approve the creation of a Sub-Committee to progress the recruitment of the next Chief Executive, with the membership consisting of Councillors S Atkinson, S Hore, L Jameson, and J Hill.

There were no items under this heading.