Decisions

The Director of Resources & Deputy Chief Executive submitted a report for Committee to consider the report of the independent remuneration panel on members’ allowances following their review of the current scheme, and to make recommendations regarding the new scheme to Full Council.

The Council was required to agree and publicise its members’ allowance scheme each year and undertake an independent review at least every 4 years.

The independent panel had conducted interviews with seven Councillors, and reviewed details of members allowances schemes from 11 other Lancashire District Councils. The full report of the panel was included with the report which set out their findings and full recommendations. The panel had concluded that overall the existing Members’ Allowance Scheme was a fair reflection of Councillor duties and responsibilities however, proposed that the Special Responsibility Allowances (SRA) be amended to include an allowance for the leader of each political group where the group had a minimum of 5 members or more. The Council’s budget for 2023/24 was £262,350 and the proposed recommendations would result in an additional SRA of £6,180 to group leaders.

Committee were asked to consider the recommendations in report in order for the new Member’s Allowance scheme to be agreed at the Full Council meeting on 11 July 2023. Once the Council had approved the Scheme it would make arrangements for its publication as set out in the report.

*** RESOLVED THAT COMMITTEE:

1.     Agree the Members’ Allowance Scheme recommended by the Independent Panel.

2.     Recommend to Council the revised Scheme for Members Allowances as set out in the report.

3.     Thank the Independent Remuneration Panel for their work in formulating proposals for the revised scheme.

The Chief Executive submitted a report for Committee to consider the next steps in the development of the Council’s Corporate Strategy.

The Corporate Strategy set out the strategic direction of the Council, and provided a focus to ensure that services met the needs of the community. The 2019-2023 strategy was due a complete review, and a new strategy was required for 2023-2027.

The next steps in the development of the strategy were included in the report and it was recommended that in order to review the Council’s priorities a small working group was established, which would be tasked with bringing the new Corporate Strategy 2023-2027 to the scheduled Committee meeting on 7 November 2023.

RESOLVED THAT COMMITTEE:

1.     Agree the suggested approach to reviewing the Corporate Strategy.

2.     Agree a small working group to review the Corporate Strategy, with the membership noted at agenda item 6.

The Director of Economic Development and Planning submitted a report updating Members in respect of the use of the Council’s UK Shared Prosperity Fund allocation for 2022/23 and seeking approval for the allocation of funds.

The report noted the allocations for 2022/23 and the indicative allocations for 2023/24 and 2024/25. The Council’s Investment Plan had included several projects to deliver in the 2022/23 financial year. The projects for which Committee had agreed on 24 January 2023 were listed in the report along with updates on each scheme.

The allocation for 2022/23 had not been received by the Council until January 2023 and £145,618 of the 2022/23 allocation would be carried forward to the 2023/24 financial year. 81% of the underspend amount had already been committed to projects therefore the remaining £28,018 would be considered by the UKSPF Working Group.

Officers asked Members to consider the recommendations that from the £28,018 underspend, £18,500 be allocated to part fund the drainage works at Mardale Playing Field, and £690 allocated to fund a grant to Whalley Parish Council for the erection of a CCTV camera.

RESOLVED THAT COMMITTEE:

1.     Approve the use of up to £18,500 of the UKSPF 2022/23 underspend (not yet allocated) to part fund the drainage works at Mardale.

2.     Approve grant funding to Whalley Parish Council totalling £690 for the erection of a standalone CCTV camera at Whalley CofE Primary School.

The Director of Economic Development and Planning submitted a report updating members on the Rural England Prosperity Fund (REPF) and seeking approval for the suggested grant scheme.

The REPF was complimentary to the UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF) and was a top-up available to eligible local authorities. The report noted the interventions approved by members on 8 November 2022 which had steered the proposed spend for REPF. The Council had met with REPF Partnership Group and discussed projects which would meet the agreed interventions and funding criteria set out by Central Government.

The Council had submitted an addendum to the UKSPF investment plan which resulted in an award of £433,680 of capital funding to be invested in rural capital projects over the next two financial years.

The proposed full grant criteria, which would be administered by Council Officers, was included in the report.

Members felt that the grant criteria and application process too onerous and that it needed to be considered further by the UKSPF working group.

RESOLVED THAT COMMITTEE:

Refer the REPF capital grant scheme criteria and process to the UK Shared Prosperity (UKSPF) Working Group to consider.

Councillor Mary Robinson was given permission to speak on the above item.

RESOLVED THAT COMMITTEE:

1.     Grant planning permission (contrary to the recommendation) subject to conditions.

2.     The application is to be brought back to a future committee meeting for decision with conditions drafted.

RESOLVED THAT COMMITTEE:

The application was withdrawn as reported on the Late Items Sheet.

Councillor Simon O’Rourke left the room.

Councillor Ian Brown made a brief comment in support of the application then left the room.

RESOLVED THAT COMMITTEE:

Approved the application subject to the imposition of the following condition(s):

1.               The development must be begun not later than the expiration of three years beginning with the date of this permission.

REASON:  Required to be imposed pursuant to Section 18 of the Planning (Listed Building and Conservation Areas) Act 1990.

2.               Unless explicitly required by condition within this consent, the development hereby permitted shall be carried out in complete accordance with the proposals as detailed on drawings:

0677/93 Drawing 00: Proposed Location Plan

0677/99 Drawing 05: Proposed Site Plan

0677/99 Drawing 10C: Proposed Ground Floor Plan

0677/99 Drawing 11A: Proposed First Floor Plan

0677/99 Drawing 17A: Proposed Elevations

REASON:  For the avoidance of doubt and to clarify which plans are relevant to the consent hereby approved.

3.               The rating level of sound emitted from the external air-conditioning units hereby approved shall not exceed background sound levels by more than 5dB(A) between the hours of 0700 - 2300 (taken as a 15 minute LA90 at the nearest sound-sensitive premises) and shall not exceed the background sound level between 2300 - 0700 (taken as a 15 minute LA90 at the nearest/any sound-sensitive premises).

All measurements shall be made in accordance with the methodology of BS4142 (2014) (Methods for rating and assessing industrial and commercial sound) and/or its subsequent amendments.

Where access to the nearest sound-sensitive property is not possible, measurements shall be undertaken at an appropriate location and corrected to establish the noise levels at the nearest sound-sensitive property.

Any deviations from the LA90 time interval stipulated above shall be agreed in writing with the local planning authority.

REASON:  To protect nearby residential amenities and to ensure the proposed development does not cause undue noise disturbance.

Councillors Simon O’Rourke and Ian Brown returned to the room.

The Chief Executive submitted a report asking Committee to consider the reappointment of the Local Development Plan working group under the remit of the Planning and Development Committee and its membership. 

RESOLVED THAT COMMITTEE:

Approve the continuance of the Local Development Plan working group for the 2023/24 municipal year, being made up of five members consisting of two Conservatives, one Liberal Democrat, one Labour and one Independent Group Councillor.

The membership of the working group is as follows:

Councillors S Bibby, S Brunskill, S O’Rourke, K Spencer and J Rogerson

The Director of Economic Development and Planning submitted a report seeking authority from Members to publish a consultation draft version of the Council’s updated Local Validation Checklist for a six-week consultation period. This document sets out the information that is required to validate a planning application and is required to be reviewed and updated every two years.

It was noted that section 1 of the document provides information on procedural matters of validation and section 2 sets out the national requirements which are set by central government.

Several Members noted concerns with regards to the lack of reference on environmental factors such as net zero carbon emissions.  It was suggested that these issues could be included in the Council’s core strategy and the Local Plan.

RESOLVED THAT COMMITTEE:

Agree for the Local Planning Authority to publish the draft version of the updated Local Validation Checklist for a six-week consultation period.

The Director of Resources submitted a report reviewing the final outturn of the 2022/23 capital programme for this Committee and seeking member approval for the slippage of some capital scheme budgets from the 2022/23 financial year to the 2023/24 financial year.

Members were reminded that the total approved budget for this Committee’s capital programme of 19 schemes was £2,433,740.  Later in the year the capital programme budget was revised to £844,060 in respect of 18 schemes.  This followed a review of progress on all schemes in the capital programme and included moving budget of £479,440 on 5 schemes into the 2023/24 financial year and the deletion of 1 scheme.

Members were informed that the actual expenditure on this Committee’s capital programme was £677,184, which is 80.2% of the revised estimate budget.

Of the 18 schemes in the revised capital programme 9 were completed in year. The remaining 9 schemes were not completed in-year, with 8 of these resulting in slippage from the 2022/23 financial year in to the 2023/24 financial year totalling £165,500.

It was noted that a further spend of £5,710 is needed on the Ribblesdale Pool Filter and Tile Work scheme (FLPIP) in 2023/24 in order to bring this scheme to satisfactory full completion.

RESOLVED THAT COMMITTEE:

Approve the slippage of £165,500 as set out at paragraph 3.4 of the report.

The Chief Executive submitted a report asking Committee to consider the reappointment of the working groups under the remit of the Community Services Committee and their membership.  The two active working groups under the remit of this Committee were highlighted.

RESOLVED THAT COMMITTEE:

Approve the continuance of the grants and car parking working groups for the 2023/24 municipal year, each being made up of five members consisting of two Conservatives, one Liberal Democrat, one Labour and one Independent Group Councillor.

·        Grants – Councillors R Newmark, J Alcock, S Fletcher, K Barnsley and L Street

·        Car Parking – Councillors R Newmark, S Atkinson, S O’Rourke, L Jameson and J Atherton

PLEASE NOTE: Following the meeting, the Liberal Democrat Group representative for the Grants Working Group was changed from Councillor Stewart Fletcher to Councillor Mary Robinson

The Director of Resources submitted a report reviewing the final outturn of the 2022/23 capital programme and seeking member approval for the slippage of capital scheme budget on one scheme from the 2022/23 financial year to the 2023/24 financial year.

There had been no spend on the capital programme in 2022/23 for this Committee.

Slippage totalling £55,000 from the 2022/23 financial year in to the 2023/24 financial year was requested.

RESOLVED THAT COMMITTEE:

Approve the slippage of £55,000 as detailed in the report.

The Chief Executive submitted a report asking committee to consider the need for working groups under the remit of this committee and decide upon the membership.

It was noted that a recommendation was being made to the Policy and Finance Committee meeting on 20 June 2023 that the Climate Change Working Group parent Committee be amended to Economic Development Committee, for the municipal year 2023/24. Committee therefore agreed that a working group should be formed and the membership decided in the event that the recommendation is approved, to avoid delay in the meeting of the working group.

RESOLVED THAT COMMITTEE:

Approve the following working group and the membership for the 2023/24 municipal year, on the condition that it is agreed at the next Policy and Finance Committee meeting of 20 June 2023 that the parent Committee is changed to Economic Development Committee.

Climate Change Working Group - Councillors S Atkinson, L Edge, A Wilkinson-Odudu, S Fletcher, and M Peplow.

Please note, at the Full Council Meeting of 11 July 2023, following a change to the membership of Economic Development Committee, Councillor Malcolm Peplow was replaced on the working group by Councillor Gaye McCrum.

The Director of Economic Development and Planning submitted a report presenting members with the draft Economic Plan 2023-2026.

The existing Economic Plan covered the period 2019 - 2022 and work was ongoing to deliver projects identified previously. A workshop with the Ribble Valley Economic Partnership had been held on 12 October 2022, and based on the workshop and analysis, a draft new Economic Plan had been created. A second workshop with the Ribble Valley Economic Partnership was held on 20 February 2023 in order to review the draft plan and ensure it reflected the challenges and issues businesses were facing. The results of the workshops and draft Economic Plan 2023-2026 plan were included in the report.

The plan followed a similar format to the existing Economic Plan and was split into five priority areas:

1.     People – Focuses on those actions that will support skills development.

2.     Place – Focuses on those actions that recognise and respect the value and character of the Ribble Valley.

3.     Business Support – Focuses on those actions that sustain competitiveness and strengthens business networks.

4.     Connectivity – Focuses on those actions that will act as the catalyst for better digital and public transport connectivity.

5.     Tourism – Focuses on those actions that will promote the development of accommodation, improve hospitality and support events building on the attraction of the local area.

For each priority area the deliverable projects were explained in the report.

There was discussion at the meeting around ensuring villages and smaller areas receive as much focus as towns and larger areas. It was felt that transport links to rural villages and businesses were vital in supporting businesses and also training and employment for individuals. Rail improvements would also be an ongoing focus.

RESOLVED THAT COMMITTEE:

Authorise the Director of Economic Development and Planning to carry out a public consultation for a period of six weeks on the draft Economic Plan.