Full Council January 2020

FC - Wednesday 8 January 2020

Present:

Councillor Keith Panter (Chairman) – arrived at 7.04pm

Councillor Harry Clarke

Councillor Liz Clews

Councillor Richard Craig (Chairman)

Councillor Dennis Dannatt

Councillor Tim Davies

Councillor David Dobbie

Councillor Paul Key

Councillor Chris Lambie

Councillor Sally Loates

Councillor Pat O’Connor

Councillor James Plastow

Councillor Denise Schofield

Councillor Baptiste Velan

Councillor James Ward

Councillor Kenneth Woolley

 

 

In Attendance:

 

Tom Clay                                Town Clerk

Rachel Allbones                      Deputy Clerk / RFO

 

 

Also Present:                         WLDC Councillor Trevor Young

 

 

 

1. TO RECEIVE APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE

 

Councillor Matthew Boles

 

 

2. TO RECEIVE MEMBERS’ DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE LOCALISM ACT 2011 AND TO RECEIVE ANY APPLICATIONS FOR DISPENSATION

           

None declared.

 

 

3. PUBLIC QUESTION TIME

           

None received.

 

 

4. MINUTES OF THE PREVIOUS MEETING (Paper A)

 

1. Meeting of Council held on Wednesday 4 December 2019

 

RESOLVED that the minutes of the meeting held on Wednesday 4 December 2019 be approved and signed as a correct record.

 

 

Note: Councillors Clews, Loates & Woolley abstained from voting on the above resolution.

 

 

5. TO RECEIVE SUCH COMMUNICATIONS AS THE PERSON PRESIDING MAY WISH TO LAY BEFORE THE COUNCIL (Paper B)

 

RESOLVED to note the Mayors Diary.

 

 

6. TO RECEIVE THE DRAFT MINUTES OF COMMITTEE MEETINGS (Paper C)

 

Note: Councillor Panter arrived at the meeting 7.04pm.

 

RESOLVED to NOTE draft minutes.

 

Note: Councillor Panter took the Chair.

 

 

7. TO RECEIVE AND CONSIDER MOTIONS OR RECOMMENDATIONS

 

1. Recommendation from Management and Finance Committee (Paper D)

 

RESOLVED TO RECOMMEND TO FULL COUNCIL to adopt the below policies: –

• Councillor Vacancy (Co-option) Policy
• Volunteer Policy
• Councillor / Employee Protocol
• Public Participation at Meetings Policy
• Anti-Fraud & Corruption Policy
• Confidential Reporting Policy

 

RESOLVED to adopt the below policies: –

• Councillor Vacancy (Co-option) Policy
• Volunteer Policy
• Councillor / Employee Protocol
• Public Participation at Meetings Policy
• Anti-Fraud & Corruption Policy
• Confidential Reporting Policy

 

 

1. Recommendation from Management and Finance Committee (Paper E)

 

RESOLVED TO RECOMMEND TO FULL COUNCIL to approve a precept with a 2% increase, monetary terms £503,150. An increase of £22,010. The RFO will revised the budget paper accordingly for the Full Council meeting.

 

A full discussion regarding budget needs ensued.

 

Councillor Dobbie proposed 3% increase to fall in line with district level referendum, seconded by Councillor Plastow.

 

Councillor Davies proposed an amendment to refer the budget back to Management and Finance Committee to look at again, seconded by Councillor Ward.

 

A recorded vote was taken on the amendment as follows: –

 

Votes For: – Councillors Clews, Craig, Dannatt, Davies, Key, Lambie, Loates, O’Connor, Panter, Schofield, Ward, Woolley

 

Votes Against: – Dobbie, Plastow, Velan

Abstentions: – Clarke

 

CARRIED to refer the budget back to Management and Finance Committee to look at again and call an extraordinary Full Council meeting before the precept deadline.

 

 

• Recommendation from Management and Finance Committee (Paper J of 17 December 2019 Management and Finance Committee)

 

RESOLVED TO RECOMMEND TO FULL COUNCIL to create a budget of £775 from General Reserves to lay down 31 memorials in the General Cemetery extension identified as an imminent risk of failure following the first phase of testing, and accept the quotation received from Retford Memorials.

 

RESOLVED to create a budget of £775 from General Reserves to lay down 31 memorials in the General Cemetery extension identified as an imminent risk of failure following the first phase of testing, and accept the quotation received from Retford Memorials.

 

 

1. Recommendation from Management and Finance Committee (Paper G)

 

RESOLVED TO RECOMMEND TO FULL COUNCIL to: –

• Create a budget virement of £4,000 from General Reserves to Computer Maintenance
• Consider quotations received from F5 Computing and Lincoln IT Solutions for new IT equipment, and determine which company to appoint
• Agreed to use Office 365 for Officer and Councillor emails with a new domain of Gainsborough.gov.uk or Gainsboroughtc.co.uk if a government domain is rejected.

 

            RESOLVED to: –

• Create a budget virement of £4,000 from General Reserves to Computer Maintenance
• Accept the quotation from F5 Computing for new IT equipment
• Agreed to use Office 365 for Officer and Councillor emails with a new domain of Gainsborough.gov.uk or Gainsboroughtc.co.uk if a government domain is rejected.

 

Note: Councillors Clarke, Dobbie, Loates, Plastow and Velan abstained from voting on the above resolution.

 

 

1. Motion received from Councillor Davies (Paper H)

 

Following on from the resolution of Council on 14 May 2019 ‘that that all meetings on the proposed calendar be moved on a day, i.e. Full Council, Community Services, Management and Finance and Planning and Development all become Wednesday meetings, and Personnel becomes a Thursday meeting’, and my failed motion on 3 July 2019 to revert the meeting schedule back to the proposed paper G App A of 14 May 2019, I would like to propose Council

reconsider the above resolution and revert the meeting back to the proposed schedule (please see paper G of 14 May 2019 meeting) with the immediate effect.

 

Councillor Dannatt proposed an amendment to leave the meetings as they are, seconded by Councillor Ward.

 

A recorded vote was taken on the amendment as follows: –

 

Votes For: – Councillors Clews, Craig, Dannatt, Dobbie, Velan, Ward

 

 

Votes Against: – Councillors Clarke, Davies, Key, Lambie, Loates, O’Connor, Panter, Plastow, Schofield, Woolley

 

            AMENDMENT FALLEN

 

            A recorded vote was taken on the original motion as follows: –

 

Votes For: – Councillors Clarke, Davies, Key, Lambie, Loates, O’Connor, Panter, Plastow, Schofield, Woolley

Votes Against: – Councillors Clews, Craig, Dannatt, Dobbie, Ward

Abstentions: – Councillor Velan

 

MOTION CARRIED to revert the meetings back to the proposed schedule (please see paper G of 14 May 2019 meeting) with the immediate effect.

  

1. Motion received from Councillor Key (Paper I)

 

Members NOTED there was three pints to Councillor Keys.

 

Management and Finance Committee to consider: –

• GTC Office premises and future of GTC at Richmond House
• GTC Staff Structure

 

Community Services Committee to consider: –

• General Cemetery Memorials and valley burials

 

8. ANNUAL TOWN MEETING

 

Members considered arrangements and content for annual public meeting to be held between 1 March 2020 and 1 June 2020, Local Government Act 1972, Schedule 12.

 

Members were keen to have presentations / presence of: –

• Gainsborough Neighbourhood Plan
• Mayflower 400
• Community Policing Team

 

Members asked the Clerk to see if the Annual Public meeting can be held in licensed premises.

 

Members were keen to hold the APM in March or April prior to the Gainsborough Neighbourhood Plan referendum.

 

The Clerk is to report back to the next meeting.

  

9. COMMITTEE VACANCIES

 

RESOLVED to appoint Councillors Dobbie and Loates on to the Personnel Committee.

 

RESOLVED to appoint Councillor Key on to the Management and Finance Committee.

 

            RESOLVED to appoint Councillor Davies on the Community Services Committee.

 

 

10. ROSES SPORTS GROUND SUB-LEASE (Paper J)

 

Note: Councillor O’Connor left the meeting at 8.43pm.

 

The Deputy Clerk advised that the Underlease of Roses Sports Ground and Pavilion to Gainsborough Trinity Foundation had only been received from the solicitors the day prior so would be deferred for approval to Management and Finance Committee in 2 weeks’ time.

M&F have delegated authority under Structure and Functions To negotiate land transactions on behalf of the Council including the content of leases.

 

Members were keen for Full Council to approve the final underlease.

 

RESOLVED that Full Council would sign off the final Underlease of Roses Sports Ground and Pavilion to Gainsborough Trinity Foundation once considered by Management and Finance Committee.

 

11. REPORT FROM THE LEADER OF THE COUNCIL

 

No report was received due to the Leader not being present at the meeting.

 

 

12. REPORT FROM THE CLERK TO THE COUNCIL (Paper K)

 

The Deputy Clerk reported to members of a vacancy on the Council following the resignation of Lesley Rollings, and a Local Councillor drop in session at the Old Hall looking at the Gainsborough Cycling and Walking Network Plan on Tuesday 14 January 3pm – 4pm.

 

Meeting concluded at 8.55pm