Agenda and minutes

There were no apologies

To receive declarations of interest from Members on items contained within this agenda.

There were no declarations of interest stated.

To consider the minutes of the previous meeting(s)

Resolved:                 That the minutes of the meeting held on 21 February, 2018 be agreed as a correct record.

When the Mayor has declared the result of the election, the Mayor preceded by the Mace Bearers, will retire to the Mayor’s Parlour accompanied by the following:-

• Retiring Consort
• Retiring Mayoress
• Retiring High Constable
• Retiring Chaplain
• Chief Executive
• Mayor Designate
• Consort designate
• High Constable designate
• Chaplain designate

The incoming Mayor will then be robed and invested with the chain of office.  The Mayoral party will then return to the Council Chamber in the following order:-

• Mace Bearers
• Mayor
• Mayoress designate
• Consort designate
• Chief Executive
• High Constable designate
• Chaplain designate
• Retiring Mayor
• Retiring Mayoress
• Retiring Consort
• Retiring High Constable
• Retiring Chaplain

The Mayor will take the chair and make the declaration of acceptance of office.

It was moved by Councillor Simon Tagg  and seconded by Councillor Sweeney that Councillor Heesom be appointed as Mayor for the 2018/19 municipal year.

Resolved:     That Councillor Heesom be appointed as Mayor for the 2018/19

municipal year.

The Mayor made the Declaration of Acceptance of Office.

Following the appointment of the Deputy Mayor, he/she will make the declaration of acceptance of office.

It was moved by Councillor Kearon and seconded by Councillor Robinson that Councillor Shenton be appointed as Deputy Mayor for the 2018/19 municipal year.

Resolved:     That Councillor Shenton be appointed as Deputy Mayor for the

2018/19 municipal year.

The Deputy Mayor signed the Acceptance of Office.

The Mayor will announce the appointment of her:

Mayoress?

Consort

High Constable

Chaplain

Mace Bearers

Consorts –               Mr John Heesom & Mr Paul Heesom

High Constable –   Mr Andrew Mackay-Astley

Chaplain –                Reverend John Taylor

Mace Bearers –       Mrs Angela Mayer and Mr James Worgan

To receive the Mayoral address.

The Mayor thanked the Council for affording her the honour of the appointment and paid tribute to the hard work, enthusiasm and commitment of her predecessor. 

In appreciation of their services during the past year, the retiring Mayor and Mayoress and Consort will be presented with their badges.

On behalf of the Council, Councillor Simon Tagg expressed gratitude and appreciation to the retiring Mayor, Mayoress and Consort for their tireless dedication to the role and their services to the Borough and its communities.  Councillors S. Tagg  added that he Borough had been served well by the retiring Mayor as its Ambassador.

Official Badges were presented to the retiring Mayor and Consort.  The Mayoress was not present at the meeting and would be presented with her badge by the retiring Mayor.

Retiring Mayor’s response.

The retiring Mayor thanked members of the Council for their support and

also everyone who had helped and guided him throughout his term of Office.

He stated that it had been a privilege to represent the Borough and had fond memories of many engagements that had been undertaken especially awarding Gordon banks OBE his Freedom of the Borough.  He was proud to have raised just over £18,000 towards his two chosen charities.   The retiring Mayor also gave thanks to his High Constable Allan Jones who could not be at the meeting due to ill health. He wished his successor well for the forthcoming year and offered his full support.

To receive the Mayor’s announcements of forthcoming events.

The Mayor gave notice that her Annual Civic Service would be held at St. Giles Church at 10.30am on Sunday 24 June 2018. She referred to a formal Reception which was to be held immediately following this Annual Council meeting and thanked her  family and friends for their support for both events.

Members were asked to receive a report detailing the results from the elections held earlier this month.

Resolved:     That the information be received.

To appoint the Leader of the Council.

It was moved by Councillor Fear and seconded by Councillor Sweeney that Councillor Simon Tagg be appointed as Leader of the Council.

A named vote was requested:

In Favour -     21

Against -        20

Abstain –       3

Resolved:     That Councillor Simon Tagg be appointed as Leader of the Council.

The Leader will report the appointment of his/her Cabinet and Deputy Leader for 2018/19.

The Leader confirmed Councillor Sweeney as Deputy Leader and the following as members of the Cabinet:

Councillor Holland

Councillor T Johnson

Councillor Northcott

Councillor J Waring

Licensing and Public Protection Report to follow.

The Leader introduced a report outlining a number of changes to the council’s constitution reflecting the reduction in the number of members and changes to some committees.

The Leader also proposed that the Constitution and Member Support Working Group be reconvened with the same membership as before; Councillors’ Holland, Reddish, Shenton and G White. The remit of the Working Group being as follows:

(i)            To scrutinise the changes set out in the reports and to monitor their impact over the year ahead.

(ii)          To carry out a proper review of the Constitution to ensure that it is fit for purpose for the new Council.

(iii)         To ensure that Members have the training and development they need to be effective in their executive, scrutiny, regulatory and ward member roles.

Councillor Kearon agreed with the reconvening of the above Working Group and seconded the proposal.

Resolved:         (i)    That the changes to committees to reflect the reduced

                                    number of Members on the Council be agreed.

                            (ii)   That the changes to the Planning Service Scheme of

Delegation, reflecting changes to legislation, be agreed.

(iii)  That the changes to the Constitution, reflecting new ways

of working (particularly the use of sub-committees) consequent on bringing together the Licensing and Public Protection Committees as a single committee, be agreed.

(iv)  That the Constitution and Member Support Working

Group be reconvened.       

To appoint Members to committees.

Report to follow

Resolved:                 That the appointments to committees, as set out in the Supplementary agenda, be approved:

Chairs and Vice-Chairs

Resolved:                 That the following Chair and Vice-Chair appointments be

approved:

*Denotes where a vote was not taken as only one nomination was received.

** Denotes a changed nominee to that of the printed agenda.

(Report to follow)

The Council is requested to review its representation on outside bodies for 2018/19.

In the case of any appointments made by office rather than by name, in the event of any change to the office holder these will automatically transfer to the new incumbent.

The List of Representatives onto Outside Bodies was considered. 

Where more than one nomination was received a vote was taken.

Community Council for Staffordshire                  -           Councillor S White

Aspire Board                                                             -           Councillor Shenton

Campaign to Protect Rural England                    -           Councillor Panter

West Midland Reserve Forces and                      -           Councillor Sweeney

Cadets Association

LGiU Assembly                                                        -           Councillor Julie Cooper

Resolved:     That the list of Representatives onto Outside Bodies, as set out in the Supplementary agenda and those Members listed above following a vote having been taken,  be agreed and the Members appointed accordingly.

Report of the Independent Remuneration Panel

The Leader introduced the report from the Independent Remuneration Panel and thanked them for the work that they had carried out.  The Leader stated that he could not accept the proposed changes to allowances for this Municipal year and proposed that the existing levels of allowance be retained and the Panel be invited to review them again next year when a full year of the new arrangements for this Council had passed.

Councillors’ Kearon and Proctor backed the Leader’s proposal.

Councillor Shenton asked that a copy of the findings of the Independent Remuneration Panel be made available to the Constitution and Member Support Working Group.

Resolved:     (i)         That the current Scheme of Members’ Allowances be

 retained for the municipal year 2018/19.

(ii)        That an Independent Remuneration Panel be asked to

 review Members’ Allowances prior to the 2019/20

 Municipal year.

The Leader moved that the Calendar of Meetings be rolled forward  to cover the full four years so that it is in Members diaries.

In order to preserve the Annual Council meeting primarily as for the ceremonial functions such as appointing Committees and Chairs and Mayor making,  the Leader proposed that the April meeting of the Council be used to deal with changes to the Constitution and any general business, particularly as there are no Borough elections for the next few years.

Resolved:                 (i)         That the Calendar of Meetings for 2018/19 as

submitted be approved.

(ii)        That the Calendar of Meetings be rolled forward to

cover the full four year period so that this is in Members’ diaries.

(iii)       That the Annual Council meeting be used primarily

as for the ceremonial functions and that this be achieved by use of the April Council meeting for changes to the Constitution and other general business.

The Portfolio Holder for Planning and Growth, Councillor Paul Northcott introduced this report to delegate any of its planning powers to Cheshire East with respect to the determination of a planning application  for the A500 widening.

Resolved:     (i)         That Council resolves that it delegates to Cheshire East

Council the discharge of the Borough Council’s function under the Town and Country (Environmental Impact Assessment) Regulations 2017 to give a Scoping Opinion, under the above Regulations, with respect to a proposal to widen the A500 between Junction 16 of the M6 and the Meremoss roundabout, Crewe, insofar as it relates to land that lies within the Borough Council’s administrative area.

(ii)        That Council resolves that it delegates to Cheshire East

Council the discharge of the Borough Council’s planning control functions under Section 70(1) (Part III) of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 to determine, insofar as it relates to land that lies within the Borough Council’s administrative area, a cross boundary planning application in relation to the proposed widening of the A500 between Junction 16 of the M6 and the Meremoss roundabout, Crewe.

To consider any communications which pursuant to Appendix 7 – paragraph 7 of the constitution are, in the opinion of the Mayor, of an urgent nature and to pass thereon such resolutions as may be  deemed necessary.

There was no urgent business.