Councillors SJ Anderson, H Bettison, A R Bowlas, AE Breckons, DGR Buckle, GM Elliott, HE Elliott, W N Ferguson, CG Hallam-Baker, EI Hunter, JG Hutchinson, CM Liddell-Grainger, JD Lockie, GE Miller, AH Murray, JMF Nesbit, RJ Patterson, LW Robson, FI Simpson, JE Smith, JW Stephenson, J Waterhouse, W G R Weeks and MJ Young.
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IN ATTENDANCE:
Pat Thynne, Officer of the Deputy Prime Minister – CPA Monitoring Officer.
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APOLOGIES:
Apologies for absence were received on behalf of Councillors GP Horsburgh, D McClymount and JN Simpson.
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ADDL. ITEM: WELCOME AND INTRODUCTIONS
The Mayor welcomed the Council’s newly-appointed Director of Regeneration and Development, Shona Alexander, to her first Council meeting, and introduced Pat Thynne of the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister, who was present in her capacity as the Council’s Comprehensive Performance Assessment (CPA) Monitoring Officer.
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1. DECLARATION OF INTEREST
[No declarations were made.]
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2. MINUTES OF THE THIRTY-SECOND ANNUAL MEETING OF COUNCIL, HELD ON 13TH MAY 2004
DECISION: To confirm as a correct record the Minutes of the Thirty-Second Annual Meeting of Council, held on 13th May 2004.
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3. MAYOR’S COMMUNICATIONS
(i) Mr. Simon Simpson, OBE
On behalf of the Council, the Mayor congratulated Mr. Simon Simpson of McCreath, Simpson and Prentice on his award of the OBE for services to the malt industry, and requested that a letter of congratulation be sent to Mr. Simpson in accordance with the wishes of the Council.
(ii) Mayor’s Sunday
The Mayor reminded Members of arrangements for Mayor’s Sunday, to be held at the Church of St. Aidan in Seahouses at 12.15pm on Sunday, 27th June 2004, and expressed the wish that Members and their partners would attend the occasion.
(iii) Civic Engagements
The Mayor reported that since taking office he had attended a number of civic engagements, including:
• Solemn Vespers – for the ordination of The Right Reverend Kevin Dunn as Bishop of Hexham and Newcastle, at the Cathedral Church of St. Mary, Newcastle upon Tyne
• Spittal Gala, on Sunday, 20th June 2004
• The formal opening of the Berwick Railway Station CCTV Connection on Thursday, 24th June 2004
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4. APPOINTMENT OF THE REVIEW OF CONSTITUTION WORKING GROUP
DECISIONS : (i) To agree that the Review of Constitution Working Group comprise the following Members in 2004/05:
• Liberal Democrats (2 seats) – Councillors WN Ferguson and J Waterhouse
• Independents (1 seat) – Councillor AR Bowlas
• New Labour Independents (1 seat) – Councillor DGR Buckle
• Tweedmouth Alliance (1 seat) – Councillor D McClymont;
and (ii) to agree the terms of reference for the Review of Constitution Working Group for the ensuing year.
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5. COMPREHENSIVE PERFORMANCE ASSESSMENT (CPA)
DECISIONS :(i) To receive comments from Members on the report; (ii) to commit to closer involvement in the Recovery and Improvement Plan for the Council; and (iii) to establish a Steering Group comprising Group Leaders (or their nominated representatives) and Corporate Team with responsibility for drawing up and overseeing the implementation of the Recovery and Improvement Plan.
[Note: Councillor H Bettison joined the meeting during discussion of the item set out above.]
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6. COUNCIL PERFORMANCE PLAN 2004/05
DECISIONS : (i) To approve the content of the Council’s Performance Plan for 2004/05; (ii) to delegate to the Chief Executive and the Leader of the Council authority to agree such minor amendments as may be considered necessary in advance of the due publication date of 30th June 2004; and (iii) to request that the Overview and Scrutiny Committee formulates a monitoring process for the Plan, to be reported to Council on a quarterly basis.
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7. COUNCIL’S CONSTITUTION – AMENDMENTS AND REVISIONS
DECISION : To approve all amendments and/or revisions to the Constitution as set out in the report, including the following amendments:
Scheme of Delegations: Planning
Add: “The existing rights of Councillors to bring an application before Committee to be continued”
Amend: approve or refuse, rather than approve and refuse.
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8. RISK MANAGEMENT
DECISIONS : (i) To adopt the Council’s Risk Management Strategy, a copy of which was attached as an appendix to the Summons and circulated to Members; (ii) to delegate responsibility for Risk Management to the Policy (Corporate Services and Regeneration) Committee; and (iii) to nominate the Borough Solicitor as the Council’s Corporate Risk Officer.
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9. MINUTES OF THE PROCEEDINGS OF COMMITTEE
DECISION : That the recommendations of Committee be approved and the Minutes adopted as Proceedings of the Council in respect of:
(a) Planning Committee : 1st June 2004, Minutes 18-26;
(b) Policy (Environment) Committee : 2nd June 2004, Minutes 27-42;
(c) Town Committee : 15th June 2004, Minutes 43-60
(d) Policy (Corporate Services and Regeneration) Committee : 16th June 2004, Minutes 61-99; and
(e) Overview and Scrutiny Committee : 22nd June 2004, Minutes 100-109.
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10. QUESTIONS
No questions were submitted under Rules of Procedure.
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ADDL. ITEM: APPOINTMENTS TO OUTSIDE BODIES
DECISIONS : (i) To appoint Councillor LW Robson as a Council representative on Berwick Local Sports Council; (ii) to appoint Councillor LW Robson as a successor to Councillor WGR Weeks as the Council’s representative on North Sunderland and Seahouses Development Trust; and (iii) to note the details of the defunct outside bodies contained in the report.
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ADDL. ITEM: LOCAL PLAN SUB-COMMITTEE : DELEGATED POWERS
DECISIONS : (i) To note the report; and (ii) to agree to award the Local Plan Sub-Committee for 2004/05 the delegated powers set out in the report.
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11. EXCLUSION OF PRESS AND PUBLIC
DECISION : To exclude under Section 100 A (4) of the Local Government Act 1972, the press and public from the meeting during consideration of the following items on the grounds that it was likely to involve the disclosure of exempt information as defined in Part 1 of Schedule 12A of the Act.
Minute 134 : Paragraph 1: Information relating to a particular employee, former employee or applicant to become an employee of, or a particular office-holder, former office-holder or applicant to become an office-holder under the authority.
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12. HONORARY FREEDOM – LOCAL GOVERNMENT ACT 1972 SECION 249 (5)
DECISION : To agree the proposal to admit a former officer of this authority as an Honorary Freeman of the Borough of Berwick-upon-Tweed, to be effected at a specially-convened meeting of the Council on a date to be confirmed.
