The Leader of the Council, E I Hunter in the Chair;
Councillors J A Davidson, W F Grant, P Herdman, A G Houghton, A H Murray, G O’Connell, R J Patterson, A S Rogerson and J E Smith.
118.
In attendance:
Councillor F I Simpson.
119.
Presentation : Berwick Film and Media Arts Festival, 21st to 29th September 2007
Members received a short presentation by Mr Huw Davies (Co-Artistic Director and Chairman of the Board of Berwick Film and Media Arts Festival) on the forthcoming festival be held at a variety of venues in Berwick-upon-Tweed between 21st-29th September 2007.
Mr Davies’ presentation set out:
• The vision for the festival
• Successes from previous festivals in 2005 and 2006
• The core aims of the 2007 event
Mr Davies concluded his presentation with a plea to Members and officers to assist with informal promotion of the festival, to help the festival organisers establish connections with potential supporters, and provide in-kind and partnership support where possible.
A copy of the presentation is attached as an appendix to these Minutes.
1
120.
1. Apologies for Absence
Apologies for absence were received on behalf of Councillors J G Hutchinson and J A Robertson.
2
121.
2. Declaration Of Interest
Interests declared by Members in accordance with the Council’s Constitution were as follows:
a) Item 4: Planning Fees and Development Control Costs
• Councillor G O’Connell – personal interest.
b) Item 6 : Berwick Borough Holiday Guide 2008
• Councillor P Herdman – personal interest
• Councillor A G Houghton – personal interest
c) Item 10 : Council Funding for The Maltings Theatre and Arts Centre
• Councillor F I Simpson - personal and prejudicial interest
• Councillor J E Smith - personal and prejudicial interest
d) Item 11 : Community Benefits from Wind Farm Developments
• Councillor E I Hunter – personal interest
• Councillor A G Houghton – personal interest
• Councillor G O’Connell – personal interest
e) Item 16 : Land at Tweedside Industrial Estate, Berwick-upon-Tweed
• Councillor F I Simpson - personal interest
f) Additional Items : The Berwick Roll and other Berwick Documents
• Councillor P Herdman - personal interest
3
122.
3. Minutes of the Meeting of Policy Committee held on Wednesday 13th June 2007
DECISION: To approve as a correct record the Minutes of the meeting of Policy Committee held on 13th June 2007.
[Note : The Chair proposed and it was agreed to change the order of business by bringing forward Item 6 : Planning Fees and Development Control Costs to Item No. 4 on the agenda].
3
123.
6. Berwick Borough Holiday Guide 2008
DECISIONS: (i) To agree that the Council will produce its own 2008 Holiday Guide and website covering Berwick Borough, to be funded through advertising revenues; and (ii) to request appropriate coverage for the Borough within The Northumberland Tourism Ltd 2008 county-wide guide as in the 2007 guide.
3
124.
4. Planning Fees and Development Control costs
DECISION : To agree a transfer of balances in the sum of £87,000 in order to meet ongoing expenditure in relation to the processing of the four wind farm applications currently lodged with the Authority.
3
125.
5. Planning Services Improvement Plan : Resource requirement for essential ICT Development
DECISIONS: (i) To approve additional, one-off resources in the current year to meet the cost of essential ICT development in Planning Services, as set out below :
(a) £43,000 in the current year for the scanning of planning and building regulations application files back to 1990,
(b) £7,000 to enable a service contract to be entered into for the current year with the software supplier to cover essential training and development in relation to APAS,
(c) In the event that external funding cannot be secured, £38,000 for the procurement of an on-line procedure manual;
and (ii) to approve in-principle the continuation of the service contract with the software supplier at a cost of £7000 per annum subject to the current medium-term financial planning cycle.
3
126.
7. The Building (Local Authority Charges) Regulations 1998
DECISION : To adopt the published scheme of charges for the period from 1st September 2007, to replace the scheme for 2006/07.
3
127.
8. The Borough of Berwick-upon-Tweed Local Development Framework
DECISIONS: To note progress in the preparation of the Council’s Local Development Framework, including its statutory Development Plan Documents, and the slippage in the preparation of the Core Strategy and its sister documents.
4
128.
9. Improvements to Pedestrian Access and the junction to Co-op, Main Street Tweedmouth
DECISIONS: (i) To agree that the proposals in their current form are not acceptable; and (ii) to continue discussions with Northumberland County Council and local residents regarding proposals to improve the junction and pedestrian safety.
4
129.
10. Council Funding for The Maltings Theatre and Arts Centre
DECISIONS: To defer this item to the Ordinary Meeting of Council scheduled for 9th August 2007.
[Notes : (a) The deferred report will refer to difficulties reported by Councillor D S Stewart in connection with his role as a Council-appointed representative on the board of The Maltings; and (b) having previously declared an interest, Councillors F I Simpson and J E Smith left the meeting during discussion of the item set out above].
4
130.
11. Community Benefits from Wind Farm Developments
DECISIONS: (i) To agree this report and protocol for ensuring that if and when any wind farm developments are approved, we have a mechanism in place to secure appropriate community benefits; (ii) to agree to appoint the Community Foundation for Tyne & Wear and Northumberland to provide a “governance” framework for managing any community benefits which might derive from the development of wind farms in the Borough; and (iii) to agree to the Council, as Planning Authority, seeking to secure S 106 Agreements with wind farm developers to ensure compliance with a number of key conditions. Where there are time pressures, and the requirement to reach determination on planning applications means that it is not possible to secure full S106 Agreements, the Council will seek to agree “heads of agreement” with developers as an interim measure. This is the planning mechanism preferred by central government.
4
131.
12. Annual Treasury Management Review
DECISIONS: (i) To note the activity for the year; and (ii) to agree the revised Treasury Management Policy.
4
132.
13. GF Capital Budgetary Control Report to end June 2007
DECISIONS: (i) To approve the latest General Fund Capital Programme; and (ii) to note the budgetary control report for the quarter ended 30th June 2007.
4
133.
14. Policy Committee Work Programme 2007/08
DECISIONS: (i) To agree that Members will give consideration to identifying additional items for inclusion in the Work Programme for the 2007/08 municipal year; and (ii) to approve the Policy Committee Work Programme for the 2007.08 municipal year.
4
134.
Additional Item : The Berwick Roll and other Berwick Documents
DECISION : To recommend to Council that funding in the sum of £3750 be granted to assist in the purchase of The Berwick Roll and Other Documents.
135.
15. Exclusion of the Press and Public
DECISION: To exclude under Section 100A(4)of the Local Government Act 1972 the press and public from the Meeting during consideration of Item 5 on the grounds that it involves the likely disclosure of exempt information as defined in paragraph 3 of Part 1 of Schedule 12A to the Act.
Minutes 136 and 137: Paragraph 3 – Information relating to the financial or business affairs of any particular person (including the authority holding that information).
5
136.
16. Land at Tweedside Industrial Estate, Berwick-upon-Tweed
DECISIONS: (i) To agree to the sale of land at Tweedside Industrial Estate to Network Rail at the purchase price indicated in the offer received from the company ; and (ii) To ring fence the monies from this sale as a contribution from this authority towards the provision of additional car parking and other improvements at the Railway Station.
5
137.
17. Asset Disposal – Mitchell Memorial Hall
DECISION: To recommend to Council that the decision to dispose of the Mitchell Memorial Hall be reconsidered in the context of a range of associated factors, including the cost of compliance with the requirement of the Disability Discrimination Act, ongoing maintenance costs, and further exploration of potential interest in taking over the Hall by an external body (eg a Trust).
