The Chief Executive reported that apologies for absence had been received from the following; Mr A Bannerman, Mr R Hughes, Mr P Nutting and Mr M Wood.

Members are reminded that they must not participate in the discussion or voting on any matter in which they have a Disclosable Pecuniary Interest and should leave the room prior to the commencement of the debate.

Members were reminded that they must not participate in the discussion or voting on any matter in which they have a Disclosable Pecuniary Interest and should leave the room prior to the commencement of the debate.

To approve as a correct record the minutes of the meeting held on 17 July 2014 attached marked 3.

Contact Karen Nixon Tel 01743 252724.

RESOLVED: That the Minutes of the meeting held on 17 July 2014, as circulated with the agenda papers, be approved and signed as a correct record.

To receive such communications as the Chairman, Speaker, Leader and Head of Paid Service may desire to lay before the Council.

Chairman’s Engagements

The Chairman referred Members to the list of official engagements carried out by himself and the Speaker since the last meeting of the Council on 17 July 2014, which had been circulated at the meeting.

To receive any questions from the public, notice of which has been given in accordance with Procedure Rule 14.

48.1    Petitions

          The Speaker advised that there were no petitions.

48.2    Public Questions

The Speaker announced that one public question had been received from Mr M Mulloy in accordance with Procedure Rule 15 (a copy of the report containing the detail of the question and formal response is attached to the signed minutes).

Mr Mulloy did not attend the meeting and therefore there was no supplementary question.

To receive any questions from Members, notice of which has been given in accordance with Procedure Rule 15.2, attached marked 6.

The Speaker advised that eleven questions from Members had been received in accordance with Procedure Rule 15 (copies of the report containing the detailed questions and their formal responses are attached to the signed minutes, including the late response to Question 9).

(i)              Received from Mr M Kenny and answered by Mr G Butler, Portfolio Holder for Leisure, Libraries and Culture, about the sale of Fairtrade products at the Theatre Severn café/restaurant – copy attached to the signed minutes.

By way of a supplementary question Mr Kenny asked if the sale of Fairtrade products at the café could be insisted upon as well as showcasing the café for local producers.

In response the Portfolio Holder confirmed that market testing was currently being undertaken and that he would include Mr Kenny’s suggestions in future negotiations.

(ii)             Received from Mr M Kenny and answered by Mr M Price, Portfolio Holder for Planning, Housing and Commissioning (Central), about fracking policy and making Shropshire ‘Frack Free’ as in Cheshire East – copy attached to the signed minutes.

By way of a supplementary question Mr Kenny asked if he could have an answer to the element of his question about a ‘frack free Shropshire’, which had not been included.  

In response the Portfolio Holder said that further to attending a seminar in Preston on Fracking, which he found most informative, he was now arranging for speakers to come to Shrewsbury and provide a similar information session to which all Members would be invited.

(iii)            Received from Mr K Pardy and answered by Mr S West, Chairman of the Shropshire and Telford Fire and Rescue Authority about officers’ expenses claims in the light of efficiency cuts - copy attached to the signed minutes.

Mr Pardy thanked Mr West for his informative answer and confirmed that he did not wish to ask a supplementary question.

(iv)           Received from Mr A Boddington and answered by Mr K Barrow, Leader of the Council, about the collapse of Ludlow’s town walls and their repair – copy attached to the signed minutes.

By way of a supplementary question Mr Boddington asked if it would be possible to unlock negotiations by way of obtaining some grant ‘in kind’ and thereby access Heritage Lottery funding.

In response the Leader confirmed that negotiations were already taking place for repairs to be made to the town walls in Ludlow.  He asked Mr Boddington to meet with him after the meeting to discuss the matter further.

(v)            Received from Mrs P Moseley and answered by Mr K Barrow, Leader of the Council, about the closure of Hartley’s Day Centre, Shrewsbury – copy attached to the signed minutes.

By way of a supplementary question Mrs Moseley asked with hindsight, would the better course of action have been to have halted proposals to close Hartley’s Day Centre when the legal challenge was first initiated, and to conduct an appropriate consultation as required by law and would Councillor Barrow acknowledge that the judgement from The Court of Appeal had  ...  view the full minutes text for item 49.

To receive the report from the Portfolio Holder for Health, attached marked 7.

It was proposed by Mrs K Calder, Portfolio Holder for Health, and seconded by Mr T Barkerthat the report, a copy of which is attached to the signed minutes, be received and agreed.

Mrs Calder presented her report and responded to questions, queries and concerns raised by Members, including Mr M Kenny, Mrs H Fraser, Mrs C Barnes, Mrs V Parry, Mr A Mosley, Mrs C Motley, Mr R Evans and Mr D Roberts. 

Mrs Calder also expressed her thanks to the Director of Public Health and the Health Team for their excellent work.

          RESOLVED:  That the contents of the report of the Portfolio Holder for Health be received.

To receive the report from the Portfolio Holder for Adult Services attached marked 8.

It was proposed by Mr L Chapman, Portfolio Holder for Adult Services, and seconded by Mrs M Shinetonthat the report, a copy of which is attached to the signed minutes, be received and agreed.

Mr Chapman presented his report and responded to questions, queries and concerns raised by Members, including Mrs M Shineton and Mrs V Parry.

RESOLVED: That the contents of the report of the Portfolio Holder for Adult Services be received.

To receive the report from the Chairman of the Health and Adult Social Care Scrutiny Committee, attached marked 9.

It was proposed by Mr G Dakin, and seconded by Mr S Jonesthat the annual report, a copy of which is attached to the signed minutes, be received and agreed.

Mr Dakin, Chairman of the Health and Adult Social Care Scrutiny Committee introduced and amplified his report and responded to questions, queries and concerns raised by Members, including Mr M Kenny, Mrs C Barnes, Mrs P Moseley, Mr R Evans, Mr J Tandy, Mrs H Kidd, Mr J Everall and Mrs P Dee.

RESOLVED: That the contents of the report of the Health and Adult Social Care Scrutiny Committee be received.

To receive the report from the Portfolio Holder for Children’s Service, attached marked 10.

It was proposed by Mrs A Hartley, Portfolio Holder for Children’s Service, and seconded by Mr N Bardsleythat the report, a copy of which is attached to the signed minutes, be received and agreed.

Mrs Hartley presented and amplified her report and responded to the questions queries and concerns raised by members including Mrs V Parry, Mrs H Fraser, Mrs H Kidd and Mr D Roberts.

RESOLVED:  That the contents of the report of the Portfolio Holder for Children’s Service be received and agreed.

To receive the report from the Chairman of the Young People’s Scrutiny Committee, attached marked 11.

It was proposed by Mrs J Barrow, and seconded by Mrs P Mullockthat the annual report, a copy of which is attached to the signed minutes, be received and agreed.

Mrs Barrow presented her report, a copy of which is attached to the signed minutes, and responded to questions, queries and concerns raised by Members, including Mrs V Parry and Mrs H Kidd.

RESOLVED: That the contents of the Annual Report of the Young People’s Scrutiny Committee be received.

To receive the report from the Portfolio Holder for Finance, Resources and Support, attached marked 12.

It was proposed by Mr M Owen, Portfolio Holder for Finance, Resources and Support, and seconded by Mr B Williams that the report, a copy of which is attached to the signed minutes, be received and agreed.

Mr Owen presented and amplified his report and responded to the questions, queries and concerns raised by Members including Mrs V Parry, Mr R Evans and Dr J Jones.

RESOLVED: That the contents of the report of the Portfolio Holder for Finance, Resources and Support be received.

To receive the report from the Portfolio Holder for Leisure, Libraries and Culture attached marked 13.

It was proposed by Mr G Butler, Portfolio Holder for Leisure, Libraries and Culture, and seconded by Mr L Winwood that the report, a copy of which is attached to the signed minutes, be received and agreed.

Mr Butler presented and amplified his report and responded to the questions, queries and concerns raised by Members including Mr M Kenny, Mrs V Parry, Mr K Turley, Mrs C Barnes, Mr A Mosley, Mrs T Woodward Mrs H Kidd, Dr J Jones, Mr N Hartin, Mr D Roberts, Mrs H Fraser, Mr R Evans, Mrs A Chebsey and Mrs T Huffer.

RESOLVED: That the contents of the report of the Portfolio Holder for Leisure, Libraries and Culture be received.

Report of the Head of Finance, Governance and Assurance,  will follow marked 14.

It was proposed by Mr K Barrow, Leader, and seconded by Mr B Williams, that the report, a copy of which is attached to the signed minutes and the recommendations contained therein, be received and agreed.

RESOLVED:

a)    That it be noted that the financial implications for the Council associated with the planned University would be identified as part of a procurement exercise and would be brought back to Council for approval before any commitment was made.

b)    That it be noted that the ip&e Business Plan would be considered by Cabinet on 15 October 2014.

c)     That the budget virement required to allow the Director of Public Health in consultation with the Portfolio Holder for Public Health and the Leader of the Council to agree a commissioning contract with ip&e Limited, following the transfer of Help2Change as agreed by Cabinet on 3 September 2014 of £2.605m be agreed.

d)    That the capital budget increases for new external funding of £2.24m in additional Highways Maintenance funding from the Department of Transport for expenditure in 2014/15, an additional £1.5m grant from BDUK for the current Broadband Project and £1.47m from the Development Trust for Supported Living Accommodation in Market Drayton be approved.

e)     That the commencement of further procurement up to the value of £11.38m as part of the national Phase 2 Broadband programme based on a grant offer from BDUK of £11.38m be agreed.

Report of the Head of Finance, Governance and Assurance is attached, marked 15.

Contact James Walton Tel 01743 255011.

It was proposed by Mr B Williams, and seconded by Mr T Barker, that the report, a copy of which is attached to the signed minutes and the recommendations contained therein, be received and agreed.

RESOLVED:

a)    That the 2013/14 Statement of Accounts be approved and duly signed by the Chairman of the Council (in accordance with the requirements of the Accounts and Audit Regulations 2011).

b)    That the Head of Finance, Governance and Assurance be authorised to make any minor adjustments to the Statement of Accounts prior to the 30^th September 2014.

Report of the Head of Finance, Governance and Assurance is attached, marked 16.

Contact James Walton Tel 01743 255011.

It was proposed by Mr K Barrow, and seconded by Mrs A Hartley, that the report, a copy of which is attached to the signed minutes and the recommendations contained therein be received and agreed.

RESOLVED: That the position as set out in the report of the Head of Finance, Governance and Assurance be approved.

Report of the Head of Public Protectionis attached, marked 17.

Contact Paul McGreary Tel 01743 253868.

It was proposed by Mr S Charmley, and seconded by Mr K Roberts, that the report, a copy of which is attached to the signed minutes and the recommendations contained therein be received and agreed.

RESOLVED: That the provisions of Part II (other than section 45) of the Local Government (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1976 relating to hackney carriage and private hire vehicles be applied to the Council’s administrative area with effect from 27 October 2014, this being a date not before the expiration of the period of one month beginning with the day the resolution is passed.

Report of the Chief Executive will follow, marked 18.

Contact Clive Wright Tel: 01743 252701

It was proposed by Mr K Barrow, and seconded by Mrs A Hartley, that the report, a copy of which is attached to the signed minutes and the recommendations contained therein be received and agreed.

RESOLVED:

a)    That Council makes available the use of the following buildings namely, Guildhall, 1 A Castle Gates and Rowley’s House, for initial occupation by the University of Chester from1 January 2015, in order to develop University Centre Shrewsbury and delegates the authority to agree terms to the Chief Executive in consultation with the Leader.

b)    That authority be delegated to the Chief Executive in consultation with the Leader of the Council, to procure and deliver alteration and refurbishment of the Tannery and other buildings to accommodate staff.

c)     That authority be delegated to the Chief Executive, in consultation with the Leader of the Council, to go out to procurement as required for student living accommodation in order to enable delivery of an appropriate number of units by September 2015.

Report of the Returning Officer is attached, marked 19.

Contact Claire Porter Tel 01743 252763

It was proposed by Mr M Owen, Portfolio Holder for Resources, Finance and Support, and seconded by Mr S West that the report of the Returning Officer, a copy of which is attached to the signed minutes and the recommendations contained therein, be received and agreed.

Mr T Clarke indicated that, in respect of the Bayston Hill, Column and Sutton Division, Bayston Hill Methodist Church Hall was shown twice as a polling station and he believed that one of these polling stations should read Bayston Hill Memorial Hall instead.

Mr P Adams queried the number of stations in the venue for Bowbrook Division which was shown as 2 in the report.  He thought this should only read as 1.  It was agreed that these queries would be checked following the meeting.  Subject to the foregoing it was

RESOLVED:

a)    That the following changes which have been agreed with Ward Members, in order for them to be implemented on or by 1 December 2014 be approved by Council.

b)    That delegated powers be given to the Returning Officer to find a suitable alternative, in conjunction with local members, should any polling station not be available for a particular election.

To confirm the following appointments to Committee:

          Young Peoples Scrutiny Committee

·       The appointment of Mr V Hunt as a full Member; and

·       The appointment of Mr P Wynn as a substitute Member.

South Planning Committee

·       The appointment of Mr D Turner as a full Member; and

·       The appointment of Mr W Parr as a substitute Member.

It was proposed by the Speaker, seconded by the Chairman and

RESOLVED: That the following appointments to Committees be confirmed:

Young Peoples Scrutiny Committee

·       The appointment of Mr V Hunt as a full Member; and

·       The appointment of Mr P Wynn as a substitute Member.

South Planning Committee

·       The appointment of Mr D Turner as a full Member; and

·       The appointment of Mr W Parr as a substitute Member.

The following motions have been received in accordance with Procedure Rule 16:

21.1 The following motion has been received from Councillor Miles Kenny:

The proposed closure of the Monkmoor Walk in Health Centre is yet another blow to the vulnerable, less well-off and disadvantaged who are bearing the brunt of the austerity measures. The closure is a setback for community leaders, faith groups, local stakeholders, businesses and individuals who have put in so much time to address the social disadvantage in this area and hopes for addressing disadvantage in other areas.  The proposed closure is based on economic grounds and not on health grounds. The proposal works against the best interests of Shropshire Council and Shropshire residents and does not help further progress Monkmoor Local Commissioning – Improving Futures.

Therefore Council asks Shropshire CCG:

                                     i.          To review their plans to close the Walk in Health Centre so that there remains a large element of non-appointment service, extended hours service and a weekend service and

                                    ii.          Consider reviewing all GP provision in Shropshire so that primary care services are more accessible to the disadvantaged and

                                  iii.          To communicate and work more readily with Shropshire Council members, community leaders, other stakeholders and Shropshire residents.

21.2    The following motion has been received from Councillor Dr Jean Jones:

While many ordinary people face falling household incomes and rising costs of living, some multinational companies are avoiding billions of pounds of tax from a system that fails to make them pay their fair share.  Governments around the world would benefit from a fairer tax system which ensures that multinational companies meet their obligations, thereby enabling the authorities to provide quality public services for their people.  We call upon the UK government to listen to the strength of public feeling and act to end the injustice of tax dodging by large multinational companies in developing countries and the UK.

21.3    The following motion has been received from Councillor Keith Barrow:

The poor quality of the EE signal has been a problem across the county for some time and the people of Shropshire deserve a better service.

People from across the whole of the county have been contacting me in support of my letter to Olaf Swantee, chief executive of EE, to express my frustration of hundreds of other Shropshire residents who just want to be able to use their mobile phone.

Mobile phones are now a vital and important part of everyday life for people, especially those in rural areas, who need their phones for business, to contact family and friends, to browse the internet, and more.

It’s therefore hugely important for local people and the local economy that people are able to use their mobiles whenever they want and need to.

I propose that:

                                               i.          The council organises a petition demanding an improved service.

                                              ii.          The council delivers it together with our local MP’s to the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, Sajid Javid.

                                            iii.          We work with the Shropshire  ...  view the full agenda text for item 64.

64.1    The following motion was proposed by Mr M Kennyand seconded by Mrs H Kidd:

“The proposed closure of the Monkmoor Walk in Health Centre is yet another blow to the vulnerable, less well-off and disadvantaged who are bearing the brunt of the austerity measures.  The closure is a setback for community leaders, faith groups, local stakeholders, businesses and individuals who have put in so much time to address the social disadvantage in this area and hopes for addressing disadvantage in other areas.  The proposed closure is based on economic grounds and not on health grounds.  The proposal works against the best interests of Shropshire Council and Shropshire residents and does not help further progress Monkmoor Local Commissioning – Improving Futures.

Therefore Council asks Shropshire CCG:

                           i.          To review their plans to close the Walk in Health Centre so that there remains a large element of non-appointment service, extended hours service and a weekend service and

                          ii.          Consider reviewing all GP provision in Shropshire so that primary care services are more accessible to the disadvantaged and

                        iii.          To communicate and work more readily with Shropshire Council members, community leaders, other stakeholders and Shropshire residents.”

After debate and on being put to the vote, the motion was lost with a large majority of members voting against.

64.2   The following motion, as amended prior to the meeting, was proposed by Dr J Jones and seconded by Mrs P Moseley:

“While many ordinary people face falling household incomes and rising costs of living, some multinational companies are avoiding billions of pounds of tax from a system that fails to make them pay their fair share.  Governments around the world would benefit from a fairer tax system which ensures that multinational companies meet their obligations, thereby enabling the authorities such as Shropshire, to provide quality public services for their people.  We call upon the UK government to listen to the strength of public feeling and act to end the injustice of tax dodging by large multinational companies in developing countries and the UK.”

Mr M Bennett proposed an amendment which was seconded by Mr S West, to amend the motion to read as follows:

“While many ordinary Shropshire people face falling household incomes and rising costs of living, due to the complexities of national and international taxation systems, and the efforts Government make to use the tax system to influence both the location for multinational companies and their investment decisions, clarity on tax matters has been lost.

This Council calls upon all political parties to commit to creating a simpler taxation system, which eliminates the complexity of multiple schedules of allowances, and also reduces the rates of tax, to create a comprehensible system using tax rebates which would not be commensurate with complex schemes to reduce liability.  Thus the taxation of multinationals would be fair and transparent.

We also call upon Government to reduce and eliminate waste and efficiency similar to the efforts of local government, so as to maximise funding that would  ...  view the full minutes text for item 64.

To receive the report of the Shropshire and Wrekin Fire and Rescue Authority arising from its meeting held on 9^th July 2014.

Report attached marked 22.

It was proposed by Mr S Westand seconded by Mr J Hurst-Knight that the report of the Shropshire and Wrekin Fire and Rescue Authority, a copy of which is attached to the signed minutes, be received and noted.

In presenting the report, Mr West highlighted a typing error at the end of the first paragraph which stated ‘Annual Meeting in July 2014’ which should have read ‘Annual Meeting in July 2015’, which was noted.

RESOLVED:  That subject to the foregoing, the Annual report of the Shropshire and Wrekin Fire and Rescue Authority held on 9 July 2014 be noted.