Apologies for absence were received from Councillors Ed Bird, Paul Gill, Elliot Lynch, David Minnery, Robert Tindall, Kevin Turley, Alex Wagner and Mark Williams

Members are reminded that they must declare their disclosable pecuniary interests and other registrable or non-registrable interests in any matter being considered at the meeting as set out in Appendix B of the Members’ Code of Conduct and consider if they should leave the room prior to the item being considered. Further advice can be sought from the Monitoring Officer in advance of the meeting.

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 previous meeting held on 2 March 2023

Councillor Dean advised that with regard to paragraph 2 on page 11 of the document pack,  it was he, not Councillor Vasmer that had accepted the proposed amendment

RESOLVED:

That subject to the above amendment, the Minutes of the meeting held on 2 March 2023, as circulated with the agenda papers, be approved and signed as a correct record.

To receive such communications as the Chairman, 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 2 March 2023, which had been circulated by email.

To receive any questions from the public, notice of which has been given in accordance with Procedure Rule 14.  Deadline for notification is 5.00 pm on Friday 24 March 2023

The Chairman advised that public questions had been received from Mike Streetly, John Lill, Dr Natasha Harlow, Dr Jamie Russell, Rita Makin and Debbie Feasey on behalf of the residents of Underdale?. A copy of the questions and the responses provided are attached to the signed minutes and available from the web page for the meeting.

Agenda for Council on Thursday, 30th March, 2023, 10.00 am — Shropshire Council

Report of the Executive Director, Resources is attached

Contact:  James Walton.  Tel. 01743 258915

It was proposed by the Portfolio Holder for  Culture and Digital Councillor Rob Gittins and seconded by Councillor Dan Thomas, that the report of the Executive Director of Resources, a copy of which is attached to the signed minutes and the recommendations contained therein, be received, and agreed.

By way of amendment Councillor Heather Kidd proposed that the following be added to the recommendation: -

The Council will provide a detailed Welfare Policy, including in an accessible and easy read format, for those who are vulnerable and who may struggle to access the digital world. In addition to vulnerable people with disabilities this will also  include those with poor or no mobile signal and those with limited access to broadband and hardware as outlined in the strategy. Emergency access when systems fail should also be covered.

This was seconded by Councillor Ruth Houghton.

On being put to a vote the amendment was not supported.

Councillor Julia Evans commented that in some cases there was not a reduction in carbon emissions but simply a transfer from the corporate to the private and asked whether any analysis of the “carbon transfer” was planned.  The Portfolio Holder for Culture and Digital agreed to look into this.

On being put to a vote it was RESOLVED:

That Council adopt the ICT and Digital Strategy as set out in Appendix A and endorse the core objectives of the digital county. 

Report of the Executive Director of Place is attached

Contact Mark Barrow  Tel: 01743258919

It was proposed by the Portfolio Holder for  Culture and Digital Councillor Rob Gittins and seconded by the Portfolio Holder for Highways and Regulatory Services Councillor Richard Marshall, that the report of the Executive Director of Place, a copy of which is attached to the signed minutes and the recommendations contained therein, be received, and agreed.

RESOLVED:

That Shropshire Council delegates the function of determining the formal applications for bridleway additions in the Parish of Claverley in Shropshire and Bobbington in Staffordshire, to Staffordshire County Council, as the claimed routes link with each other.

Report of the Assistant Director – Legal and Governance and the Statutory Scrutiny Officer is attached

Contact Tim Collard  Tel: 01743 252756  / Tom Dodds Tel: 01743 258518

It was proposed by the Leader Councillor Lezley Picton and seconded by the Deputy Leader, Councillor Ian Nellins, that the report of the Assistant Director – Legal and Governance and the Statutory Scrutiny Officer , a copy of which is attached to the signed minutes and the recommendations contained therein, be received, and agreed.

By way of amendment Councillor Julian Dean proposed that paragraph 3.2 of the recommendation be replace with the following:

Confirm the proposed change to the number of Overview and Scrutiny Committees to 4 committees that will take effect from the Annual meeting of the Council in May 2023 as contained in Appendix 2 subject to altered remits and titles as follows: 

Replace ‘Transformation and Improvement Overview and Scrutiny Committee’ with ‘Resources and Performance Overview and Scrutiny Committee’ with the second point in the remit to be reworded; Overall effectiveness of the Improvement and Transformation programme. 

Under Priorities for each of the other committees add: Improvement and Transformation programme as it pertains to the Directorate(s) listed below. 

The amendment was seconded by Councillor Julia Evans.

On taking a vote the amendment was not supported.

Councillor Heather Kidd requested that a review of how the new structure was working was carried out after 12 months.

The Leader asked that thanks be passed to the Statutory Scrutiny Officer for the significant amount of work undertaken in producing the report.

On taking a vote it was RESOLVED:

That Members

1.    Support, through their involvement and commitment, the collaborative approach to developing Overview and Scrutiny at the Council in response to the review and on an ongoing basis  

2.    Confirm the proposed change to the number of Overview and Scrutiny Committees 4 committees that will take effect from the Annual Meeting of the Council in May 2023. (See Appendix 2 for the proposed committees) 

3.    Confirm that there will be 11 Members on each Overview and Scrutiny Committee. 

4.    Agree that the Monitoring Officer makes all necessary changes to the Constitution that are required to reflect the new Overview and Scrutiny Structure.? 

Report of the Executive Director, Resources is attached

Contact:  James Walton.  Tel. 01743 258915

The Chair or the Communities Overview Committee, Councillor Robert Macey, presented the annual report of the Committee for 2021-22.  He outlined the work that had been carried out by the Committee and thanked members of the committee and officers for all their work.  He then took questions.

Members noted the contents of the report.

Report of the Executive Director, Resources is attached

Contact:  James Walton.  Tel. 01743 258915

The Chair or the Health and Adult Social Care Overview Scrutiny Committee, Councillor Steve Charmley, presented the annual report of the Committee for 2021-22.  He outlined the work that had been carried out by the Committee and also the work of the Joint Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee.  He thanked members of the committee and officers for all their work.  He then took questions.

Councillor Kidd requested that Joint HOSC also provide an annual report next year.

Members noted the contents of the report.

Report of the Executive Director, Resources is attached

Contact:  James Walton.  Tel. 01743 258915

The Chair or the People Overview Committee, Councillor Peggy Mullock, presented the annual report of the Committee for 2021-22.  She outlined the work that had been carried out by the Committee and thanked members of the committee and officers for all their work.  She then took questions.

Members noted the contents of the report.

Report of the Executive Director, Resources is attached

Contact:  James Walton.  Tel. 01743 258915

The Chair or the Place Overview Committee, Councillor Barrow, presented the annual report of the Committee for 2021-22.  She outlined the work that had been carried out by the Committee and thanked members of the committee, and officers for all their work. She also thanked representative from outside organisations that has contributed to the work of the committee. She then took questions.

Members noted the contents of the report.

Report of the Executive Director, Resources is attached

Contact:  James Walton.  Tel. 01743 258915

The Chair or the Performance Management Scrutiny Committee, Councillor Claire Wild, presented the annual report of the Committee for 2021-22.  She outlined the work that had been carried out by the Committee and thanked members of the committee and officers for all their work.  She then took questions.

Several Members commented that they felt that the reports of the Scrutiny Committees for 2022/3 should be presented earlier and that they should be more focussed on the outcomes of the work carried out.

Members noted the contents of the report.

Report of the Assistant Director Legal and Governance is attached

Contact:  Tim Collard, Tel 01743 252756

The Chair or the Standards Committee, Councillor David Evans, presented his report which set out the way in which allegations that Unitary/Town/Parish Councillors had failed to comply with their code of conduct were dealt with in 2022. 

Councillor Roger Evans asked for clarification of how the Council deals with breaches concerning pecuniary interests.

Councillor Julia Buckley commented that only a small percentage of complaints were referred to the committee and asked how the number of cases referred to committee compared with other authorities.

Members noted the contents of the report.

Housing Supervisory Board

Councillor Robert Tindall ceases to be a member of the Housing Supervisory Board

Councillor David Minnery ceases to be a substitute member of the Housing Supervisory Board

Councillor Ruth Houghton is appointed as a member of the Housing Supervisory Board

Councillor Roger Evans is appointed as a substitute member of the Housing Supervisory Board

Southern Planning Committee

Councillor Roger Evans to replace Councillor Mark Williams as a substitute member of the Southern Planning Committee

It was proposed by the Chairman Councillor Vince Hunt, and seconded by the Vice Chairman Councillor Brian Williams that the following amendments to committee membership be agreed

Housing Supervisory Board 

Councillor Robert Tindall ceases to be a member of the Housing Supervisory Board 

Councillor David Minnery ceases to be a substitute member of the Housing Supervisory Board 

Councillor Ruth Houghton is appointed as a member of the Housing Supervisory Board 

Councillor Roger Evans is appointed as a substitute member of the Housing Supervisory Board 

Southern Planning Committee 

Councillor Roger Evans to replace Councillor Mark Williams as a substitute member of the Southern Planning Committee

RESOLVED:

That

Housing Supervisory Board 

Councillor Robert Tindall ceases to be a member of the Housing Supervisory Board 

Councillor David Minnery ceases to be a substitute member of the Housing Supervisory Board 

Councillor Ruth Houghton is appointed as a member of the Housing Supervisory Board 

Councillor Roger Evans is appointed as a substitute member of the Housing Supervisory Board 

Southern Planning Committee 

Councillor Roger Evans to replace Councillor Mark Williams as a substitute member of the Southern Planning Committee

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

The following motion was received from Councillor Julian Dean supported by the Green, Labour and Liberal Democrat Groups

Water Quality, Sewage and Planning?

This Council notes:??

Residents are deeply concerned about water quality and the impact of regular wastewater discharge, which includes untreated sewage, into our rivers, and the impact this has on wildlife and on human health.??

Releasing sewage into rivers is no longer an emergency-only situation occurring as a result of severe storms, but a regular occurrence even in ‘normal’ rainfall, and that we are in a situation of cumulative overload on the sewage and wastewater system.??

Whilst there are long term commitments, there are no plans in place which will address the immediate unacceptable situation either locally by Severn Trent Water or Wales Water or by national government.?

Both the emerging Local Plan and national planning policy requires a robust approach to both water quality and pollution and a recent legal opinion from the Environmental Law Firm confirms the need to consider cumulative impact. To date, it has not been the practice of council planners to ask water companies to report on cumulative impact i.e., whether or not development may lead to any potential increase in ‘emergency’ discharge into rivers and seas. The Shropshire Water Cycle Study 2020 identified relevant issues.?

This Council resolves to:???

1.    Recognise this Council’s obligation to protect its rivers and watercourses, including from the cumulative impacts of pollution, in line with the existing and emerging Local Plan and the National Planning Policy Framework.??

2.    Recognise that deterioration of water quality occurs due to cumulative impact of multiple sewage discharge events, or "sewage overload".?

3.    Ensure that an evidence base is compiled that assesses the cumulative impact of sewage discharge so that this is factored into decisions made in new iterations of the local plan, including the overall level of future development.???

4.    Seek to better understand the cumulative impact of wastewater discharge including untreated sewage on our local rivers, wildlife and the health of our residents, with regular overview and scrutiny by Shropshire Council.?

5.    Continue to take a lead on addressing this issue, working constructively with other agencies. In particular, we request the relevant Overview and Scrutiny committee to review and challenge Severn Trent Water on its investment plans as laid out in their Drainage and Waste Water Management Plan.?

6.    Ask Severn Trent Water, from this date onwards, in its planning consultation responses for major development, to clarify which treatment works will be managing the sewage; whether it has the information available to assess the impact on the number or duration of sewage discharges into local rivers, and if it does have this information to share it (noting that this can only be requested not required), and to consider requiring as a condition for support that Grampian conditions are applied to allow time for upgrades in waste water systems to be completed where appropriate.???

7.    Require planning officer reports relating to major development to include specific sections on the  ...  view the full minutes text for item 116.

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

No Member questions have been received.

The Chairman advised that no questions had been received.

To receive the report of the Shropshire and Wrekin Fire and Rescue Authority arising from its meeting held on 15 February 2023

It was proposed by Councillor Nigel Hartin 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.

RESOLVED:

That the report of the Shropshire and Wrekin Fire and Rescue Authority be noted.

To resolve that, in accordance with the provisions of schedule 12A of the Local Government Act 1972 and Paragraph 10.4 [3] of the Council’s Access to Information Rules, the public and press be excluded from the meeting during consideration of the following items

RESOLVED:

That, in accordance with the provisions of schedule 12A of the Local Government Act 1972 and Paragraph 10.4 [3] of the Council’s Access to Information Rules, the public and press be excluded from the meeting during consideration of the following items

To approve as a correct record the exempt minutes of the previous meeting held on 2 March 2023

RESOLVED:

That the Exempt Minutes of the meeting held on 2 March 2023, as circulated with the agenda papers, be approved, and signed as a correct record

Exempt report of the Executive Director of Place and the Executive Director of People is attached

Contact Mark Barrow  Tel: 01743258919 / Tanya Miles Tel: 01743 255811

It was proposed by the Portfolio Holder for Growth, Regeneration and Housing, Councillor Dean Carroll, and seconded by the Councillor Mark Jones that the exempt report of the Executive Director of Place and the Executive Director of People, a copy of which is attached to the signed minutes and the recommendations contained therein, be received and agreed.

RESOLVED:

That the recommendations contained in the report be approved

Exempt report of the Executive Director of Place is attached

Contact Mark Barrow  Tel: 01743258919

It was proposed by the Portfolio Holder for Growth, Regeneration and Housing, Councillor Dean Carroll, and seconded by the Councillor Mark Jones that the exempt report of the Executive Director of Place, a copy of which is attached to the signed minutes and the recommendations contained therein, be received and agreed.

RESOLVED:

That the recommendations contained in the report be approved