NOTICE OF COUNCIL MEETING – 25 JULY
2002
Dear Councillor,
A meeting of the Cambridge City Council
will be held in the Council Chamber of the Guildhall on Thursday 25 July 2002
at 6.00pm and I hereby summon you to attend.
Dated 19 July 2002
Yours
faithfully
Chief
Executive
1 TO APPROVE AS A
CORRECT RECORD THE MINUTES
OF THE MEETING HELD ON 23 MAY 2002
(pages 1-22)
2 REPORT
OF THE MONITORING OFFICER ABOUT THE LOCAL GOVERNMENT OMBUDSMAN’S FINDING OF
MALADMINISTRATION WITH INJUSTICE (as required under s5 of the Local Government
and Housing Act 1989)
Please note that the
Ombudsman’s Report is not yet attached.
(pages 23-39)
3 MAYOR=S ANNOUNCEMENTS
6 TO CONSIDER THE
RECOMMENDATIONS OF THE EXECUTIVE WHICH
ARE FOR ADOPTION:
The Housing Strategy (Executive
Councillor for Housing & Health page 40)
Click on this version to see the full
report of the Housing
Strategy 2003 - 2008
Budget
carry forward requests into 2002/03 (The Leader pages 41-46)
The
Medium Term Strategy (The Leader pages 41-46)
Click on this version to see the full report of the Medium
Term Strategy.
7 QUARTERLY REPORT ON EXECUTIVE DECISIONS TAKEN UNDER SPECIAL
URGENCY
Under the Constitution (page 150,
paragraph 17.3), the Leader must submit
quarterly reports to Council on executive decisions taken under the provisions
of ‘Special Urgency’ (page 149, paragraph 16).
One decision has been taken under Special
Urgency since 23 May concerning a change in the terms of the Development
Agreement between the Council and Turnstone Estates Limited regarding the
former Cattle Market site and the Record
of Decision is attached for information.
Under the Constitution (page 161, paragraph 6), an
Executive Councillor must provide a full report to the Council of any decision
contrary to or not wholly in accordance with the Council’s budget for
2002/03. The Leader approved an
amendment to the Capital Plan in relation to the refurbishment of the Corn
Exchange. The
Record of Decision is attached for members’ information.
(pages 48/9)
9 TO CONSIDER THE
RECOMMENDATIONS OF COMMITTEES WHICH ARE FOR ADOPTION:
Standards
Committee (19 June pages 50-52)
Civic
Affairs (16 July pages 53-55)
Planning Committee (24 July) re: site visits by Planning Committee Members – travel
expenses.
The Planning Committee
will consider the following agenda item at its meeting on 24 July:
“A
member has queried whether travel expenses arising from site visits made by
members of this Committee can be claimed.
The law says that travel
expenses can only be paid to members for "approved duties". These are
defined in the relevant legislation and are mainly, as one might expect,
meetings. However, a local authority can designate other things as approved
duties.
This Committee is asked to
consider whether to designate site visits to look at sites of applications or
other matters coming before this Committee as “approved duties”. Members of
this Committee would then be able to claim for car or motor cycle mileage at
rates laid down, or for the cost or travel by public transport (including taxis
if no other form of public transport is reasonably available). (The position
with regard to cycle allowances is at present uncertain. The Local Government
Act, 2000, allows the Secretary of State to make regulations "with respect
to allowances in respect of travel by bicycle or any other non-motorised form
of transport" but has not yet done so. If members feel that this is
something which should be pursued, the officers will investigate whether the
Office of the Deputy Prime Minister is planning to make regulations).”
The Planning Committee is being asked to take a view on the merits as to
whether attendance at site meetings should be an approved duty and its view
will be reported to Council on 25 July. If the Committee considers that it should be, the officers will need to
monitor the effect on the relevant budget and take appropriate action if it
appears that additional resources will be needed. However, the financial
implications will probably not be significant.
If the Committee is minded to agree with the proposal to make attendance
at site meetings an approved duty, Council is RECOMMENDED to concur.
10 TO DEAL WITH
ORAL QUESTIONS
If members wish
to ask questions they should inform the Chief Executive in writing by noon
on the day before the meeting of the full text of the question to be
asked. A list of questions will be
circulated at the meeting, with the order having been determined by the Mayor
drawing names at random.
11 TO CONSIDER THE
FOLLOWING NOTICES OF MOTION, NOTICE OF WHICH HAS BEEN GIVEN BY:
(a) Councillor
Blencowe
This Council regrets the long
delay in the former Community
Development & Leisure Committee’s
proposal for two skateparks – one on Jesus Green, the other on Donkeys
Common coming to the Council’s Planning Committee for decision. It further
regrets that the previous planning applications for these proposals were
withdrawn after the May elections and not allowed to come to Planning Committee
for resolution as was expected, even allowing for an extended month of public
consultation which may have been necessary.
(b) Councillors
Bagnall and Bradnack
This Council is committed to the principle that its resources should be
accessible to individuals and organisations willing and able to support and
further its corporate aims and objectives. It will therefore encourage external
organisations alone, or in partnership with others and/or City Council
departments, to bid for resources to enable the Council’s aims and objectives
to be pursued by means of (a) grants budgets, (b) Priority Policy Fund and (c)
Committee budgets.
12 TO
RECEIVE RECORDS OF DECISIONS MADE BY MEMBERS OF THE EXECUTIVE
Nb - These are included on green paper.
Record
of Decisions made by the Executive Councillor for Commercial & Human
Resources
Record
of Decisions made by the Executive Councillor for Community Development
& Leisure
Record
of Decisions made by the Executive Councillor for Environment
Record
of Decisions made by the Executive Councillor for Housing & Health
Record
of Decisions made by the Executive Councillor for Strategy
13 TO RECEIVE THE
MINUTES OF THE FOLLOWING COMMITTEES WHICH ARE FOR INFORMATION:
Nb
- These are included on white paper.
Scrutiny
Committees:
Commercial
& Human Resources – 2 July
Community
Development & Leisure – 4 July
Environment
– 9 July
Housing
& Health – 10 July (To follow)
Strategy - 15 July (To follow)
Regulatory Committees:
Planning
(Sub) – 16
January, 13
February, 13
March, 17
April, 15 May
Licensing - 13 June (To follow)
Standards
– 19 June (To follow)
Civic
Affairs – 16 July (To follow)
Other:
City
Centre Development Sub-Committee – 15 May.
THE NEXT MEETING OF THE COUNCIL IS
SCHEDULED FOR THURSDAY 17 OCTOBER 2002 AT 6.00PM. HOWEVER, THIS IS PROVISIONAL AND WILL ONLY BE NECESSARY IF THE
EXECUTIVE HAS TAKEN ANY DECISIONS UNDER SPECIAL URGENCY IN THE PERIOD FROM 26
JULY TO THE DAY NOTICE MUST BE GIVEN FOR THE MEETING (9 OCTOBER).
THE NEXT SCHEDULED MEETING OF THE
COUNCIL AFTER 17 OCTOBER IS THURSDAY 28 NOVEMBER 2002 AT 6.00PM.