Agenda and minutes

RESOLVED:

That the Minutes of the meeting of the Council held on 7 December 2022 be approved as a correct record and signed by the Chairman.

1.    Disclosable Pecuniary Interests

2.    Other Interests

The following declarations were made:-

The Chairman announced that his Charity Ball would take place at Alton Towers on 10 March 2023.

The Leader of the Council and other political group leaders expressed their thanks to councillors who would be standing down at the elections to be held on 4 May 2023 for their loyal and long service.

The report presented the proposed Budget for 2023/24, updated Medium-Term Financial Plan 2023/24 – 2026/27, Capital Strategy 2023/24, proposed Fees and Charges for 2023/24 and Procurement Forward Plan 2023/24.

As an AMENDMENT an alternative budget was also PROPOSED and SECONDED as detailed in a supplementary document.

In accordance with the Local Authorities (Standing Orders) (England) (Amendment) Regulations 2014, councillors voted as follows:

Amendment - Alternative Budget

Those voting FOR:

Councillors Atkins, Bentley, Bowen, Brady, Cawley, Coleman, Davies, Gledhill, Hall, Hoptroff, Jones, Mills, Price, Proudlove, Salt, Smith, Swindlehurst, Taylor, Wood and Yates (20)

Those voting AGAINST:

Councillors Aberley, Bond, Deaville, Ellis, Emery, Fallows, Flunder, Hawkins, Heath, Herdman, Holmes, Hughes, Hulme, P. Jackson, Johnson, Lea, Plant, Plimley, Porter, Ralphs, Riley, Roberts, P Routledge, Z Routledge, Scalise, Shaw, Wain and Worthington (28)

ABSTENTIONS:

Councillors Hart and Malyon (2)

Therefore the AMENDMENT was declared LOST.

Substantive Motion

Those voting FOR:

Councillors Aberley, Bond, Bowen, Davies, Deaville, Ellis, Emery, Fallows, Flunder, Hall, Hawkins, Heath, Herdman, Holmes, Hughes, Hulme, P. Jackson, Johnson, Lea, Malyon, Plant, Plimley, Porter, Ralphs, Riley, Roberts, P Routledge, Z Routledge, Scalise, Shaw, Wain and Worthington (32)

Those voting AGAINST:

None

ABSTENTIONS:

Councillors Atkins, Bentley, Brady, Cawley, Coleman, Gledhill, Hart, Hoptroff, Jones, Mills, Price, Proudlove, Salt, Smith, Swindlehurst, Taylor, Wood and Yates (18)

RESOLVED:

The Council approved the amendments in section 7.18, 7.19 (m) and the introduction of a new income banded / grid scheme for working age applicants with effect from 1st April 2023, to reduce the administrative burden placed on the Council by the introduction of Universal Credit and to increase the overall level of support for the lowest income families.

RESOLVED:

1.     That the contents of the report be noted and the Action Plan (Appendix B), Enforced Sales Policy (Appendix C) and additional staff resource and capacity (Empty Homes Officer) be approved.

2.     That the removal of the discount for empty and unoccupied properties s7.3.3 and the removal of the uninhabitable discount s7.3.4 be approved.

3.     That the Council Tax premium on second homes outlined s7.3.9 and the empty property premium for properties that have remained empty for 1 year s7.3.10 be adopted.

RESOLVED:

That the Treasury Management position as at 31^st December 2022 be noted.

RESOLVED:

That the Annual Treasury Management Strategy Statement (TMSS) 2023/24 be approved.

(At least two clear days notice required, in writing, to the Proper Officer in accordance with Procedure Rule 11.3.)

1.     Question to the Portfolio Holder for Customer Services received from Councillor Keith Hoptroff:

“If we are to take tourism seriously, why are Leek bus station toilets still closed after over 9 months since the last acts of wanton vandalism?”

Response:

“The Council have spent a considerable amount of public funds over the years keeping these public toilets open despite continuous vandalism. The latest act of vandalism caused considerable damage to the men’s toilets requiring them to be closed. An insurance claim has been submitted and the outcome is awaited. The expectation is that the insurance claim will be approved and once funding is received remedial repairs can then be undertaken so the toilets can be reopened to the public with the benefit of the new outside CCTV surveillance which the council agreed to install at a previous meeting.

We are also investigating what other measures we can put in place to assist with the vandalism problem on the bus station toilets to do what we can to prevent repeat offences.”

2.     Question to the Portfolio Holder for Customer Services received from Cllr John Jones:

“Given that it’s over 18 months since the sewage problem was identified and responsibility for it accepted by SMDC, why has a new treatment plant still not been installed for the Visitor Centre at Biddulph Grange Country Park?”

Response:

“There has been extensive investigation of the network to understand the extent of the problem. The mains sewer for disposal of waste out of the visitors centre is a distance of over 80 meters from the building and passes under public and private land. We believe that at some point in the past that a private landowner has cut out the network so the pipe run is no longer terminating in the main sewer.

Norse Alliance are leading on this case and are reviewing options to either installing a klargester sewage treatment tank or a septic tank which we consider to be the easier option under the circumstances. A quote has been obtained for the septic tank and Norse are out for quote on the klargester including the cost of fitting. Once the quotes have been reviewed, the next steps are for Norse to submit a planning application for the preferred option. The works are scheduled to take place in 23-24, subject to planning. I have asked Norse to provide a programme setting out the timescales once we have received the quotations.  The recommendation and most cost efficient option is to install a klargester. We have budget available to commission the works on receipt of planning.”

RESOLVED:

The revised political balance of the Council was approved, following the recent by-elections in the Biddulph West ward, with no councillors voting against.

RESOLVED:

That the recommendations contained with section 7.14 of the report with regards to overview and scrutiny work programme arrangements, member development and panel structure to take effect from the 2023/24 municipal year be approved.

RESOLVED:

That the Pay Policy Statement for 2023/2024 be approved.

RESOLVED:

That the following amounts be calculated by the Council in accordance with Sections 31A and 31B of the Local Government Finance Act 1992 (as amended by the Localism Act 2011):

(a)    £31,485,335   being the aggregate of the amounts which the Council estimates for the items set out in Section 31A (2) of the Act. (Gross Expenditure on General Fund Services, Special District Expenses and Parish Precepts)

(b)    £24,071,670   being the aggregate of the amounts which the Council estimates for the items set out in Section 31A (3) of the Act. (Gross Income including External Financing and the Use of Reserves)

(c)    £7,413,665     being the amount by which the aggregate at (a) above exceeds the aggregate at (b) above calculated by the Council, in accordance with Section 31A (4) of the Act as its Council Tax requirement for the year (Amount to be Funded from Council Tax)

(d)    £222.14          being the amount at (c) above divided by the tax base, calculated by the Council, in accordance with Section 31 (B) of the Act, as the basic amount of its Council Tax for the year. (Average Local Council Tax)

(e)    Appendix B     being Council Tax for the SMDC District divided by the tax base plus the Parish Precept and any amounts of special items relating to dwellings in those parts of the Council’s area divided the local tax base. (Band D Charges for each Parish)

(f)     Appendix C     being the amounts given by multiplying the amount at (e) above by the number which, in the proportion applicable to dwellings listed in a particular valuation band divided by the number which in that proportion is applicable to dwellings listed in valuation band D, calculated by the Council as the amounts to be taken into account for the year in respect of categories of dwellings listed in different valuation bands (Charges for all Bands)

(g)         Appendix D    being the aggregate of the local charges in (f) above and the amounts levied by major precepting authorities. (Total Council Tax charge for each Band in each Parish)

APPENDIX B

Local Council Tax at Band D – 2023/24

APPENDIX C

Local Council Tax All Bands – 2023/24