Transcript

We will remain standing for Nigel to do our prayer and then we will sit down. Thank you, Nigel. Good evening. It's good to be with you. So as we launch into a new year of business, let us pray. Heavenly Father, as we prepare to celebrate the pouring out of your Holy Spirit on this coming Pentecost Sunday, we recognise your presence with us here tonight by that same spirit and we ask you to help each one of us to exercise the gifts of discernment, humility, understanding, grace, compassion and integrity as we deal with the issues before us. Enable us to rise above our personal interests and seek the common good. Direct the course we take and the outcomes of the policies we pursue. Open our minds to receive the insight we need and deepen our resolve to pursue your ways of truth, justice, righteousness and peace on behalf of those we serve. Amen. Heavenly Father, we invite you to be our guide this evening. Help us not to jump to conclusions but to stand back and see the whole picture. Help us not to pass judgment but to exercise your gift of grace. Help us not to look only to our own needs but to recognise the needs of others. Help us not to rush but to take time to consider everything that deserves our attention. Help us not only to listen to each other but also to hear your voice and recognise your promptings. Help us not to work for the benefit of just a few but to seek the good of all. Keep us open, respectful and even handed in all our dealings with one another and enable us to do what is right and good in your sight. Amen. Thank you. Okay. Please be seated. Thank you. Okay. Welcome everybody. First of all, I just want to read out the webcasting statement for our guests and ourselves. I would like to inform everyone present that this meeting will be broadcast live to the internet and will be capable of repeated viewing. The images and sound recording may be used for training purposes within the council. I, the chair have discretion to terminate or suspend filming if it is my opinion that continuing to do so will prejudice the proceedings of the meeting. If you are seated in the public gallery, it's likely the recording cameras will capture your image and this will result in the possibility that your image will become part of the broadcast. Any views expressed by any speaker in this meeting on the speaker's own and they do not necessarily reflect the views of Staffordshire Moreland's District Council. Please can members be aware that the webcast will continue to be streamed live 20 seconds after the close of the meeting. This is due to a time delay when transmitting live. Thank you. Okay. We'll start with the agenda. Any apologies for absence, please. Thank you. Apologies have been received from Councillors and Councillors. Now it's me again. I'm going to, I'm going to go for it. Councillor Porter, yes. Thank you, Chair. Apologies from Councillor Amboli as well. Now it's me again. Obviously, first of all, it's for me to make some final remarks to the Council. It's about 25 minutes. We'll be okay with that. Firstly, I promise that at the start of this year to be true to my belief in the principles of caring, collaboration, advocacy and respect. The role of the Chair for me reinforces engagement and social cohesion, getting to know people and making sure they remember you positively. My aim was to provide a link between the Council and the communities we seek to serve and support, ensuring both are aware of the aims and aspirations of one another. I hope I have listened to each of you and to the variety of others I have met along the way. I have shared our plans, our achievements and aspirations with everyone I have met, including groups of young people who have spent time with me and my colleagues in the Chamber exploring the processes we all work with. Thank you so easy when the year has been so full of goodwill. Firstly, goodwill of my family and friends who have accepted the hours worked and the priorities that sometimes meant they'd had to wait for Lynn, Mom and Grandma. They've accepted that and helped me make prioritising easy. Then the goodwill of all of you for supporting me, my charities and my collaborative work in intentions. There are some very, very special people in this room. I want to thank all of you for the respect and good-natured working we have achieved. Within the role as Chair, I must especially thank CAF and Councillor Ian Planner who have been exceptional in their execution of a Deputy and Consort role. Ian has gone way beyond the call of duty, literally holding my hand through muddy sight visits and he hasn't been alone in that. He's been a Chair done undertaking, hasn't he Oliver? You've done it as well. I know you'll be an excellent Chair, Ian, and particularly with a conscientious and enthusiastic Deputy. I wish both you and CAF a very, very, very successful year. I'm still grateful to Councillor Linda Mallion and our Leader Councillor Mike Gledil for proposing me for this role. Both have supported me this year and been very good role models and very good friends. I hope I've made a difference to my two charities obviously and I'd like to say a very special thank you for to Councillor Porter for baking for us all tonight and our last little ditch attempt to raise some more money and I thank you all for that very much and the cakes were absolutely excellent. The role would be impossible without the support team behind it. I've loved working in Morgan's house and getting to know so many new enthusiastic people and that enthusiasm comes from the top and it's clear to witness. People are happy working here and that means a great deal. Initially, Natalie, then Tracy, Sarah, Sally, Lyndon, Mark and Andrew have been a joy to work with and a joy to know when we've had significant fun. I've always had a poster in my office that says work hard, I've taken it away, I haven't left it for you. It says work hard and be nice to people and for filling that's really easy when people are nice to you. So just to conclude, I'd like to share a quote from the British anthropologist Jane Goodall. You can't get through a single day without having an impact on the world around you. What you do makes a difference and you have to decide what kind of difference you want to make. Thank you. Okay, we move now to the election of the Chairman of the Council. Do we have any proposal or seconded, please? Yes, Chair. I would like to propose Councillor Ian Plant as Chair of the Council for the next coming year. I'd like to second that nomination. It was great pleasure. Thank you. Thank you very much. So we now move to a vote. Can we have votes for Councillor Ian Plant, the Chairman? That's unanimous. Thank you very much. Well done. Now we'll move to declaration of acceptance of the Office of Chairman of the Council. I am Plant, having been elected to the Office of Chairman of Staffordshire Mullens District Council, declare that I take that office upon myself and on duly and faithfully fulfil the duties of it according to the best of my judgment and ability. Thank you. Thank you. [applause] [end] [end] [end] [end] [end] [end] Thank you, Chair. Thank you, Chair. Thank you, Chair. Thank you, Chair. Thank you, Chair. You've had such a great year as Chair in every dimension of the role that has been bestowed upon you by your colleagues in the last 12 months. In Chamber, you've kept us all in order in that classic firm but fair style that all those of us know and love. You've made sure we stay within the boundaries of our code of conduct, which is so important. You've encouraged members from across the Chamber to contribute and you've made everybody feel welcome and valued whether it's you new to the Council or you've very experienced Council. You've made us all feel part of this Chamber and of this Council. You've shown sound judgments in listening, seeking advice from officers, knowing when to let a debate run and occasionally knowing when to shut it down. That's been much appreciated but most of all, you've been a great role model for all of us in keeping debate civilised and whatever might be said in the heated debate showing that we all respect each other and we value friendships across the Chamber well after the meeting has gone on. In your civic role representing SMDC in our community, across the county and beyond, frankly you've been a star. You've given your time willingly, you've shown a genuine interest in so many organisations and people and you've flown the flag for the moorlands cheerfully and humbly wherever your commitments have taken you. Those commitments have been massive and we thank you for that. I'm sure you'd want me to thank Ian as well for supporting you in doing that and perhaps she'd like me to thank Matt as well. That could be a problem in a minute on the Council of the tradition that I'm going to uphold. But anyway, many thanks for everything you've done for us, for the Council and for the moorlands. Sometimes it's appropriate to say to someone, have a good rest after such a busy year. But I know that's not you. I also know all the things that you've told me you're going to get stuck into from here on in and I'm sure you'll carry out those roles for the Council exactly in the same way and with the same quality as you've done this role and we're all looking forward to that. So the moorlands tradition is that the Leader of the Council gets the opportunity to give a present to the consort of the Chair of the Council. Well, that was a thought. But instead, Matt, I'd like to present you, where has he gone? He's over here, with this plant which I can assure you is totally legal and above board. I'm sure all members will echo the vote of thanks to you. I echo everything that Mike has said and more and what he said at the ball. You have been an absolute fabulous ambassador for Staffordshire moorlands. You are flown the flag literally up in the coldest place in the moorlands. You have made positivity. You've made a difference. Everywhere you've gone, you've been you and that's Sean. It's like a breath of fresh air. You walk in the room, you don't say, Well, I'm chairman of the moorlands. You say, I'm when? And it comes across and that's what makes a difference. You are the most fabulous couple. You've made a really, really good job of being the mayor of the league. But most of all, trumping him, being the Chair of the Council. He's out to do as he's told. Yeah. But really, a big thank you from all our group and well, you can't have a rest because there's a lot to do. But Peter's got something for you. [BLANKAUDIO] [BLANKAUDIO] Councillor Roberts. Thank you, Chair. What can you say about Lynn? I could say one or two things. We've been to quite a lot of civic dues together. Add some good laughs. You've treated everybody with respect and you've gained that respect off a lot of the group members. You've been fair. But firm, as Councillor GLEDDLE says, when it has been needed. So on behalf of our group, I'd like to thank you for treating us fairly and firmly. And I wish you the best. Now Matt can relax a little bit now and enjoy going out with you a lot more. It does take over your life. And you don't realize until you've been in that position, how strenuous and privileged it can be. So thank you very much. [APPLAUSE]

Agenda item 6 and appointment of Vice Chairman of the Council. We are needing nominations. It gives me great pleasure to nominate Councillor ADAM Parks. And I will second that, Chair. >> Thank you. [BLANKAUDIO] Yes, I'd like to propose Joe Porter. Is this the Vice Chair? Are we seconded? >> Thank you. [BLANKAUDIO] The nominations for that? >> The position. [BLANKAUDIO] One vote per Councillor. And then we'll count them up at the end of once everybody's voted. So you've called out an alphabetical order and if you would just say yes or no? Sorry. >> No, name. Sorry. >> It would be right hand, it would be easy. Sorry. Councillor Parks, it's all those in favour of Councillor. All those in favour of Councillor Parks? [INAUDIBLE] All those in favour of Councillor Porter, please? [BLANKAUDIO] [APPLAUSE] [BLANK_AUDIO] [BLANKAUDIO] [BLANKAUDIO] [BLANKAUDIO] [BLANKAUDIO] I, Adam Parks, having been elected to the Office of Vice Chairman of Staffordshire Morna's District Council, declare that I take that office upon myself and will duly and faithfully fulfill the duties of it according to the best of my judgment and ability. [BLANKAUDIO] Thank you. [BLANKAUDIO] Congratulations. Thank you. [APPLAUSE] [BLANKAUDIO] We'll move on now to item eight, the minutes of the previous meeting. [BLANKAUDIO] All in favour to move them? All in favour? Thank you. Item nine is urgent items of business, if any. I don't know, thank you. Item ten, declarations of interest, disposable or peculiar interest. Can't support it. Thank you Chair, just my usual ones for the police in NHS. Thank you. Thank you. Item two, any other interest? There or not? Thank you. Champions or leaders announcements, I think the first one we'll do is ask Len to come back up again. [LAUGH] [BLANKAUDIO] [BLANKAUDIO] That gives me great pleasure to present you with this past Champions. No, thank you. [INAUDIBLE] I will, certainly will. Thank you. [APPLAUSE] All right, let's take those bins off now and start. Mayor, first thank you for the nomination for the position of Chairman of Staffordshire Mullins District Council for 2024-2025. Over the past year, I have supported Council and Swindlest, when and where possible, with civic invites and both Kath and I have thoroughly enjoyed being part of any celebrations. I've even out when wellies have come off and she has found it difficult to climb the hills when I'm planning side visits. I think it goes without saying that Len has carried the flag for Staffordshire Mullins in a role as chairman, with a true commitment to that position. My first career, I'll just go back over how I started in life. My first career opportunity started as the apprentice at the Cheelentine Times, the Stoney. After six years, I then moved on to the Leoposten Times. While doing this work, I was always had an interest in green keeping. So I helped the groundsmen of the local cricket club in Cheel. When finishing it on the newspapers, I decided to start my own business looking after cricket gowns and bowling greens, which I still do. Never been shy of hard work and saving on committees, I'm involved with Cheelent Bloom, team Cheel with events in the town, a member of the RAOB, party in the park and more recently Cheel Arts Festival. So as I said, grass doesn't grow under my feet. Being elected to the Geeltown Council in 2011, chairman of Vice Chairman of various committees also mare on three occasions, and elected to District Council in 2019, hopefully gives me the credentials to carry on the role as chairman of Staffordshire Mullins District Council. This I could not do without the support of my family, close friends and fellow councillors. At District Council, I have made bonds with fellow councillors, and I have respect for what they have achieved, and looking forward to working with all councillors and officers, including my Deputy Councillor Adam Box. My charities for my team of office are Mullins Homelink, which I think most of us in this room have known someone who has received their services in one form or another. The audit is prostate cancer, which is very close to my heart, and I hope that you will be able to support me through the year to raise funds for them both. Both Kath and I look forward to being ambassadors for Staffordshire Mullins District Council in the forthcoming year, and thank you. Thanks, Chair. I just see this is a year of cricket metaphors coming up, so I hope we don't put you on a sticky wicket too often. I'd just like to set the opportunity tonight to thank everyone who's contributed to the work of this council in my first year as leader. We made good progress, and I think we've done it in the spirit of cooperation right across the Chamber. I've enjoyed the challenges that the group opposite setters, I think that's part of life, and I think we've done that really well. We might not always agree, but our debates have always been constructive and positive, and I think everybody knows that my view is a good idea, is a good idea from wherever it comes, and along may we continue doing that. I'd also like to thank our directors, head to service and staff who've really supported us in the first year of our administration. We've got much to look forward to in the coming year. Many projects that were started by the previous administration are going to come to fruition, and that will be great, and a true testament to what you were able to do in your administration. Many of our projects that we've begun since May 23 will again come to fruition, show benefits, and help to do what we all want to do, which is to improve the life of everyone in the Staffordshire, New Orleans. I do thank everybody for what you've done in the year that's gone by, and I'm sure we'll continue to work together constructively, positively, and for the benefit of all our residents in the future. Thank you everyone. Thank you. Item 12 has received with many petitions. They're in on. Thank you. Item 13 to receive the allocation of seats on overview and scrutiny panels and committees and boards from group leaders. Chair, everybody's had the copy of this, and it's really just to receive those allocations this evening. Thank you. Do you wish to forward those and take these and block? I think with the allocations it's just simply to receive them, isn't it, Chair? I think the next one we've got to move on block, which we can do. Item 14, election of chairs and vice-chairs of overview and scrutiny panels and chairs and vice-chairs of committees boards. These have been circulated. I would like to move them on block. Mr. Chair. Thank you. All in favour? Anyone against? Any abstentions? No, thank you. Item 15 to confirm the appointment of officers to the local plan steering group as follows. Executive Director, Governance and Regulatory Services, Editor of Development Services, Principal Planning Officer. I'll move those, Chair. All in favour? All in favour? Anybody against? Any abstentions? Thank you. Item 16 to consider and debate any recommendations from the Cabinet overview and scrutiny panels and committees, if any. There we know. There we know. Thank you. Item 17, development of enhanced partnerships for town and parish councils. Leader? Thanks, Chair. Yes, you've seen this report in your papers. There's very few things that we do that are more important, making sure that we work together across district and town and parish councils. And that's something that I think is really, really important to us. Not every council runs a parish assembly, and I think we should be proud of the fact that that's been a tradition in New Orleans for as long as I can remember. I think it's important for relationships, and I think it's important that town and parish councillors have got the opportunity to advocate for their communities, for their residents, and bring things to us. And in a similar way, often for us to take up with the county council. I think it's all part of a healthy local democracy. One conversation that happened during the year was that we were thinking that the notion that the chair of the parish assembly changes every year, because up to now it's been tied to the role of chair of council here, is possibly not a good way forward in terms of making this partnership even better than it is already. So what the report does is to suggest a revised approach whereby the chair of the parish assembly comes from this body and is elected by us. And in the context that we do these things, it's an annual thing, but the opportunity for it to be the same person over a period of time is there for members to either go along with or change. So it's really just to get that flexibility in, and you'll notice in the papers that you've got when it comes to the outside body known as the parish assembly. It should be the meeting vote in favour of this revised approach that the chair of the parish assembly for the next year would be council in Swindlehurst. Thank you, Chair. Thank you. And I think Councilor Lin Swindlehurst will make a big difference for the parishes. Thank you. Councilor Bezrich? Thank you, Chair. And I wish to thank the leader for his positive comments regarding improving relationships with parish council. After all, I think that's something all others in this chain, the wish to achieve. But I must say, I'm not entirely convinced that the proposal has been put, well, achieved the steady gains. It occurs to me that the concept of the chair of the parish assembly being the same as the chair of the district council does offer quite a good link with the idea being that the parish council individually can obviously feed back to their representatives on the parish assembly with them then calling to the parish assembly feeding back to the chair of the council who can then feed back towards the district council as a whole. I must say now that it's no personal reflection on the proposed nominee, I'm certain that they would do an excellent job. It's more on the procedure by which has been brought forward. I mean, more than what I've just said, my primary concern is that within the report, I don't see any reference to any consultation with parish councils or with the parish assembly. After all, they are the people with the parish assembly is intended to benefit. So it's my feeling that they should have been consulted to get their views on how they feel the parish assembly could be improved and how they feel that the relationship could be improved between the district council and the parish council and town councils. I mean, I find it most disappointing really that they haven't been consulted because, I mean, I'm fortunate as to the district council to be, I have six parish councils in my ward and I speak to quite a number of them and I'm also a parish council in my own right at Orton. And I feel like, well, most of them find it a very rewarding job, well not job role, obviously giving up the time voluntarily. I think one of the few very rare negative sentiments they express is that they don't always feel that they've been fully listened to by the other bodies which they obviously report into such as the district council. So the parish assembly is our opportunity to do something about that and let them feel that they have been listened to within this chamber and that we do value their feedback which I'm sure we all agree that we do. So, for that read, but I wouldn't wish to want to claim that I speak for every parish council and the staff each and more and so I wish to propose an amendment to the motion that's been put that the wording has been put, we add a phrase to the end of it to say each subject to the approval and majority of the voting members at a meeting of the parish assembly. Thank you. Any further speakers on that item? Come to the board. Thank you. I'd just like to back what council beds we could just say. I think the chairman of the council, the district council has always traditionally been the chairman of the parish assembly and I think you shouldn't try and, you know, try and fix something that isn't broken. I think the current system is the right system. I'm not saying it's perfect, but I think what we should do is try and improve the existing structure, the existing system as it is at the moment and I think what's really important is that we actually speak to the parish councils about this. We found out there, feedback on it, as we've just said, because this is a bit of a top-down type approach and I think what we need to do is we need the ideas to be fed to us from the parish councils. I've no doubt the council's window list would be an excellent chair, you know, I think she's been absolutely brilliant chairman of the council over the last year. So it's nothing personal against here or any other individual. It's more the process and also just respecting the parish councils because a lot of the parish councils feel cut off and not listened to and I think we have a duty to make sure that their voices are heard. So I kind of support the amendment, but I also think it's kind of a moment to pause and reflect and try and listen to what the parish councils have got to say about this before rushing ahead with what I regard is quite a radical change. Thank you. Thank you chair. I understand where Councillor Besser is coming from, but there's 42 parishes in the Staffordshire morelands and when you come to the parish assembly, there isn't 42 parish councils, that's including the towns that come to that assembly. And that is why the change needs to be made so that Council swindlers will make a difference by bringing it, making it more proactive than having somebody different each year because by the time you come to the end of the using, I wish I'd done that and it's too late. So if we have one continuous chairman in that role, they will make a difference for the parishes and the parishes will be listened to because I can guarantee that Council swindlers will feed back most definitely to the relevant officers or the leader of the council and she will make them listen. And I think that is important. The parishes don't feel as though they listened to at the moment. I go to the parish assembly and it can be a lot more proactive and it can be more than three or four meetings a year. And I think that's what's going to happen and the parishes will feel that they are listened to and that's the important thing that the parishes are listened to. And as a parishes, that's including the towns as well. So don't say no to change. Say yes, let's make an improvement. Let's move on. Don't stay in the 18th century. Let's move on to this century and support Council swindlers in this new role. Thank you. I appreciate what Council Bizwick says and it certainly won't stop me from attending those meetings either. So you'll get a double one anyway. You will. Are there any more speakers? On a point of clarification, yeah, I just wish to say that I've not seen that I've got necessary an objection to the proposal. I just feel that the parishes and we should have their say on the proposals which affect them more than anybody. The only further speakers before we go back to the leader for his comments. Thank you. Thanks, Chair. First of all, I'd like to thank Council Bizwick and Council Porter for the comments. You've raised some interesting points there. I'd also like to thank Council Malian who has spoken in favour of the proposal. I would say that in agreement with Councillor Malian, change is not always a bad thing. Waiting around for change sometimes can be a bad thing. I think we have an opportunity to move forward with this proposal tonight. And frankly, if it does cause concerns as the parish assembly develops, well, there might be other proposals that will come along sometime in the future, but I do think this is the right way forward. And occasionally, you've got to put your colours to the mass and say you think it's the right thing to do. If we prove wrong, members have the opportunity to take that into account at a later date, so I'm going to stick with the proposal as written. We'll take the amendment first. We'll just clarify the amendment. I think it was the motion as moved. Motion is moved but subject to ratification by a majority of voting members of the parish assembly at their first meeting. So that's the motion so if you're in favour of that, then that's moved first. We'll take the amendment first. If you're in favour of the amendment, please show. All those against. Sorry, the original proposal is carried. I've got to go back again and vote on that. Sorry. All those in favour of the original proposal. Sorry. 19 against those carried. That is carried. Thank you. Right, Councillors, item 18 on the agenda to make appointments to outside bodies for 2024-2025. Thanks, Chair again. You've got all these listed under agenda item 18 in the report. You might notice one or two things that have changed because we've been doing an exercise and trying to make sure that the outside bodies that we think exist do exist, and there's been a lot of good work done on that. It's a bit like painting the fourth bridge. I think there's still a few things still to be done. You'll notice that sports councils are missing. That's because there's a bit of a reorganisation going on there. I'm sure something will emerge, and I'd hope that this could be something that, as and when it does emerge, we could sort out at a group leaders meeting with members' permission. But so I recommend the outside bodies listed as printed on block. Thank you. Have we got a seconder? Councillor Mālian, thank you. Councillor interjecting. Yes, Chair. Just to point on the outside bodies, I think the leader has already pointed out, very disappointed about the sports councils that they have now disbanded due to possibly communication between the sports councils and the district councils. Especially Lake, it's been going. I've attended for 21 years now on all three sports councils when they were going. And the last couple of years after COVID, I think it destroyed the sports councils due to not having sports awards, nights and things like that. It was a very strange meeting the last one from Lake Sport Council. So I just don't know that we can probably, the leaders can get together and sort something out so that we can get the sports councils up and running again, because we do need them. You know, we need to support the physical fitness of everybody else in the district, you know, and I think it's not just the three towns. We need to support the rural areas to get them going as well. So I do open the leader along with the other leaders, we can get that sports council going again. Thank you. Councillor interjecting. Councillor interjecting. Thank you, Councillor Roberts. Yeah, I was very concerned as well, as you know, I was able to get along to my first Lake Sports Council meeting a couple of months ago and unfortunately I missed the last one. I was very concerned as both the cabinet member for sport, but also as Leaks Mayor to see that council disappear. I've had initial discussions with the senior officers and we're going to very quickly put a plan together and try and work out the best way forward for reinvigorating the energy and commitment that those sports councils had, if not in exactly the same structure. I'll be feeding that back straight away, but I think what I want to see is a small cross-party task and finish group with experts such as yourself, with all these years of experience, I know Councillor Emery as well, particularly from Leak. And really get to the heart of how we can keep that energy going right across them all. And you're quite right, I'm doing some work with Council, we're going to at the moment on the sports fields at Shaddleton, we're looking hard with Councillor Bezewick over at all and I spent quite a bit of time up there with him and Councillor Cox who are both very positive. And I think I'm very confident that we can work our way forwards and come up with some really good plans. We're in those two overview and scrutiny, get them properly looked at and then get going in a few months time. Thank you. Yeah, I just echo everybody else's thoughts on this and particularly the ones raised by Councillor Roberts. There is an opportunity, we've had some fantastic sporting successes in our community this year, not just with Leak Town for Football Club, but also in rugby, hockey and other sports as well. We have got something really big to build on, it's just simply about getting the process right and getting the right people involved. And I do thank Councillor Roberts and others in particular, it really worked hard to keep that going over the years. And we're just at a moment in time where if we can build on the good things that have gone on the past and bring something in for the future, we can really make sure that sports council sit at the heart of what we do as a council. Thank you, Chair. I like to follow Councillor Roberts's words there, because I was chairing at the Child Sports Council for a number of years and wanted to pandemic it as, and that was it. Obviously you couldn't make the contact with the clubs, but like I say, I think if we can work on that and get established again, it'll be great for the local community. Thank you. So all those in favour have taken its own block. Thank you. Number 19 to approve the calendar of meetings 2024-2025. I think that's me again. Yes, there's the calendar as is. Thanks to the officers for all the work they've put in it, it really is a sort of a bit of a work of art to get everything in place. And even in the last few days we were suddenly thinking about school holidays and God knows what else that would be in the way. But the calendar is there. I'm not going to promise that absolutely everything will happen on the dates and times as printed. I am going to promise that as many as possible will happen on those days. And also just something we've been looking at in the background. We hope soon to produce a skeleton calendar for 25-26 of the main sort of fixed feasts from full council to planning committees, to scrutiny committees, maybe not absolutely everything. But so that the Councillors who work for a living can put in their bids for their time off. Councillors with families can note the times and dates well in advance. And people can search all over the internet for fantastic places they can go to and not be frustrated to discover that they should be in a meeting here at the time. So hopefully we will be able to do that for you. I'm going to say bye July meeting. Thank you very much, officers. Let's hope we can keep that one. Thank you. Could we just vote with the show of hands and please for the dates? Yes, thank you. Just a short introduction. Could I please request that that calendar, if approved today, gets put on the electronic system so it comes through on teams as soon as possible. Because there's quite a few Councillors with a multitude of responsibilities and calendars fill up very quickly and forward plans get put forward very quickly. So it would be absolutely advantageous to maximise the use of teams calendars on that. Thank you very much. I think your remarks have been noted. So all in favour? Thank you. Thank you, that's unanimous. Thank you. Making of the checkley neighbourhood plan following the support of referendum. Councillor PRASH? Hello, I just want to say it first to thank everybody involved with the check the neighbourhood plan. It's a very comprehensive plan. One of the more thorough neighbourhood plans I've seen, I've seen rather a lot professionally and in this chamber. So congratulations to everybody involved in that. This is largely a formality in the respect that the hard work has been done by the community and by some people in this room as we'll surely hear about. But on May the 3rd, following the election on May the 2nd and the referendum on that plan, there were very many wonderful results across the country on May the 3rd. But one of the most wonderful was the passing of the checkley neighbourhood plan. It didn't make news night, it didn't make the national news, but it was 88% in favour, which is a wonderful result. So it gives me great pleasure to ask this Council to move that this Council makes that plan. And if we do that, I will pop in and sign it and then it will be official. Thank you. Councillor Broglove. Yeah, thank you, Chair. It's just a point of order, really. Any members of the checkley parish council in here declaring interest in the making of the plan? Councillors wondered. Thank you, Chair. There's about three or four of us in here at the moment, so I think we'll have to just notify that we have a clash of interest, should we say, and there's a point of interest. You stole my thunder to say about 88%. That was quite good. The other bit was about the fact that we had a 20% turnout as well. That's pretty good for anyway. So I'd just like to thank those people that were involved in it very briefly, and then I'll sit down and let you all vote on it. I must say it's taken virtually eight years to get to this point. We've had a few setbacks with changes at national policy and ache on the pages like that, which just delayed things for about two and a half years, completely out of our control. It's utterly amazing that some of these people I'm going to mention now actually managed to keep up with the whole process. In fact, I'd like to mention one particular individual, Councillor Stephen Bell, he's not a Councillor now. But without his support as my vice-chair, I don't think we would have got to this point today, so I just wanted to point that out as well to the everyone else. That was done like myself, completely on a voluntary basis. But the other people that helped out were the two clerks of the parish, Councillor Dorn and Charm. Our expert was, many of you know them, particularly the people from Fiddell, Hannah, the Planner, or Hannah Barther. Stephen and Steph who helped out in Upper Teen, Jackie and Heather who helped out in Checkley and in Lower Teen, Mel, Pete and Sandra who helped out in Hollington. I'm hoping that we will have some sort of celebratory event at the parish to be organised after today. We've only had really 13 days to absorb the fact that we've now completed the task. I must say we have got some very good people at Checkley who do fully participate in the planning process of parish councils. I've seen parish councils around the whole area and I must say the people in Checkley do fully participate within the planning process. I'd also like to thank all the others, the stakeholders and particularly the officers who have taken up the breach. We've had quite a turnover of officers over those seven or eight years and the two that have been helping me out recently I must say congratulate them on getting to this point. So on that note I'd just like to say thank you all and it's worth doing all those other parish councils out there. We've just been talking about the parish assembly and we've got one town council with the plan already. It does really put some meat on the bones as to what you want to do in this strategic process. So I do hope the other areas will take up the mantle and keep things going. It does support the officers and it does support the idea of getting funding and financing in the long term. Thank you very much. Council do you bill? Thank you Chairman. Councillor Price said that this election unfortunately didn't make the nine o'clock news nor the news on breakfast time. Next day Councillor Price. But I think this was by far the best election result that night. Thank God for technically team and hollington. Councillors, a tremendous amount of hard work has gone into this report and I'd like to thank everyone. It's a comprehensive report. It's a really good report. And I think as Keith said earlier, it's a report that sort of lays the foundations for further improvements in our parish. I think that our local villages looking up to the picture, they look better than they've ever done. The villages of Czechli, team, hollington and all of this work I think can only further enhance our great community. We're very, very proud of it, very, very proud of the people who live in our parish. And if I do need to declare any interest, Chairman, I'm very pleased to declare an interest as the local district and county councillor. So thanks very much for a tremendous report, tremendous amount of work and let's hope for further greater things in our parish. Thank you. Move to the vote. Move to the vote. All in favour, accepting the report? Unanimous, thank you. Notice the motion in accordance with procedure rule number eight. Let's not item 22 to answer questions on the procedure rule number 10. There are three questions. We have three questions. First one from Councillor Flunder. Thank you, Chair. I accept the answer from the portfolio holder. Thank you very much. I would like to see a little bit more information if at all possible in time. The breakdown between the three towns, 56%, I'd just like to see what the balance is there. I don't want to look at the past because that's gone now. What I want to try and do is look for the future. So I'm hoping that we can see what's happening in the past to help us in the future. That's the only reason for that. So what I'd like to try and do is to get that breakdown for the first vote. If I can just leave it at that for the first one and see what you say to that. Thank you. You'll be glad to know I can provide you with that breakdown now. So far, there have been 18 successful grants awarded in LEEC, 10 in bid of a 9 in cheetah. Now, as you know, from your time on the committee, Chief, we are not able to select based upon the geography. It's based upon the quality of the bid. I can also say pretty clearly that that does reflect the number of applications that come in. That balance is equal. There's not any places that have been less successful than others. So I would like to urge every Councillor in here, especially if you're from one of the areas that have had less representation, to go out to your communities and to find community groups and businesses, especially businesses, who might be eligible for a grant. Now, there is still grant funding available, plenty of it, and I'll just urge people, as it says at the end of the prepared answer, urge Councillors to go out to their communities, because you know your community is better. You know the businesses that might be eligible. You know the community groups that might benefit from this. So, yeah, I'd urge everybody to go out and do that. Councillors interjecting. Just a follow-up to that one then. We agree. Fantastic. No problem. So looking to the future, what I would like to see also is what's available and what's left. Now, I know that we see it within the small group that look at it from the board perspective, but I'd like all the Councillors in here to know the same, and that could be sent out those areas, particularly say small businesses and people like that, so that they're aware of what the process is. There may be a short training program or something like that for all Councillors, and if possible, it would include town and parish Councillors on that as well. So the idea is that we get this information out there before time runs out, and you and I know that we've got to get these applications before the end of this year really to have a chance of actually being able to draw those grants down. So I think there's a bit of work to do there, but just a general comms thing. If you could support us with that, we'll be very grateful. Thank you. Again, you'll be pleased to know I absolutely can do that, but what I have to do is take it to the board because as you know, the UK SPF board has a range of stakeholders, not just from this Council, and has a range of responsibilities, again, not just to this Council. So it'll have to go to the board. If I know those numbers, I need to get clearance on the board as to what we can release. There are, I can say in general terms, there are some pops, some grants that are drawn down more than others, and I think this is absolutely credit to Mark Wharton, who's taken over the role recently, that he put a stop on the process just temporarily to have a look to see where it was up to, to take a pause and to address some of those grants that are not as well subscribed as others. And he's done that, and it's about to restart again, and we're also going to change the names, potentially, as some of the grants, to make them a little bit more clear to members of the public because it's quite confusing. Initially, we'd use the names that were given to the pots, I think making it a bit more clear for the public is a good thing. Finally, it's my view that we will get this, all of this spend made, which is some operation, it really is, because it was a very tight time scale, and as you know, there were very tight constraints on reporting, and on some of them, quite frankly, not ideal constraints. I think it's fair to say that I would much rather have had the total value of that fund to be able to spend where we now we know it needs spending in the moorlands, and not to fit in with the very many different government, you know, sort of... Yes, absolutely key. So that is the issue. But I do think we're in a process where we are going to get towards the end of it, which is testament. Considering we've had three offices in charge, for a variety of reasons beyond our control during that period, is really good. So I look forward to the next board meeting, and we have a number in the pipeline already, but we still have space aside from those in the pipeline. So, as I said previously, go out to your communities, find out who needs some grant funding in what areas. Thank you. Thank you. Question two from Councillor Porter. Thank you, I'll accept that as read. Thank you, Chair. So, thank you for the really detailed response to this. As you all know, this is an issue that's very close to my heart on the transfer of the countryside sites, because I was the cabinet member that initiated it along with predecessors, and obviously thank you to Councillor Yates for carrying it forward and developing those relationships. I think it's been really successful, and as you're saying, the response has been a success. I've got two follow-ups on it, so I wanted to first of all ask, in terms of working with individual Councillors and community groups, how many consultations have taken place across the different countryside sites, with community groups, individuals and Councillors, with regard to the transfer, but also taking it forward, particularly places like Watley More and lots of the sites that are of particular interest to lots of groups. Yes, thank you very much, and congratulations for steering through the initial transfer over to these sites over to the staff to our live trust. Unfortunately, it hasn't come without casualties. Certainly, the Biddle Valley Way, which was managed by Staff Tumans District Council on behalf of the county council, has been left pretty much high and dry, because that wasn't part of the transfer, because the county weren't involved. And we have struggled over the last couple years to recover that, but that aside, the working relationship, which we've had with the staff to our live trust, both at the technical level, and actually at an operational level, has been very strong and very good, and is ever-building. And I think we support them, and their end-ever is outside of the district countywide, as much as they support us. So, yes, I did have reservations for the reasons, as you've said, but I think we've taken it, we've picked it up, and we've run with it. With regard to your specific question, it's a very technical question, which requires detail. I welcome that. What I would like to propose, a little bit presumptive of me, because obviously I'm not chair of that committee, but we have a community ONS scrutiny group, and I think I would suggest that it would be ideal that perhaps I would like to sort of recommend there's a non-member of that group, that perhaps we put it on the work programme, so they actually come into the presentation of an annual update on what the progress is and what the plans are for the future. And I think that's an ideal forum for us to sort of have conversations with them, to see how best they can work directly with the Councillors and directly with the community, because I do find them a very approachable, very open organisation, and they certainly do like to meet on the ground. As Councillor Holmes knows, we had a very good walk through on some of their non-sides, but they provided some technical input. And I am pleased to say that they are working with Staff to Mounds District Council on the green spaces strategy on our green spaces, which are not the country parks, which are transferred over. In fact, they've taken away recently a number of soil samples, so we can actually get the correct form put back into some of the places where we want to actually enhance. So if you can bear with me on that, but if the chair of the community can perhaps keep that little worm in the head, I think that's a very positive way forward and to keep that ball revelling. Thank you. Can I support you? Thank you, Chair. Thank you to Councillor Yates. Please do bear at Marsh's Hill Common in your mind as well, because that's a certain eye wall that's particularly important. Just my second question was regarding grazing. So within our group, we've got quite a few forms that I've chatted to about grazing. It's got very important role to play in maintaining some of the habitats and some of these unique pieces of land, particularly wetly more. I'd be interested to know the Council's view, what Labor Group's view on grazing and whether you support that, being carried on as part of this, because it's something that the wildlife trust also supports, where we're working with farmers to maintain the habitats. Yes, thank you for that again, Councillor. Supporting mixed habitat in the staff tomorrow is extremely important. We need the diversity of the floor to drive the diversity of the fauna. So yes, in fact, with the Chair, the Vice Chair and the Leader, last week we actually visited the farm in the Council Vale, and represented National Farmers' Union with air, so it was a meeting which was effectively a walk over 248th farm. To get an understanding from both sides viewpoint, it's one thing to say that we want to work hard to reverse the decline in nature, but we want to understand the reasonings, we want to understand where the farmers can fit in and help. And there was some very good conversation going back two ways, you know, because one of the issues which we've obviously have got, and it's a very difficult one to address, is that human beings are now the peak predator, and we've got an imbalance with nature, because human beings being the peak predator in the medieval times took out the other peak predators, which tended to control some of the predators which we've now got, shall we say, which have destroyed some of the habitats, you know, and I think it's a very difficult conversation to start. We're introducing wolves and bears on the Council Vale, but it does have implications. You know, you try not to go with preconceived ideas, but naturally you do go with preconceived ideas. And it's only when you actually look at the issues and you start thinking, well, you know, not being funny, there's an awful lot of ground nesting birds which have disappeared, so you think it must be down to deep plowing, it must be down to this, it must be down to over it. And you find out it's probably down to all the who's buzzing, it's higgling above, and the fact that there's no pine marting seeds in their eggs and things like that. So it is a difficult thing, and it will take time. But I do honestly believe we've got the right attitude as a Council collectively on all sides, and I do believe we've got the right partners with the staff to our life trust. And what I'd like to see is the strong, bonding relationship developed between perhaps less natural partners, and that is the staff to our life trust, and the National Farmers Union, because I think together they can work to maintain and enhance those mixed habitats, which includes our target, which is a national target of getting 30% of land managed for nature by 2030. And we saw examples of that where we can actually, with the farmers, help do slight tweaks, like fill hedgerows, whereas the hedgerows which have gone missing is an obvious thing for wildlife, corridors and connectivity between the various corpses of uncanny ground. And I think that's a message, which looking at the Council of the Ville Square in the eye, is we need to look up for our verges on the highways as well. One of the quickest wins which we can do countywide is to fill those gaps which are being created in the hedgerows for whatever reasons, whether it's a pipeline which is being laid in the put of post and complaints in the place. The clock is ticking. I know, but it's, but chair, it's been such, such a short meeting. It's ticked and it's stopped. Okay, I will leave it to that, but yes, we are fully support. I just hope the Council of the Board identifies with the brevity of the answer. Thank you for the response and thanks for carrying on the way that we did. Yeah, just thank you for carrying on all the way that we did on nature and thanks for your response. Question three from Council of the Board, thank you. Thank you chair. I'll accept as read. Shop of Entry, can I support it? Thank you. I'd just like to know over the last year how many prosecutions have the been against flying tippers, specifically over the last year, thank you. Well, thank you, Councillor Parker-Porter and thank you for your question, a very interesting question. And I'll endeavour to answer it, but I'll draw upon national data as well, just to hope to put the situation and the staff of Jamarlands in a national and local context. As he's quite right, people care passionately, deeply about their local environment and the appearance of their neighbourhood and low standards of local immunity, such as fly tipping, dog-fouling abandoned vehicles affect people's quality of life and their sense of well-being. Councillor Parker-Porter may be aware of the broken window theory, which states that the visible signs of antisocial behaviour, such as fly tipping encourages further crime and environmental degradation. Well, on that basis, how are SMDC doing? Now, I said I'd give you a context, the Government does produce an annual league table of rating authorities on a number of fixed penalty notices issued and incidents in the areas. These are the figures I'm giving you are current and they date from March, so they're very up to date. The Government states that the data should not be used as the last word in terms of rating local authorities, as various matters and various circumstances may affect the ratings relating to fly tipping. So, first is to take, I would like the Councillors in the room to take away two ballpark figures to give Councillors a wider context. Naturally, there were 1.08 million incidents of fly tipping, a slight decrease on the previous year, and local authorities in the country took 532,000 enforcement actions, such an increase on 5% on the previous year. In the league table, just to give it down, the top of the league comes Brentwood with 1,498. If FPNs, fixed penalty notices, it's 700 incidents, although that's an incident rate, an FPN incident rate of 2.14. The table does not explain why more FPNs are issued than there seem to be incidents in Brentwood, but there we are. Next is Islington with 1781 FPNs and 1292 incidents, the data of 1.37. Stoke in the nearest local authority by itself features in the top 20 at 13, as it were in the charts, 875 FPNs and 3265 incidents, 0.26. With local authorities who do not use FPNs in the lowest scores as Norwich, 1 FPN and 5297 incidents with a score of, I hope my decimal points are correct here, 0.002, and then Croydon, 10 FPNs with 22,852 incidents, a score of 0.004. Again, the nearest local authority to ourselves is Estaviture, which teaches in the lowest 20, with 1 FPN and 941 incidents, 0.0011 score. So this brings us to Estaviture Morlands, so the scores on the doors, as it were of this, 7 FPNs issued last year and 326 incidents giving a figure of 0.021. From the government's database, which I checked, which is a national database, that would put Estaviture Morlands, 127 out of 267 local authorities, so roughly halfway. Thanks. It's important. Thank you for that, really useful to know that. Thank you for providing all the contacts as well. Just wanted to ask a follow-up question in terms of the surveillance of fly-tipping hotspots. I've noticed there has been an increase in that, so thank you for that. What are the future plans for increasing surveillance in CCTV for key hotspots of fly-tipping? Thank you. Again, I did some sort of work and looking at why people fly-tipping the importance. So it really comes down to two factors. One is the density of population, and Croydon's 22,000 figure would illustrate that. And the second thing is the density of the population. That's the sort of education levels and willingness of people to actually engage in the process of education and awareness of fly-tipping. So the density of population in both cases has a bearing on this. So public information, and I'm aware that my colleague, my esteemed colleague with his brief answer, Councillor Yates referred to technology and putting up the fine £2,000. So these have a bearing on this. Public information, I think, is important. And it rather just to end my contribution on this point. I find it rather puzzling at looking at the national data. The good works of the Wimbledon Common does not seem to feature in the end of the data. I know this answer may go overhead to some of the younger cancers in the room. But the work of great Uncle Bulgaria, Turminori and Madam Shelley does not fear national data. And I think we should be concerned about that. Thank you. Thank you, Councillor Cooley. Can you remember what you asked us the question? Right, there is no item 23, 24 or 25, so I can close the meeting. Thank you for your attendance this evening, and thank you once again for the my nomination. Thank you. [BLANK_AUDIO]