Agenda and minutes

City Council - Monday 20 June 2022 2.00 pm

Venue: Council House, Plymouth

Contact: Ross Jago  Head of Governance, Performance and Risk

Media

Items
No. Item

1.

Minutes pdf icon PDF 67 KB

To approve and sign the minutes of the extraordinary meeting held on 21 March 2022, the ordinary meeting of the 21 March 2022 and the Annual General Meeting of the 20 May 2022 as a correct record.

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The Council agreed that the minutes of the extraordinary meeting held on 21 March 2022, the ordinary meeting of the 21 March 2022 and the Annual General Meeting of the 20 May 2022 are confirmed as a correct record.

2.

Declarations of Interest

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The following declarations of interest were made by councillors in accordance with the code of conduct in respect of items under consideration at the meeting -

 

Name

Minute Number

Reason

Interest

Cllr Harrison

4 – Questions by the Public

Spouse holds a taxi license.

Private

Cllr Nicholson

3 – Appointments to Committees, Outside Bodies etc

Employee of Babcock International PLC

Pecuniary

Councillor Stevens

7.c Motion on Notice

Employers named in the motion on notice on Standards in Public Life.

Personal

Councillor Darcy

7.c Motion on Notice

Employers named in the motion on notice on Standards in Public Life.

Personal

 

3.

Appointments to Committees, Outside Bodies etc pdf icon PDF 154 KB

The Assistant Chief Executive will submit a schedule of vacancies on committees, outside bodies etc and of changes notified to us.  

 

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The Lord Mayor put forward a motion which had been seconded by Councillor Penberthy to accept appointments to Committees and Outside Bodies as set out in the order paper.

 

Council agreed to appoint Councillors Beer and Loveridge to the Erle Trust Fund.

 

Council agreed to appoint Councillors Patel, Coker, Wheeler and Tuohy to the North Yard Community Trust.

 

The Lord Mayor requested the Monitoring Officer to look into the process for selecting nominees to the North Yard Community Trust to ensure declarations of interest had been open.

 

 

 

Councillor Evans OBE sought advice to consider part of the proposal separately to the remainder of the recommendation.

 

The Lord Mayor confirmed that the Council would note the appointment to Committee’s and move to two votes for the Erle Trust Fund and North Yard Community Trust respectively.

 

Councillor Mrs Beer raised a point of order to seek clarification on the vote for the Erle Trust Fund as its term of reference stated it had to be two Plympton Erle Councillors must sit on the trust.

 

Councillor Evans OBE sought clarification following Councillor Mrs Beer’s comments that the proposition was in order. Ross Jago (Head of Governance, Performance and Risk) confirmed the proposition was in order.

 

Councillor Sue Dann proposed a vote on the Erle Trust Fund, seconded by Councillor Penberthy.

 

For (46)

Councillors Allen, Mrs Beer, Bingley, Bowyer, Briars-Delve, Burden, Carlyle, Churchill, Coker, Collins, Dr Cree, Cresswell, Dann, Darcy, Deacon, Drean, Evans OBE, Finn, Goslin, Harrison, Hendy, Holloway, Hulme, Laing, Loveridge, Dr Mahony, Nicholson, Partridge, Patel, Penberthy, Mrs Pengelly, Poyser, Reilly, Rennie, Riley, Salmon, Shayer, Singh, Smith, Stevens, Stoneman, Tippetts, Tofan, Tuffin, Tuohy, Wakeham, Ms Watkin and Wheeler.

 

Against (0)

 

Abstain (1)

Councillor Dann.

 

Not Present/Did Not Vote (2)

Councillors Bridgeman, Wheeler.

 

Councillor Sue Dann proposed a vote on the membership to the North Yard Community Trust, seconded by Councillor Penberthy.

 

Councillor Tudor Evans OBE questioned if the nomination process to this committee was flawed based on the Nolan Principal’s as the nomination was made based on the recommendation of someone who has a conflict of interest as a member of the trust, whose organisation is a beneficiary of the trust. Oppose the process by which the persons who made the nominations have been allowed to be part of the process of nomination by those who could be a beneficiary of the nominated person’s actions.

 

Councillor Patel responded by explaining that his organisation had benefitted from the North Yard Community Trust in the past, but applied to, and has no intention of doing so in the future, since he became a Councillor. 

 

Councillor Sue Dann proposed that this issue was looked at in more depth by the Monitoring Officer to ensure that the process of appointment to committees was open and transparent.

 

Tracey Lee (Chief Executive) explained that the Monitoring Officer always considered matters when bringing a proposal to Council and stated that Councillor Evans OBE had made contact with the Monitoring Officer on the matter and she would reply to the whole  ...  view the full minutes text for item 3.

4.

Questions by the Public

To receive questions from and provide answers to the public in relation to matters which are about something the council is responsible for or something that directly affects people in the city, in accordance with Part B, paragraph 11 of the Constitution.

 

Questions, of no longer than 50 words, can be submitted to the Democratic Support Unit, Plymouth City Council, Ballard House, West Hoe Road, Plymouth, PL1 3BJ, or email to democraticsupport@plymouth.gov.uk. Any questions must be received at least five complete working days before the meeting.

Additional documents:

Minutes:

There were eight questions submitted by members of the public.

 

The following question was submitted by Mr D Bamping –

 

Question: Does Plymouth City Council have a published policy for putting people on Specific Point of Contact (SPoC) with the Council?  If not; then can the council confirm that it is not able to put anyone on a SPoC as it would be unlawful without a written policy?

Answer: The Council does not have a published Single Point of Contact policy, and I am advised that there is no legal requirement for the Council to have such a policy.? Each case of potentially excessive, malicious or vexatious communication with Councillors and/or officers is considered in the light of guidance from the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman on managing unreasonable complaint behaviour.? The Council has, however, undertaken to review and implement a Single Point of Contact policy in due course.

 

The following question was submitted by Mr C R Wildman -

 

Question: Regarding the Taxi Policy. Consultation was the only input allowed, and ignored. Licensing Office Report appeared to be unread, simply accepted. Trades and Travelling Public need proper input to decision makers before adoption.

Consultation was broadly against.??Democracy? It was a pointless paper exercise. Can PCC reconsider the Policy?

Answer: There was pre-consultation with the PLTA and members of the taxi trade and a number of private hire operators. This was followed by a 12-week consultation and the feedback questionnaire was made available online to encourage more people to respond.  A total of 338 responses were received, which is much higher than the last Taxi Policy Consultation, which resulted in 95 responses. The consultation responses were reviewed and the Policy updated accordingly.  The consultation responses and considerations are included in the City Council report dated 21 March 2022. The Policy and consultation was also reviewed by Members at the Scrutiny Committee on 15 March 2022.   

 

The following question was submitted by Mr R Hamilton -

 

Question: Trade Representatives and Licensees should be able to speak to, and answer questions from, Councillors at Committee. Regarding taking Taxi payment by Card, common issues are no signal, incompatible phone, insufficient funds, card declined, PIN Number not known and bank system inoperative. Will PCC Reconsider the mandatory requirement?

Answer: It is at the discretion of the Chair of any committee to invite members of the public or other representative to speak at committee on any particular agenda item. A scrutiny review of the implementation of the Taxi Policy is planned and the Chair of that session would make appropriate invitations to witnesses. Officers have spoken to a number of taxi and private hire drivers who have no issues with taking card payments. A large number of vehicles already have card payment readers fitted to their vehicles and have had these in place for a number of years. This not only assists passengers to ensure they can get home safely but is also safer for the drivers as they do not  ...  view the full minutes text for item 4.

5.

Announcements

(a)        To receive announcements from the Lord Mayor, Chief Executive, Service Director for Finance or Head of Legal Services;

 

(b)        To receive announcements from the Leader, Cabinet Members or Committee Chairs.

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The Lord Mayor made the following announcements to Members –

 

(a)

she took this opportunity to thank everyone who took part in Lord Mayor’s Day and the Gala Dinner;

 

(b)

it was an honour to light the beacon on the citadel wall as part of the Platinum Jubilee celebrations, and attending a variety of different events across the city meeting with approximately 2,500 people over 4 days;

 

(c)

there have been a number of commemorative events for Falkland Veterans, which have all been very well received;

 

(d)

she took this opportunity to congratulate Alison Botham for her 30 years in Children’s Social Care and thanked her for her work with Plymouth City Council, and wished her well in her retirement;

 

(e)

she welcomed Sharon Muldoon who has joined the Council as the Director of Children’s Services;

 

(f)

the honours list has been announced as part of the Platinum Jubilee including Jane Jones MBE, Alexis Bowater OBE, Charlotte Murray BEM and Lieutenant Commander Carol Rashleigh BEM. The Lord Mayor congratulated all.

 

Councillor Bingley (Leader of the Council) made the following announcements to Council –

 

(g)

asked that there is a new online hub with signposting to support for the rising cost of living which can be found at www.plymouth.gov.uk/costofliving The services listed will be promoted on Council social media pages;

 

(h)

the statutory designated tax dates for Plymouth’s Freeport are to go before Parliament shortly;

 

(i)

asked for a port strategy for Plymouth’s coastline to be put in place by the end of 2022 to create the opportunity for more joined up working in applying for funding and creating jobs in Plymouth’s ocean economy;

 

(j)

congratulated Professor Paul Fieldsend-Danks and his team on Plymouth College of Art being awarded University status. Bringing Plymouth to now have a total of 3 universities;

 

(k)

acknowledged that planning has been passed for NHS Devon and Plymouth City Council to develop a health and wellbeing centre in the West End;

 

(l)

congratulated St Matthews Primary School, Knowle Primary School and Lipson Co-operative Academy for comments made about their schools by Ofsted in recent visits, and Plymouth’s adult education service has improved from ‘requires improvement’ to ‘good’. Plans will soon be published by Cabinet to improve Ofsted performances;

 

Councillor Shayer (Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Finance and Economy) made the following announcements to Council –

 

(m)

the Mayflower Autonomous Ship arrived in North America on 5 June 2022. Councillor Shayer paid tribute to Brett Phaneuf, his team, IBM and others involved for the success of the project which was a technological first;

 

(n)

Plymouth was to hold a conference on 21 June 2022 hosted by the Inclusive Growth Group of Plymouth Growth Board – Inclusive 2040, which will explore the current and emerging pressures on key sectors within the city and use existing data to look at where radical approaches are needed to more towards a more inclusive city for 2040;

 

(o)

two ministerial visits had been hosted in the previous two weeks,  ...  view the full minutes text for item 5.

6.

Capital and Revenue Outturn Report 2021 - 22 pdf icon PDF 257 KB

Additional documents:

Minutes:

Councillor Shayer (Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Finance and Economy) introduced the report. This was seconded by Councillor Bingley.

Following a discussion with contributions from Councillors Evans OBE and Nicholson, the Council agreed to –

 

(1)

note the Provisional Revenue Outturn position for the year to  31 March 2022 and  

 

(2)

note the Provisional Capital Outturn position for that year including the Capital Financing Requirement of £75.275m

 

For (47)

Councillors Allen, Mrs Beer, Bingley, Mrs Bowyer, Briars-Delve, Burden, Carlyle, Churchill, Collins, Coker, Dr Cree, Cresswell, Darcy, Deacon, Drean, Evans OBE, Finn, Goslin, Harrison, Hendy, Holloway, Hulme, Laing, Mrs Loveridge, Dr Mahony, Nicholson, Partridge, Patel, Penberthy, Mrs Pengelly, Poyser, Reilly, Rennie, Riley, Salmon, Shayer, Singh, Smith, Stevens, Stoneman, Tippetts, Tofan, Tuffin, Tuohy, Wakeham, Ms Watkin, Wheeler.

 

Against (0)

 

Abstain (1)

Councillor Dann.

 

Absent/Did Not Vote (1)

Councillors Bridgeman.

 

7.

Motions on notice pdf icon PDF 97 KB

To consider motions from councillors in accordance with Part B, paragraph 14 of the Constitution.

Additional documents:

7.a

Ambulance Response Times

Additional documents:

Minutes:

Councillor Jemima Laing introduced the motion on notice on Ambulance response times. This was seconded by Councillor Dylan Tippetts.

 

Following a discussion with contributions from Councillors Coker, Collins, Finn, Mrs Loveridge, Dr Mahony, Mrs Pengelly the council agreed:

 

·         The Chair of the Health & Adult Social Care Overview and Scrutiny Committee ensures that the performance of South Western Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust (SWASFT) is included in any upcoming scrutiny review of health services within Plymouth. 

·         The Chair of the Health & Adult Social Care Overview and Scrutiny Committee writes immediately to the city’s three MPs and the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care to inform them of the seriousness of the situation. 

·         Members formally acknowledge the dedication of the staff of SWASFT whose professionalism will have saved countless lives over the years. This motion is not intended as a criticism of these selfless people who work day and night to care for the residents of Plymouth. 

 

For (46)

Councillors Allen, Mrs Beer, Bingley, Mrs Bowyer, Briars-Delve, Burden, Carlyle, Churchill, Collins, Coker, Dr Cree, Cresswell, Darcy, Deacon, Drean, Evans OBE, Finn, Goslin, Harrison, Hendy, Holloway, Hulme, Laing, Mrs Loveridge, Dr Mahony, Nicholson, Partridge, Patel, Penberthy, Mrs Pengelly, Poyser, Reilly, Rennie, Riley, Salmon, Shayer, Singh, Smith, Stevens, Stoneman, Tippetts, Tofan, Tuffin, Tuohy, Wakeham, Ms Watkin, Wheeler.

 

Against (0)

 

Abstain (1)

Councillor Dann.

 

Absent/Did Not Vote (2)

Councillor Bridgeman, Nicholson.

 

 

 

7.b

Changes to the Planning System

Additional documents:

Minutes:

Councillor Bill Stevens introduced the motion on notice on changes to the planning system. This was seconded by Councillor Tina Tuohy. 

 

Following a discussion with contributions from Councillors Allen, Darcy, Evans OBE, Goslin, Nicholson, Smith, Stoneman the motion was not carried.

 

For (19)

Councillors Allen, Briars-Delve, Coker, Dr Cree, Cresswell, Evans OBE, Goslin, Hendy, Holloway, Laing, Penberthy, Poyser, Reilly, Rennie, Stevens, Tippetts, Tuffin, Tuohy, Wheeler

 

Against (27)

Councillors Bingley, Mrs Bowyer, Mrs Bridgeman, Burden, Carlyle, Churchill, Collins, Darcy, Deacon, Drean, Finn, Harrison, Hulme, Mrs Loveridge, Dr Mahony, Nicholson, Partridge, Patel, Mrs Pengelly, Riley, Salmon, Shayer, Smith, Stoneman, Tofan, Wakeham, Ms Watkin.

 

Abstain (3)

Councillors Mrs Beer, Dann, Singh.

 

7.c

Standards in Public Life

Additional documents:

Minutes:

Councillor Sally Cresswell introduced the motion on notice on standards in public life. This was seconded by Councillor Tudor Evans OBE. 


Following a discussion with contributions from Councillors Bingley and Stoneman the motion was not carried.

 

For (19)

Councillors Allen, Briars-Delve, Coker, Dr Cree, Cresswell, Evans OBE, Goslin, Hendy, Holloway, Laing, Penberthy, Poyser, Reilly, Rennie, Stevens, Tippetts, Tuffin, Tuohy, Wheeler.

 

Against (25)

Councillors Bingley, Burden, Carlyle, Churchill, Collins, Darcy, Deacon, Drean, Finn, Harrison, Hulme, Mrs Loveridge, Dr Mahony, Nicholson, Partridge, Patel, Mrs Pengelly, Riley, Salmon, Shayer, Smith, Stoneman, Tofan, Wakeham, Ms Watkin

 

 

Abstain (3)

Councillors Bridgeman, Dann, Singh.

 

Absent/Did Not Vote (2)

Councillors, Mrs Beer, Mrs Bowyer.

 

8.

Urgent Decisions pdf icon PDF 292 KB

Additional documents:

Minutes:

Council agreed to note the report.

9.

Questions by Councillors

Questions to the Leader, Cabinet Members and Committee Chairs covering aspects for their areas of responsibility or concern by councillors in accordance with Part B, paragraph 12 of the constitution.

Additional documents:

Minutes:

 

From

To

Subject

1

Cllr Nigel Churchill

Cllr Jonathan Drean

Electric Vehicle Charging Points for Maritime Industry: had the Council considered this?

Response: Two EV water taxis were currently running in the city and the pontoons had charging points on them; this was something the Council was hoping to install more of in the future.

2

Cllr Dylan Tippetts

Cllr Jonathan Drean

Compton Roads: would the Cabinet Member and relevant officers consider going on a site visit with Cllr Tippetts to Compton, specifically Hartley Avenue, to assess the road surface and consider options for repair?

Response: The Cabinet Member confirmed he was happy to attend a site visit and discuss available options for repair if necessary.

3

Cllr Chaz Singh

Cllr Richard Bingley

Licensed Drivers: what plans were in place if more licensed drivers made a decision to move out of the city for work?

Response: A lot of consultation had taken place regarding the taxi service and licensed drivers in the city. It was suggested that concerns were directed towards Councillor Riley as his scrutiny panel ‘Growth and Infrastructure’ were scheduled to consider taxi licensing as part of a select review.

4

Cllr Ian Tuffin

Cllr Bill Wakeham

Sea swimming: did the Cabinet Member agree that those wishing to swim in the sea were as safe as possible?

 

Supplementary question: would the Cabinet Member back Luke Pollard MP’s campaign to have the waters around Devils Point and Firestone Bay designated as official bathing water subject to regular testing for water quality?

Response: The Cabinet Member agreed that those wishing to swim in the sea should be as safe as possible and confirmed that he would support anyone who wanted to improve the quality of the local waters.

5

Cllr Sarah Allen

Cllr Bill Wakeham

Weeds and overgrown grass: what had gone wrong with this years’ programme of maintenance?

Response: Staffing and resourcing issues were affecting this department however road sweeper vehicles were to be converted to allow weeds to be cut when out maintaining roads.

6

Cllr Patrick Nicholson

Cllr Pat Patel

Letters to residents: Several residents in Plympton had received a letter from the Council threatening to remove their ability to pay their council tax or housing benefit by direct debit – would the Cabinet Member seek to review standard letters to ensure they treated customers with respect?

Response: The Cabinet Member confirmed he would instruct a review of standard letters to be undertaken.

 

7

Cllr Mark Deacon

Cllr Pat Patel

20,000 people attended SailGP 2021 with a global audience of millions, would the administration seek to bring this back for the City in 2023?

Response: Once economic data had been received for SailGP 2022 the Council would then decide whether to progress and bid for 2023.

8

Cllr Neil Hendy

Cllr Richard Bingley

There had been reports of taxis leaving the city centre and refusing to undertake multiple jobs for females in one complete journey. Drivers would complete one job before returning to the city centre to  ...  view the full minutes text for item 9.