Agenda and minutes

The Mayor, Cllr Mary Foryszewski, to move that Council Procedure Rule 21.1 (the requirement for Members to stand to speak) be suspended for this meeting.

1.1         The Mayor, Cllr Mary Foryszewski, welcomed Members, guests and members of the public to the Annual Council meeting. These were unprecedented times, with diverse and difficult challenges for everyone. In a short period of time everyone had had to find new ways of working, to adapt quickly and learn to live and communicated in the a modern digital world.

1.2       The Mayor introduced the Officers present: the Chief Executive, Tom Horwood; Strategic Directors, Graeme Clark and Annie Righton; Head of Policy & Governance, Robin Taylor; and Borough Solicitor, Daniel Bainbridge.

1.3       The Mayor reminded Members of the protocols for Zoom meetings, and on her recommendation Council RESOLVED to suspend Procedure Rule 21.1, the requirement for Members to stand to speak.

The Mayor to report apologies for absence.

The Head of Policy & Governance to carry out a roll call of Members in remote attendance.

The Head of Policy & Governance will ask each Member in alphabetical order to declare that they are present.  Please wait to be called then:

a)   unmute your microphone on your PC / tablet etc ,

b)   confirm that you are “Present”;

c)   then please remember to, once again, mute your microphone.  

Apologies for absence had been received from Cllrs Kevin Deanus and Joan Heagin.

The retiring Mayor, Cllr Mary Foryszewski, will provide a summary of her year in office.

3.1       The Mayor began her announcements, by asking her Chaplain Reverend Ian Maslin to lead a 1 minute silence to remember those who had lost their lives to coronavirus, their friends and families; and to think of all the front line and key workers. Rev’d Maslin thanked the Mayor for inviting him to be part of the meeting and then offered prayers for those who had lost their lives or suffered through the pandemic, and for The Queen. This was followed by a minute’s silence.

3.2       The Mayor thanked Rev’d Maslin for his kind words, and his support throughout her Mayoral year, and advised that she would be arranging for a card and gift to be delivered to him. The Mayor went on to thank others who had supported her during her year as Mayor:

-        Her consort, Stefan Foryszewski, and their sons; family and friends;

-        Mane Chance, her charity for the year;

-        Her Deputy Mayor, Penny Marriott, and other Surrey Mayors; and

-        Waverley officers, Robin Taylor, Alison Burrows, and Henry Ascoli.

3.3       The Mayor had filmed a short video in which she had reflected on her year as Mayor, which was available on line, and in concluding her year she wanted to acknowledge and recognise just a few of the many people she had met throughout her year who were doing amazing work in the Borough. The Mayor presented Waverley Borough Council Community Champion certificates of appreciation to:

-        Andrea Bamford

-        Glebelands School, Cranleigh

-        Cranleigh Rotary Club

-        Rod Weale, Royal British Legion Cranleigh

-        Nabeel Nasir, Ahmadiyya Muslim Community

-        Hayley Roberts, Secret Garden Sanctuary

-        Henry Ascoli, Waverley Borough Council

-        Jessica Wicks, Supporting People Week (Mental Health UK)

-        Wendy Gibson, Street Champion

-        Janet Wallace, Baptist Church Cranleigh

-        Cranleigh Lions

-        Smart Cranleigh

            There would be a small financial gift for each, as well.

3.4      The Mayor continued by highlighting the importance of the role of Mayor as a figurehead to bring communities together and to support those who worked tirelessly for the benefit of others. Her year had not just been about fund-raising, but was also raising awareness of subjects hard to talk about, such as mental health and suicide. Never before had it been so important to be tolerant, patient and gentle with ourselves and each other. Her mental health networking event had been thwarted by the pandemic, but would go ahead at some point in the future.

3.5      The Mayor concluded by saying these were difficult times but we would get through it together. Everyone had made sacrifices, but it was time to resume some sort of normality and get on with the business of running the Council, delivering essential services, and supporting our residents. She wishes her successor the very best wishes, and thanked Members for allowing her the honour and privilege to serve them as their Mayor.

To elect the Mayor of the Borough of Waverley for the 2020/21 Council year.

i)             The retiring Mayor, Cllr Mary Foryszewski, will call for nominations for the Mayor.

Please note that if there is only one nominations the Mayor will not ask for all Members to indicate their approval or otherwise but, rather, will declare the motion carried and only ask if any Member wishes to vote against.

ii)            The retiring Mayor, Cllr Foryszewski, will declare the result.

iii)           The new Mayor will read their declaration of acceptance of office and be presented with the Chain of Office.

The meeting will continue with the new Mayor in the chair.

4.1       The Mayor called for nominations for the role of Waverley Borough Mayor for 2020/21.

4.2       Cllr John Ward proposed Cllr Dr Penny Marriott as the next Mayor:

Penny Marriott had been born in England but spent her early years in Swansea before studying physics and mathematics at Manchester University and Imperial College after which she taught in number of schools and colleges, her primary interest being astrophysics.

Penny had lived in Farnham for 45 years and had been active both politically as a town and borough counsellor and in the wider community, as chair of he Northwest Farnham Residents Association, a trustee of he Farnham Victoria Gardens, eventually becoming their Chair. She was passionate about international co-operation and town-twinning, and was chair of the Farnham – Andernacht Friendship Association. Penny had a keen interest in youth and became one of the first parent governors St Andrews school.

This was her second time as a Waverley Borough Councillor, and during her time as Farnham Town Councillor she had served as Mayor in 2002 and 2003 and so was well used to representing the town, and controlling a noisy council. Penny had also been a part-time international sporting coach, imparting the elements of velocity and trajectory to a keen student who later became Paralymipic, European and World champion in boccia. Cllr Ward concluded by saying that he could think of no one more fitting to be Waverley Mayor, and was proud to propose her.

4.3       Cllr Paul Follows seconded the nomination of Cllr Dr Penny Marriott as Mayor, and wholeheartedly endorsed the words of Cllr Ward. He was sure that helping young people, education, compassion, inclusivity and engagement would be central to her style as Mayor. She would have the full support of the new Deputy Mayor, and Waverley would have an excellent new Mayoral team.

4.4      There were no other nominations for Mayor, and therefore Cllr Dr Penny Marriott was declared as the Waverley Borough Mayor for 2020/21.

4.5      The new Mayor, Cllr Dr Penny Marriott, read and signed the declaration of acceptance of office, witnessed by Cllr Peter Marriott.

To elect the Deputy Mayor of the Borough of Waverley for the 2020/21 Council year.

i)             The new Mayor will call for nominations for the Deputy Mayor.

Please note that if there is only one nomination, the Mayor will not ask for all Members to indicate their approval or otherwise but, rather, will declare the motion carried and only ask if any Member wishes to vote against.

ii)            The new Mayor will declare the result.

iii)           The new Deputy Mayor will read their declaration of acceptance of office and be presented with the Deputy Mayor’s Chain of Office.

5.1       The new Mayor, Cllr Dr Penny Marriott, called for nominations for the role of Deputy Mayor for 2020/21.

5.2       Cllr Paul Follows proposed Cllr John Robini as Deputy Mayor:

            Cllr Robini returned to the Borough Council and to Haslemere Town Council in 2019, but had a long record of service to Waverley and two parishes within the borough, including time as a portfolio holder covering car parks, community safety and youth services. He was the incumbent Mayor of Haslemere. Outside of his work as a councillor, John joined the police in 1972 and served with the force here in Waverly for many years. One of his many initiatives during that time was setting up neighbourhood watch programs across the borough which still existed today.

Integrity, hard work and community service were at the core of everything John did and during Covid-19 he had served his community as Mayor of Haslemere and met the challenge of leading the council and community despite being is isolation throughout. The mayor of Haslemere had been a unifying figure that people needed,  visible and hardworking, whether that was stepping into the unknown chairing council sessions online or working alongside volunteers as part of Haslemere Help to deliver the community store and even managing to keep the neighbourhood plan consultations going. John had been at the centre and led from the front, supported by Jacquie who would be sharing in the work to come. John and Jacquie would be an excellent support to Penny and Peter over the coming year, and Waverley would be in good hands.

5.3      Cllr Andy MacLeod seconded the nomination of Cllr John Robini as Deputy Mayor, and endorsed Cllr Follows commendation of him as a hard-working councillor and champion of Haslemere.

5.4      Cllr Stephen Mulliner and expressed his pleasure to be able to support the nomination of Cllr Robini as Deputy Mayor. He had a long connection to Haslemere and strong interest in the local community, and after being elected to the Town Council in May 2019 he had served as a diligent and well-respected Town Mayor.

5.5      There were no other nominations for Deputy Mayor, and therefore Cllr John Robini was declared as the Waverley Borough Deputy Mayor for 2020/21.

4.5      The new Deputy Mayor, Cllr John Robini, read and signed the declaration of acceptance of office, witnessed by Cllr Jacquie Keen.

A vote of thanks to the retiring Mayor will be moved and seconded.

6.1       The vote of thanks to the Retiring Mayor was moved by Cllr Carole Cockburn, who commended Cllr Foryszewski for an outstanding year as Mayor during which she had chaired meetings of Council with patience, humour and fairness, ensuring that all Members were heard and reminding Members to listen with politeness and respect. Mary had carried out every duty as Mayor as though it were her first, punctual and prepared and always interested, and making so many special people in the borough feel special. Mary had worked tirelessly on fundraising for Mane Chance, and supporting charities dealing with male mental health and male suicide. Mary had given everyone a masterclass in service and had been a terrific ambassador for Waverley Borough Council.

6.2      Cllr John Ward seconded the vote of thanks and noted that in May 2019 the new administration had unhesitatingly supported Cllr Foryszewski’s nomination for Mayor, and she had not disappointed. She had clearly exhibited qualities of fairness, impartiality, intelligence, and he was pleased to second the vote of thanks.

6.3      The new Mayor concluded by adding her personal thanks to Cllr Foryszewski for her help and friendship during their year working together.

6.4      RESOLVED that the vote of thanks to the Retiring Mayor be agreed.

To confirm the Minutes of the Council meeting held on 18 February 2020.

These will be signed at a later date.

The Minutes of the Meeting of the Council held on 18 February 2020 were confirmed as a correct record.

To receive from Members, declarations of interest in relation to any items included on the agenda for this meeting in accordance with the Waverley Code of Local Government Conduct.

There were no interests declared under this heading.

To receive announcements from the new Mayor.

9.1      The Mayor spoke of the challenge of becoming Mayor during a global pandemic, at a time of such huge change in peoples’ daily lives and uncertainty about the future causing anxiety and fear about whether things would ever be normal again. Many people were having to change the way they lived and worked, as the council was: Waverley officers had responded magnificently, as had Waverley Members who had changed how they worked in order to take part in remote meetings.

9.2      The impacts of the pandemic would surely be felt for years to come, but change was not always a bad thing, and sometimes things needed to change, as highlighted by the Black Lives Matter movement. The Mayor read out a statement on behalf of Waverley Borough Council to demonstrate that we stand with people in the black community:

As community leaders, we oppose all racism, discrimination and hate and promote equality.

Waverley Borough Council stands alongside those who are appalled and saddened by the loss of George Floyd in Minneapolis, US. His shocking death highlights the injustices endured by black people on a daily basis in America and has also made us face up to the inequalities experienced by black communities here in the UK.

Now is the time to stand with the black community and all those who are racially oppressed - as we always strive to ensure our borough supports and treats everyone fairly, regardless of age, race, gender or sexual orientation.

We are reconfirming our commitment to address inequality and injustice in our own borough. We will consider and reflect on how we can do more to make a difference and will outline what steps we will take towards this shortly. But, in the meantime, let’s start this work today: let’s start by us all committing to actively seeing, listening and educating ourselves on the injustices faced by our black residents, officers and communities across the UK. Let’s be role models in empathy, kindness and standing up for what is right. Let’s use our position and privilege to make this borough a fairer, safer and more equal borough for everyone.

9.3      The Mayor went on to highlight the impact of the pandemic on children and young people, whose school, college and university studies had been disrupted, and leisure activities curtailed. The three charities she had chosen for her Mayoral year helped young people deal with these challenges:

Home-start Waverley was a charity which supported young mothers and helped  them cope with having a baby and dealing with bringing up a baby.

40 Degreez Centre which was a local charity providing a venue for all young people in the Farnham area, from 10 to 25 years, to meet in a safe and informal environment supporting a variety of leisure, social and advisory activities, including a youth café/drop-in; clubs, groups and youth support organisations; and targeted work with young people at risk of social or educational exclusion.

Sea Cadets and in particular the cadets at TS Swiftsure  ...  view the full minutes text for item CNL9/20

Council to note the Leader’s appointments to the Executive for the Council year 2020/21.

The Mayor will not be calling for a vote but will, instead, assume that this item is noted by Council.

10.1     The Leader of the Council, Cllr John Ward confirmed his Executive appointments for 2020/21, with portfolios as shown in the agenda paper:

Cllr Paul Follows, Deputy Leader

Cllr David Beaman

Cllr Peter Clark

Cllr Andy MacLeod

Cllr Mark Merryweather

Cllr Nick Palmer

Cllr Anne- Marie Rosoman

Cllr Liz Townsend

Cllr Steve Williams

10.2     RESOLVED to note the Executive appointments for 2020/21.

The Local Government and Housing Act 1989 requires local authorities, where Members are divided into political groups, to review periodically (and as soon as practicable after any change in the political composition of the council) the representation of the political groups on their principal committees to ensure that the seats are allocated in the same proportion as that in which the council as a whole is divided.

This report confirms the political composition of the Council following the by-election in the Milford ward, held on 12 February 2020, the allocation of seats on the principal committees (Annexe 1), and the appointment of members to committees for 2020/21 in accordance with the wishes of the political groups (Annexe 2).

Recommendation

It is recommended that Council notes:

i.              the proportional allocation of seats on the Principal Committees and SCC Local Committee in accordance with the political proportionality of the Council as detailed in Annexe 1; and,

ii.            the Group Leaders’ nominations to the Principal Committees, as detailed in Annexe 2.

The Mayor will not be calling for a vote but will, instead, assume that this item is noted by Council.

11.1     The Mayor introduced the report setting out the political proportionality of the Council, the allocation of committee seats to political groups in accordance with political proportionality, and the appointment of Members to committee seats.

11.2     RESOLVED to:

(i)            Note the proportional allocation of seats on the council’s committees to political groups in accordance with political proportionality; and

(ii)           Agree the appointment of Members to committee seats in accordance with Group Leaders’ nominations.

To receive the Minutes of the Executive meetings held on 3 March 2020 and 12 May 2020, and to consider the recommendations set out within.

12.1     The Leader of the Council presented the Minutes of the Meetings of the Executive held on 3 March and 12 May 2020.

There are no matters in Part I for Council decision.

Members of the Council wishing to make a statement on any Part II Matters of Report must give notice to the Democratic Services Team by midday on Tuesday 9 June 2020.

13.1     It was moved by the Leader of the Council, Cllr John Ward, duly seconded by the Deputy Leader, Cllr Paul Follows, and

RESOLVED that the Minutes of the Executive meeting held on 3 March 2020 be noted.

13.2     There were no Part I matters, and one Member registered to speak on Part II matters:

13.3     Cllr Jerry Hyman asked for an update on the work to develop the Climate Emergency Strategy and Action Plan (EXE 71/19), and whether it would be delayed as a result of the Covid-19 emergency.

13.4     Cllr Steve Williams, Portfolio Holder for Environment and Sustainability, responded that the planned work inevitably had been impacted by the Covid-19 emergency. The draft Strategy and Action Plan were on the Council’s website and comments from the public or stakeholder groups were welcomed. Some of the actions in the Action Plan would need to be pushed back as a result of Covid-19, but others would be brought forward, taking advantage of opportunities presented by the current situation, such as funding for cycling and walking infrastructure and pedestrianisation of town centres. The Member Group and Overview & Scrutiny would have opportunities to review the Action Plan. It was clear that the country had been ill-prepared to deal with the emergency of Covid-19, and needed to be more resilient to face future pandemics. But, this should not be at the expense of addressing the more serious climate emergency and missing the opportunity to build back better.

13.5     Cllr Hyman then referred to the proposals for Leisure Centre improvements (EXE 72/19) and asked whether his suggestions about improvements to the skate park were being progressed, and also if the planned improvements were going to be delayed.

13.6     Cllr David Beaman responded that no progress had been made between the Executive meeting and the closure of the leisure centres, and the project was now suspended and would be reviewed in due course.

There are two matters in Part I for Council decision, and these are set out at Agenda items 11.3 and 11.4, below.

Members of the Council wishing to make a statement on any Part II Matters of Report must give notice to the Democratic Services Team by midday on Tuesday 9 June 2020.

14.1     It was moved by the Leader of the Council, Cllr John Ward, duly seconded by the Deputy Leader, Cllr Paul Follows, and

RESOLVED that the Minutes of the Executive meeting held on 12 May 2020 be noted.

This report proposes temporary changes to the Council’s governance arrangements in response to the business imperative to prioritise urgent action to support the Waverley community during the Coronavirus emergency.

It summarises keys changes in legislation (via the Coronavirus Act 2020) and Regulations (via the Local Authorities (Coronavirus) (Flexibility of Local Authority Meetings (England)) Regulations 2020) (“the Regulations”) and makes recommendations on temporary arrangements for Council and committee meetings during the 6-month period from April to October 2020.

The Executive has asked the Standards Committee to review the proposals set out in this report for new temporary planning committees to streamline the planning committee arrangements, and recommendations to temporarily amend the Council’s Constitution in this regard are brought to Council via the Standards Committee elsewhere on this meeting agenda.

Recommendations

The Executive recommends to Full Council:

i.     That in principle, remote meetings, at least for the time being, be used sparingly, and that only matters considered to be critical to the Council’s business be dealt with by way of remote meetings.  Non-critical, ‘business as usual’ items and items that can be delegated to officers (either through existing or new delegations), delayed or cancelled are not dealt with by remote meetings. All time-limited emergency provisions to be reviewed at the July Council meeting and at any further Full Council meetings beyond that as required.

ii.    That the revised schedule of committee meetings outlined for Phases 1, 2 and 3 in paragraph 4.8 below, is agreed; a detailed calendar of meetings will be provided to Members as soon as possible.

NB.  The Executive’s recommendations (below) in relation to the timing of Annual Council, the appointment of the Mayor and Deputy Mayor, and committee appointments have been superseded by the scheduling of Annual Council on 9 June 2020.

o   That the Annual Meeting of Council for 2020 be postponed until such date to be agreed by the Leader of the Council, the Mayor, and the Chief Executive.

o   That the Mayor and Deputy Mayor remain in their current roles until an Annual Meeting of the Council is held.

o   That the committee memberships for 2019/20 continue for 2020/21, subject to any adjustments required to satisfy political proportionality following the January 2020 by-election; and that existing committee chairmen and vice-chairmen continue for 2020/21 unless there is a need to appoint a new chairman and/or vice-chairman due to any other reason.

15.1       The Leader introduced the report that proposed temporary changes to the Council’s governance arrangements in response to the business imperative to prioritise urgent action to support the Waverley community during the Coronavirus emergency. It summarised key changes in legislation (via the Coronavirus Act 2020) and Regulations (via the Local Authorities (Coronavirus) (Flexibility of Local Authority Meetings (England)) Regulations 2020) (“the Regulations”) and made recommendations on temporary arrangements for Council and committee meetings during the 6-month period from April to October 2020.

15.2       The Executive had asked the Standards Committee to review the proposals set out in the report for new temporary planning committees to streamline the planning committee arrangements, and recommendations to temporarily amend the Council’s Constitution in this regard were brought to Council via the Standards Committee.

15.3       The Executive’s recommendations in relation to the timing of the Annual Council meeting, appointment of the Mayor and Deputy Mayor, and committee appointments for 2020/21 had been superseded by the scheduling of this meeting, leaving just two remaining recommendations for Council approval.

15.4       Cllr Paul Follows seconded the recommendations, and reiterated a point made by the Leader, that a full schedule of Council committee meetings had resumed and thanked officers from the IT and Democratic Services Teams for enabling remote meetings to take place so quickly. It would be very disappointing if the government did not extend the regulations to allow remote attendance at meetings, as it gave a significant boost to democratic access for people who worked full time or had other commitments that might prevent them from attending meetings in person. There was also a substantial environmental benefit from reduced amount of travel. Noone wanted to rush back to the Council Chamber before it was safe to do so, and the current arrangements were proving to work very well.

15.5       Cllr Jerry Hyman asked for clarification on what Council was being asked to approve as he was confused by the detail of the report, which appeared to have been overtaken by events.

15.6       The Mayor moved the two remaining recommendations, proposed by Cllr Ward and seconded by Cllr Follows and it was

RESOLVED:

i.     That in principle, remote meetings, at least for the time being, be used sparingly, and that only matters considered to be critical to the Council’s business be dealt with by way of remote meetings.  Non-critical, ‘business as usual’ items and items that can be delegated to officers (either through existing or new delegations), delayed or cancelled are not dealt with by remote meetings. All time-limited emergency provisions to be reviewed at the July Council meeting and at any further Full Council meetings beyond that as required.

ii.    That the revised schedule of committee meetings outlined for Phases 1, 2 and 3 in paragraph 4.8 below, is agreed; a detailed calendar of meetings will be provided to Members as soon as possible.

This report proposes changes to the Council’s Safeguarding Policy of 2017 and reflects changes within Surrey County Council Children’s Services following the Ofsted re-inspection of services for children in need of help and protection in May 2018 where they found Surrey County Council’s Children Services inadequate in relation to: Children who need help and protection and Leadership, management and governance.

Recommendation

The Executive recommends to Full Council that the Safeguarding Policy for Children and Adults at Risk is adopted.

16.1     The Leader introduced the report and recommendation that the Council adopt the Safeguarding Policy for Children and Adults at Risk, and invited the Portfolio Holder, Cllr David Beaman to present.

16.2     Cllr Beaman reported that this was a revision to the Safeguarding Policy that reflected changes in Surrey County Council Children’s Services following Ofsted inspections. The concerns raised by Cllr Jenny Else and Cllr Hyman at the Executive meeting on 12 May had been resolved off-line.

16.3     Cllr John Robini expressed concerns about the impact of cutbacks in Surrey County Council services for families and young people, including HomeStart and youth clubs such as A Place to Be in Haslemere.

16.4     The Mayor moved the recommendation proposed by the Leader and seconded by Cllr Beaman, and it was

            RESOLVED that the Safeguarding Policy for Children and Adults at Risk be adopted.

To receive the Minutes of the Standards Committee meeting held on 21 May 2020, and to consider the recommendations set out within.

17.1     It was moved by the Chairman of the Standards Committee, Cllr John Robini, duly seconded by the Vice-Chairman, Cllr Michael Goodridge, and

RESOLVED that the Minutes of the Standards Committee meeting held on 21 May 2020 be noted.

17.2     There were three Part I matters for Council consideration.

This report proposes a minor revision to the Waverley Member’s Code of Conduct, to update the descriptions of the seven Nolan Principles to those now being used by the Committee on Standards in Public Life. The revised version of the Waverley Members’ Code of Conduct showing the new text as tracked changes is attached at Annexe 1.

Recommendation

The Standards Committees recommends to Full Council that the revised Waverley Members’ Code of Conduct be adopted.

18.1     Cllr Robini introduced the minor revision to the Waverley Members’ Code of Conduct, that updated the descriptions of the seven Nolan Principles to those now used by the Committee on Standards in Public Life. The changes were recommended to Council for approval.

18.2     Cllr Jerry Hyman spoke in support of the revisions and in particular the definition of Honesty, which was now a simple requirement that holders of public office should be truthful. The Standards Committee was now looking forward to reviewing the new Model Code of Conduct being prepared by the Local Government Association.

18.3     The Mayor put the recommendation that had been proposed by Cllr Robini, and duly seconded, and it was

            RESOLVED that the revised Waverley Members’ Code of Conduct be adopted.

The current Covid-19 pandemic and related Government restrictions have impacted on local authorities’ decision making processes and the ability for meetings of the Full Council, its committees and Executive to be held. This is in large part due to the inability in previous legislation for members to vote at meetings remotely.

The Local Authorities and Police and Crime Panels (Coronavirus) (Flexibility of Local Authority Police and Crime Panel Meetings) (England and Wales) Regulations 2020 (‘the Regulations’) which came into effect in early April now provide the ability for remote meetings to be held.  This report responds to the provisions in the Regulations and seeks to provide clarity around the necessary arrangements for remote meetings and attendance.

Recommendation

The Standards Committee recommends to Full Council that the ‘Remote Meetings Protocol and Procedure Rules’ as set out in Annexe 1 is recommended to Full Council for adoption.

19.1     Cllr John Robini introduced the report that proposed a set of Virtual Meeting Procedure Rules that would apply in meetings being held with Members attending remotely, via Zoom. The principle of remote attendance, and the requirements that had to be satisfied for Members to be in remote attendance, were set out in Regulations approved by Parliament. These Procedure Rules set out how they would be applied at Waverley where they conflicted with the council’s normal procedure rules. The Virtual Meeting Procedure Rules would automatically fall away on 7 May 2021, when the Regulations that allowed remote attendance at meetings expired.

19.2     If approve, the Virtual Meeting Procedure Rules would be inserted into Section 4 of the Constitution. There was additional practical guidance for Members and Officers on using Zoom for meetings which would be updated from time to time as required.

19.3     Cllr Paul Follows endorsed the new procedure rules, which were a helpful guide and were in effect the procedures that Members had been following in this Council meeting.

19.4     Cllr Jerry Hyman noted that VMPR1 had now been overtaken by this meeting, and so was no longer needed. He was also concerned about the wording of VMPR 8 with regard to excluding press and public from a meeting, to avoid disclosure of exempt information, and how this could be assured. Members discussed how best to describe the intention to exclude press and public, as far as was technically possible, and agreed an amendment to the second sentence of VMPR 8.1: “Where the technology is available, the Democratic Services Officer or meeting facilitator will use best endeavours to ensure that there no members of the public in remote attendance …”.

19.5     The Mayor moved the recommendation, to approve the Virtual Meeting Procedure Rules, including the above amendment to VMPR 8.1 and it was

            RESOLVED that the Remote Meetings Protocol and Procedure Rules be adopted.

This report sets out proposals for the establishment, on a temporary basis, of two new planning committees (WESTERN and EASTERN) to replace the Council’s five existing planning committees (Joint Planning Committee, and Southern, Western, Eastern and Central Area Planning Committees, in order to streamline planning committee decision-making arrangements whilst resources are stretched due to the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Recommendation

The Standards Committee recommends to Full Council that:

     i.        the arrangements set out in Section 4 of the report are adopted as a temporary measure to facilitate decision-making by Planning Committees whilst the work of the Council is impacted by the effects of the Coronavirus pandemic;

    ii.        the Terms of Reference of the new temporary WESTERN and EASTERN planning committees as set out in Annexe 1 are incorporated into the Constitution and clearly identified as being temporary measures for a period to be agreed by Full Council;

  iii.        the need for the new temporary WESTERN and EASTERN planning committees is kept under review by the Planning Committee Chairmen in consultation with the Head of Planning & Economic Development, and should be reviewed by Full Council in December 2020.

  iv.        where an application could be decided under delegated authority were it not for there being a connection with a Member of Officer, then these applications may be delegated to the Head of Planning & Economic Development in consultation with the relevant Planning Committee Chairman and Vice-Chairman, and relevant Ward Member(s), such special delegation expiring with the temporary planning committee arrangements.

20.1     Cllr John Robini introduced the report that set out proposals for the establishment, on a temporary basis, of two new planning committees (WESTERN and EASTERN) to replace the Council’s five existing planning committees (Joint Planning Committee, and Southern, Western, Eastern and Central Area Planning Committees), in order to streamline planning committee decision-making arrangements whilst resources are stretched due to the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic. The arrangements had been considered vary carefully by the Standards Committee. The Committee was clear that these were temporary measures and Council would decide when these arrangements should cease to operate.

20.2     The Standards Committee recommended that Council reviewed the arrangements at its meeting in December 2020, and the Standards Committee would be carrying out an interim review at its meeting in September 2020.

20.3     There was only one change to the Scheme of Delegation recommended as part of the these arrangements, as detailed in the agenda report, which would automatically expire with the temporary planning committee arrangements.

20.4     Cllr Follows endorsed the recommendations, which had been discussed at length by the Standards Committee and for which there was general agreement in principle by Members. Cllr Hyman was unhappy with recommendation (iv) on the change to the Scheme of Delegation, which he felt removed an important part of the check and balances, but other councillors felt that this was a reasonable measure to help manage work loads, provided there was committee oversight of decisions made.

20.5     A number of Members spoke to support the arrangements as a temporary compromise in the current circumstances, but were keen that the five committee arrangement was resumed as soon as possible.

20.6     The Mayor put the recommendations from the Standards Committee, and it was  

            RESOLVED that  

                      i.        the arrangements set out in Section 4 of the report are adopted as a temporary measure to facilitate decision-making by Planning Committees whilst the work of the Council is impacted by the effects of the Coronavirus pandemic;

                    ii.        the Terms of Reference of the new temporary WESTERN and EASTERN planning committees as set out in Annexe 1 are incorporated into the Constitution and clearly identified as being temporary measures for a period to be agreed by Full Council;

                   iii.        the need for the new temporary WESTERN and EASTERN planning committees is kept under review by the Planning Committee Chairmen in consultation with the Head of Planning & Economic Development, and should be reviewed by Full Council in December 2020.

                   iv.        where an application could be decided under delegated authority were it not for there being a connection with a Member or Officer, then these applications may be delegated to the Head of Planning & Economic Development in consultation with the relevant Planning Committee Chairman and Vice-Chairman, and relevant Ward Member(s) such special delegation expiring with the temporary planning committee arrangements.

(Cllr Jerry Hyman asked that his vote against this recommendation be recorded.)

To receive the Minutes of the Audit Committee meeting held on 2 March 2020.

There are no matters in Part I for Council decision.

Members of the Council wishing to make a statement on any Part II Matters of Report must give notice to the Democratic Services Team by midday on Tuesday 9 June 2020.

21.1     It was moved by the Chairman of the Committee, duly seconded and

RESOLVED that the Minutes of the Meeting of the Audit Committee held on 2 March 2020 be notes.

21.2     Cllr Peter Marriott reported that the accounts for 2018/19 were submitted by 31 July 2019 with no significant issues to report. The 2019/20 accounts were being reviewed by external auditors Grant Thornton and would ordinarily have been signed off by 31 July, but due to the current circumstances the deadline had been pushed back to 30 November. The impact of Covid-19 on the 2019/20 account was relatively small, with the closure of leisure centres and suspension of car park charges happening only a week or two before the year end. The impact on 2020/21 were much more significant and Grant Thornton  were working with the council on updating the view of risk and what was acceptable across the range of investments and operational strategies. The Audit Committee would be addressing this issue in the coming year.

21.3     There were no Part I matters for Council approval. Cllr Hyman had registered to speak on Part II matters:

21.4     Cllr Hyman encouraged Members to read the report on the Air Quality Investigation (AUD 48/19), and expressed his view that there were significant implications for the planning permissions for the East Street development. Cllr Hyman also referred to the External Audit Plan 2019/20 (AUD 49/19) and reiterated the comments he made at the Audit Committee regarding the Sweetman ruling.