Agenda and minutes

Prior to the commencement of the meeting, prayers were led by the Reverend Chris Bessant.

To confirm the Minutes of the Council meeting held on 19 October and the Special Council meeting held on 1 November 2021 (herewith).

60.1     The Minutes of the Meeting of the Council held on 19 October and 1 November were confirmed and signed.

The Mayor to report apologies for absence.

61.1     Apologies for absence were received from Cllrs Steve Cosser, Jan Floyd- Douglass, Brian Edmonds, John Gray, Daniel Hunt, Peter Isherwood, Jacquie Keen, Robert Knowles, Kika Mirylees, Andy MacLeod, Michaela Martin, Peter Martin, Anne-Marie Rosoman, Trevor Sadler and Michaela Wicks.

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.

62.1     The following declarations of interest were made prior to the meeting:

·         Councillor Peter Martin declared a registrable interest in item 9.2 as a member of Godalming Town Council.

·         Councillor Richard Seaborne declared a registrable interest in item 9.2 as Chairman of Bramley Parish Council.

·         Councillor Julia Potts declared a registrable interest in item 9.4 as a member of one of the organisations which had made representations on the Local Plan and would not be present for consideration of that item.

62.2     The following declarations of interest were made in the meeting:

·         Councillor Paul Follows declared a registrable interest in item 9.2 as the Leader of Godalming Town Council

·         The Mayor, Councillor John Robini declared a registrable interest in item 9.4 as a member of Haslemere Town Council and the Haslemere Society which had responded to the Local Plan.

·         Councillor Steve Williams declared a registrable interest in item 9.2 as Deputy Leader of Godalming Town Council.

·         Councillor Chris Howard declared a registrable interest in item 9.4 as Vice-Chairman of Wonnersh Parish Council.

·         Councillor Simon Dear declared a registrable interest in item 9.4 as a member of and the Mayor of Haslemere Town Council.

·         Councillor Joan Heagin declared a registrable interest in item 9.2 as a member of Godalming Town Council.

·         Councillor Peter Nicholson declared a registrable interest in item 9.4 as a member of Haslemere Town Council.

·         Councillor Jerome Davidson declared a registrable interest in item 9.4 as a member of Haslemere Town Council.

·         Councillor Maxine Gale declared a registrable interest in item 9.4 as a member of Witley Parish Council.

63.1     The Mayor advised that he had cancelled his Christmas Carol service in order to protect residents and staff in light of the Covid situation.  The event would have raised money for the Mayor’s charities, however the raffle would continue and he encouraged anyone who wanted to buy a raffle ticket or donate to the Mayor’s charities to contact the Council.

63.2     The Mayor had attended some events since the last Council meeting, including the at the Haslemere Society; the Rowleys Community Centre; the Skillway centre and the Haslemere craft fair.  Remembrance services had also been held, culminating in Remembrance Day parades held across the borough.

63.3     The Mayor urged everyone to stay safe and his thoughts and prayers were with those who were being affected by the rising Covid numbers and new variant.

64.1     The Leader opened his announcements and made the following points:

·         He thanked all those who had attended the meeting and noted that a number of Councillors had submitted apologies for the meeting due to health concerns.  He highlighted that Covid was once again preventing Councillors from carrying out their duties and that the Council was legally prevented from operating remotely as it had done previously.  He had joined the Leader of Guildford Borough Council in writing to the Government to express concerns over the current situation and remind them of the cost of putting on meetings in venues which allowed sufficient social distancing.  He had attended a meeting with the Department for Levelling up, Communities and Housing and had been given no indication that the Government intended to legislate to allow local authorities to hold council meetings remotely.

The Leader then invited Executive Portfolio Holders to give brief updates on current issues:

64.2     Councillor Clark, Deputy Leader and Portfolio Holder for Business Transformation and IT:

·         The Radware solution continued to protect the Council’s planning documents portal from malware attacks and operate well.

64.3     Councillor Penny Marriott, Portfolio Holder for Equalities, Diversity, Inclusion and Community Safety:

·         Referring to the recent case of Yorkshire cricket club, it was important to be mindful of the impact of language used.  The Council was working on strengthening its equalities objectives.

·         Her portfolio now included Community safety, which was an important issue and she looked forward to further work and update in this area.

64.4     Councillor Merryweather, Portfolio Holder for Finance, Assets and Commercial Services:

·         On 10 December 2021 a letter had been submitted to the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities regarding future funding of local government and thanked Conservate colleagues for their constructive input, although expressed regret that they did not feel able to sign the letter.

65.5     Councillor Palmer, Portfolio Holder for Operational and Enforcement Services:

·         Parking revenue had been fluctuating, partly due to season influences and partly due to the changing situation with the pandemic and reminded the Council to exercise caution and not assume things were returning to normal.

65.6     Councillor Liz Townsend, Portfolio Holder for Economic Development, Leisure and Dunsfold Park:

·         Thanked the staff for their hard work during another difficult year and welcomed the achievements, which included the development of the Dunsfold Park Supplementary Planning Document which was currently undergoing a public consultation.  The Executive was committed to biodiversity in the borough and the Tree and Woodland Management Policy had been considered by the Services Overview and Scrutiny Committee.  Once adopted, work would begin on an overarching Greenspaces Strategy.

65.7     Councillor Williams, Portfolio Holder for Environment and Sustainability:

·         Waste collection services were currently up to date, despite the challenges faced by the contractor and thanked the collection staff for their efforts on behalf of the community.  He thanked residents for their patience and any missed bin collections would be collected as soon as possible.

To respond to questions from members of the public, received in accordance with Procedure Rule 10.

The deadline for receipt of questions is 5pm on Tuesday 7 December 2021.

Question from Mr Daniel Kuszel:

“The Council's discussion of a new leisure centre at Cranleigh is welcome, although £20 million is almost 4 times the price of the leisure centre built in Godalming only 9 years ago. Why is the proposed price so expensive? Additionally, it has been known by the authority since 2018 that Godalming Leisure Centre has vastly outperformed it's estimated revenue, with the facility significantly oversubscribed. Additional facilities are needed for the centre. If Cranleigh is to benefit from a new leisure centre at a cost of £20 million, Haslemere enjoying the benefit of 2 leisure centres, why is no money available to expand Godalming Leisure Centre, a town twice the size of Haslemere that has already exceeded its allocation of new housing under the Council's Local Plan 11 years ahead of schedule?”

65.1     The following question was received from Mr Daniel Kuszel in accordance with Procedure Rule 10:

“The Council's discussion of a new leisure centre at Cranleigh is welcome, although £20 million is almost 4 times the price of the leisure centre built in Godalming only 9 years ago. Why is the proposed price so expensive? Additionally, it has been known by the authority since 2018 that Godalming Leisure Centre has vastly outperformed it's estimated revenue, with the facility significantly oversubscribed. Additional facilities are needed for the centre. If Cranleigh is to benefit from a new leisure centre at a cost of £20 million, Haslemere enjoying the benefit of 2 leisure centres, why is no money available to expand Godalming Leisure Centre, a town twice the size of Haslemere that has already exceeded its allocation of new housing under the Council's Local Plan 11 years ahead of schedule?” 

65.2     Councillor Liz Townsend, Portfolio Holder for Economic Development, Leisure and Dunsfold Park gave the following response:

“Thank you for your question.  We as an administration are very pleased to be in a position to present a viable business proposal for a new Cranleigh Leisure Centre. The leisure centre is 52 years old and has far exceeded its life expectancy and we are therefore, at a point where Council has to make a critical decision regarding the future of leisure provision in the Cranleigh area. The proposal for a new facility is based on a combination of cost proposals from the consultants, Sport England guidance and local leisure operator experience. In addition to Cranleigh being a larger site, with more facilities than Godalming, there has been a significant amount of change since Godalming Leisure Centre was built in 2012 so a direct comparison, as you suggest, does not give an accurate picture. The challenges of an increase in construction costs (labour and materials), a global pandemic and a corporate commitment and responsibility to reduce carbon emissions has resulted in an increase to the updated costings. 

? 

The Council must consider the entire leisure stock and prioritise where finance is spent to ensure that the facilities meet the demands of the local community. Cranleigh Leisure centre is over 50 years old and Farnham Leisure Centre is over 40 years old and as you highlighted Godalming is only 9 years old. However, a redevelopment of the Godalming Leisure Centre, to accommodate the public demand, is still very much in mind and we are awaiting a decision from the Department for Education regarding the release of school land to enable the project to move forward. The pandemic has had a substantial impact on the leisure industry, and it is imperative that we review all business decisions to ensure that the projects still remain viable. Once we have received approval from the DfE to proceed we will conduct such a review accordingly.”

65.3     The following question was received from Mr Mike Baudry in accordance with Procedure Rule 10:

“The Council is aware of Haslemere Town  ...  view the full minutes text for item CNL65/21

To respond to any questions received from Members of the Council in accordance with Procedure Rule 11.2.

The deadline for receipt of questions is 5pm on Tuesday 7 December 2021.

66.1     The following question was received from Councillor Seaborne in accordance with Procedure Rule 11:

“On September 18^th, 2019, this Council declared a Climate Emergency, requiring urgent action. At the same meeting the Council resolved to instruct officers to provide to the Council’s Executive, within six months of the date of the decision, a report on the actions the Council and the local community could take to address these issues together with an action plan, specifying year on year milestones and metrics to show progress towards achieving the goal of carbon neutrality by 2030 noting any additional costs that might be involved. 

On December 15^th, 2020, some 15 months later, a Carbon Neutrality Action Plan was brought to Council for noting, having been approved by Executive two weeks earlier. Some delay was understandable because of Covid but nine months seems a lot given the declared need for urgent action. 

? 

That plan stated: This action plan is intended to be a live document and will be updated frequently as required. An update of the action plan will be presented to Executive and Environment O&S Committee annually with the next update scheduled for October 2021 in order to align with budget setting processes for the following year. 

? 

Will the Portfolio Holder for Environment and Sustainability please advise members when they can expect to see the update to the Carbon Neutrality Action Plan? Neither Executive nor Environment O&S or its successor committee has seen anything in formal meetings and so it will not be until sometime in 2022 that the clearly stated objective in the plan can be delivered, well after the time for 2022-23 budget setting.” 

66.2     Prior to reading out his written response below, the Portfolio Holder, Councillor Williams, asked that it be noted that following the declaration of a climate emergency, an action plan had been considered by the Executive on 3 March 2020, six months later not 15 months later as stated in the question.

“I am pleased to confirm that the annual update on the Carbon Neutrality Action Plan will be presented to the Overview and Scrutiny Committee for Services on 24^th January 2022 and then to the Executive on 8^th February and Council on 22^nd? February 2022.”

66.3     The following question was received from Councillor Cosser in accordance with Procedure Rule 11:

“As we near the end of 2021 it is now 27 months since this Council declared a climate emergency but we have as yet?seen no hard numerical data with which to gauge progress in that period. The Carbon Neutrality Action Plan published at the end of 2020 was based on a 2015 baseline figure for the Council's operational CO2 emissions. When the overdue update to the Carbon Neutrality Action Plan is released can we be assured that this will contain fully detailed current data that will enable the Council to make effective judgements on how much progress has actually been  ...  view the full minutes text for item CNL66/21

To receive any motions submitted in accordance with Procedure Rule 12.1.

The deadline for receipt of motions was 5pm on Thursday 2 December 2021.

No motions have been received.

No motions have been received.

To receive the Minutes of the Executive meetings held on 2 and 30 November and the Special Meetings held on 9 November and 14 December 2021, and to consider the recommendations set out within.

There are four Part I matters for Council consideration, set out in the following agenda items.

9.1 EXE 57/21 LGBCE Boundary Review Warding Pattern Submission

9.2 EXE 58/21 Community Governance Review Of Towns and Parishes in the Waverley Borough Council area

9.3 EXE 59/21 Cranleigh Leisure Centre Investment

9.4 EXE 65/21 Waverley Borough Local Plan Part 2 - Site Allocations and Development Management Policies

There shall be no debate on any item contained in Part II of the Minutes but Members may give notice in writing, by email, or by phone, by noon on the day of the meeting of a statement or question, and give details of any question (PR14.14).

68.1     It was moved by the Leader, duly seconded and

RESOLVED that the Minutes of the Executive meetings held on 2 and 30 November and the Minutes of the Special Executive meetings held on 9 November and 14 December 2021 be received and noted.

68.2     There were three Part I matters, for Council consideration, from the meeting on 30 November and one Part I matter, for Council consideration, from the meeting on 14 December 2021.

This report sets out the Council’s proposed consultation response to the draft recommendations of the Local Government Boundary Commission for England (the Commission) on future warding patterns for the borough based on their recommendation that the size of the council be reduced to 50 members with effect from the next Borough elections in May 2021.

The council’s proposed consultation response reflects the conclusions of the Boundary Review Member Working Group after taking account of the representations of Waverley councillors regarding the Commission’s recommendations.

Recommendation

That the Executive recommends to Full Council that

i.    the Council’s formal response to the Local Government Boundary Commission’s ‘Draft recommendations on the new electoral arrangements for Waverley Borough Council’ is approved and submitted to the Commission; and

ii.   the Joint Chief Executive in consultation with the Leader, is delegated to finalise the Council’s submission, incorporating points raised in debate at this Council meeting.

69.1     The Leader introduced the report which set out the Council’s response to the Local Government Boundary Commission’s consultation on warding patterns in Waverley.  He thanked the officers involved and the Deputy Mayor and members of the cross party working group for their work.  He moved the recommendations which were duly seconded.

69.2     Councillor Goodridge endorsed the comments made by Councillors Seaborne and Howard as set out in the report and expressed concern over the recommendation for the Bramley and Wonnersh ward which covered a large geographical area.  He also expressed concern that there were now three single member wards proposed which seemed undemocratic and did not give a choice to the electorate.

69.3     Councillor Nicholson echoed the comments made by the Leader and thanked the Chairman of the Working Group and highlighted a typographical error in the recommendation on page 52 of the agenda, in relation to the wards of Haslemere East and Haslemere West.

69.4     Cllr Baker welcomed the recommendations which reflected the wish of Hambledon residents to continue to be included with Witley in respect of representation in Waverley. 

69.5     Councillor Merryweather spoke in support of the recommendations although noted that some of the recommendations in the report had not had the same level of scrutiny from the working group as previous recommendations and asked that this be noted for the future.

69.6     The Leader thanked all Councillors for their engagement with the consultation process and commended the recommendations to the Council and it was

RESOLVED that

i.    the Council’s formal response to the Local Government Boundary Commission’s ‘Draft recommendations on the new electoral arrangements for Waverley Borough Council’ is approved and submitted to the Commission; and

ii.   the Joint Chief Executive in consultation with the Leader, is delegated to finalise the Council’s submission, incorporating points raised in debate at this Council meeting.

A community governance review looks at the governance arrangements of the towns and parishes in the area under review, and seeks to ensure that these are reflective of the identities and interests of the community in that area.

The Guidance on Community Governance Reviews (2010) recommends that a principal council should undertake a review of its area every 10-15 years. It is some time since Waverley last carried out a Review of the area as a whole, and requests have been received recently from Farnham and Godalming Town Councils to reduce the size of their respective councils. The publication of the Terms of Reference for the Community Governance Review would provide the opportunity for these and any other such requests to be submitted and considered ahead of the May 2023 Town and Parish elections.

Recommendation

That the Executive recommends to Full Council that the proposed Terms of Reference for a Community Governance Review of all Towns and Parishes in the Waverley Borough Council area be adopted.

70.1     The Leader introduced the report which set out the proposed Terms of Reference for a Community Governance Review of all Towns and Parishes in the Borough.  This was in a response to a request from Farnham and Godalming Town Councils to reduce the size of their respective councils following recommendations made in the Local Government Boundary Commission in respect of Parish ward boundaries in those areas.  The publication of the Terms of Reference for the Community Governance Review would provide the opportunity for these and any other such requests to be submitted and considered ahead of the May 2023 Town and Parish elections.  The Leader moved the recommendations which were duly seconded and it was

RESOLVED that the proposed Terms of Reference for a Community Governance Review of all Towns and Parishes in the Waverley Borough Council area be adopted.

This report provides an update on the Cranleigh Leisure Centre investment project. Focusing on the outcomes of the Options Appraisal conducted in 2019 and the Feasibility Update Report completed in September 2021 (Exempt Annexe 1) allowing for the impact of the pandemic on any potential business case.

Recommendation

It is recommended that the Executive considers the findings of this report and recommends to Council:

1.             that a capital budget of £19.95m be allocated to deliver a low carbon new-build Cranleigh Leisure Centre, to a minimum of Passivhaus standard;

2.             that officers appoint a project manager and specialist energy consultant as part of the professional technical services team, to be supported by an in-house client team and to approve an associated budget of £250,000;

3.             to approve a new-build leisure centre on Village Way car park, subject to planning, (Option 1, to the north of the existing centre) as the preferred location, as set out within Annexe 1 of the report; and

4.             to ask officers to report back to members when final costs, design, preferred contractor, and precise funding arrangements are known.

71.1     The Leader formally moved the recommendations which were duly seconded by Councillor Townsend who introduced the report which set out proposals for a capital investment to build a new low carbon leisure centre in Cranleigh to replace the 52 year old leisure centre which was no longer financially viable due to the operating and maintenance costs.  Cranleigh had seen an increase in the demand for leisure facilities following the growth in population.  Councillor Townsend thanked the commitment of the Executive in bringing the recommendations forward, which were in line with corporate commitments to improve the health and wellbeing of residents and take action on climate change.  She thanked the Services Overview and Scrutiny Committee for its support for the recommendations.

71.2     Councillor Foryszewski spoke in support of the recommendations and thanked the officers for their work on the proposals.  She suggested that a multi-agency working group be set up to develop the technical proposals.

71.3     Councillor Seaborne spoke in support of the recommendations however sought assurances that officers would stay in regular contact with Exeter and Spelthorne to track lessons learnt from their two flagship Passivehaus developments.  He sought clarification from the Portfolio Holder for Environment and Sustainability that the Co2 reductions quoted were operational or whether the emissions involved in the construction of the new centre been factored in; that the data set did not include emissions from Waverley’s housing stock; and where the 2019/20 emissions data could be found.

71.4     Councillor Wilson welcomed the recommendations which would also benefit all the Borough’s leisure centres.  Councillor Williams welcomed the recommendations, thanking the officers for their work on the proposals.  He advised that the Council would continue to learn lessons from Exeter and Spelthorne.  The new centre would provide a significant reduction in the Council’s carbon footprint and contribute to net zero carbon.  The existing leisure centre represented around 11% of the Council’s total carbon footprint. A further 2% was emitted from the housing stock.

71.5     Councillor Reed spoke in support of the recommendations and the business which would be generated in Cranleigh from the proposals and echoed the point made by Councillor Foryszewski that the current leisure centre manager should be involved in the development of the proposals.

71.6     Councillor Dickson welcomed the report and congratulated the Portfolio Holder in bringing forward the recommendations.  She spoke in support of the positive impact they would have on health and wellbeing in Cranleigh.  However she was concerned over the cost and timeframe for delivery and suggested brining in a third party to deliver the project. 

71.7     Councillor Mulliner advised that the Exeter leisure centre had been opened in July 2021 and the Spelthorne centre was yet to be built, which would provide invaluable experience on which to draw upon.  The £20m was an indicative cost and would become clearer.  He understood that it was expected that the revenue would offset the build cost in the coming years and welcomed the centre for the residents of Cranleigh.

71.8     In summing up  ...  view the full minutes text for item CNL71/21

On 22^nd September 2021 the Council agreed to consult on an Addendum to the Pre-submission version of Local Plan Part 2 (LPP2) (hereafter referred to as the Addendum). This addendum focussed on main modifications to the Pre-Submission Version of LPP2 that was consulted on in the Winter of 2020/21. The six-week period of consultation for the Addendum ended on 12^th November 2021. It resulted in nearly 600 separate comments on the Addendum from 221 individual respondents.

In response to the representations on the Addendum, this report seeks comments and observations from the Overview and Scrutiny Committee on the recommendation to Executive and Council.  These recommendations are that the Council should submit the main modifications set out in the Addendum, together with the Pre-submission version of LPP2 November 2020 for its examination.  It is also recommended, that in addition to those minor changes to the pre-submission version to LPP2 agreed at its meeting of 22^nd September 2021, the Council make further minor modifications to LPP2 on adoption. It is also recommended that it is agreed that the Council requests that the Local Plan Inspector considers two further main modifications to LPP2 at the examination if it is agreed that LPP2 should be submitted for examination.

Recommendation

That the Executive considers the comments and observations of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee and recommends to Council that:

1)    The Council agrees to submit to the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities the Pre-submission version of LPP2 November 2020 (Annexe 1 to this report) for examination as modified by the main modifications set out in the Addendum to the Pre-submission version of LPP2 October 2021 set out in Annexe 2.

2)    The Council agrees that the schedule of minor modifications to the Pre-submission version of LPP2, set out in Annexe 5 to this report, be submitted to examination of LPP2 in addition to the minor modifications agreed on 22^nd September 2021.

3)    The Council requests that the Local Plan Inspector appointed to examine LPP2 considers making two further main modifications to LPP2 at the examination as set out in Annexe 6 to this report.

4)    The Head of Planning and Economic Development be authorised to formally request that the Local Plan Examination Inspector recommends further main modifications to the Pre-Submission version of LPP2 November 2020 and the Addendum to the Pre-submission version of LPP2 October 2021, if the Inspector considers that they are necessary to make the plan sound and/or legally compliant.

5)    The Head of Planning and Economic Development be authorised to make any other minor modifications to the Pre-Submission version of LPP2 November 2020 and the Addendum to the Pre-submission version of LPP2 October 2021 with regard to factual updates and corrections before the Plan is submitted for its examination.

72.1     The Leader presented the report on behalf of the Portfolio Holder for Planning, which set out modifications to the pre-submission draft considered at the Special Council meeting on 22 September and proposed submission to the Secretary of State for examination.  He thanked the officers involved in delivering the draft for consideration.  He reminded Councillors on the limitations placed on the Council in respect of what could be added to the Local Plan, which could not establish new policy in addition to that already established in Local Plan Part 1 (LPP1).  The Leader read out a short list of corrections to the report which had been raised at the Services Overview and Scrutiny Committee the previous night.  Notwithstanding the restrictions of Local Plan Part 1, he felt that the Local Plan Part 2 (LPP2) reflected the wishes of Waverley residents as far as possible and would ensure that the borough was protected for the future, therefore it was important to submit the Plan to the Inspector without delay.  Councillor Clark duly seconded the recommendations.

72.2     Councillor Dear spoke on the recommendations in respect of the exclusion of the Red Court site and the choice of the Royal School site for inclusion. He referred to a discussion at a Haslemere Town Council meeting regarding restricting development on the Royal School site to the existing footprint due to it being in an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB).  However the draft Plan included proposed development beyond the existing footprint and therefore he wished to move an amendment to either remove the Royal School site from LPP2 or redraw the boundary to be in line with the decision of Haslemere Town Council.  This amendment was duly seconded by Councillor Mulliner who reserved his right to speak until later in the debate.

72.3     The Mayor called for any speakers on the amendment.  The Leader spoke in objection on the grounds that there had been a number of opportunities to raise this issue prior to the meeting and to propose this amendment at this stage was negligent.  The site proposed to replace the Red Court site would deliver more housing on previously developed land, as defined in the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF). 

72.4     Councillor Nicholson clarified the discussion which had taken place at the Haslemere Town Council meeting in respect of the site.  Councillor Clark spoke against the proposed amendment and urged Councillors to vote against so as not to delay the submission of the draft Plan for one site allocation which did not sit comfortably with a small number of councillors.  Councillor Liz Townsend spoke in objection to the amendment which would be contrary to the NPPF.  She felt that it was important to get the best use of the land.

72.5     Councillor Adams spoke in support of the amendment and disagreed with the comments made by Councillor Townsend as the site was within the AONB which was under review by Natural England and he felt that the site would be rejected on  ...  view the full minutes text for item CNL72/21

To receive the Minutes of the Licensing & Regulatory Committee meeting held on 8 November 2021 and to consider the recommendations set out within.

There are two Part I matters for Council consideration, set out in the following agenda items.

10.1 LIC 57/21 Review of Waverley Borough Council's Policy for the Licensing of Sex Establishments- Feedback from Consultation

10.2 LIC 58/21 Review of Waverley Borough Council's Statement of Gambling Policy - Feedback from Consultation

There shall be no debate on any item contained in Part II of the Minutes but Members may give notice in writing, by email, or by phone, by noon on the day of the meeting of a statement or question, and give details of any question (PR14.14).

73.1     It was moved by the Vice-Chairman of the Committee, duly seconded by Councillor Ellis and

RESOLVED that the Minutes of the Licensing and Regulatory Committee held on 8 November 2021 be received and noted.

73.2     There were two Part I matters, for Council consideration, from the meeting on 8 November 2021.

The purpose of this report is to consider the outcome of the consultation on the draft Policy for the Licensing of Sexual Entertainment Venues for Waverley, against which applications for licenses under Schedule 3 of the Local Government (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1982, as amended by section 27 of the Policing and Crime Act 2009 and approve the revised Policy for the licensing of Sexual Entertainment Venues to the Council at its meeting on 14 December 2021.

Recommendation

The Council is asked to APPROVE the revised Policy for the Licensing of Sexual Entertainment venues.

74.1     Councillor Goodridge introduced the report which set out minor revisions to the Council’s Policy for the Licensing of Sexual Entertainment venues, and this was duly seconded.  Councillor Wilson reminded the Council that it had a statutory duty to have this policy and review periodically.

RESOLVED that the revised Policy for the Licensing of Sexual Entertainment venues be approved.

The purpose of this report is to consider the outcome of the consultation on the draft revised Statement of Gambling for Waverley under the 2005 Gambling Act (the Act) and approve the revised Statement of Gambling Policy and Principles to the Council at its meeting on 14 December 2021.

Recommendation

The Council is asked to APPROVE the revised Statement of Licensing Policy and Principles.

75.1     Councillor Goodridge introduced the report which set out minor revisions to the Council’s Statement of Licensing Policy and Principles, and this was duly seconded. 

RESOLVED that the revised Statement of Licensing Policy and Principles be approved.

To receive the Minutes of the Audit Committee meeting held on 8 and 29 November 2021, and to consider the recommendations set out within.

There is one Part I matters for Council consideration, set out in the following agenda items.

11.1    AUD 101/21 Audit Tender

There shall be no debate on any item contained in Part II of the Minutes but Members may give notice in writing, by email, or by phone, by noon on the day of the meeting of a statement or question, and give details of any question (PR14.14).

76.1     It was moved by the Chairman of the Committee, duly seconded by the Vice-Chairman and

RESOLVED that the Minutes of the Audit Committee held on 8 and 29 November 2021 be received and noted.

76.2     There was one Part I matter, for Council consideration, from the meeting on 29 November 2021.

The Audit Committee have been delegated the responsibility to make recommendations to Full Council regarding the appointment of the External Auditor. This report sets out proposals for appointing the external auditor to the Council for the accounts for the five-year period from 2023/24.

Recommendation

That the Audit Committee recommends to Full Council the acceptance of the Public Sector Audit Appointments’ invitation to opt into the sector-led option for the appointment of external auditors to principal local government and police bodies for five financial years from 1 April 2023.

77.1     It was moved by the Chairman of the Committee, duly seconded by the Vice-Chairman and

RESOLVED that the Public Sector Audit Appointments’ invitation to opt into the sector-led option for the appointment of external auditors to principal local government and police bodies for five financial years from 1 April 2023 be accepted.

To provide the Council and the Waverley community with an accurate picture of the activities of the Overview and Scrutiny Committees in the municipal years 2019/20 and 2020/21.

Recommendation

To receive a Biennial report, set out at Annexe 1, on the Overview & Scrutiny Committee’s work for the period 2019-2021.

78.1     Councillor Deanus presented the report which set out the work of the Overview and Scrutiny Committees for the period 2019-21.  He thanked all the Councillors and officers involved for their work and highlighted the work of task and finish groups and call-in of contentious decisions. 

RESOLVED that the Biennial report, set out at Annexe 1, on the Overview & Scrutiny Committee’s work for the period 2019-2021 be received and noted.

The Council to approve the extended absence of Councillor Peter Isherwood for a further period of six months due to his ongoing ill health.

RESOLVED  that approval be given to the extended absence of Councillor Peter Isherwood for a further six months due to his continuing ill-health.

On behalf of the Council, the Mayor sent best wishes to Councillor Isherwood for a speedy recovery.