Agenda and minutes

A webcast of the meeting can be viewed at Committee meetings at Leicestershire County Council - YouTube.

Death of Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II

 

The Chairman reminded members that the Council at its Extraordinary Meeting on 13^th September resolved to adopt an Address to His Majesty The King which in part expressed deep sympathy on the death of his mother. The Chairman informed members that the King responded to the Council by sending a card, with a picture of himself as a child with his late mother, thanking the Council for its generous message. The address and card had been framed and put up in the Members’ Lounge.

 

King Charles III Coronation

 

To celebrate the King Charles III’s Coronation the Chairman would be holding a reception at Beaumanor Hall on Saturday 13^th May. Whilst the reception was the week after the Coronation he still felt it was important to mark this very special occasion.

 

Stonewall Top 100 Employers

 

The Chairman was proud to announce that, for the twelfth year in a row, the County Council was included in Stonewall’s list of 100 top LGBTQ+ friendly employers in the UK.

This year the County Council placed 48th in the Stonewall Workplace Equality Index, a list which recognised the Council’s commitment to LGBTQ+ inclusion safety and visibility in the workplace. Leicestershire was the highest ranking council in England and had also been given the prestigious Gold award for “excellence in providing an inclusive and welcoming environment.” 

Members joined the Chairman in congratulating Council officers, particularly those in HR and the Equalities Team, for this achievement.

 

It was moved by the Chairman, seconded by the Vice-Chairman and carried:

 

“That the minutes of the meeting of the Council held on 7 December 2022, copies of which have been circulated to members, be taken as read, confirmed and signed.”

 

The Chairman invited members who wished to do so to make declarations of interest in respect of items on the agenda for the meeting.

 

All members who were also members of District Councils declared a registrable interest in relation to the Medium Term Financial Strategy (MTFS) 2023/24 to 2026/27 (minute 38(a) refers).

 

Mr Pain CC declared a non-registrable interest in the MTFS in relation to passenger transport issues as his family operate a taxi business (minute 38(a) refers).

 

Mr Phillimore CC declared a non-registrable interest in the MTFS in relation to Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) issues due to his wife’s employment (minute 38(a) refers).

 

(A)    Mr Hunt asked the following question of the Leader or his nominee:

 

“1.     A recent highway application [2022/0946/07 (2022/RegMa/0069/LCC)] contains a response to the Climate Change Emergency [Paragraph 100 Climate Change/Sustainability] which states:

 

It is considered that the proposed development is aimed at easing congestion within the wider Coalville Area and providing for non-motorised users to access Coalville Town Centre via proposed walkway/cycleway. Thus, it is considered that the proposal would have broad sustainability benefits and there are no concerns in this [climate change emergency] regard.

 

Now that the authority is planning to meet Net Zero Carbon by 2030 (our own operations) or 2045 (for wider Leicestershire) to what extend do such developments contribute to our new Net Zero Carbon target?

 

2.         Was the report suggesting that road schemes which reduce congestion also reduce the carbon emissions, even if traffic is increased.

 

3.         How can the decarbonising effect of our highway schemes be consistently measured in in future applications?

 

What increase in traffic is projected by the A511 scheme as a whole in the period of our Net Zero Carbon Strategy to 2045?”

 

Mr Pain replied as follows:

 

“1.     The Bardon Link Road application forms part of a wider package of measures set out within the Coalville Transport Strategy (CTS). This Strategy was developed to help alleviate the highway impacts associated with the planned growth across North West Leicestershire, without which congestion would likely increase along with vehicle emissions, thereby having a detrimental impact on the environment.

 

In line with Department for Transport (DfT) Guidance, the Council has prepared a Carbon Management Plan, which utilises the Carbon Reduction Hierarchy – as illustrated in Figure 1 below.

 

Figure 1: Carbon Reduction Hierarchy

 

The Carbon Management Plan (CMP) will quantify the baseline carbon impact of the project, which will be agreed with the DfT, and a suitable reduction target set.

 

Throughout the planning and design stages, the project team has examined ways to reduce the amount of new infrastructure needed and where this is not possible, the team has turned its attention to building less or designing more efficiently. The A511 Project Team has committed to appointing a Carbon Co-Ordinator who will take ownership of coordinating and ensuring the successful delivery of the CMP.

 

As the proposed scheme moves into the pre-construction stages, this work will continue with the selected Contractor to examine ways in which the scheme can be built efficiently using low carbon technologies wherever possible.

 

2.         The proposed scheme is not designed to increase traffic, but simply accommodate for traffic generated by planned housing and employment growth across the Coalville area.

 

Without these improvements, traffic congestion along the A511 would likely increase having a detrimental impact on air quality.  

 

Furthermore, the proposed scheme itself incorporates enhanced facilities for pedestrians and cyclists with a view to increasing modal choice and helping to maximise the use of sustainable modes.

 

3.         The Department for Transport will soon be publishing Quantified Carbon Reduction (QCR) guidance; once it has been published and reviewed by the County Council, the QCR may be of assistance in establishing how the decarbonising effect of the proposed scheme can be measured as the construction stage of the proposed scheme is approached.

 

4.         The proposed scheme does not generate traffic but has been designed more efficiently to facilitate trips associated with planned and committed developments across the Coalville area.

 

Due to a projected increase in population and employment, traffic flow along the A511 at certain points is predicted to increase in the morning peak from 1,788 vehicles (2017) to 3,061 vehicles by 2031, and in the evening  ...  view the full minutes text for item 36.

The Leader gave a position statement on the following matters:

 

·       Support for Ukrainian Refugees;

·       Earthquake in Turkey and Syria;

·       Asylum Seekers;

·       Coronation Bank Holiday Weekend;

·       Children and Family Hubs Award;

·       Suicide Prevention Conference;

·       Buses – Innovating Schemes, Demand Responsive Transport and Fox Connect;

·       Network Rail Performance;

·       Leicestershire Climate and Nature Pact;

·       Nursery Partnership with the National Forest.

 

A copy of the position statement is filed with these minutes.

 

Mr Breckon, with the consent of the seconder of the motion, sought and obtained the approval of the Council to move an altered motion.

 

It was moved by Mr Breckon and seconded by Mr Shepherd:

 

(a)       “That subject to the items below, approval be given to the Medium Term Financial Strategy (MTFS) which incorporates the recommended revenue budget for 2023/24 totalling £512.1m as set out in Appendices A, B and E of this report and includes the growth and savings for that year as set out in Appendix C as amended by paragraph (a) (i) and (ii) below:

 

(i)         That the list of growth and savings proposals as set out in Appendix C of the report be amended as follows:

 

	2023/24 £000s	2024/25 £000s	2025/26 £000s	2026/27 £000s
Delete the following savings item:
ET9 Review expansion of community speed cameras	55	55	55	55
Add the following new growth item:
Revenue funding of capital spend to finance the purchase of community speed cameras	45	45	45	45
Reduce the Service Reduction contingency	-100	-100	-100	-100

 

(ii)        That any residual funds not required from the Service Reduction Contingency be used for Highways Maintenance;

 

(b)       That approval be given to the projected provisional revenue budgets for 2024/25, 2025/26 and 2026/27, set out in Appendix B to the report, including the growth and savings for those years as set out in Appendix C, allowing the undertaking of preliminary work, including business case development, consultation and equality and human rights impact assessments, as may be necessary to achieve the savings specified for those years including savings under development, set out in Appendix D;

 

(c)        That approval be given to the early achievement of savings that are included in the MTFS, as may be necessary, along with associated investment costs, subject to the Director of Corporate Resources agreeing to funding being available;

 

(d)       That the level of the general fund and earmarked reserves as set out in Appendix K be noted and the use of those earmarked reserves as indicated in that appendix be approved;

 

(e)       That the amounts of the County Council's Council Tax for each band of dwelling and the precept payable by each billing authority for 2023/24 be as set out in Appendix M (including 2% for the adult social care precept);

 

(f)         That the Chief Executive be authorised to issue the necessary precepts to billing authorities in accordance with the budget requirement above and the tax base notified by the District Councils, and to take any other action which may be necessary to give effect to the precepts;

 

(g)       That approval be given to the 2023/24 to 2026/27 capital programme as set out in Appendix F;

 

(h)       That the Director of Corporate Resources following consultation with the Lead Member for Resources be authorised to approve new capital schemes, including revenue costs associated with their delivery, shown as future developments in the capital programme, to be funded from funding available;

 

(i)         That the financial indicators required under the Prudential Code included in Appendix N, Annex 2 be noted and that the following limits be approved:

	2023/24 £m	2024/25 £m	2025/26 £m	2026/27 £m
Operational boundary for external debt
(i)         Borrowing	262	262	275	309
(ii)        Other long term liabilities	1	1	1	1
TOTAL	263	263	276	310
Authorised limit for external debt
(i)         Borrowing	272	272	285	319
(ii)        Other long term liabilities	1	1	1	1
TOTAL	273	273	286	320

 

 

(j)         That the Director of Corporate Resources be authorised to effect movement within the authorised limit for external debt between borrowing and other long-term liabilities;

 

(k)        That the  ...  view the full minutes text for item 38a

“(a)   That this Council notes:

 

(i)             The submission by the developer Tritax Symmetry to the Planning Inspectorate (PINS) of an application relating to the construction of the HNRFI on February 3, 2023;

(ii)            That the County Council has no powers of veto but is a statutory consultee in relation to this application and will respond in both its capacity as a Local Highways Authority and more broadly in relation to its wider responsibilities including flooding, public health, net zero, economic impact and ecology;

(iii)           That the Council has already submitted an Adequacy of Consultation response to PINs expressing the paucity of engagement and consultation with stakeholders by the developer; and

(iv)          That if the application for the HNRFI is accepted by PINS the final decision will ultimately be decided by the Secretary of State for Transport.

 

(b)       That this Council also notes:

 

(i)             That the HNRFI is a major proposal that will have significant impacts on local rural communities and local rural infrastructure, including the local highways network;

(ii)            That the scale of this proposal, and of its potential impacts, means that it is also of sub-regional significance for the wider Leicester and Leicestershire Housing Market Area;

(iii)          That it is critical that any development of this scale should only proceed if it is accompanied by the necessary funding and infrastructure to satisfactorily mitigate its impacts on local communities and existing wider infrastructure; and 

(iv)          That 440 acres of agricultural land will be lost, the impact of which should be tested against the Government’s Food Security Strategy.

 

(c)         Therefore, should PINS accept the application, the County Council will:

 

(i)             Play its full part in comprehensively assessing the application through the submission of relevant and written representations to the Secretary of State on behalf of residents;

(ii)            Work closely with our strategic partners and other statutory consultees such as Blaby District Council, Hinckley and Bosworth Borough Council and National Highways in the preparation and submission of a Local Impact Report as invited to do so by PINS;

(iii)          Expect the developer to fully engage with local communities and stakeholders on the impact of its proposals;

(iv)          Seek to ensure local communities and stakeholders are regularly updated on the progress of the application;

(v)           Robustly carry out its statutory duties on behalf of affected residents and communities affected by the proposal for the HNRFI.”

 

It was moved by Mrs Wright, seconded by Mr Allen and carried unanimously:

 

“(a) That this Council notes:

 

(i)         The submission by the developer Tritax Symmetry to the Planning Inspectorate (PINS) of an application relating to the construction of the HNRFI on February 3, 2023;

(ii)        That the County Council has no powers of veto but is a statutory consultee in relation to this application and will respond in both its capacity as a Local Highways Authority and more broadly in relation to its wider responsibilities including flooding, public health, net zero, economic impact and ecology;

(iii)      That the Council has already submitted an Adequacy of Consultation response to PINs expressing the paucity of engagement and consultation with stakeholders by the developer; and (iv) That if the application for the HNRFI is accepted by PINS the final decision will ultimately be decided by the Secretary of State for Transport.

 

(b) That this Council also notes:

 

(i)         That the HNRFI is a major proposal that will have significant impacts on local rural communities and local rural infrastructure, including the local highways network;

(ii)        That the scale of this proposal, and of its potential impacts, means that it is also of sub-regional significance for the wider Leicester and Leicestershire Housing Market Area;

(iii)      That it is critical that any development of this scale should only proceed if it is accompanied by the necessary funding and infrastructure to satisfactorily mitigate its impacts on local communities and existing wider infrastructure; and

(iv)      That 440 acres of agricultural land will be lost, the impact of which should be tested against the Government’s Food Security Strategy.

 

(c)    Therefore, should PINS accept the application, the County Council will:

 

(i)         Play its full part in comprehensively assessing the application through the submission of relevant and written representations to the Secretary of State on behalf of residents;

(ii)        Work closely with our strategic partners and other statutory consultees such as Blaby District Council, Hinckley and Bosworth Borough Council and National Highways in the preparation and submission of a Local Impact Report as invited to do so by PINS;

(iii)      Expect the developer to fully engage with local communities and stakeholders on the impact of its proposals;

(iv)      Seek to ensure local communities and stakeholders are regularly updated on the progress of the application;

(v)       Robustly carry out its statutory duties on behalf of affected residents and communities affected by the proposal for the HNRFI.”