Agenda and minutes

A webcast of the meeting can be viewed at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCWFpwBLs6MnUzG0WjejrQtQ.

 

It was moved by Mr Galton, seconded by Mr Rushton and carried:-

 

“That Mr Jeffrey Kaufman be appointed Vice-Chairman for the period until the Annual Meeting of the Council in 2021”.

 

Mr Kaufman read out and signed his Declaration of Acceptance of Office which was witnessed and signed by the Chief Executive.

 

Mr Kaufman thanked his proposer and seconder for their generous remarks and members of the Council for appointing him as Vice-Chairman.

 

Mr Timothy Webster MVO

 

Members joined the Chairman in congratulating Tim Webster, who was made a Member of the Royal Victorian Order in the New Year’s Honours List.  This was a special honour given at the personal discretion of Her Majesty The Queen for services to the Royal Family.  Tim had been recognised for his longstanding work supporting the Leicestershire Lieutenancy.

 

 

The Chief Executive presented the report of the Returning Officer on the election of the County Councillor for the Cosby and Countesthorpe Electoral Division on 12 December 2019.

 

The Chairman welcomed Mr Leslie Mark Phillimore CC to the Council.

 

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

 

“That the minutes of the meeting of the Council held on 4 December 2019, 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 members of District and Parish Councils declared a personal interest in relation to the Medium Term Financial Strategy 2020/21 – 2023/24 (minute 45(a) refers).

 

Mr Pain CC also declared a personal interest in relation to passenger transport issues referred to in the Medium Term Financial Strategy 2020/21 – 2023/24 as his family operated a taxi business.

 

Mr Phillimore CC also declared a personal interest in relation to Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) issues referred to in the Medium Term Financial Strategy 2020/21 – 2023/24 due to his wife’s employment (minute 44 refers).

 

Mr Blunt CC, Mr Coxon CC and Mr Sheahan CC declared a personal interest in the Leader’s position statement in relation to HS2, as they were affected by the proposed route but this was not a matter for decision.

 

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

 

“I am very pleased to see that our fourth Local Transport Plan is being prepared to replace LTP3.  Can we expect LTP4 to fulfil our Prime Minister’s vision of “electric buses to convey us cleanly around our towns, roads that are free of the congestion that causes so much pollution, and where a new generation of cyclists pedal safely and happily to school and work in tree-dappled sunlight on their own network of fully segregated cycle paths”, and if so can you point to any hints of this in your seminal Strategic Transport Plan 2020 to 2050?”

 

Mr Pain replied as follows:

 

“I welcome the Prime Minister’s interest in passenger transport, and the Government’s very recent announcements, including the new funding for electric buses and potential additional funding to be made available for extending cycle routes in the future.  Officers are currently studying the details of these announcements to understand how the County Council can take best advantage of the new funding that might be available.

 

The existing LTP3 already talks about promotion of sustainable transport modes, and I would expect this to continue in LTP4.  Further, we continue to provide support to passenger transport services through the County Council’s Passenger Transport Policy and Strategy, and, as previously indicated, officers are undertaking work to develop a Cycling and Walking Strategy.

 

Encouraging people to walk and cycle, and to use public transport are aspects of the draft Leicester and Leicestershire Strategic Transport Priorities (LLSTP), which also references the development of town and area wider strategies, within which improving facilities for pedestrians, cyclists and passenger transport users will be important elements.  Notwithstanding this, officers will review the draft LLSTP in the light of the Government’s very recent announcements and revise it as necessary.”

 

Mr Hunt asked the following supplementary question:

 

“My point was to ask the Lead Member for Transport what his vision was, or

whether he could find a vision in his latest document which spans the next

30 years. All I get is “the existing LTP3 already talks about the promotion of sustainable transport modes and I would expect this to continue”. What a vision! I would just ask him what his vision really is and perhaps we can hear about it later on if you can't express it now.”

 

Mr Pain replied as follows:

 

“I share the vision of the Prime Minister, as indeed Mr Hunt does, but in all seriousness, I think if you look at the detail of announcements that we know so far, much is about what we are already doing here in Leicestershire so it's welcome that more monies are going to be made available. We are yet to see the finer detail as to how we access those monies but I'm pleased to say that, when it comes to passenger transportation, how we still support subsidised bus networks and our vision around rural mobility and demand responsive transport, these schemes that the Prime Minister has announced will certainly help us grow the schemes that we currently undertake here in Leicestershire.”

 

The Leader gave a position statement on the following matters:

 

·         Fair Funding

·         Devolution

·         Flooding

·         Coronavirus (COVID19)

·         HS2

·         Holocaust Memorial Day

 

The Lead Member for Environment and Transportation gave a position statement which provided an update on Storm Dennis.

 

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

 

It was moved by Mr Rhodes 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 2020/21 totalling £390m as set out in Appendices A, B and D of this report and includes the growth and savings for that year as set out in Appendix C;

 

(b)      That approval be given to the projected provisional revenue budgets for 2021/22, 2022/23 and 2023/24, 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 towards achieving the savings specified for those years including savings under development;

 

(c)       That approval is 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 earmarked funds as set out in Appendix J be noted and the use of those earmarked funds 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 2020/21 be as set out in Appendix L (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 2020/21 to 2023/24 capital programme as set out in Appendix E;

 

(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 M, Annex 2 be noted and that the following limits be approved:

 

 

(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 following borrowing limits be approved for the period 2020/21 to 2023/24:

   (i)         Upper limit on fixed interest exposures                                                    100%;

(ii)        Upper limit on variable rate exposures 50%;

(iii)       Maturity of borrowing:-

 

 

(l)        That the Director of Corporate Resources be authorised to enter into such loans or undertake such arrangements as necessary to finance capital payments in 2020/21, subject to the prudential limits in Appendix M;

 

(m)     That the Treasury Management Strategy Statement and the Annual Investment Strategy for 2020/21, as set out in Appendix M, be approved including:

(i)     The Treasury Management Policy Statement, Appendix M; Annex        4;

(ii)   The Annual Statement of the Annual Minimum Revenue Provision as set out in Appendix M, Annex 1; 

 

(n)      That the Capital Strategy (Appendix F), Corporate Asset Investment Fund Strategy (Appendix G), Risk Management Policy and Strategy (Appendix H), Earmarked Funds Policy (Appendix I) and Insurance Policy (Appendix K) be approved;

 

(o)      That it be noted that the Leicester and Leicestershire Business Rate Pool will continue for 2020/21;

 

(p)      That the Director of Corporate Resources be authorised to make changes to the MTFS which may be required as a result of the outcome of the final Local  ...  view the full minutes text for item 45a

It was moved by Mr Ould, seconded by Mrs Taylor and carried unanimously:

 

“That the Community Safety Strategy 2019-2021 be approved.”

 

It was moved by Mr Ould, seconded by Mrs Taylor and carried unanimously:

 

“That the Corporate Parenting Strategy be approved.”