Agenda and minutes

The Mayor welcomed journalism students from Brunel University to the meeting. 

 

It was noted that the Council meeting was being recorded as a trial to look at opening up the democratic process to a wider audience.  Those present were advised that the cameras would be trained on Members and not the public gallery.

 

Members were reminded to conduct themselves in a polite and courteous manner during the meeting.  The Mayor accepted that there would be a measure of political banter but that this should remain respectful.  All comments should be addressed through the Mayor who would use her powers with regard to controlling debate and conduct in the meeting if required. 

Apologies for absence were received from Councillors Chapman, J Cooper, Eginton, Jarjussey and Khatra.

To receive the minutes of the meeting held on 15 January 2015.

It was noted that Councillor Oswell had been omitted in the minutes from the list of those present at the previous meeting. 

 

RESOLVED:  That, subject to the inclusion of Councillor Oswell in the list of those present, the minutes of the meeting held on 15 January 2015 be agreed as a correct record.

The Mayor advised that Mr Terry Clooney, a former Mayor of the Borough in 1966-1967, had passed away on 23 January 2015 at Hillingdon Hospital.  Those present stood for a minute's silence. 

 

The Mayor outlined a number of events that had been organised with the purpose of raising money for the Mayor's charity, Michael Sobell Hospice.  The Mayor encouraged those present to support these events and thanked those who had already pledged their support. 

(i) URGENT IMPLEMENTATION OF DECISIONS

 

Councillor Puddifoot moved the recommendation as set out on the Order of Business.  The motion was seconded by Councillor Simmonds and it was:

 

RESOLVED:  That the Urgency decisions detailed in the report be noted.

 

(ii) AMENDMENT TO THE COUNCIL CONSTITUTION

 

Councillor Puddifoot moved the recommendation as set out on the Order of Business.  The motion was seconded by Councillor Simmonds and it was:

 

RESOLVED:  That the revised Protocol for Member and Officer Relations and Code of Conduct for Officers be approved for inclusion in the Constitution.

 

(iii) MEMBERS' ALLOWANCES 2015/16

 

Basic Allowance

 

Councillor Puddifoot moved the recommendation in relation to the Councillors' Basic Allowance as set out in the Order of Business.  This was seconded by Councillor Bianco and put to a recorded vote:

 

Those voting for:  The Mayor (Councillor Dann), the Deputy Mayor (Councillor G Cooper), Councillors Allen, Barnes, Bianco, Birah, Bridges, Burles, Burrows, Chamdal, Corthorne, Crowe, Curling, Davis, Denys, Dheer, Dhillon, Dhot, Duducu, Duncan, East, Edwards, Flynn, Fyfe, Gardner, Garg, Gilham, Graham, Haggar, Hensley, Higgins, Jackson, Kauffman, Kelly, Khursheed, Lakhmana, Lavery, Lewis, Markham, Melvin, D Mills, R Mills, Money, Morgan, Morse, Nelson, O’Brien, Oswell, Palmer, Puddifoot, Riley, Sansarpuri, Seaman-Digby, Simmonds, Singh, Stead, Sweeting, Wallana, White and Yarrow.

 

The motion was unanimously carried and it was:

 

RESOLVED:  a) That the current Members’ Allowances Scheme be revoked as of 31 March 2015 and the new Scheme for 2015/16 be approved for implementation from 1 April 2015 including:

 

For 2015/16 an allowance of £10,819.25 to be payable to all Councillors.

 

Special Responsibility Allowances

 

Councillor Puddifoot moved the recommendation in relation to items 1 to 16 of the Special Responsibility Allowances as set out in the Order of Business.  This was seconded by Councillor Bianco.

 

Councillor Curling moved the following amendment to the motion to replace the following three allowances with the amount shown:

 

 

		(£)
3.	Leader of the Council	43,063.00
4.	Deputy Leader of the Council	36,275.00
6.	Cabinet Member	30,336.00

 

The amendment was seconded by Councillor Khursheed.  Following debate (Councillors Puddifoot and Sansarpuri), the amendment was put to the vote and lost. 

 

The original motion was put to the vote it was:

 

RESOLVED:  That the following special responsibility allowances be approved:

 

		(£)
1.	Mayor	21,756.36
2.	Deputy Mayor	8,484.84
3.	Leader of the Council	53,828.88
4.	Deputy Leader of the Council	45,344.04
5.	Chief Whip of Largest Party	21,756.36
6.	Cabinet Member	37,919.88
7.	Chairman of Scrutiny and Policy Overview Committee	21,756.36
8.	Chairman of Planning Committee	21,756.36
9.	Chairman of Licensing Committee	9,198.00
10.	Vice Chairman of Licensing Committee	6,132.00
11.	Chairman of Standards Committee	3,066.00
12.	Standards Committee Independent Person	1,533.00
13.	Chairman of Audit Committee*	2,916.86
14.	Champion	5,594.76
15.	Council rep' on Adoption and Permanency Panel	12,264.00
16.	Cabinet Assistant	8,484.84

 

* Where a non-Councillor is Chairman or Vice Chairman a co-optees’ allowance is payable as set out in the Scheme under section 9.

 

Councillor Puddifoot moved the recommendation in relation to items 17 to 21 of the Special Responsibility Allowances, as set out on the Order of Business.  This was seconded by Councillor Bianco and it was put to a recorded vote:

 

Those voting for: Councillors Allen, Birah, Burles, Curling, Dheer, Dhillon, Dhot, Duncan, East, Gardner, Garg, Khursheed, Lakhmana, Money, Morse, Nelson, Oswell, Sansarpuri, Singh and Sweeting.

 

Those abstaining: The Mayor (Councillor Dann), the Deputy Mayor (Councillor G Cooper), Councillors Barnes, Bianco, Bridges, Burrows, Chamdal, Corthorne, Crowe, Davis, Denys, Duducu, Edwards, Flynn, Fyfe, Gilham, Graham, Haggar, Hensley, Higgins, Jackson, Kauffman, Kelly, Lavery, Lewis, Markham, Melvin, D Mills, R Mills, Morgan, O’Brien, Palmer, Puddifoot, Riley, Seaman-Digby, Simmonds, Stead, Wallana, White and Yarrow.

 

The motion was carried and it was:

 

RESOLVED:  That the following special responsibility allowances be approved:

 

		(£)
17.	Leader of 2nd Party	21,756.36
18.	Deputy Leader of 2nd Party	5,594.76
19.	Chief Whip of 2nd Party	5,594.76
20.	2nd Party Lead on Scrutiny and Policy Overview Committee	5,594.76
21.	Party Lead on Planning Committee	5,594.76

 

RESOLVED:  b) That the Head of Democratic Services be authorised to increase the level of Basic and Special Responsibility allowances in line with any annual pay award to staff.

 

Section 106 of the Local Government Finance Act 1992 will apply to the recommendations of this item. Any Member who is more than two months in arrears with their Council Tax or has arrears of Council Tax must declare that fact and must not vote on this item.

 

Budget Conflict Resolution Procedures – Council is asked to consider the Cabinet’s proposals. It may adopt the proposals, submit objections to Cabinet or invite the Cabinet to make amendments specified by Council. If Council votes to object to the Cabinet proposals or to invite Cabinet to make amendments then the Conflict Resolution Procedure will come into operation.

 

The Council meeting will be adjourned while a special meeting of the Cabinet is held, after which the Council will resume and consider any revised proposals submitted by the Cabinet or the reasons why the Cabinet disagrees with Council’s objections or proposed amendments. The budget would then be open for debate and amendment until a final decision is made.

 

Members are asked to note that, in accordance with the Local Authorities (Standing Orders) (England) (Amendment) Regulations 2014, recorded votes will be taken at the annual budget setting meeting on any motion, amendment to motion or substantive motion regarding the General Fund Revenue Budget, Housing Revenue Account and Capital Programme.

Councillor O’Brien moved, and Councillor White seconded, the suspension of Council procedure rule 14.4 to allow unlimited speaking time for the mover and seconder of the motion and the principal speaker and seconder of the principal amendment from the Labour Group.

 

RESOLVED: That the mover and seconder of the budget motion and the principal speaker and seconder of the principal amendment from the Labour Group be allowed unlimited speaking time on this item.

 

Councillor Bianco moved, and Councillor Puddifoot seconded, the budget recommendations, as set out on the Order of Business.

Councillor Curling moved, and Councillor Khursheed seconded, the following

amendment:

 

That the Cabinet be invited to consider the Labour Group’s amendments to the Cabinet’s proposals set out in the Council Tax report and report back to Council. These amendments would result in a Council Tax requirement for 2015/16 of £101,499,216.

 

Firstly, in relation to the General Fund Revenue Budget, the proposals are based on the Cabinet’s budget proposals as approved by Cabinet on 12 February 2015, subject to the following amendments:

 

Labour Group Proposed Amendments	Budget 2015/16 (£000s)
Council Tax Requirement based on Cabinet Proposals	101,499
Calculated from the Budget Requirement based on Cabinet proposals	203,952
Budget Increases:
Recruit an additional Planning Enforcement Officer (Beds in Sheds) for one year only (Grade POA)	44
Recruit an Officer to develop an Anti Poverty Strategy to alleviate poverty within working age families, the disabled and the elderly (Grade POD)	60
Recruit Additional Children's Services Manager to assist in the delivery of the transition from the managed service (Grade POF)	76
Provide additional Funding for Local Safeguarding Children's Board to align with that of neighbouring boroughs	60
Recruit an additional officer to investigate new approaches to the recruitment and retention of key staff posts in Children's Services (Grade SO2/POA)	41
Total Increases	281
Budget Reductions:
Reduce the budget for Hillingdon People and produce four times per year rather than six	(35)
Reduce unallocated priority growth	(246)
Total Reductions	(281)
Net Revenue Budget Changes	0
Labour Group Budget Requirement	203,952
Labour Group Council Tax Requirement to Council	100,499

 

Secondly, in relation to the Housing Revenue Account Budget, proposals in this report are based on the report considered by Cabinet on 12 February 2015 subject to the following amendment:

 

Amend the proposed capital programme to include £90,800k for the delivery of 400 new general needs homes, including provision for purchase of land, funded from £27,242k of HRA balances and £63,558k of Prudential Borrowing as detailed below.

 

	2015/16	2016/17	2017/18	2018/19	2019/20	Total
	£'000	£'000	£'000	£'000	£'000	£'000
Capital Cost	5,675	17,025	17,025	17,025	34,050	90,800
Use of Balances	1,703	5,108	5,108	5,108	10,215	27,242
Prudential Borrowing	3,972	11,917	11,917	11,917	23,835	63,558
Homes Delivered	25	75	75	75	150	400

 

The on-going revenue costs associated with servicing and repaying this borrowing over a thirty year period would be financed from the additional rental income secured from these 400 units on the basis of charging affordable rents. The use of reserves to supplement this borrowing is required to avoid on-going borrowing costs exceeding future rental yield.

 

The following table sets out the impact upon HRA revenue budgets recommended by Cabinet and the associated impact on sums held within the HRA General Balances and Major Repairs Reserve.

 

	2015/16	2016/17	2017/18	2018/19	2019/20
	£'000	£'000	£'000	£'000	£'000
Dwelling Rents	N/A	(194)	(793)	(1,418)	(2,070)
Financing Costs	N/A	203	811	1,419	2,027
Revenue Impact	N/A	9	18	1	(43)
HRA Reserves per Cabinet	37,863	22,397	19,201	24,947	36,951
Use of Balances	(1,703)	(6,811)	(11,919)	(17,027)	(27,242)
Revenue Impact	0	(9)	(27)	(28)	15
HRA Reserves per Labour Group	36,160	15,577	7,255	7,892	9,724

 

These proposed amendments do not amend rents payable by individual tenants.

 

Following debate (Councillors Bianco, Corthorne, East, Lakhmana, Money, Puddifoot, Sansarpuri, Simmonds and Sweeting), the amendment was put to a recorded vote:

 

Those voting for: Councillors Allen, Birah, Burles, Curling, Dheer, Dhillon, Dhot, Duncan, East, Gardner, Garg, Khursheed, Lakhmana, Money, Morse, Nelson, Oswell, Sansarpuri, Singh and Sweeting.

 

Those voting against: The Mayor (Councillor Dann), the Deputy Mayor (Councillor G Cooper), Councillors Barnes, Bianco, Bridges, Burrows, Chamdal, Corthorne, Crowe, Davis, Denys, Duducu, Edwards, Flynn, Fyfe, Gilham, Graham, Haggar, Hensley, Higgins, Jackson, Kauffman, Kelly, Lavery, Lewis, Markham, Melvin, D Mills, R Mills, Morgan, O’Brien, Palmer, Puddifoot, Riley, Seaman-Digby, Simmonds, Stead, Wallana, White and Yarrow.

 

The motion was lost.

 

Following further debate (Councillors Burrows, Corthorne, Crowe, Denys, Lavery, Lewis, D. Mills and Simmonds,), the original motion was put to a recorded vote:

 

Those voting for:  The Mayor (Councillor Dann), the Deputy Mayor (Councillor G Cooper), Councillors Allen, Barnes, Bianco, Birah, Bridges, Burles, Burrows, Chamdal, Corthorne, Crowe, Curling, Davis, Denys, Dhillon, Dhot, Duducu, Duncan, East, Edwards, Flynn, Fyfe, Gardner, Garg, Gilham, Graham, Haggar, Hensley, Higgins, Jackson, Kauffman, Kelly, Khursheed, Lakhmana, Lavery, Lewis, Markham, Melvin, D Mills, R Mills, Money, Morgan, Morse, Nelson, O’Brien, Oswell, Palmer, Puddifoot, Riley, Sansarpuri, Seaman-Digby, Simmonds, Singh, Stead, Sweeting, Wallana, White and Yarrow.

 

The motion was unanimously carried and it was:

 

RESOLVED:  That:

 

1.    The General Fund revenue budget be approved, resulting in a Council Tax requirement for 2015/16 of £101,499,216.

 

2.    Council note that at its meeting on 16 January 2014 the Council calculated the amount of 91,200 as its Council Tax Base for the year 2015/16. This was calculated in accordance with the Local Authorities (Calculation of Council Tax Base) (England) Regulations 2012, as its Council Tax Base for the year (Item T in the formula in Section 31B (3) of the Local Government Finance Act 1992).

 

3.    Hillingdon’s own Council Tax be set at £1,112.93 for a Band D property. Taking into account the precept levied by the Greater London Authority, this results in an overall Band D Council Tax of £1,407.93 for the borough.

 

4.    The following amounts be now calculated by the Council for the year 2015/16, in accordance with Sections 32 to 36 of the Local Government Finance Act 1992 (the Act):

 

a) £693,527,916       being the aggregate of the amounts that the Council estimates for the items set out in Section 31A(2) (a) to (f) of the Act. (Gross Expenditure including the amount required for additions to working balances).

 

b) £592,028,700       being the aggregate of the amounts that the Council estimates for the items set out in Section 31A(3) (a) to (d) of the Act. (Gross Income including reserves to be used to meet Gross Expenditure).

 

c) £101,499,216       being the amount by which the aggregate at 4 (a) above exceeds the aggregate at 4 (b) above.  This is calculated by the Council in accordance with Section 31A(4) of the Act, as its council tax requirement for the year.  (Item R under Section 31B of the Act).

 

d) £1,112.93  being the amount at 4 (c) above divided by Item T (2 above). This is, calculated by the Council in accordance with Section 31B of the Act, as the basic amount of its Council Tax for the year. (Council Tax at Band D for the Council).

 

e)

The London Borough of Hillingdon Council Tax
Band A	Band A	Band A	Band A
£741.95	£865.61	£989.27	£1,112.93
Band E	Band F	Band G	Band H
£1,360.25	£1,607.57	£1,854.88	£2,225.86

 

being the amounts given by multiplying the amount at 4 (d) above by the number which, in the proportion set out in Section 5 (1) of the Act, is applicable to dwellings listed in a particular valuation band divided by the number which in that proportion is applicable to dwellings listed in valuation Band D.  This is calculated by the Council in accordance with Section 36 (1) of the Act, as the amounts to be taken into account for the year in respect of categories of dwellings listed in different valuation bands.

 

5.    Council note that for the year 2015/16 the Greater London Authority and its functional bodies have stated the following amounts in precepts.  These have been issued to the Council, in accordance with Section 40 of the Act, for each of the categories of dwellings shown below:

 

The Greater London Authority Precept
Band A	Band A	Band A	Band A
£196.67	£229.44	£262.22	£295.00
Band E	Band F	Band G	Band H
£360.56	£426.11	£491.67	£590.00

 

6.    The Council has calculated the aggregate in each case of the amounts at   4 (e) and 5 above. The Council in accordance with Section 30 and 36 of the Local Government Finance Act 1992 hereby sets the Council Tax for the year 2015/16 for each category of dwelling below:

 

Total Council Tax 2015/16
Band A	Band B	Band C	Band D
£938.62	£1,095.05	£1,251.49	£1,407.93
Band E	Band F	Band G	Band H
£1,720.81	£2,033.68	£2,346.55	£2,815.86

 

7.    The Housing Revenue Account budget proposals made by Cabinet be approved.

8.    The proposals for fees and charges and housing rents for both the General Fund and Housing Revenue Account set out in Appendix 12 of the attached report to Cabinet be approved.

9.    The capital programme as set out in Appendix 6 of the attached report TO Cabinet be approved.

10.The Treasury Management Strategy Statement, Annual Investment Strategy and Minimum Revenue Provision Statement for 2015/16 to 2018/19 as set out in Appendix 9 of the attached report to Cabinet be approved.

11.The London Borough of Hillingdon Pay Policy Statement for 2015/16 as set out in Appendix 10 of the attached report to Cabinet be approved.

12.The Council Tax Discount for Older People be retained at 4.87% of Hillingdon’s element of the Council Tax.

13.Council note the Corporate Director of Finance’ comments regarding his responsibilities under the Local Government Act 2003.

14.Council authorises its Corporate Director of Finance to approve all virements after 31 March 2015 relating to the 2014/15 financial year of any value beyond the levels currently delegated to Corporate Directors necessary to the closure of accounts, within the deadline set for the 2014/15 financial year.

15.Council (as set out in Schedule G of the Constitution - Budget and Policy Framework Procedure Rules) resolves that Cabinet may utilise the general reserves or balances or approve virements between the General Fund budget, Housing Revenue Account budget or Capital budgets during the MTFF financial years 2015/16 to 2019/20 in respect of those functions which have been reserved to the Cabinet in Article 7 of the Constitution.

16.Council confirm that the Council’s relevant basic amount of Council Tax for 2015/16 is not excessive in accordance with principles approved under Section 52ZB Local Government Finance Act 1992 and therefore a referendum will not be triggered.

 

Close of meeting