Agenda and minutes

Venue: Council Chamber - County Hall, Llandrindod Wells

Contact: Stephen Boyd  01597 826374

Items
No. Item

1.

Election of Chair

To elect the Chair of Council for the ensuing year.

Minutes:

RESOLVED that County Councillor Beverley Baynham be elected Chair for the ensuing year.

 

2.

Election of Vice-Chair

To elect the Vice-Chair of Council for the ensuing year.

Minutes:

RESOLVED that County Councillor Gwynfor Thomas be elected Vice-Chair for the ensuing year. 

3.

Election of Assistant Vice-Chair

To elect the Assistant Vice-Chair of Council for the ensuing year.

Minutes:

RESOLVED that County Councillor Gareth Ratcliffe be elected Assistant Vice-Chair for the ensuing year. 

 

Council adjourned at 10.45 a.m. for photographs and reconvened at 11.00 a.m.

 

The Portfolio Holder for Young People and Culture drew Members’ attention to Fostering Fortnight and the Council’s efforts to recruit more foster carers. She urged colleagues to publicise and to visit the stand in the reception area.

4.

Apologies

To receive apologies for absence.

Minutes:

Apologies for absence were received from County Councillor J Wilkinson.

5.

Declarations of Interest

To receive any declarations of interest from Members relating to items to be considered on the agenda.

Minutes:

All Members declared a personal but non prejudicial interest in relation to Members’ Salaries, Allowances and Expenses pursuant to paragraph 12 (2) (b)(iv) of the Code of Conduct.

 

County Councillor R Williams declared a personal, non-prejudicial interest in the Rights of Way Improvement Plan as a member appointed by the authority to  the Local Access Forum.  

 

6.

Allocations, elections and appointments required to be made at the Annual Meeting of the Council pdf icon PDF 178 KB

To consider the report of the Head of Legal and Democratic Services.

Additional documents:

Minutes:

Council considered the report of the Head of Legal and Democratic Services on the allocations and appointments to be made to committees and outside bodies.

 

Politically Balanced Appointments to Council Committees  

 

It was moved by County Councillor James Gibson-Watt and seconded by County Councillor Michael Jones and by 62 votes to 0 it was

 

RESOLVED

Reason for decision:

To approve the allocation of seats on Council Committees to the different Political Groups in accordance with Appendix 5

 

To comply with statutory requirements (including those concerning the need for political balance) and the Council’s Constitution in relation to the allocation and appointment of committee seats and Chairs.

 

Appointment of Councillors to Committees

 

Council was advised that the Conservative Group had given the place on the Democratic Services Committee allocated to County Councillor Sarah Lewis to County Councillor Elwyn Vaughan. Subject to this change it was moved by County Councillor David Meredith and seconded by County Councillor Myfanwy Alexander and by 65 votes to 0 it was

 

RESOLVED

Reason for Decision:

To make appointments to Committees in accordance with the wishes of the different Political Groups as set out in Appendix 6 subject to the appointment of County Councillor Elwyn Vaughan to the Democratic Services Committee by the Conservative Group in place of County Councillor Sarah Lewis.

To comply with statutory requirements (including those concerning the need for political balance) and the Council’s Constitution in relation to the allocation and appointment of committee seats and Chairs.

 

Appointments to Chairs of Scrutiny Committee

 

It was moved by County Councillor David Meredith and seconded by County Councillor Karen Laurie-Parry and by 65 votes to 0 it was

 

RESOLVED

Reason for Decision:

To allocate the 3 Scrutiny Committee Chairs to the Political Groups as set out in paragraph 6.5, and to note the political groups’ appointments in respect of Chairs as follows:

Economy, Residents, Communities and Governance Scrutiny Committee: Labour Group - County Councillor Matthew Dorrance

Health and Care Scrutiny Committee: Conservative Group County Councillor Gwilym Williams

Learning and Skills Scrutiny Committee: Liberal Democrat / Green Group County Councillor Pete Roberts.

 

To comply with statutory requirements (including those concerning the need for political balance) and the Council’s Constitution in relation to the allocation and appointment of committee seats and Chairs.

 

Appointment of Chair of Democratic Services Committee

 

County Councillors Elwyn Vaughan and Sarah Williams were nominated. Following a ballot it was

 

                        RESOLVED that County Councillor Elwyn Vaughan be appointed Chair of the Democratic Services Committee for the ensuing year.

 

County Councillor Gary Price raised a point of order and the Head of Legal and Democratic Services advised that it was in order for the ruling executive to nominate a Chair provided that the member did not belong to a party in the executive group.

 

Brecon Beacons National Park Authority (BBNPA)

 

It was moved by County Councillor David Jones and seconded by County Councillor Linda Corfield and by 56 votes to 3 with 4 abstentions it was

 

RESOLVED

Reason for Decision:

To make appointments to the  ...  view the full minutes text for item 6.

7.

Members' Salaries, Allowances and Expenses

To consider a report by the Head of Finance.  

Additional documents:

Minutes:

Council considered the report of the Head of Finance setting out the recommendations of the Independent Remuneration Panel for Wales (IRPW) in respect of the amounts to be paid as Basic Salary, Senior Salary and Civic Salaries. Council was also asked to consider the recommendations of the Democratic Services Committee who had undertaken a review of the number of senior salaries and had recommended that the Chairs of the democratic Services Committee and the Pensions and Investment Committee should not be paid senior salaries. The Chair of the Pensions and Investment Committee felt that the review had not given sufficient weight to the role as a trustee of the Pension fund and the training required to fulfil the role and he asked that the Democratic Services Committee look at it again. 

 

County Councillor Gareth Ratcliffe left the meeting at 12.18.

 

County Councillor Gary Price moved an amendment, seconded by County Councillor Jeremy Pugh, that senior salaries be paid to the Chairs of the Democratic Services Committee and the Pensions and Investment Committee and that the number of Cabinet positions be reduced to 8. The Head of Legal and Democratic Services advised that the two parts of the amendment needed to be voted on separately with the vote on reducing the number of Cabinet positions being voted on first because if that was not passed the second part could not proceed as it would breach the 18 maximum number of senior salaries the Council was allowed. The Chair of Council gave a ruling accepting the Head of Legal and Democratic Services Committee advice and asked for a proposer and seconder for the proposition that the number of Cabinet positions be reduced to 8.  There was no proposer so County Councillor James Gibson-Watt moved the recommendations in the report seconded by County Councillor David Jones and by 43 votes to 16 with 7 abstentions it was

 

 

RESOLVED

Reason for Decision:

That Members:

(i)         approve the recommendation for the allocation of up to 18 Senior Salaries as detailed in section 4.11 of this report.

(ii)        approve the method of publication of Care Allowances as detailed in Section 8 of the report

(iii)       approve the publication of the Members’ Schedule of Remuneration based on this report subject to the inclusion of any amendments arising from the meeting of the Council and Committees following the Annual Meeting of Council.

 

To take decisions relating to Members' Salaries, Allowances and Expenses in accordance with statute and the annual report and regulations of the IRPW.

County Councillor Gary Price moved an amendment that Councillors are not entitled to join the Local Government Pension Scheme. There was no seconder and Council was advised that the IPRW had made a determination in 2019 that all Councillors were entitled to join the Local Government Pension Scheme.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

8.

Rights of Way Improvement Plan pdf icon PDF 148 KB

To consider the Rights of Way Improvement Plan.

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The Portfolio Holder for Finance, Countryside and Transport announced that the Cabinet Secretary for the Economy and Transport had confirmed grants totalling £1.718m which would benefit 5 schemes in Powys through the Local Transport Fund and Transport Network Fund.

 

Council considered the Rights of Way Improvement Plan. The plan set out how the Council would manage and improve the public rights of way network. Members acknowledged the importance of the rights of way network for health and wellbeing and paid tribute to the volunteers who worked to maintain the network. Officers confirmed that they worked closely with landowners and that the policy was for the least restrictive access allowing for accessible walks. Officers would provide members with details of how to access digital data on the website.

 

It was moved by County Councillor Emily Durrant and seconded by County Councillor Karl Lewis and by 63 votes to 1 it was  

 

RESOLVED

Reason for Decision:

To approve the Draft Rights of Way Improvement Plan.

 

 

For the Council to uphold its statutory duty to review the Rights of Way Improvement Plan.

 

 

In presenting the report the Portfolio Holder for Finance, Countryside and Transport thanked the Senior Countryside Access Officer and his team and the