Agenda and minutes

Councillors Lee and Bloore (via a recorded speech) paid tribute to Simon Morrow for his work as Chair of the Council during 2021/22 and for his 28 years’ service as a District Councillor (1990-98 and 2002-22). Councillor Morrow responded by thanking all concerned for the support he had received throughout the previous municipal year. 

The Council proceeded with the election of a Chair for 2022/23. Councillor Wren was nominated by Councillor Sayer and seconded by Councillor Stamp. There were no other nominations. 

          R E S O L V E D – that Councillor Wren be elected Chair of the Council for 2022/23.

Councillor Wren then took the Chair and thanked Members for appointing her.

The Council proceeded with the election of a Vice-Chair for 2022/23. Councillor Botten was nominated by Councillor Wren and seconded by Councillor Gray. There were no other nominations.

          R E S O L V E D – that Councillor Botten be elected Vice-Chair of the Council for 2022/23.

The Chair welcomed the new Members who had joined the Council following the district elections on the 5^th May (namely Councillors Helen Bilton, Bryan Black, Ian Booth, Perry Chotai, Annette Evans, Sue Farr, Katie Montgomery, Chris Pinard and Vicky Robinson).

The Chair also advised that her charities for the year would be Clockwork (an Oxted based trust supporting young people with mental health issues) and Holland Sports Get Fit Club.  

The minutes of the Council meeting held on the 21^st April 2022 were confirmed and signed by the Chair.

The report of the Planning Committee meeting held on the 28^th April 2022 was received.

The proposed memberships of the respective Committees will be circulated prior to the meeting.

The Council considered a report to enable it to appoint its Committees and Sub-Committees for the 2022/23 Municipal Year, including the allocation of seats in accordance with political balance requirements.

The report also recommended amendments to the constitution regarding the governance of committees and sub-committees, namely:

·      the transfer of ‘crime & disorder’ and ‘Community Safety Partnership’ matters from the Audit & Scrutiny Committee to the Community Services Committee;

·      changes to the delegation arrangements for the Chief Officer Sub-Committee and associated amendments to the Pay Policy Statement;

·      changes to Standing Orders 21 and 22 regarding substitute arrangements for Sub-Committees. 

          R E S O L V E D – that:

A.           the Council’s Committees for 2022/23, and the number of seats allocated to each Committee, be as per Appendix A;

B.           notwithstanding the discretion provided to Committees to appoint further Sub-Committees, those shown at Appendix B, including the number of seats allocated to each, be agreed;

C.        the following amendments be made to the scheme of delegation to Committees (Part E of the Council’s constitution) so that responsibility for crime & disorder and community safety matters is transferred from the Audit & Scrutiny Committee to the Community Services Committee:

                     Audit & Scrutiny Committee – text to be deleted (shown by strikethroughs)

Terms of Reference

(xi)       Calling upon representatives of outside organisations to present information about services which have a significant impact upon local residents including measures to minimise crime & disorder delivered via the Community Safety Partnership.

(xii)      Exercise the Council’s scrutiny and review functions in relation to local crime and disorder matters and act as the local Crime & Disorder Committee.

Powers to recommend 

(iii)       Matters with significant budgetary and/or policy implications arising from presentations by representatives of outside organisations about services which have a significant impact upon local residents, including measures to minimise crime & disorder delivered via the Community Safety Partnership.

Community Services Committee – text to be added

   Terms of Reference

A(viii)     Exercise the Council’s scrutiny and review functions in relation to local crime and disorder matters and act as the local Crime & Disorder Committee

                        Powers to resolve

(ix)         Measures to reduce crime & disorder and to promote community safety, including those delivered via the local Community Safety Partnership;

D.        the delegation arrangements regarding the Chief Officer Sub-Committee (Part E of the Constitution / matters relating to the Strategy & Resources Committee / Section 4) be amended as follows:

(i)      the current section 4.2 (which defines the membership of the Sub-Committee for 2021/22) be deleted on the basis that the membership is, in any event, determined as part of the committee meetings immediately following Annual Council and does not need to be replicated and updated each year within the Constitution

                     (ii)      the following clauses be added to the Sub-Committee’s terms of                      reference:

·           to determine discretionary payments to Officers on senior management grades (SM1 and above) in addition to which they are contractually entitled; and

·           to consider and determine proposals to grant early retirement with no actuarial reduction in pension to officers on senior management grades  ...  view the full minutes text for item 7.

A list of proposed appointments, agreed as far as possible by the Group Leaders, will be circulated prior to the meeting.

A list of proposed appointments to outside bodies was considered.

Votes were taken in respect of:

·           the Redhill Aerodrome Consultative Committee as both Councillors Hammond and Pinard had been nominated for the single vacancy of principal member – the vote was in favour Councillor Pinard, with Councillor Hammond as the substitute member

·           the Surrey Environmental Partnership as Councillors North and Stamp had been nominated for the single vacancy - the vote was in favour Councillor Stamp

·           the Surrey Hills AONB Board as Councillors Cooper and Sayer had been nominated for the single vacancy - the vote was in favour Councillor Sayer

·           the Surrey Hills AONB Partnership as Councillors Blackwell and Prew had been nominated for the single vacancy - the vote was in favour Councillor Blackwell

·           the Tandridge Health & Wellbeing Board as Councillors Botten, North and Swann had been nominated for the two vacancies – the vote was in favour of Councillors Botten and Swann;

·           the Warlingham Sports Association as both Councillors Chotai and Prew had been nominated for the single vacancy – the vote was in favour of Councillor Chotai.     

                 R E S O L V E D – that the appointments to outside bodies, attached at Appendix C, be agreed.

One spokesperson from each of the other political groups will have the right of reply.

In accordance with Standing Order No 6 (2), Councillor Sayer, in her capacity as Leader of the Independents and OLRG Alliance minority administration, made a Policy Statement covering the 2022/23 Municipal Year.

Councillors Botten, Bloore (via a recoded speech) and Pursehouse responded as Leaders of the Liberal Democrat, Conservative and Independent Groups respectively.

          R E S O L V E D – that the Administration’s Policy Statement be received.