Agenda and minutes

Apologies were received from Councillors Bridgett, Dodd, Dunn, Fairless-Aitken, Ferguson, Foster, Lee, Murphy, Purvis, Scott, Towns and A. Watson.

Minutes of the meeting of County Council held on Wednesday 22 February 2023, as circulated, to be confirmed as a true record, signed by the Business Chair and sealed with the Common Seal of the Council.

RESOLVED that the minutes of the meeting of County Council held on Wednesday 22 February 2023, as circulated, be confirmed as a true record, signed by the Business Chair and sealed with the Common Seal of the Council.

Unless already entered in the Council’s Register of Members’ interests, members are required where a matter arises at a meeting;

a.       Which directly relates to Disclosable Pecuniary Interest (‘DPI’) as set out in Appendix B, Table 1 of the Code of Conduct, to disclose the interest, not participate in any discussion or vote and not to remain in room. Where members have a DPI or if the matter concerns an executive function and is being considered by a Cabinet Member with a DPI they must notify the Monitoring Officer and arrange for somebody else to deal with the matter.

b.       Which directly relates to the financial interest or well being of a Other Registrable Interest as set out in Appendix B, Table 2 of the Code of Conduct to disclose the interest and only speak on the matter if members of the public are also allowed to speak at the meeting but otherwise must not take part in any discussion or vote on the matter and must not remain the room.

c.        Which directly relates to their financial interest or well-being (and is not DPI) or the financial well being of a relative or close associate, to declare the interest and members may only speak on the matter if members of the public are also allowed to speak. Otherwise, the member must not take part in discussion or vote on the matter and must leave the room.

d.       Which affects the financial well-being of the member, a relative or close associate or a body included under the Other Registrable Interests column in Table 2, to disclose the interest and apply the test set out at paragraph 9 of Appendix B before deciding whether they may remain in the meeting.

e.       Where Members have or a Cabinet Member has an Other Registerable Interest or Non Registerable Interest in a matter being considered in exercise of their executive function, they must notify the Monitoring Officer and arrange for somebody else to deal with it.

NB Any member needing clarification must contact monitoringofficer@northumberland.gov.uk. Members are referred to the Code of Conduct which contains the matters above in full. Please refer to the guidance on disclosures at the rear of this agenda letter.

Councillor Hill disclosed a personal, non-prejudicial interest in agenda item 9 (Challenge Board Interim Report 2 for the Member Oversight Group) through her involvement with the LGA, as detailed in her register of interests. 

The Leader reported that the devolution consultation continued with visits across the County. He had addressed a meeting of business leaders, and had met with NALC. He thanked the staff for their work on this and the feeling so far seemed to be supportive. Responses were being collated for a presentation to all Councils in June.

Councillor Flux reported to members on the tragic passing of two young people in a car accident in Morpeth. Their parents were Council employees and on behalf of all members, he expressed condolences to their families and friends.

to be put to the Business Chair, a member of the Cabinet or the Chair of any Committee or Sub Committee, in accordance with the Constitution’s Rules of Procedure No.9.

Question 1 from Councillor Hill to the Leader

Spittal beach is one of 83 beaches in the country which have recently been deemed unsafe because of raw sewage being dumped into the sea.?

Does the Council have any plans to take this up (the specific issue at Spittal and generally) with the local water company and / or the government?

The Leader responded that Northumberland County Council worked closely with both the Environment Agency and Northumbrian Water on flood risk and water quality issues as part of the North-East Integrated Drainage Partnership (NIDP). The County Council was aware that in response to DEFRA’s announcement in 2022 of the Storm Overflows Discharge Reduction Plan, which set stringent new targets to protect people and the environment from storm water overflows, NWL had developed a Drainage and Wastewater Management Plan (DWMP). This plan had focused on reduction of spills from storm overflows and they had identified 19 high priority storm overflows in Berwick with a number of these being located in Spittal. These high priority storm overflows had been targeted by NWL for work in 2025-2030 and this work would help to further improve water quality in the area.

Question 2 from Councillor Taylor to Councillor Riddle

The riverside footpath between Attlee Park and Plessey Woods has deteriorated further, can I say many thanks for your very swift response with my recent alert. The Council has assigned funding to this via the LTP, can you advise when works will commence on repairs and what will be the priority?

Councillor Riddle replied that the Council allocated £15,000 in 2022/23 to repair and reconstruct the riverside footpath at Humford Mill. A further £85,000 had now been allocated to implement the scheme to repair and reconstruct the riverside footpath. To undertake the works it was necessary to secure consent from the Environment Agency (EA). Subject to this, it was envisaged that the works would be undertaken this summer.

Question 3 from Councillor Taylor to Councillor Riddle

A terrible accident happened in the plantation area of Bedlington (the woods behind the police station down to Gallagher Park) last week when a residents dog was fatally injured via a freak accident which occurred following some work which was being carried out to fell and chip the woodlands. When alerted I contacted officers and received a super fast response, they visited the resident to collect facts, can you please advise what if any remedial action will be taken to prevent further accidents?

Councillor Riddle replied that the Council had been in contact with the owner of the dog to investigate the accident which occurred in an area of woodland which had suffered from extensive damage during Storm Arwen and which had recently been cleared by forestry contractors acting on behalf of the Council. Having inspected the area it was considered that the contractors had left the area in an acceptable condition. The Council’s first priority to ensure public safety at the park was to make sure that all dangerous  ...  view the full minutes text for item 6.

Appointment of the Council’s Monitoring Officer

Section 5 of the Local Government & Housing Act 1989 requires the Council to designate one of its Officers as Monitoring Officer. In accordance with the Local Authorities (Standing Orders) (England) Regulations 2000, matters relating to the appointment of a Monitoring Officer are reserved to the Full Council.

The purpose of this report is to consider the recommendation of the Staff and Appointments Committee held on 9 March 2023 to appoint Stephen Gerrard as the Council’s Monitoring Officer (MO). This recommendation was the subject of the following published report Agenda for Staff and Appointments Committee on Thursday, 9th March, 2023, 2.00 pm - Agenda for Staff and Appointments Committee on Thursday, 9th March, 2023, 2.00 pm - Northumberland County Council (moderngov.co.uk)

Mr Gerrard’s CV is attached as a confidential appendix.

Appointment of the Council’s Monitoring Officer

Section 5 of the Local Government & Housing Act 1989 required the Council to designate one of its Officers as Monitoring Officer. In accordance with the Local Authorities (Standing Orders) (England) Regulations 2000, matters relating to the appointment of a Monitoring Officer are reserved to the Full Council. The report asked members to consider the recommendation of the Staff and Appointments Committee held on 9 March 2023 to appoint Stephen Gerrard as the Council’s Monitoring Officer (MO).

This recommendation was the subject of the following published report for the Staff and Appointments Committee on 9 March 2023. Mr Gerrard’s CV was attached as a confidential appendix.?

The report was presented by the Leader. He moved the report’s recommendations, which was seconded by Councillor Wearmouth.

A number of points were made including:-

•         Councillor Morphet asked whether this was a full or part time post, and how often would Mr Gerrard be in county hall. Members were advised that this was a full time post and Mr Gerrard had indicated that his presence in the office would be key for the next two years.

•         Councillor Hill felt it was a positive move that the MO team had grown and that there was now more than one independent person. She hoped this would continue.

•         The Leader agreed this was a good position to be in and over time the already good team would grow and be able to take on the MO role from in house. He thanked Suki Binjal for the work she had done during her time with the Authority.

•         Councillor Bawn agreed with the comments regarding the interim MO. She had steered the Council through difficult times with skill, determination and fairness. Sincere thanks should be recorded.

RESOLVED that:-

(a )     Council accept the recommendation from the Staff and Appointments Committee to appoint Stephen Gerrard as the Council’s Monitoring Officer for a fixed period of two years; and

(b ) Council note that the effective date of commencement of employment is to be confirmed following all the necessary pre-employment checks. The commencement date had been provisionally agreed as 5 June 2023.

Members welcomed Mr Gerrard to the meeting.

The Business Chair then reported that from March next year there would be an annual report from the Scrutiny Chairs outlining the work the Scrutiny Committee had taken forward. The following report would also be an annual report setting out the key achievements of the preceding twelve months

Council Achievements 2022-23

To highlight key achievements of the Council in the year 2022-23.

Council Achievements 2022-23

The report highlighted key achievements of the Council in the year 2022-23.

The Leader presented the report. He felt it was important to spend some time acknowledging the great things which the Council did. It was also important to recognise the strengths, abilities and dedication of all Council staff. He knew that all members appreciated the efforts staff made and so it was important to acknowledge the achievements. He then drew members’ attention to the key points of the report. He ended by urging all members to pause and reflect on how good the Council was, how far it had come, how great its ambition was and how good its staff were. He moved the recommendations, which were seconded by Councillor Wearmouth.

Councillor Dickinson commented that all members had a responsibility as councillors corporately and this document recognised that and the partners it worked with and the organisations which supported it and helped it deliver. The document showed the dedication and commitment of staff and his Group welcomed it. He hoped everyone would read it.

Councillor Reid commented that he did not see the delivery of the Council budget as an achievement as that was something the Council had to do. He also wondered how the provision of additional car parking fitted into the Council’s climate change agenda when the aim was to persuade people to use cars less. He felt there should be more focus on bus services, which should be subsidised if needed.

Councillor Morphet appreciated the update on the Council’s climate change actions but there was no data to show where the Council was on its journey to net zero. He asked that next year’s report contained more data on this, and that an update be provided on the current year on this.

Councillor Oliver commented this was a fantastic list of achievements which demonstrated the wide variety work which the Council did. He asked if there would be an extension to the Corbridge car park included in the report next year.

Councillor Daley commented that a lot had been achieved during troubled times. In 2017 when the Conservative Administration had begun, Children’s Services had not been performing well and this had a major impact on children’s lives. He welcomed the report but suggested that in future it was structured into themes. He referred to the points in the report on education and highlighted to members what some of the achievements meant to people in real life and the impacts and differences these were making to communities. The report provided a good opportunity to benchmark the Council’s position and to aim higher, and showed that where there was clear focus and effort, then excellent results could be achieved. He urged members to work together more to get the best outcomes for communities.

Councillor Gallacher commented that the Leader had referred to Ashington,  Newbiggin and Blyth recently at a LAC meeting as rural areas and there had been a pledge from him to respect that.  ...  view the full minutes text for item 8.

Challenge Board Interim Report 2 for the Member Oversight Group

To consider and respond to the second interim report of the Challenge Board, provided to the Member Oversight Group on the 3rd March 2023.

Challenge Board Interim Report 2 for the Member Oversight Group

Members were asked to consider and respond to the second interim report of the Challenge Board, provided to the Member Oversight Group on the 3rd March 2023.

The report was proposed by the Leader and seconded by Councillor Stewart.

Councillor Dale commented that she would like to see an overarching plan of how leadership of the Council as a whole would be taken forward, which members could all sign up to. This could be considered by Group Leaders.

The Leader responded that one of the recommendations in the Caller Report was around member development and a template on member personal development plans had been sent to members for them to complete. This would enable them to highlight those areas where they wanted more development and would inform a tailored programme of training beginning in May. This work was being overseen by the Member Services Working Group.

Councillor Dickinson commented that there were a number of recommendations and issues in the report which members had seen twice now around member engagement and access to information. The Group Leaders were not confident that the MOG was working so he asked how the engagement process could be corrected and how could they be supported in terms of actual oversight of the work being done. There were a number of recommendations which needed to be achieved and quickly, because staff and partner organisations involved with the Council deserved this to be done correctly. To remain on the trajectory which Councillor Wearmouth had previously referred to, the rest had to be got right.

Councillor Hill asked if the Council was going to keep the Challenge Board and if so, what were the timescales. What was the process going to be regarding their work?

In response to these comments, the Leader replied that the next phase would be discussed with the Challenge Board soon. He was confident that the Council was on track meet the recommendations and was keen to maintain the pace of progress, to think of the next big challenges and to place the Council at the forefront of County Councils in the country. He was grateful to the Group Leaders for their collegiate approach and was happy with the progress which had been made.

Councillor Kennedy referred to the comments in the report regarding the budget process and the involvement of the Opposition Groups. The budget was clearly a key milestone and he asked the Leader if this point could be addressed properly in future years. The Leader stressed this was the Challenge Board’s report and if there were questions on its content, they should be addressed to the Board.

Councillor Morphet suggested that the report’s recommendations should be for the Council to “accept” and not “note” the findings of the Challenge Board report. The Monitoring Officer advised that this was in effect an amendment to the report’s recommendation. This would need to be written down and seconded, and then dealt with as  ...  view the full minutes text for item 9.

Pay Policy Statement of Northumberland County Council 2023/2024

The Localism Act 2011 requires the County Council to prepare and publish a Pay Policy Statement. The purpose of such a statement is to articulate the Council’s policies towards a range of issues relating to the pay of its workforce, particularly its senior staff and its lowest paid employees.

The Council wishes to ensure that it operates on the principles of equal pay for work of equal value, and also within the various other legislative requirements, including the Equality Act 2010.

The policy statement applies to the 2023-24 financial year.  The policy will be reviewed annually and takes into account the statutory guidance on openness and transparency issued by the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities. (DLUHC.)

Pay Policy Statement of Northumberland County Council 2023/2024

The Localism Act 2011 required the County Council to prepare and publish a Pay Policy Statement. The purpose of such a statement was to articulate the Council’s policies towards a range of issues relating to the pay of its workforce, particularly its senior staff and its lowest paid employees.

The policy statement applied to the 2023-24 financial year.? The policy would be reviewed annually and took into account the statutory guidance on openness and transparency issued by the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities. (DLUHC).

The report was presented by Councillor Wearmouth and seconded by Councillor Reid.

In response to a question from the Leader, Councillor Wearmouth advised that he had a paper to circulate to members that around 60% of the Council’s workforce were women and that on balance, they were paid slightly more than men.

With regard to Appendix 2, Councillor Dickinson sought clarification that provisions which had previously been put in for clarification on officer employment terms and conditions were now being proposed for deletion. He queried whether it should be assumed going forward that the Chief Executive was employed under the JNC Chief Executives terms and conditions and that paragraph 9 related to JNC for Chief Officers. He was very keen to ensure that these issues were absolutely clear, and asked why they were being deleted “for legal clarity.” 

The Monitoring Officer replied that there had been a lot of confusion regarding senior officers’ terms and conditions and No.9 had been amended to reflect the work which had been done to get senior officers onto JNC. There were some officers who were employed on Northumberland County Council terms and conditions but efforts were being made to align all of the terms and conditions going forward. Each year things were being found which needed to be tidied up and updated and the Statement was a living document to be updated as necessary. She would ask the Director of HR to respond in writing if she had forgotten anything.

Councillor Morphet welcomed the fact that the pay multiple had fallen, but felt it would be more informative to see the ratio of maximum to minimum pay and he asked if this could be included in future pay policy statements. Councillor Wearmouth agreed to take advice on that and would do so, if it was possible.

RESOLVED that the amended Pay Policy Statement 2023-24 set out at Appendix 1.

The Council is invited to consider passing the following resolution:

(a)      That under Section 100A (4) of the Local Government Act 1972, the press and public be excluded from the meeting during consideration of the following item on the agenda as it involves the likely disclosure of exempt information as defined in Part I of Schedule 12A of the 1972 Act, and

(b)      That the public interest in maintaining the exemption outweighs the public interest in disclosure for the following reasons:-?

Agenda Item - 12

Paragraph of Part I of Schedule 12A – 1 and 2

Information relating to any individual and information which is likely to reveal the identity of an individual

AND   The public interest in maintaining the exemption outweighs the interest in disclosure because disclosure would adversely affect the Authority’s interests.

Appointment of the Council’s Monitoring Officer

To consider the attached Appendix 1 under Agenda item 7 in Part 1 of this agenda.