Agenda and minutes

The Monitoring Officer called for nominations. Councillor Wearmouth nominated Councillor Flux which was seconded by the Leader. There were no other nominations.

RESOLVED that Councillor Flux be elected Chairman of the Council for the ensuing year.

Councillor Flux nominated Councillor Seymour, which was seconded by Councillor Cessford. There were no other nominations.

RESOLVED that Councillor Seymour be elected Deputy Chairman of the Council for the ensuing year.

Councillor Flux advised members that his role was designated as Chairman and Councillor Seymour’s as Deputy Chairman and together both these roles were the civic and ceremonial heads of the Council.  By local protocol, as Chairman, he would predominantly lead on matters of Council business and Councillor Seymour would predominately lead on ceremonial matters on his behalf, and in his absence would act as the Ceremonial Head, representing the County Council at civic events. He then called on Councillor Cessford to address Council on his work in the past year as Chair.

Councillor Cessford reported that he had carried out over 140 engagements during the course of the year of a very wide variety. It had been a great pleasure to be involved in armed forces events and to meet other civic heads from around the region. A total of £20,012.97 had been raised for his charity Tynedale Hospice at Home. He thanked Susan Taylor, Tracy Hollan and Jackie Roll for their hard work and support during the course of the year and then handed the chain of office to Councillor Seymour.

Councillor Seymour thanked members for the honour of being elected Deputy Chairman and ceremonial head of the Council. She would do her best to serve the Council and County to the best of her ability. Her charities would be The Samaritans, MND and the Stroke Association. She thanked Councillor Cessford for his service and dedication during the previous year.

Councillor Flux commented that there was a lot to be done in terms of managing the Council’s formal business as well as representing the Council at Civic engagements and to help him and Councillor Seymour do that, he asked Councillor Beynon to support her in her role for the coming year.

Apologies were received from Councillors Dale, Ferguson, Jackson, Mather, Nisbet, Richardson, Scott, Taylor, Towns and Wallace.

(i)       Minutes of the meeting of County Council held on Wednesday 22 March 2023, as circulated, to be confirmed as a true record (see pages 9-18).

(ii)       Minutes of the extraordinary meeting of County Council held on Wednesday 22 March 2023, as circulated, to be confirmed as a true record (see pages 19-22).

RESOLVED that:-

(a)      The minutes of the meeting of County Council held on Wednesday 22 March 2023, as circulated, be confirmed as a true record.

(b)      The minutes of the extraordinary meeting of County Council held on Wednesday 22 March 2023, as circulated, be confirmed as a true record.

The Leader thanked the staff who had been involved in events during the Coronation weekend which had been very successful. Local heroes’ awards had been presented to over 60 people from across the County.

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.

To receive the names of the Deputy Leader and Members of the Cabinet appointed by the Leader.

The list of members and portfolios had been circulated in the Chamber as follows:-

          Deputy Leader and Corporate Services Richard Wearmouth

          Supporting Business and Opportunities Wojciech Ploszaj

          Inspiring Young People                          Guy Renner Thompson

          Caring for Adults                                    Wendy Pattison

          Looking after our Communities               Gordon Stewart

          Promoting Healthy Lives                         Jeff Watson

          Improving our Roads and Highways       John Riddle

          Looking after our Environment                Colin Horncastle

          Improving Public Health and Wellbeing   David Ferguson

The Leader highlighted that the Cabinet had been increased by two with revised portfolios. This had been discussed with Group Leaders and he explained the reasoning behind this. The deputy Cabinet Members had not been appointed.

Establishment of Committees and Appointment of Chairs and Vice Chairs

To make arrangements for the discharge of the non-executive functions of the County Council through the appointment of committees, to appoint members to those committees in accordance with the proportionality of the Council, to agree their terms of reference as set out in the Constitution, and to appoint Chairs and Vice Chairs (see APPENDIX A and B to the rear of the agenda).

Establishment of Committees and Appointment of Chairs and Vice Chairs

The report made arrangements for the discharge of the non-executive functions of the County Council through the appointment of committees, asked Council to appoint members to those committees in accordance with the proportionality of the Council, to agree their terms of reference as set out in the Constitution, and to appoint Chairs and Vice Chairs. An updated Appendix A and B was circulated in the Chamber (copy attached to the sealed minutes).

The recommendations were moved by Councillor Stewart and seconded by Councillor Wearmouth.

RESOLVED that:-

(a )     Council establishes the committees, agrees the size and numbers of members of the committees and appoints the chairs of committees set out in Appendix A;

(b )     Council appoints the working groups currently established by Council, numbers of members and chairs and approves the terms of reference as set out in Appendix B; 

(c )     Council appoints ungrouped members to committees of the Council; and 

(d )     authority be delegated to the Monitoring Officer to appoint members of committees on the nomination of their respective Group Leader.

Appointments to Outside Bodies 2023-24

Council is asked to agree its nominations to outside bodies (see pages 23-26).

Appointments to Outside Bodies 2023-24

Council was asked to agree its nominations to outside bodies.

This was proposed by the Leader and seconded by Councillor Hill.

Councillor Dickinson asked if there had been any change to the nominations following the recent local council election results. The Leader advised that this would be checked, and welcomed representation from opposition groups where this was available.

Councillor Morphet highlighted that there were no names to the nominations and asked if a list could be provided. Members were advised that there had been very few changes to the existing representation, but a list would be sent to members for information.

RESOLVED that:-

(a )     Council agree its nominations to the bodies detailed in the appendix at the end of the report; and

(b)      Council note the positions on the North of Tyne Combined Authority Committees, and the North East Combined Authority and North of Tyne Combined Authority Joint Transport Committees, and authorise the Head of Democratic and Electoral Services, in consultation with the appropriate Group Leaders, to make any changes to the determination of allocation to political groupings which may be necessary following the May elections in the region, and as advised to the Council by the NOT and NECA secretariat.

Timetable of Meetings for 2023-24

To seek Council’s approval of the annual timetable of meetings for 2023-24 (see pages 27-30).

Timetable of Meetings for 2023-24

The report sought Council’s approval of the annual timetable of meetings for 2023-24.

This was moved by Councillor Watson and seconded by Councillor Wearmouth.

RESOLVED that:-

(a )     that the annual timetable of meetings for 2023-24 attached to the report be agreed; and

(b )     Working Groups consider and agree their own timetable of meetings for 2023-24 (detailed in the appendix A) at their first meetings after the annual Council meeting.  

Corporate Plan 2023-26

This Report presents the Council’s Corporate Plan for 2023-2026. The Plan builds on the progress from the previous Corporate Plan and presents a refreshed vision, and three Council priorities. This refresh takes account of the changing operating context and the recommendations of the Independent Review of Governance (‘Caller Review’) which reported to Full Council in June 2022.  Moving forward, the three Priorities in the Plan will set the context for the Council’s Budget and Medium-Term Financial planning process.  Service planning, the performance framework, and staff appraisal process will all contribute to achieving the priorities (see pages 31-36). 

Corporate Plan 2023-26

The report presented the Council’s Corporate Plan for 2023-2026. The Plan built on the progress from the previous Corporate Plan and presented a refreshed vision, and three Council priorities. The refresh took account of the changing operating context and the recommendations of the Independent Review of Governance (‘Caller Review’) which reported to Full Council in June 2022. Moving forward, the three Priorities in the Plan would set the context for the Council’s Budget and Medium-Term Financial planning process. Service planning, the performance framework, and staff appraisal process would all contribute to achieving the priorities.

The Leader introduced the Plan which had had significant input from all members and partners. It set out what the Council wanted to achieve in the next three years and the headline was meeting the Council’s three key priorities.  He stressed this was not the Administration’s Corporate Plan but instead belonged to the Council as a whole. He proposed the recommendations, which were seconded by Councillor Wearmouth.

A number of comments were made by members including:-

•         Councillor Dickinson supported the comments made about the ambition in the Plan and the fundamental principles, adding that all members had participated in engagement sessions. He would like to see some information on progress with Key Performance Indicators included so this could be actively monitored. The Leader agreed with this.

•         Councillor Morphet did not feel that VFM should be a key priority as this should be fundamental to what Councils provided. It had only become a key priority because council funding had been cut to the bone by the government and his Group felt the third priority should be the climate and ecological emergency.

•         Councillor Hill commented that there were many things to support in the Corporate Plan and she agreed with the three key overarching aims. There were some elements in it which she felt were possibly unrealistic, and some understatements. Her specific concern was around the implication that the North of Tyne Combined Authority was automatically a good thing and widely supported by all members. She reminded members that this arrangement was not put to referendum or to a vote at full Council. Consultation was not the same as democracy. She was concerned that working towards a “stronger NoT Combined Authority” meant expansion without the involvement of any democratic process such as a vote in Council or a referendum.

The Leader agreed some of the ambitions were lofty, but he would not want to do anything else. Regarding consultation, there had been much more face to face consultation in the last year and this would continue. However, the Council had not been given the task of doing a referendum but of doing consultation, and this would show that Northumberland had done more consultation than any of the other Councils. Finally, he thanked everyone for their contributions to the Plan.

On being put to the vote by a show of hands, there voted FOR: a substantial majority; AGAINST: 2; ABSTENIONS:0. It was therefore  ...  view the full minutes text for item 11.

Review of the Effectiveness and Function of Local Area Councils (Committees)

A review and detailed analysis has been undertaken by the Local Area Councils (Committees) Chairs and Vice Chairs. This has examined the role, context and operational issues arising in discussions about how to enhance the effectiveness and function of the Local Area Councils (Committees), with an overarching goal of stimulating greater public engagement.  The report summarises the recommendations of the review and sets out a suggested series of changes that cover both “business as usual” refinements, as well as some more substantive changes (see pages 37-58).

Review of the Effectiveness and Function of Local Area Councils (Committees)

A review and detailed analysis had been undertaken by the Local Area Councils (Committees) Chairs and Vice Chairs. This had examined the role, context and operational issues arising in discussions about how to enhance the effectiveness and function of the Local Area Councils (Committees), with an overarching goal of stimulating greater public engagement. The report summarised the recommendations of the review and set out a suggested series of changes that covered both “business as usual” refinements, as well as some more substantive changes.

The report was introduced by the Leader and he drew members’ attention to the key points; these would be called “Committees” and there was a need for greater public engagement which would be down to the Chairs on how this was achieved. The main aim was delegated budgets for the LACS but for now the community chest was being rejigged to allow it to become more of a focal point of the LAC meeting, which would encourage better dialogue with local residents. He also highlighted the return of the county wide Rights of Way Committee and moved the report’s recommendations, which was seconded by Councillor Swinburn.

A number of points were raised including:-

•         Councillor Dickinson asked if the delegated budgets would be at the same level as currently and hoped no funding would be taken away. The Leader replied that the community chest funding would remain at the same level for this year. As budget deliberations began for next year, budgets along with delegated budgets would be considered.

•         Councillor Reid acknowledged that community engagement was very difficult because most residents would rather leave the decision making to councillors than attend meetings themselves, apart from on planning applications. He would support the report but it was much the same as what other Administrations had tried previously. He suggested that there should be a comprehensive consultation with residents to find out how they wanted to be engaged with the Council in a sustainable way, instead of telling them how they could do it.

•         Councillor Swinburn commented that the Council was not engaging properly with its residents through the LACS because reports were going to them which were of interest to members not the public. He had suggested to the Leader and Councillor Castle recently that the Council needed to ask its residents what information they wanted brought to the LACS and what they needed help with. Then they would be engaged.

•         Councillor Kennedy commented that valid points were being made. Hexham Town Council had in the past hired a market stall at Hexham Market which allowed the public to drop in when it suited them and it had worked very well.

•         Councillor Dodd remarked that it was up to members to make the LACS work. They enabled local backbench members to discuss problems in their division with officers direct, which wasn’t always acknowledged.

•         Councillor Dickinson firstly thanked the Leader for incorporating comments  ...  view the full minutes text for item 12.

Review and Redraft of the Constitution 2023

1.       For Council to adopt the Council’s redrafted Constitution.

2.       To note the 2022/23 Constitution and Scrutiny review work programme and the Member and officer engagement sessions that have taken place since late autumn last year.

3.       To note the recommendations from the Constitution Working Group (CWG) and Scrutiny Leads/Chairs that took place during the review and redraft.

4.       To note the continued remit of the Constitution Working Group of on-going oversight over the Constitution in conjunction with the Council’s Monitoring Officer.

5.       Following the approval and adoption of the redrafted constitution, Members are requested to note the implementation work programme, the proposed sequence of change, and embedding, of the redrafted constitution as set out in paragraph 11 of the report (see pages 59 - 76).

Review and Redraft of the Constitution 2023

Council was asked to adopt the Council’s redrafted Constitution, to note the 2022/23 Constitution and Scrutiny review work programme and the Member and officer engagement sessions which had taken place, to note the recommendations from the Constitution Working Group (CWG) and Scrutiny Leads/Chairs that took place during the review and redraft, to note the continued remit of the Constitution Working Group of on-going oversight over the Constitution in conjunction with the Council’s Monitoring Officer and, following the approval and adoption of the redrafted constitution, Members were requested to note the implementation work programme, the proposed sequence of change, and embedding, of the redrafted constitution as set out in paragraph 11 of the report.

The report was presented by the Leader and he moved the recommendations which was seconded by Councillor Hill. He thanked all those who had been involved in its development.

Councillor Dickinson commended the work of colleagues on the Constitution Working Group. It was important that all councillors and officers understood the document. Regarding the need for improvement to cultures and behaviours, this document would help with that. The engagement and contributions had been very positive and the resulting document made things a lot clearer for everyone.

Councillor Morphet welcomed the work which had gone into this but added that it had clearly been rushed and needed a good proof read and tidy up, which he had been assured would happen.

Councillor Hill felt this had been an excellent exercise resulting in a document which everyone involved should be proud of. She felt it would be useful if each member had a printed copy and hoped that it would be continuously monitored and improved upon.

The Chair agreed that the Constitution Working Group had done a lot of work on this, and he thanked all of those who had helped on the extensive consultation exercise which had been carried out. There had been a lot of collaborative working.

The Leader drew members’ attention to the recommendations and thanked everyone for playing their part in the Constitution’s development.

RESOLVED that:-

(a)      Council agree to adopt the redrafted Constitution for implementation with effect from 17th May 2023; and

(b)      authority be delegated to the Monitoring Officer to make such changes to the Council’s Constitution as they deem to be necessary and in the Council’s interests to do so, which shall be in consultation with the Chair of the Constitution Working Group where the monitoring officer considers appropriate, and which do not materially change any principles previously approved by the Council including, but not limited to, changes:

i)        amounting to routine revisions

ii)        to provide appropriate clarity

iii)       to correct typographical and other drafting errors

iv)       to reflect new legislation

v)       to correct inconsistencies in drafting

vi)       to reflect new officer structures and job titles, properly approved through Council processes.

To receive and consider the following annual reports (enclosed as APPENDIX C to the rear of the agenda):-  

(1)      Overview and Scrutiny Committees

(2)      Standards Committee

(3)      Armed Forces Forum

(1)      Overview and Scrutiny Committees

Each of the Scrutiny Chairs presented their individual reports highlighting the key issues which had emerged during the course of the previous year.

(2)      Standards Committee

This was presented by Councillor Flux. This had been a significant year in terms of workload and developments for the Standards Committee and he thanked the Chair, Mr Joe Jackson for his work.

(3)      Armed Forces Forum

Councillors J. Watson and Castle presented the report highlighting the key issues in this very important service.

RESOLVED that the annual reports be received.