Agenda

Minutes of the meeting of County Council held on Wednesday 6 November 2024, as circulated, to be confirmed as a true record.

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 questions provided on notice from and to provide answers to the public in accordance with the Council’s Procedure Rules.

To receive questions provided on notice from and to provide answers to Members of the Council in accordance with the Council’s Procedure Rules.

To share with all Members the Final Report from the Local Government’s Association’s (LGA) Progress Review undertaken in October 2024.

To report on activity in relation to the Corporate Safeguarding policy that has been in place since 1 April 2024. This is the first annual update report following introduction of the policy in April 2024.

To agree in principle to all Members undertaking DBS checks upon election.

This is the Annual Report from the Cabinet Member for Promoting Healthy Lives. The report contains issues that set the context for delivery of the Portfolio. It highlights achievements over the past year and, outlines the areas of focus for the coming year.

This is the Annual Report from the Cabinet Member for Tackling Inequalities.  The report contains issues that set the context for delivery of the Portfolio. It highlights achievements over the past year and, outlines the areas of focus for the coming year.

To seek approval of the election fees payable to staff proposed to be applied for local elections (to include casual vacancies).

In accordance with Council Procedure Rule No.1.2.11, Councillor Mather to move the following motion, received by Democratic Services on 30 December 2024:-

Farming and the countryside face a time of great uncertainty and financial difficulty.

As a County with the largest percentage of tenanted farms as well as a large amount of family owned farms, the current situation affects not just those directly involved in the day to day running of their farms but a wide range of supplying businesses, jobs, and rural communities right across Northumberland.

The recent 2024 Autumn Budget change to Inheritance Tax relief announced by the Labour Government will introduce a Family Farm Tax and will have a serious detrimental impact on Family Farms and farmers’ ability to pass on their farms to the next generation of farmers.

Inheritance Tax reliefs like APR (Agricultural Property Relief) reduce the amount of tax farmers and landowners have to pay when farmland is passed to the next generation after a death.  This helps farms stay within the family to allow them to continue to look after the countryside and produce food for the country. To justify this move the government have used figures which are misleading and incorrect according to many observers including the NFU. In fact, the NFU state up to half of all working farms, possibly more, could be impacted by the new rules, not the 25% claimed by the government.

Inheritance tax may have the headline but what do these changes mean for all our tenant farmers? The reduction of delinked payment has been a sudden and drastic change when many farmers were counting on a smooth transition but new options are simply not available for many Northumbrian farmers leaving a financial gap with rents and bills still to pay

The support that Northumberland County Council has shown towards the farming and rural sector in recent years is greatly valued, in particular the recent review into the future of farming in the County that was accepted by the previous Defra minister.

The Council is asked to pass the following motion:

1.       The Leader of the Council writes to the Secretary of State for the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs along with the four Northumberland MPs, to outline the Councils dismay at the decision made in the recent Budget to restrict Agricultural Property Relief and calls upon the government to reverse the decision and thus stop the Family Farm Tax.

2.       The Leader and Cabinet engages with local farmers and rural community representatives to consider what support the Council might offer to them.

3.       The Leader and Cabinet considers an invitation to  the committee which drew up the recommendations in the Future of Farming in Northumberland to allow for further deliberation given the very difficult situation in which farming and rural communities and businesses in Northumberland now find themselves. This report will be made available to the full council.

4.       An invitation to the DEFRA Secretary of State should be made to visit the County.  ...  view the full agenda text for item 12.

To appoint Vice Chairs to the following, following a change within Labour Group. In accordance with the Constitution, these appointments are made by Council:-

•         Corporate Services and Economic Growth OSC

•         Safeguarding and Corporate Parenting Working Group