Agenda

Minutes of the meeting of the Tynedale Local Area Committee, held on 13 February 2024, as circulated, to be confirmed as a true record, and signed by the Chair.

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 reply to any questions received from members of the public, which may be received in writing in advance of the meeting or asked at the meeting. Questions can be asked about issues for which the Council has a responsibility. If questions are received in advance of meetings it will increase the likelihood of an answer being provided at the meeting. (Public question times take place on a bimonthly basis at Local Area Committee meetings: in January, March, May, July, September and November each year.)

As agreed by the County Council in February 2012, the management of local public question times is at the discretion of the Chair of the committee.

Please note however that a question may possibly be rejected if it requires the disclosure of any categories of confidential or exempt information, namely information:

1.      relating to any individual;

2.      which is likely to reveal the identity of an individual;

3.      relating to the financial or business affairs of any particular person;

4.      relating to any labour relations matters/negotiations;

5.      restricted to legal proceedings;

6.      about enforcement/enacting legal orders;

7.      relating to the prevention, investigation of prosecution of crime.

And/or:

·        is defamatory, frivolous or offensive;

·        it is substantially the same as a question which has been put at a meeting of this or another County Council committee in the past six months;

·        the request repeats an identical or very similar question from the same person;

·        the cost of providing an answer is disproportionate;

·        it is being separately addressed through the Council's complaints process;

·        it is not about a matter for which the Council has a responsibility or which affects the county;

·        it relates to planning, licensing and/or other regulatory applications;

·        it is a question that town/parish councils would normally be expected to raise through other channels.

If the Chair is of the opinion that a question is one which, for whatever reason, cannot properly be asked in an area meeting, he/she will disallow it and inform the resident of his/her decision.

Copies of any written answers (without individuals' personal contact details) will be provided for members after the meeting and also be publicly available.

Democratic Services will confirm the status of the progress on any previously requested written answers and follow up any related actions requested by the Local Area Committee.

This item is to:

a)      Receive any new petitions: to receive any new petitions.  The lead petitioner is entitled to briefly introduce their petition by providing a statement in writing, and a response to any petitions received will then be organised for a future meeting;

b)     Consider reports on petitions previously received: (none).

c)      Receive any updates on petitions for which a report was previously considered: any updates will be verbally reported at the meeting.

Recipients of Community Chest Grants in the Tynedale area will give a short presentation to the committee explaining how the grant has helped their business or charity.

Inspector Kate Benson (Neighbourhood Policing (Rural)) will be in attendance to provide an update on policing within the Tynedale area and answer questions from Members.

John Cooper, Strategic Programmes Manage, Digital and IT, will give a presentation on the transition from analogue to digital landlines by Openreach and to address concerns around resilience in the event of power cuts and/or major storms.

To note the latest version of agreed items for future Local Area Committee meetings (any suggestions for new agenda items will require confirmation by the Chairman of Council after the meeting).

The next meeting will be held on 21 May 2024.

To consider such other business as, in the opinion of the Chair, should, by reason of special circumstances, be considered as a matter of urgency.