Agenda, decisions and minutes

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Contact: Angela Cox, Democratic Services Specialist - 01935 462148  Email: angela.cox@southsomerset.gov.uk

Items
No. Item

194.

Apologies for Absence

Minutes:

An apology for absence was received from Councillor Henry Hobhouse.

195.

Declarations of Interest

In accordance with the Council's current Code of Conduct (as amended 26 February 2015), which includes all the provisions relating to Disclosable Pecuniary Interests (DPI), personal and prejudicial interests, Members are asked to declare any DPI and also any personal interests (and whether or not such personal interests are also "prejudicial") in relation to any matter on the Agenda for this meeting.

Members are reminded that they need to declare the fact that they are also a member of a County, Town or Parish Council as a Personal Interest. Where you are also a member of Somerset County Council and/or a Town or Parish Council within South Somerset you must declare a prejudicial interest in any business on the agenda where there is a financial benefit or gain or advantage to Somerset County Council and/or a Town or Parish Council which would be at the cost or to the financial disadvantage of South Somerset District Council. 

Minutes:

There were no declarations of interest made by Members.

196.

Public Question Time

Minutes:

The Committee were addressed by the Chairman of Bruton Town Council.  He thanked the Chief Executive and Leader of Council for their meeting with Bruton Town Council the previous day to discuss the Stronger Somerset business case and he said they welcomed the proposals as a significant step forward from previous discussions.  He highlighted 4 points as:-

 

·         Genuine devolution to Town and Parish Councils with the SALC recommendations of local power, local presence, local governance.

·         Recognise there was a lot to be done in the care sector which was currently operated by SCC and detail would be added over the next year.

·         The reference to climate emergency throughout the business case and building resilience and designing it into a new system.

·         Ask for a proportionate voting system.

 

The Chairman said it was the Council’s intention to work closely with SALC and the Town and Parish Councils on the Stronger Somerset business case and she thanked the Chairman of Bruton Town Council for his contribution.

197.

Chairman's Announcements

Minutes:

The Chairman said it was a very important day for Somerset with the debate of the Stronger Somerset Business Case.

198.

Stronger Somerset Business Case pdf icon PDF 112 KB

Additional documents:

Decision:

 

RESOLVED:

That District agreed to:-

 

a.

endorse the Business Case for the reform of local government including the creation of 2 unitary Councils within Somerset, and recommend its approval to full Council, at the next meeting on 10th September 2020;

 

 

b.

delegate authority to the Leader of the Council and the Chief Executive, in consultation with the other Somerset District Leaders and Chief Executives, to make minor amendments to the Business Case as necessary and / or appropriate, ahead of its submission to the Secretary of State;

 

 

c.

support the continuing consultation with local stakeholders, above and beyond any programme of consultation that may be required by the Government in due course;

 

 

d.

note that in the best interests of the communities and residents of South Somerset, the Council will continue to work with colleagues across all tiers of local government and public service in Somerset.

 

Reason:

To agree the case for change in Somerset; a case for reform and reorganisation to deliver better outcomes for the people, places and businesses in Somerset.  This is detailed in the Stronger Somerset Business Case and summarised in the Executive Summary.  It has been prepared for the purposes of submission to the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government in September 2020.

 

(Voting: unanimous in favour)

Minutes:

The Chairman said the timetable for the unitary proposals had been escalated as the County Council had already submitted their One Somerset unitary authority bid to the Secretary of State.  She outlined the history of the work of the 5 Somerset Councils to work more closely to deliver local government in a better way and the decision of the County Council to pursue their single unitary bid.  The Stronger Somerset bid by the 4 District Councils proposed two unitary councils which focussed on sustainable services, a stronger economy and improved quality of life.  She said over the previous 30 years, various forms of unitary governance had been proposed, the most recent being 2007 which was not pursued by the Government. 

 

The Chairman said the proposals were not just about reducing costs but also finding a better way to use the available resources.  The current financial challenges would not improve soon and the demand for services would not reduce.  If the District Councils were invited by the Secretary of State to submit a business case for unitary status then they needed to be able to respond in a timely manner.  She commended the Business Case to Members and invited questions.

 

Councillor John Clark said he supported the business case and read out a statement explaining his reasons as scale, democracy and reform.  He said there were currently 269 County and District Councillors representing a population of 569,000 which was 2,115 residents per Councillor.  The single unitary option proposed 100 Councillors which would mean nearly 6,000 residents per Councillor which was a 63% reduction in local representation.  The two unitary proposal would mean a reduction of 26% which was acceptable.  He said the District Councils were more involved with local towns, villages and residents and he felt the single unitary authority would not embrace the current local involvement. 

 

During discussion, the following points were made:-

 

·         There was no recognition of the current differences between County and District Authorities roles and services. 

·         The County proposal was the disbanding of all 5 Somerset Councils and together forming a new one with the shadow cabinet comprising of the existing Leaders and Chief Executives of all 5 councils.  It was not a take-over by one council or another.

·         The Stronger Somerset business case needed typos correcting.

·         Somerset should learn from the mistakes made by previous unitary authorities during their formation. 

·         The business case had looked at the issues facing Somerset and there was a stronger link to communities and councillor representation in the Stronger Somerset bid.  It also acknowledged the differences in industry between the east of the county and the west.

·         Modern ways of working through collaboration with a wider partnership were proposed in the Stronger Somerset bid.

·         The last unitary council bid in 2007 was not supported by the local population in the poll. 

·         Each Unitary Authority would have its own Constitution but there may be some services which could be delivered in collaboration with the police, health sector, Town and Parish Councils and  ...  view the full minutes text for item 198.

199.

Date of Next Meeting

The next scheduled meeting of the District Executive will take place on Thursday, 1st October 2020 as a virtual meeting via Zoom meeting software commencing at 9.30 a.m.

 

Minutes:

Members noted that the next scheduled meeting of the District Executive would take place on Thursday, 1st October 2020 as a virtual meeting via Zoom meeting software commencing at 9.30 a.m.