Agenda, decisions and draft minutes

Apologies for absence were received from Councillors Barbara Appleby, Neil Bloomfield, Hayward Burt, Martin Carnell, Nick Colbert, Henry Hobhouse, Ben Hodgson, Jenny Kenton, Mike Lewis, Tricia O’Brien, Paul Rowsell and Colin Winder.

To approve and sign the minutes of the previous meeting held on Thursday, 19 January 2023.

The minutes of the previous meeting held on Thursday 19 January 2023 were approved as a correct record of the meeting and signed by the Chairman.

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. 

There were no declarations of interest made by Members.

A resident of Yeovil advised she had started attending Council meetings a number of years ago for specific issues and had seen that Councillors could not please all residents but had to work within certain regulations. She felt that there was now a good mix of age and gender represented by Councillors and she wished them luck in the new Somerset Council.

A resident of Yeovil said he had been attending Council meetings since 2007 when campaigning to retain the Mudford recreation ground which had remained intact and he had become interested in Council meetings.  He recalled past visitors to Council meetings and said some good decisions had been made for the benefit of Yeovil. 

The Chairman invited Members of Council to join him in a minute of silence to remember Councillor Malcolm Cavill who had recently passed away.

All Members stood for a minute of silence.

The Chairman then paid tribute to Jane Portman, Chief Executive, who would be leaving the Council and he presented her with a bouquet of flowers on behalf of Council members.

The Chief Executive thanked Members and said that it had been a pleasure to serve as Chief Executive for the final 18 months of SSDC.  She paid tribute to the Council staff and wished all success moving forward.

The Deputy Leader of the Liberal Democrat Group paid tribute to the Leader of Council for her leadership during the last 5 years of SSDC and he presented her with a box of flowers on behalf of Council members.

The Leader of Council thanked all Members for the gift and said it was a sad day for SSDC but her leadership was as good as the people surrounding her.

The Chairman wished all Members and officers success in the future.

The Chairman said he had attended a very moving service at Wells Cathedral on 12 March to celebrate the five Councils of Somerset and he said that the South Somerset Chairman’s Chain of Office would be displayed in Taunton Museum along with the other Somerset Chains of Office.

The list of Chairman’s engagements were NOTED.

(Voting: unanimous in favour)

The Chairman asked if Members were content to confirm the final minutes of the Committees of the Council.  It was proposed and seconded to accept them as a true record of the meetings and they were signed by the relevant Committee Chairman.

(Voting: unanimous in favour)

The Chairman of Council recalled being elected to South Somerset District Council in 2011 and he said it had been a privilege to serve as Chairman for the last 4 years.

At the invitation of the Chairman, the Leader of Council, the Deputy Leader, the Leader of the Conservative Group, the Leader of the Independent Group and several Councillors and Aldermen spoke of their pride in representing South Somerset District Council.

(Voting: unanimous in favour)

The Portfolio Holder for Economic Development advised that Abbey Manor Developments Ltd had made an offer to buy the Council’s interest in the Lufton 2000 Joint Venture in March 2022 and due to movements in the property market the original price had been renegotiated which the Commercial Property, Land and Development Manager had advised was still a good offer. He concluded that the sale would simplify the Council’s property portfolio. 

There were no questions from Members and the recommendations to sell the Council’s share in the Joint Venture in the asset named Lufton 2000 on the terms outlined in the confidential appendix to the report and other recommendations were proposed and seconded and unanimously agreed by Council.   

(Voting: unanimous in favour)

(Voting: unanimous in favour)

The Portfolio Holder for Finance and Legal Services asked Members to note the recommendations of the report to improve the future for the Somerset Council.

The Chairman of the Audit Committee advised that officers had worked hard to improve the governance to hand over to the new Somerset Council and he particularly thanked the Monitoring Officer for her work to improve the internal governance of the Council.

There was no debate and Members were content to note the 2021/22 Auditor’s Annual Report

The Leader of Council introduced the report and invited questions.

There were no questions and the report of executive decisions was NOTED.

The Chairman of the Audit Committee noted that the committee had met for the final time the previous week.  He regretted that that the finalised Auditor’s Annual Report had not been ready to present to Council because of the nature of the Council’s assets but he confirmed that it would be presented to the Somerset Council Audit Committee.  He thanked the Audit Committee members, the officers who had supported them and the External Auditors, Grant Thornton.

The Portfolio Holder for Finance and Legal Services thanked the Audit Committee members for their critical friend role.

The report of the Audit Committee was NOTED.

The Chairman of the Scrutiny Committee said they had worked well together over the last4 years and had achieved good outcomes for the council.  He also thanked the officers who assisted them. 

He concluded by thanking the Chairman of Council for his chaining of Council meetings, particularly during the Covid pandemic when meetings had been held on-line.

There were no Motions submitted by Members.

There were no Motions submitted by Members.

There were no questions submitted under Procedure Rule 10.

There were no questions submitted under Procedure Rule 10.