Meeting documents

Council
Wednesday, 8th February, 2006 7.00 pm

Date:
Wednesday, 8th February, 2006
Time:
7.00pm
Place:
Council Chamber Town Hall Bury
 

Attendance Details

Present:
The Worshipful the Mayor (Councillor S J Treadgold) I in the Chair;
Councillors K Audin, RA Bibby, D B Bigg D Boden, RCA Brown, J Byrne, L E Campbell, WA Campbell, D M Cassidy, T P Chamberlain, S Cohen, M Connolly, J P Costello, S Costello, V Creswell, A J Cummings, V D D’Albert, W J Davison, W Flood, A J Garner, AS Garner, I B Gartside,MA Gibb, K Grime, J Grimshaw, D L Gunther, D M Higgin, T Holt, Hussain, A Isherwood, S P Magnall, A K Matthews, R H J Nuttall, S R Perkins, T B Pickstone, H Redstone, K Rothwell, J Smith, S J Southworth, J W H Taylor, B Theckston,B Vincent, R E Walker, J F Walton, M J Wiseman and Y S Wright
Co-opted:
Public attendance: 8 members of the public attended the meeting.
Apologies for absence:
E B Briggs, K S Briggs, G Campbell and G Sharkey,
Buttons
Item Description Decision
Open
C.1074 DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST
Preamble for item C.1074
 
C.1075 MINUTES OF THE COUNCIL
 RESOLVED:

That the Minutes of the meeting of the Council held on 14 December 2006 confirmed as a correct record and signed by the Mayor subject to the amendment of Minute C.836(d) and (f) by the deletion of the word ‘prejudicial” and the substitution of the word ‘personal’ in both sub-paragraphs.
C.1076 MAYORAL COMMUNICATIONS AND ANNOUNCEMENTS
Preamble for item C.1076
 
C.1077 PUBLIC QUESTION TIME
Preamble for item C.1077
 
C.1078 RECOMMENDATIONS OF THE EXECUTIVE AND COUNCIL COMMITTEES
Preamble for item C.1078
 
C.1079 LEADER'S STATEMENT AND EXECUTIVE QUESTION TIME
Preamble for item C.1079
 
C.1080 SCRUTINY REVIEW REPORTS AND SPECIFIC ITEMS "CALLED IN" BY SCRUTINY PANELS/COMMISSIONS
Preamble for item C.1080
 
C.1081 NOTICE OF MOTION
Preamble for item C.1081
RESOLVED:

That the Motion be approved and adopted.
C.1082 GREATER MANCHESTER JOINT WASTE DEVELOPMENT
Preamble for item C.1082
RESOLVED:

1. That approval be given to the production of a Joint Waste Development Plan Document for Greater Manchester.

2. That approval in principle be given to the establishment of a Joint Committee.

3. That approval be given for the preparation of a Local Agreement for the Joint Committee and that authority be delegated to the Chief Executive, in consultation with the Director of Legal and Democratic Services, to sign the Agreement.

4. That the requirement for each constituent authority to amend its Local Development Schemes to include the Joint Waste Development Plan Document at the appropriate time be noted.
C.1083 JOINT AUTHORITIES - REPORTS BY THE COUNCIL'S REPRESENTATIVES AND QUESTI0NS
Preamble for item C.1083
 
C.1084 QUESTIONS ON THE WORK OF OUTSIDE BODIES OR PARTNERSHIPS
Preamble for item C.1084
 
C.1085 DELEGATED DECISIONS OF THE EXECUTIVE AND COUNCIL COMMITTEES
Preamble for item C.1085
 
C.1086 ROLE SPECIFICATIONS FOR EXECUTIVE MEMBERS
Preamble for item C.1086
RESOLVED:

That the draft Role Specifications be referred to the Executive for comment prior to their consideration by the Council.
The meeting started at 7.00 pm and ended at 9.20 pm

Preamble

Preamble
ItemPreamble
C.1074(a) Councillor Pickstone declared a personal interest in Minute C.1079 below in respect of the question relating to grants to voluntary organisations as an employee of an organisation which had received funding from the Council.
(b) Councillor Bigg declared a personal interest in any matter relating to Adult Education which may be raised at the meeting as a part-time student applying for funding.
(c) Councillor Wiseman declared a personal interest in Minute C.1079 below in respect of the question relating to grants to voluntary organisations as an employee of a voluntary organisation which receives funding from the Council.
(d) Councillor Walton declared a personal interest in Minute C1079 below in respect of the question relating to the costs of public transport as a recipient of a Concessionary Travel Pass.
(e) Councillor Walker declared a personal and prejudicial interest in Minute C.1079 below in respect of the question relating to the costs of public transport as a recipient of a Concessionary Travel Pass and left the Chamber whilst the matter was discussed.
C.1076The Worshipful the Mayor reported the recent death of Mr Bernard Howcroft, the husband of former Mayoress of Bury, Local and County Councillor, Mrs Jean Howcroft.

Members and Officers stood in silence for one minute in remembrance and as a mark of respect.
The Mayor informed the Council that Councillor Sharkey had been discharge from hospital and, on behalf of the Council, offered best wishes for continue recovery to full health.
The Mayor, on behalf of the Council, congratulated Councillor G Campbell on the recent birth of her second daughter.
C.1077No questions were raised by any of the public at the meeting.
C.1078There were no recommendations from the Executive and any of the Committees since the last meeting of the Council.
C.1079Councillor WA Campbell, Leader of the Council, made a Statement on the work of the Executive.

The Leader and the relevant Executive Members answered questions raised by Councillors on the following issues:
(a) Written Questions (Notice Given)

1. Issue Level of Charges by the Council to the Schools’ sector
Questioner: Councillor Davison
Answered by (and action) Councillor Connolly

2. Proposed relocation of King David Primary School
Questioner: Councillor A S Garner
Answered by (and action) Councillor Gibb

3. Strategic Review of Secondary School Provision
Questioner: Councillor D’Albert, Councillor A J Garner
Answered by (and action): Councillor WA Campbell

4. Grants to Voluntary Organisations
Questioner: Councillor Pickstone, Councillor Boden
Answered by (and action): Councillor Connolly

5. Audit of Accounts 2004/2005
Questioner: Councillor Pickstone
Answered by (and action): Councillor Connolly

6. Visits by Youth Offending Teams
Questioner: Councillor Boden
Answered by (and action): Councillor Isherwood

7. Repair of faulty street lighting and connection of new columns by United Utilities
Questioner: Councillors Boden, Audin and Matthews
Answered by (and action): Councillor Byrne

8. Costs to Bury residents of public transport
Questioner: Councillor Holt
Answered by (and action): Councillor Byrne

(b) Oral Questions (without notice)

9. Councillors’ parking on the Ceremonial Car Park, Town Hall, Bury
Questioner: Councillor Davison
Answered by (and action): Councillor Byrne

10. Budgetary position of the Council 2006/2007
Questioner: Councillor Gartside and Creswell
Answered by(and action): Councillor Connolly

11. Children’s Services at Fairfield Hospital — progress of campaign
Questioner: Councillor Walton
Answered by (and action): Councillor WA Campbell

12. Powers of Entry — Improvement of sub-standard housing
Questioner: Councillors Hussain and Walker
Answered by (and action): Councillor WA Campbell and Councillor Byrne (written reply to questioners)
C.1080There were no scrutiny review reports or specific items t by Scrutiny Panels/Commissions to be considered at this Council meeting.
C.1081It was moved by Councillor Pickstone and seconded by Councillor Boden that the following Notice of Motion which had been received in accordance with Council Procedure Rule 12, be approved:
“Sustainable Communities
That Bury Metropolitan Borough Council:
(i) expresses its concern at
- the decline of local services and facilities which affects local communities and in particular the elderly and people on the lowest incomes;
- the resulting decline of local jobs and local economies and the resulting extra traffic and pollution caused by the need to travel further
(H) and notes that this combination of factors increases people’s feelings of exclusion and lack of involvement; and so
(iii) supports measures to reverse this process and
(iv) supports the concept of local sustainability as envisaged in the Sustainable Communities Bill, namely;
- the promotion of local economies
- the promotion of local services and facilities
- the protection of the environment
- the reduction of social exclusion and
- measures to increase involvement in the democratic process
(v) and accordingly resolves to support the Sustainable Communities Bill, which requires the Government to assist Councils and communities in promoting local sustainability in ways decided by them; and
- sets up a participative process whereby Councils and communities can drive the way in which Government uses its power and influence to assist with the promotion of local sustainability; and
- recognises therefore that the Bill provides a 'bottom-up’ rather than a 'top-down’ one size-fits-all process.
- notes that this Bill is therefore fully in accord with current thinking in local Government in that it impacts on central authorities and does not impose any new duties on Councils but instead enables them to influence how Government uses its resources and influence to help Councils and communities; and
- specifically provides that where Councils themselves decide to take action to promote local sustainability that they should be given the resources to do so; and so
(vi) resolves to write to
- The Local media to inform them of this decision
- Local MPs, asking them to support the Bill; and sign EDM (Early Day Motion) No. 641; and
- The Local Works, the Campaign behind the Bill, (at 94 White Lion Street, London NI 9PF) expressing its support.”
In the names of Councillors D’Albert, Davison, A S Garner, A J Garner, Pickstone, Boden and Flood.

On being put, 45 members voted for, none voted against with 2 abstentions, the Motion was declared carried and it was:
C.1082The Executive Member for Environment and Transport submitted a report detailing proposals for the production of the Greater Manchester Joint Waste Development Plan Document in order to deliver a sustainable waste management infrastructure through the creation of a Joint Authority across Greater Manchester.
The Document will incorporate a strategic sub-regional planning framework for the full range of anticipated commercial and industrial, hazardous, construction and demolition waste materials.
The constituent authorities in Greater Manchester had been asked to approve the establishment of a Joint Committee under the provisions of Section 101(5) of the Local Government Act 1972 with the Joint Committees remit determined through a Local Agreement.

It was moved by Councillor Byrne and seconded by Councillor Cummings and:
C.1083(A) By agreement between the three Political Group Leaders, the following oral reports were given at the meeting on the work of the following Joint Authorities by the Council’s nominated Spokesperson indicated:
(i) Greater Manchester Waste Disposal Authority — Councillor Cummings
(ii) Greater Manchester Police Authority — Councillor Cohen
(iii) Greater Manchester Passenger Transport Authority — Councillor Byrne
(iv) Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Authority — Councillor Matthews
(B) Councillor Byrne, the Council’s nominated Spokesperson on the Greater Manchester Passenger Transport Authority, answered a question from Councillor Boden submitted under Council Procedure Rule 11.2, in relation to the upgrading of the Metrolink System.
C.1084There were no written questions on the work of outside bodies or partnerships on which the Council is represented submitted in accordance with Council Procedure Rule 11.2.
C.1085There were no questions asked on the delegated decisions of the Executive or Council Committees contained in Digests of Decisions numbered 9 and 10 (2005/2006).

C.1086Councillor W A Campbell, the Leader of the Council, submitted draft Role Specifications for each of the Executive Portfolio positions.
It was moved by the Leader, seconded by Councillor Connolly and: