Agenda and minutes

Venue: Ocean Suite, Ocean, Queen's Drive, Exmouth, EX8 2AY

Contact: Susan Howl, Democratic Services Manager  01395 517541; email  showl@eastdevon.gov.uk

Media

Items
No. Item

1.

Election of Chair of the Council for the ensuing year

The Chair will ask for nominations for the Office of Chair of the Council for the ensuing Civic Year.

 

Minutes:

The Chair, Ian Thomas, welcomed those present to East Devon District Council’s Annual Council meeting on 24th May 2023. Since he had not stood again in the recent local elections, he had ceased to be a Councillor (Cllr) since 4th May, but under the provisions of the Local Government Act 1972, was charged with a final responsibility to ensure the election of his successor.

 

As retiring Chair, he wanted to say a few words about his time as a Cllr over the last 14 years, and the honour it had been to represent his ward of Trinity. He had also been entrusted with many Cabinet appointments and those on external bodies, culminating in being the first Independent non-aligned Chair of Council. He also wanted to acknowledge and thank all those who helped to make East Devon the safe and beautiful place it was, and all of the Cllrs and Officers who had provided good services throughout a uniquely challenging decade.

 

He then invited nominations for the office of Chair of the Council for the ensuing year. Councillor Paul Hayward proposed and Councillor Tim Dumper seconded Councillor Eleanor Rylance being elected Chair of the Council for the coming civic year.

In proposing, Councillor Hayward spoke of Councillor Rylance’s fair and equitable approach to matters and her adherence to the Nolan Principles at all times.

In seconding, Councillor Dumper said that Cllr Rylance had an excellent grasp of the public and their concerns and her relationship with them was second to none.  

 

Ian Thomas asked for other nominations.

 

There were no other nominations so Ian Thomas invited members to confirm the election of Cllr Rylance as Chair of Council.

 

Following a vote by show of hands, Cllr Rylance was duly elected by a majority of those present.

 

 

RESOLVED

that Councillor Eleanor Rylance be elected Chair of the Council for the ensuing year.

 

Following the election, Councillor Rylance read, and signed the Declaration of Acceptance of Office.

She then thanked her proposer and seconder and other Members for their endorsement, and for attending the meeting at Ocean. 

 

The Chair said a few words by way of introduction. She wanted to thank the former Cllr Thomas who had mentored her for the last six months. He had been fair and even-handed at all times and was bound by the same principles regardless of political party. He had achieved an impressive attention to detail and been a steady hand on the tiller in unstable times.

 

 

2.

Appointment of Vice Chair of the Council for the ensuing year

The Chair will ask for nominations for the appointment of the Vice-Chair of the Council for the ensuing year.

Minutes:

The Chair invited nominations for the appointment of Vice-Chair of the Council for the ensuing year.

 

Councillor Paul Arnott proposed and Councillor Paula Fernley seconded Councillor Sam Hawkins being appointed as Vice-Chair of the Council for the coming civic year.

 

The Chair invited further nominations.

 

There were no other nominations.

 

Following a vote by show of hands, Councillor Hawkins was duly elected by a majority of those present.

 

RESOLVED

that Councillor Sam Hawkins be appointed Vice-Chair of the Council for the ensuing year.

 

Following the election, Councillor Hawkins read, and signed the Declaration of Acceptance of Office.

 

3.

Public Speaking

Information on public speaking is available online.

 

Minutes:

The Chair welcomed members of the public and invited questions or comments.

 

There were no members of the public wishing to speak.

 

4.

Minutes of the previous Council meeting pdf icon PDF 260 KB

Minutes:

Following a vote of those present, the minutes of the meeting of the Full Council held on 19th April 2023, were agreed as a true record.

 

5.

Declarations of interest

Guidance is available online to Councillors and co-opted members on making declarations of interest.

 

Minutes:

No declarations were announced.

 

6.

Matters of urgency

Information on matters of urgency is available online.

 

Minutes:

There were no matters of urgency.

7.

Confidential/exempt item(s)

To agree any items to be dealt with after the public (including the Press) have been excluded. Thereare no itemswhich officersrecommendshould be dealtwithin thisway.

 

Minutes:

There were none.

 

8.

Announcements from the Chair

Minutes:

The Chair wanted to say a few words and confirmedthat all Cllrs were present at the meeting today because three weeks ago, enough people trusted in the democratic process, and in them, to go to a polling station and put a cross against their names.  

 

Those voters needed thanks for that trust, but Cllrs represented not only them, but all of the residents in East Devon, even those who did not vote for them, particularly those who suffer quietly.  

 

She went on to say that the job as politicians was to make the best possible public policy and the best possible use of tax money, to benefit the greatest possible number of residents. 

 

Everyone knows how crucial local services are to their quality of life, Cllrs know how wonderful Council officers are and how crucial their skills were in steering the council through the last few years of pandemic and austerity cuts, maintaining services despite an increasingly difficult financial situation. 

 

However difficult the Council’s financial position is though, it is nothing compared to the very immediate difficulties faced by many local residents. As community leaders, Cllrs are in the very humbling position of sometimes being able to support and advise residents at their times of direct need. 

 

She wanted to pay tribute in this respect to Cllr Burhop, who had been dealing with the terrible situation in the villages of Newton Poppleford, Venn Ottery and Colaton Raleigh, accessing resources to deal with the damage, providing a real world exemplar of the value of a local councillor. 

 

This is a big responsibility. Luckily there is a lot of support in learning how to be the best councillors they can be. They have access to training, a Council constitution to guide them, and in the Nolan principles a golden thread of ethical behaviour in public office.  

 

As Cllrs head into the new civic year, she wanted to warmly welcome those present to the council if they were newly elected, or if they were a returnee, and to entreat all to be the best they can in their forthcoming leadership role.  

 

As Councillors they are most of the public face of the council, and as community leaders, should behave as residents would expect them to behave - honourably and with integrity. The Monitoring Officer is always at hand for Cllrs if they are facing a dilemma.  

Cllrs owe it to all the people and to the environment in a wonderful district to ensure local services and local policy that are the best they possibly can be. It is an honour. None of those present should take this honour for granted. 

 

 

9.

Election of the Leader of the Council

Minutes:

The Chair invited nominations for the role of Leader of the Council.

 

Councillor Eileen Wragg proposed and Councillor Olly Davey seconded Councillor Paul Arnott as Leader of the Council.

 

In proposing, Councillor Wragg spoke about how Cllr Arnott had brought the Democratic Alliance together three years ago, which was a progressive move. Despite facing a number of challenges he had remained calm and diplomatic, and had been a good ambassador for the Council.

 

In seconding, Councillor Davey said that Cllr Arnott had managed to bring a disparate group of people together and keep them together over the last three years, achieving a remarkable consensus, and would be a good leader for the coming years.

 

The Chair asked if there were other nominations for the role of Leader.

 

There were no other nominations.

 

Following a vote by show of hands, Councillor Arnott was duly elected by a majority of those present.

 

RESOLVED

that Councillor Paul Arnott be elected as Leader of the Council.

 

In response to his election, Councillor Arnott thanked his proposer and seconder, and all those supporting his nomination. He said it was a privilege to be elected again, and despite diminishing funding from central government he intended to pursue the existing Council priorities with an emphasis on sustainability, and by pulling in the same direction.

 

 

10.

Leader's appointment of the Deputy Leader of the Council

Minutes:

The Chair invited Cllr Arnott to confirm his appointment to Deputy Leader.

 

The Leader confirmed his appointment of Councillor Paul Hayward as Deputy Leader of the Council going forward. He said that he was one of the most hard working Cllrs he knew and had done remarkable things for Axminster.

 

In response to his appointment Councillor Hayward said that he was delighted to accept the role for another year.

 

11.

Leader's appointment to Cabinet

The Leader will recommend the Cabinet members to act as Portfolio Holders.

Minutes:

The Leader thanked the Chair and Vice Chair for the measured approach that they had adopted in their roles over the past year, dealing with some of the worst challenges facing Local Government.

 

He went on to advise the Members of Cabinet, namely;

 

Councillor Paul Hayward to be the Deputy Leader and Portfolio Holder for Finance & Assets.

 

Councillor Marianne Rixson to be the Portfolio Holder for Climate Action & Emergency.

 

Councillor Geoff Jung to be the Portfolio Holder for Coast, Country & Environment. 

 

Councillor John Loudoun to be the Portfolio Holder for Council & Corporate Coordination.

 

Councillor Nick Hookway to be the Portfolio Holder for Culture, Leisure, Sport and Tourism.

 

Councillor Sarah Jackson to be the Portfolio Holder for Communications and Democracy.

 

Councillor Olly Davey to be the Portfolio Holder for Strategic Planning.

 

Councillor Dan Ledger to be the Portfolio Holder for Sustainable Homes and Communities.

 

Councillor Matt Hall to be the Portfolio Holder for Economy.

 

He said that they would sort out the roles of Assistant Portfolio Holders over the coming weeks. 

12.

Governance arrangements and appointments for the civic year (2023/24) pdf icon PDF 52 KB

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The Chair invited Members to consider a report by the Chief Executive and Monitoring Officer to enable the Council to formalise its governance arrangements for the remainder of the civic year (2023/24). 

 

The Monitoring Officer said that the report recommended no changes to the Constitution at the meeting, with one exception for Council to agree to the appointment of an additional Independent Member for the Audit and Governance Committee making a total of two, and delegated authority to the Director of Finance to progress arrangements including recruitment of Independent members as necessary.

It sought confirmation of the Committees and their size and terms of reference and agreement to the scheme of delegations. There was a specific requirement to agree the composition of the Standards Committee and Housing Review Board.

It dealt with the allocation of seats on overview,regulatoryand other committees to differentpolitical groupsof seats in accordancewith thepolitical balanceof the Council. It sought to agree the makeup of the advisory panels and forums and joint bodies.

Finally, it covered the councillor appointments to committees, panels, forums, joint bodies and outside bodies together with the appointment of the Chairs and Vice-Chairs of committees.

 

The Monitoring Officer outlined that there were eleven recommendations contained within the report and suggested that as the Chair moved through agenda, she move the recommendations one by one, inviting comments and agreement along the way.

 

The Chair moved to PART A Recommendation 1, and invited comments.

There were no comments and following a vote, the recommendation was carried by the majority of those present.

 

RESOLVED;

That Council approves the Constitution and thereby agrees the Committee structure, their size and terms of reference and the scheme of delegations.

 

The Chair then moved to PART A Recommendation 2, and invited comments.

There were no comments and following a vote, the recommendation was carried by the majority of those present.

RESOLVED;

That Council agrees to the appointment of two Independent Members for the Audit and Governance Committee and delegates authority to the Director of Finance to progress arrangements including recruitment of Independent members as necessary. This will require an amendment to the Constitution as it stands currently.

 

The Chair then moved to PART B RECOMMENDATION 3.

There were no comments and following a vote, the recommendation was carried by the majority of those present.

 

RESOLVED;

That the Conservative Group is confirmed as the formal opposition.

 

 

The Chair now moved to PART C RECOMMENDATION 4,

 

Following a vote, the recommendation was carried by the majority of those present.

RESOLVED;

That Council approved the allocation to different political groups of seats on the overview, regulatory and other committees as follows;

 

Democratic Alliance Group

 

 

29 members

 

  48%

 

  53 Seats  ...  view the full minutes text for item 12.

13.

Annual Reports of the Housing Review Board and Scrutiny Committee for 2023/24 pdf icon PDF 237 KB

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The Chair invited members to consider the Annual reports of the Housing Review Board and Scrutiny Committee and comment accordingly.

 

In the absence of comments the Chair moved that the reports were duly received and noted.

 

Cllr Hayward wanted it to be noted that one of the members, Mr Robinson had been quite ill yesterday and Council wished him a full and speedy recovery.

 

Following a vote the reports were duly received and noted.

 

RESOLVED;

That Council received and noted the Annual Reports of the Housing Review Board and Scrutiny Committee 2022/23.

 

14.

Appointment of Director of Housing, Health and Environment Recruitment pdf icon PDF 198 KB

That Council notes the urgent decision of the Chief Executive in accordance with the powers delegated to him under the Constitution, that Tracy Hendron be appointed as the new Director of Housing, Health and Environment.

 

 

Minutes:

The Chair pointed out that this item was for noting only.

 

Council was asked to note the urgent decision of the Chief Executive in accordance with the powers delegated to him under the Constitution, that Tracy Hendron be appointed as the new Director of Housing, Health and Environment.

The current postholder, John Golding, would leave the Council at the end of July, and being able to take the urgent decision meant that a handover period of two weeks could occur.

15.

Programme of ordinary meetings of the Council, Cabinet and Committees for 2023/24 pdf icon PDF 460 KB

Minutes:

The Chair moved the recommendation and asked Councillors to agree the programme of meetings for the civic year.

 

Following a vote, the recommendation was carried by a majority of those present.

 

RESOLVED

that the programme of ordinary meetings of the Council, Cabinet and Committee meetings for 2023/24 be approved as set out on pages 50 – 51 of the agenda.

 

 

The Chair then declared the meeting closed and thanked everyone for their attendance.

 

 

The meeting ended at 7.51pm.