To approve as a correct record the Minutes of the meeting of the Council, held on 23 September 2015.

Councillor Jones requested an amendment to the minutes of the previous meeting as he felt that his comments had not been sufficiently recorded in the following two items:

Minute Number 70, ‘Debate of a Petition containing over 1500 verified signatures – Save Corringham Green Belt’

Councillor Jones observed that his main concern was that Iceni, the company involved in the project, had submitted three applications for the greenbelt farm land site despite two separate petitions against the proposals, one which was submitted over a year ago with 1300 signatories and the most recent with 2500 signatories. He felt that the applicant was persisting in an attempt to get their own way and that the derelict brownfield Bata Shoe Factory site in East Tilbury was a preferred location for such a development instead of the favoured farmland nearby.

Minute Number 77, ‘Motion submitted by Councillor Halden’ in relation to legal highs

Councillor Jones reported that his comments had not been recorded as he had concerns about the workings of the proposed Public Spaces Protection Order and the potential cost to Thurrock Council.

The Mayor accepted the requested amendments to which Members indicated their agreement.

The Minutes of the meeting of Council, held on 23 September 2015, were approved as a correct record.

To receive additional items that the Mayor is of the opinion should be considered as a matter of urgency, in accordance with Section 100B (4) (b) of the Local Government Act 1972.

The Mayor informed the Council that she had not agreed to the consideration of any items of urgent business.

To receive any declaration of interests from Members.

There were no interests declared.

Firstly the Mayor invited all those present to observe a minutes silence to remember Thurrock’s fallen of World War One and in respect of Remembrance Sunday.

At 7.04 pm a minutes silence was observed.

The Mayor remarked that since the last meeting of Council she had the pleasure of attending the opening of the High House Production Park's Bob and Tamar Manoukin costume store, and was proud that Thurrock had this wonderful asset to store over 200,000 costumes for the Royal Ballet Productions showing at the Covent Garden Theatre. She added that the costumes could be recreated by apprentices in the workshops at the Park and young and old people were learning how to make the costumes and outfits.

The Mayor explained that she had attended a Sheltered Housing 70s night held in the Civic Hall which was attended by over 150 residents, and commended the work of Sue Kane, the Sheltered Housing Manager, for her hard work in organising the event

The Mayor reported that she had recently opened a new Foodbank store in Corringham and that the need for food banks in 2015 was increasing. She called upon all Members to donate one item from their weekly shop to help, especially in the run up to Christmas.

The Mayor further asked Members if they could help Thurrock’s Looked After Children to enjoy a night out at the Christmas pantomime by purchasing a ticket for one child, and encouraged Members to also attend.

Finally, the Chamber were advised that the 12th Thurrock Civic Awards would soon be launched and asked Members to lookout online for details and the nomination form, and put Friday 26 February 2016 at High House Production Park in Purfleet in the diary for the awards night itself.

The Leader of the Council confirmed that he had no announcements he wished to make.

In accordance with Chapter 2, Part 2 (Rule 14) of the Council’s Constitution.

A copy of the transcript of questions and answers can be viewed under the relevant meeting date at http://democracy.thurrock.gov.uk/thurrock, and are attached at Appendix A to these minutes.

In accordance with Chapter 2, Part 2(Rule 14) of the Council’s Constitution.

The Mayor informed Members that, in accordance with the Council’s Petition Scheme, the requisite notice had been given by one Councillor who wished to present a petition at the meeting.

Councillor Redsell presented a petition on behalf of residents of Long Lane, Kerry Road, Jesmond Road and Laird Avenue, which called on the Council to introduce a one-way system for the number 88 bus route.

Members received a report on the status of those petitions handed in at Council Meetings and Council Offices over the past six months.

The Council are asked to agree any changes to the appointments made to committees and outside bodies, statutory and other panels, as requested by Group Leaders.

The Mayor enquired whether Group Leaders wished for any changes to be made to the appointments previously made to Committees and outside bodies, statutory and other panels.

The Leader of the Council informed the Chamber that he wished to make the following change in accordance with the new Political Balance calculations:

·         for Councillor Liddiard to be removed from the Standards and Audit Committee.

The Deputy Leader of the Conservative Group informed the Chamber that he wished to make the following change:

·         for Councillor Roast to be appointed as a substitute member of the Health and Wellbeing Overview and Scrutiny Committee to replace Councillor S. Little.

The Leader of the UKIP group confirmed that he wished to make the following changes in accordance with the new Political Balance calculations:

·         for Councillor James Baker to be removed from the Cleaner, Greener and Safer Overview and Scrutiny Committee.

·         for Councillor C. Baker to be removed from the Planning, Transport and Regeneration Overview and Scrutiny Committee.

·         for Councillor Cherry to be appointed as a member of the Corporate Overview and Scrutiny Committee, to fill the UKIP vacancy.

Councillor Ray confirmed that he wished to appoint himself to the Independent vacancies on the following committees:

·         for Councillor Ray to be appointed as a member of the Standards and Audit Committee.

·         for Councillor Ray to be appointed as a member of the Cleaner, Greener and Safer Overview and Scrutiny Committee.

·         for Councillor Ray to be appointed as a member of the Planning, Transport and Regeneration Overview and Scrutiny Committee.

The Deputy Leader of the Conservative Group queried whether Councillor Ray was entitled to the seats on the aforementioned Committees, to which the Mayor confirmed that the appointments were in accordance with the new Political Balance calculations.

Members voted unanimously in favour of the changes to Appointments to Committees and Outside Bodies, Statutory and Other Panels.

RESOLVED:

1.         That Councillor Liddiard be removed from the membership of the Standards and Audit Committee.

2.         That Councillor Roast be appointed as a substitute member of the Health and Wellbeing Overview and Scrutiny Committee to replace Councillor S. Little.

3.         That Councillor James Baker be removed from the membership of the Cleaner, Greener and Safer Overview and Scrutiny Committee.

4.         That Councillor C. Baker be removed from the membership of the Planning, Transport and Regeneration Overview and Scrutiny Committee.

5.         That Councillor Cherry be appointed as a member of the Corporate Overview and Scrutiny Committee.

6.         That Councillor Ray be appointed as a member of the Standards and Audit Committee.

7.         That Councillor Ray be appointed as a member of the Cleaner, Greener and Safer Overview and Scrutiny Committee.

8.         That Councillor Ray be appointed as a member of the Planning, Transport and Regeneration Overview and Scrutiny Committee.

The Mayor advised that the report set out the request from the Children’s Services Overview and Scrutiny Committee to amend their terms of reference to include an additional non-voting Co-Opted representative from Thurrock Healthwatch to represent children’s health interests.

Councillor Halden, Chair of the Children’s Services Overview and Scrutiny Committee, explained that the Committee wished to formally Co-Opt a Healthwatch member so that they would have a tangible role in the scrutiny process, which would be beneficial when the Committee considered the Children’s Social Care annual complaints and complements report.

Upon being put to the vote, Members voted unanimously in favour of the recommendation, whereupon the Mayor declared this to be carried.

RESOLVED:

That Council agree to amend the terms of reference for the Children’s Services Overview and Scrutiny Committee in order to include an additional non-voting Co-opted representative from Thurrock Healthwatch.

Councillor G. Rice, Cabinet Member for the Environment, introduced the report and in doing so provided an overview of the services provided, including the civic amenity site, 2 country parks, 3 Sites of Special Scientific Interest, fleet management, street waste and the winter gritting service.

In introducing the report the Cabinet Member raised the following key points:

·         That 70,000 tonnes of materials, almost 10 million bins had been collected during the past year, only 23% of which was sent to landfill.

·         That the total 2015/16 weekly household cost was £4.53 per household, compared with £5.44 in 2014/15.

·         This equated to £1.58 per household spent on waste collection, £1.75 on waste disposal, £0.73p on green spaces, £0.06p on Emergency Response and Highways Maintenance and £0.41p on Street Cleansing.

·         That challenges to the service included the significant reduction of staff numbers, it was reported that since May 2014 8% managers, 55% of business services staff and 33% of street services front line staff had been lost.

·         That the Environment Services directorate had contributed to £3.5 million in year savings and the controlled budget had been reduced by 40%.

·         That the level of cleanliness in Thurrock was better than the average for local authorities in England despite the fact that funding for street cleaning had fallen year on year.

·         That the levels of recycling contamination was an issue and communications had increased in an effort to better educate residents on what items could, and could not be recycled, as the cost for the disposal of recycled material was significantly cheaper per tonne rather than sending waste to landfill.

·         That the new technically, environmentally and economically practicable recycling regulations (TEEP) had impacted upon recycling rates as if waste was not separated correctly the whole recycling load could be deemed as cross-contaminated.

·         He commended the work of community groups and forums, such as the Friends of Hardie Park, in leading environmental projects in the local community to improve open and green spaces in Thurrock.

·         He called on all residents to take pride in their community and encouraged residents to litter pick outside their homes.

Members questioned the Cabinet Member and received responses as follows:

·         Councillor Halden explained that he wanted to see an improvement in the performance of the service, not maintenance at current levels, and added that the report highlighted that in 2014/15 the standard of street cleanliness in the Borough showed a further year-on-year improvement, not the levels of decline that the Cabinet Member had alluded to in his introduction, and questioned whether they were reading the same report.

In response the Cabinet Member explained that the report documented performance in 2014/15, and he had been referring to performance of the service in the early part of 2015/16 that had yet to be formally reported, which he felt had been negatively affected due to the budget pressured faced.

·         Councillor Snell questioned the assertion that the standard of street cleanliness had improved across the Borough and observed that residents of Stifford Clays were unlikely  ...  view the full minutes text for item 91.

In accordance with Chapter 2, Part 2 (Rule 14) of the Council’s Constitution.

The Mayor informed the Chamber that one question had been submitted to the Leader and a further three questions to Cabinet Members, Committee Chairs and Members appointed to represent the Council on a Joint Committee.

The Mayor advised that Councillor Hebb had withdrawn his two questions to Councillor Gerrish and Councillor B. Little.

A copy of the transcript of questions and answers can be found at Appendix A to these Minutes.

There were no reports from Members representing the Council on outside bodies.

The Minutes of Committees, as set out in the Agenda, were received.

Members received an information report updating them on progress in respect of Motions resolved at Council over the past year.

In accordance with Chapter 2, Part 2 (Rule 15) of the Council’s Constitution.

The Motion, as printed in the Agenda, was proposed by Councillor Redsell and seconded by Councillor S. Little. The Motion read as follows:

“We call on Thurrock Council to take action with its partners to help prevent the use of motorbikes and similar vehicles on our green spaces.”

Councillor Redsell introduced the motion, and in doing so explained that motorbikes and quad bikes were causing a nuisance across parks and green spaces in the Borough, including the Blackshots playing field in her ward, and that since her petition had been submitted ten bikes had been seized as a result of targeted work.

Councillor S. Little welcomed the motion as her ward was also plagued by motorbikes and quad bikes riding across Orsett Heath, and explained that despite proactive work by the Police the Council needed to provide further support and intelligence so that riders could be identified and information obtained on where they came from and gathered.

Councillor G. Rice supported the motion and commented that he too had seen young riders with their parents who should be better educated on where they can ride. He felt that cameras could be a good idea, especially as the Police faced considerable cuts and announced that they would be unable to attend 97% of Anti-Social Behaviour related calls.

Councillor Pothecary welcomed the motion and provided an update of what the Council had been doing in support of the Police, which included:

·         The introduction of signage across the Borough to advise riders of Section 59 of the Police Reform Act 2002 where vehicles used in an anti-social manner could be seized.

·         Close liaison with the Housing team

·         That the Council’s CCTV team assisted the Police wherever feasible, which included the mobile camera unit.

Councillor Ojetola highlighted the work that had been undertaken with the Police and Council to prevent illegal racing, particularly around Lakeside and Chafford Hundred. He affirmed that he did not want racing of any kind on the streets and that there were other appropriate places for racing such as Arena Essex. He further reported that a Public Space Protection Order (PSPO) had been supported recently, but felt that PSPOs should be delegated to a smaller Committee, rather than to full Council, so that they could be actioned much faster.

Councillor Jones reported that he too was tired of the nuisance caused by motorbikes, which was a common complaint by residents. He felt that the problem would be exacerbated by the cuts to the Police and subsequent closure of Police stations.

Councillor Cherry advised that where he had seen such incidents he had attempted to speak to the riders and take their photograph as evidence in order to share with the Police, he felt that Councillors should consider speaking to offenders in order to better educate them as a way to help.

Councillor Hipsey observed that this was an ongoing problem that had been going on for a long time, reporting that a cross-party working group had undertaken work on this  ...  view the full minutes text for item 96.

The Motion, as printed in the Agenda, was proposed by Councillor J. Kent and seconded by Councillor Okunade. The Motion read as follows:

“Thurrock Council is concerned at reports that government is considering scrapping Universal Free School Meals for infant school children.

We believe that such a move would be damaging to both the education and health outcomes of our young people so resolve to write to the Treasury and Department for Education to show our support for the continuation of Universal Free School Meals as well as to our two members of parliament to make them aware of our concerns.”

Councillor J. Kent introduced the motion, and in doing so explained that he had been concerned by reports that funding for Free School Meals for infant school children could be axed in the Chancellors Autumn Statement and therefore felt that Thurrock should write to its two Members of Parliament (MPs) at an early stage in order to express Thurrock’s objection should this happen.

Councillor Okunade agreed that Free School Meals were vital as some parents struggled to make ends meet financially and an alarming number of children lived in poverty in Thurrock, which included Tilbury where rates of Child Poverty where higher than the national average.

Councillor Halden explained that whilst he supported the principle of the motion he would abstain from the vote as he felt the debate provoked scaremongering and fear along residents because it was based upon a hypothetical situation and not factual information. He informed Members that the Conservative manifesto supported Free School Meals, which was also backed up by the Prime Ministers recent announcements and a statement released from the Department for Education (DfE).

Councillor Halden further expressed that that Members time should be spent debating existent issues such as child poverty and childcare sufficiency, which he had circulated reports on through the Children’s Services Overview and Scrutiny Committee, rather than debating a hypothetical situation.

Councillor Wheeler felt that as Child Poverty was a real issue in Thurrock free school meals should be supported in order to assist families.

Councillor G. Rice commended the fact that free school meals had been supported but expressed a view that rumours did often turn out to be true, which was why he was supporting the motion.

At this point in the meeting there were a number of outbursts in the Council Chamber during which Members argued that the motion was based on factual inaccuracies.

Councillor Jones observed that as one of the richest countries in the World, every child should have the opportunity to have a free school meal.

Councillor B. Rice expressed her support for the motion as she felt that children should learn to eat in a social context and school meals helped them in their education through improved memory and concentration.

During the lengthy debate a number of members explained that there was a danger of confusing the two issues of free school meals with the hypothetical situation of funding being cut  ...  view the full minutes text for item 97.

The Motion, as printed in the Agenda, was proposed by Councillor Ray and seconded by Councillor S. Little. The Motion read as follows:

“That this Council will explore ways of working with NHS partners to fully endorse and promote the importance of giving blood and signing up for organ and tissue donation in Thurrock.”

Councillor Ray introduced the motion, and in doing so explained that his late wife Maggie O’Keefe-Ray, who was also an Elected Member of Thurrock Council, had been posthumously honoured at an award ceremony at the Priory Church of the Order of St John on 13 October 2015 after her organs were used to save the lives of 13 people, which included a one-year old child who was given the gift of sight.

Councillor S. Little commended Councillor Ray’s emotive motion and observed that it was the 21st anniversary of the NHS organ donation register which had enabled over 55,000 transplants and millions of pints of blood donated to help others. She reported that 7,000 people were currently awaiting a transplant and that 1,300 unfortunately passed away in 2014 whilst waiting for a transplant, therefore it was essential people discussed the matter with relatives.

Councillor S. Little further remarked that registering to become an organ donor was simple and added that the Council should help to advertise organ donation wherever possible.

Upon being put to the vote, Members voted unanimously in favour of the Motion, whereupon the Mayor declared the motion was carried

RESOLVED:

That this Council will explore ways of working with NHS partners to fully endorse and promote the importance of giving blood and signing up for organ and tissue donation in Thurrock.

The Motion, as printed in the Agenda, was proposed by Councillor Pothecary and seconded by Councillor J. Kent. The Motion read as follows:

“Essex Police have recently announced they plan to close two of the borough’s police stations and sell off a third, as well as cut the number of PCSOs in Thurrock from 38 to just 6. After already making cuts of £40 million, Essex Police is facing having to make over £60 million worth of cuts by 2020 thanks to the Government. The dramatic reduction in the number of police officers and PCSOs on our streets is a big issue for our residents and has worrying implications for community safety.

The Council resolves to write to the two MPs for Thurrock to set out our concerns about the detrimental impact of police cuts on Thurrock residents and community safety, and ask them to lobby for better funding for Essex Police.”

Councillor Pothecary introduced the motion, and in doing so expressed her concern at the impact of the budget cuts and the recent announcement by Essex Police that they would be unable to attend 97% of Anti-Social Behaviour calls and anticipated a reduction of 300 Police Officers by 2020.

Councillor Halden felt alternative ideas should be developed in order to offset the impact of budget cuts, such as the arrangement with the Youth Offending team and Corringham Police Station.

Councillor Halden reported that the Cabinet appointed representative to the Essex Police and Crime Panel had failed to attend numerous meetings of the panel during the previous year, and that on the two occasions he had been present he was not recorded in the minutes as contributing to the debate. He felt that Thurrock should be correctly represented at such meetings in an attempt to make a difference to outcomes with the Police, rather than submitting motions.

During the debate a number of Councillors expressed a view that the Police force was being ruined by Central Government, which was imposing significant cuts that made Essex Police less effective and able to do their job, such as through the closure of police stations.

Councillor Johnson argued that the UK needed to pay back a huge deficit that had been created by the previous government and that money needed to be spent more efficiently. He felt that the Police and Crime Commissioner should be invited to a meeting of Council so that Members could question whether money was being spent wisely.

Councillor Hipsey felt that the morale of Police Officers would be negatively affected and the pressures they faced immense, in light of the fact that a considerable number of Anti-Social Behaviour calls could not be responded to in future.

Councillor Worrall added that soon there would not be adequate Policing to enforce existing dispersal orders and Anti-Social Behaviour, especially during Halloween and Bonfire Night season where residents could become increasingly intimidated.

Councillor Snell was concerned that the Cabinet Member did not attend meetings of the Essex Police and Crime Panel during  ...  view the full minutes text for item 99.