Agenda and minutes

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Venue: Council Chamber, County Hall, Preston

Contact: Josh Mynott  Tel: (01772) 534580, Email:  josh.mynott@lancashire.gov.uk

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Items
No. Item

1.

Apologies and Announcements

Minutes:

Apologies for absence were presented on behalf of County Councillors T Aldridge, T Ashton, G Molineux, B Murray, D Smith, K Snape and V Taylor.

 

Announcements

 

The Chairman reported the following deaths:

 

Former County Councillor Wendy Dwyer, an Honorary Alderman of the Borough of Hyndburn, who passed away unexpectedly on Monday 25 July 2016. Mrs Dwyer was elected to the County Council as a Labour councillor in 1993, representing the Accrington South electoral division until 2009 and was the Chairman of Lancashire County Council in 2007/2008.

 

Mrs Dwyer served on many Council Committees including:

 

•  Education Overview and Scrutiny Committee (Chair)

•  Environmental Best Value Overview and Scrutiny Committee    (Chair)

•  Tourism Sub-Committee (Chair)

•  Planning, Industrial Development and Tourism Committee       (Vice-Chair)

•  Social Services Committee

•  Education & Cultural Services Committee

•  Highways and Transportation Committee

•  Development Control Committee

•  Audit Committee

•  Fire Service and Public Protection Committee

•  Urgency Committee

 

She also served on the Lancashire Combined Fire Authority.

 

Honorary Alderman Harold Edward White who passed away peacefully in hospital on Sunday 4 September 2016 following a short illness.

 

Mr White was elected to the County Council as a Labour councillor in 1973 representing the Blackburn Cathedral and Green Bank electoral division until 1998, when Blackburn with Darwen became a unitary authority.

 

Mr White served on many Council Committees including:

 

  Library and Leisure

  Social Services

  Fire Service and Public Protection

  Policy and Resources

  Highways and Transportation

  Education

  Police

  Library, Museums and Arts

  Personnel Sub-Committee (Chairman 1981-1998))

  Personnel Equal Opportunities in Employment Sub-Committee (Chairman 1987-1989)

  Land and Buildings Sub-Committee

  Finance Sub-Committee

  Planning and Industrial Development Committee

 

The Chair invited Council to stand for one minutes silence in memory of Mrs Dwyer and Mr White.

 

The Full Council stood in silent tribute.

 

A number of Members spoke in memory of both Mrs Dwyer and Mr White and offered condolences to his family and friends.

2.

Disclosure of Pecuniary and Non-Pecuniary Interests

Minutes:

The Full Council was notified that Members had been invited to make declarations of Pecuniary and Non-pecuniary interests in matters on the agenda in accordance with the County Council's Code of Conduct for Members. The following interests were declared:

 

Name of Councillor

Agenda Item

Number

Nature of Interest

(Non-pecuniary unless stated)

D Howarth

5. (Preston, South Ribble and Lancashire City Deal Programme: End of Year Review)

Member of South Ribble Borough Council

 

5. (The Property Strategy – Responses to Consultation)

Member of Penwortham Town Council

 

3.

Confirmation of the Minutes from the Meeting held on 21 July 2016 pdf icon PDF 125 KB

Minutes:

Resolved: - That the minutes of the meeting of the Full Council held on 21 July 2016 be confirmed and signed by the Chair.

4.

Borrowing from the Municipal Bond Agency pdf icon PDF 123 KB

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The Deputy Leader reported that, following consideration of the previous report by Full Council at its meeting on 21 July 2016, the proposals had, as requested, been referred to the Audit and Governance Committee for consideration at its meeting on 26 September 2016. The Committee had specifically been requested to consider the potential risks involved and any possible mitigation of those risks.

 

It was noted that, whilst the Committee had recommended Full Council to approve the proposals, further consideration had been given to the proposals and the Deputy Leader moved that the report be withdrawn until a later date when any outstanding concerns had been resolved. The motion was seconded by the Leader of the County Council.

 

Upon being put to the vote, the motion was CARRIED and it was:

 

Resolved: - That the report, now presented, be withdrawn

5.

Report of the Cabinet (Part B) pdf icon PDF 81 KB

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The Leader of the Council moved the report of the Cabinet from its meetings on 14 July, 8 September and 26 September 2016.

 

Resolved: - That the report of the Cabinet from its meetings on 14 July, 8 September and 26 September 2016 be noted.

6a

The Overview and Scrutiny Committees pdf icon PDF 86 KB

Additional documents:

Minutes:

County Councillor Bill Winlow presented the reports of the Overview and Scrutiny Committees as follows:

 

·  Children's Services Scrutiny Committee - 7 September 2016

·  Education Scrutiny Committee - 19 July 2016

·  Health Scrutiny Committee - 20 September 2016

·  Scrutiny Committee - 17 June, 22 July, 22 September and 23 September 2016

 

Resolved: - That the reports of the Overview and Scrutiny Committees, now presented, be noted.

 

6b

The Audit and Governance Committee pdf icon PDF 83 KB

Additional documents:

Minutes:

County Councillor Terry Brown presented the report of the Audit and Governance Committee from its meeting held on 26 September 2016.

 

Resolved: - That the report of the Audit and Governance Committee, now presented, be noted.

6c

The Pension Fund Committee pdf icon PDF 81 KB

Additional documents:

Minutes:

County Councillor Kevin Ellard presented the report of the Pension Fund Committee from its meeting held on 15 September 2016.

 

Resolved: - That the report of the Pension Fund Committee, now presented, be noted.

 

6d

The Urgency Committee pdf icon PDF 86 KB

Minutes:

The Leader presented the report of the Urgency Committee, which set out decisions of the Chief Executive under the Council's Urgent Business Procedure on behalf of the Urgency Committee.

 

Resolved: - That the report of the Urgency Committee, now presented, be noted.

 

7.

Report of the Combined Fire Authority pdf icon PDF 80 KB

Additional documents:

Minutes:

County Councillor Frank de Molfetta presented the report of the Lancashire Combined Fire Authority from its meeting held on 19 September 2016.

 

Resolved: - That the report of the Lancashire Combined Fire Authority, now presented, be noted.

 

8.

Notices of Motion submitted under Procedural Standing Order 14.2.1(a) (Part C)

Minutes:

1.  It was moved by County Councillor Hennessy, with a minor revision to the wording, and seconded by County Councillor Beavers that:

 

Under the School Standards and Framework Act 1998 passed by the last Labour Government, schools that were not grammar schools at the beginning of the 1997/98 year cannot make the admission arrangements for selection by ability and parents may request for a ballot on whether existing grammar schools should retain selective admission arrangements.

 

Council believes that the principle of selection by ability is wrong educationally and makes it difficult for children, specifically children from BME backgrounds and children who qualify for free school meals. The principle is wrong because it assumes every child develops at the same rate. Council believes that the restriction against new grammar schools and provisions for parental balloting on existing grammar schools should be kept in place.

 

Council recognises the opposition for the Grammar school proposal amongst the teaching profession, a recent survey of more than 2,500 teachers, school leaders and heads, revealed that 80 per cent of the profession did not believe that the 11-plus test, taken to get into selective schools, could reliably measure long term academic potential. Kevin Courtney, general secretary of the National Union of Teachers, called the grammar schools proposal “a backward-looking policy”. He said: “Promoting grammar schools as the elite academic option instantly casts all other schools into the role of supporting actor.” This is damning evidence that the new government are out of touch with what this country really needs, we need an education system which works for everyone, not the few.

 

Council therefore requests that the Chief Executive writes to the Prime Minister outlining Lancashire's County Council's opposition to any move to open new grammar schools and commits the Council to working with the county's family of schools, the head teacher managerial association, parents, trade union partners and others to ensure that every child regardless of ability, gets the best education possible.

 

A recorded vote on the motion was then taken. The names of County Councillors who voted for or against the motion and those who abstained were as follows:

 

For (40)

 

A Ali

C Crompton

J Hanson

J Mein

M Tomlinson

A Barnes

M Dad

C Henig

Y Motala

D Watts

L Beavers

B Dawson

N Hennessy

J Oakes

D Whipp

D Borrow

F de Molfetta

S Holgate

M Parkinson

B Winlow

M Brindle

C Dereli

D Howarth

N Penney

 

T Brown

G Dowding

M Iqbal

C Pritchard

 

T Burns

K Ellard

M Johnstone

S Prynn

 

D Clifford

J Fillis

D Lord

R Shewan

 

L Collinge

J Gibson

T Martin

J Sumner

 

C Crompton

P Hayhurst

B Murray

B Winlow

 

 

Against (31)

 

A Atkinson

F Craig-Wilson

A Kay

J Shedwick

M Barron

A Cullens

J Lawrenson

D Stansfield

P Britcliffe

G Driver

D O'Toole

C Wakeford

K Brown

G Gooch

M Otter

D Westley

I Brown

M Green

M Perks

P White

P Buckley

P Hayhurst

P Rigby

G Wilkins

S Charles

K Iddon

A  ...  view the full minutes text for item 8.