To elect a Chairperson of the Council for the municipal year.

Councillor David Hitchiner proposed and Councillor Liz Harvey seconded the nomination of Councillor Kath Hey as Chairperson of the Council.

(Councillor Kath Hey declared a schedule 1 interest and left the meeting for the vote)

Councillor Terry James proposed and Councillor Bob Matthews seconded the nomination of Councillor Sebastian Bowen as Chairperson of the Council.

(Councillor Sebastian Bowen declared a schedule 1 interest and left the meeting for the vote)

(Councillor Kema Guthrie as the Chairperson called for the vote)

RESOLVED: That Councillor Sebastian Bowen is elected Chairperson of the Council for the forthcoming municipal year.

Councillor Sebastian Bowen made the statutory declaration of acceptance of office.

To appoint the Vice-Chairperson of the Council.

Councillor Johnathan Lester proposed and Councillor John Harrington seconded the nomination of Councillor Kema Guthrie as Vice Chairperson of the Council.

RESOLVED: That Councillor Kema Guthrie is appointed Vice Chairperson of the Council for the forthcoming municipal year.

Councillor Kema Guthrie made the statutory declaration of acceptance of office.

To receive apologies for absence.

Apologies for absence were received from Councillor Jeremy Milln.

To receive any declarations of interest in respect of Schedule 1, Schedule 2 or Other Interests from members of the Council in respect of items on the agenda.

There were no declarations of interest at this stage of the meeting, please see minute 1 above and minutes 7 and 9 below.

To approve and sign the Minutes of the ordinary meeting held on 5 March 2021 and the extraordinary meeting on 27 April 2021.

RESOLVED: That the minutes of the ordinary meeting held on 5 March 2021 and the extraordinary meeting held on 27 April 2021 be confirmed as a correct record and signed by the Chairman.

To receive the Chairman and Chief Executive’s announcements.

Council noted the Chairman and Chief Executive’s announcements as printed in the agenda papers.

To elect the Leader of the Council.

Councillor John Hardwick proposed and Councillor Ellie Chowns seconded the nomination of Councillor David Hitchiner.

(Councillor David Hitchiner declared a schedule 1 interest and left the meeting for the vote)

RESOLVED: That Councillor David Hitchiner is elected Leader of the Council for the forthcoming municipal year.

To make appointments to the committees of the Council and outside bodies in line with the rules of political proportionality.

Council considered the report attached to the agenda relating to appointments to committees of the council and outside bodies in line with the rules of political proportionality. The Chairman outlined a correction to the date in recommendation (g) of the report which should read 28 November 2021. The monitoring officer confirmed that all members had a dispensation for recommendation (f) and could participate in the item.

Recommendation (a)

Councillor David Hitchiner proposed and Councillor Liz Harvey seconded recommendation (a) which was carried.

RESOLVED: That the list of ordinary committees listed at paragraph 11 are confirmed with their terms of reference as set out in the council’s constitution.

Recommendation (b)

Councillor David Hitchiner proposed and Councillor David Summers seconded recommendation (b).

Councillor Ellie Chowns proposed and Councillor David Summers seconded an amendment to recommendation (b) that Councillor Jim Kenyon be allocated the seat on the Children and Young People Scrutiny Committee currently allocated to The Green Party and The Green Party be allocated the seat on the Planning and Regulatory Committee currently allocated to the not aligned member. The monitoring officer explained that the vote on the amendment would need to be a nem con vote as it proposed the suspension of the rules of proportionality. The amendment was put to the vote and was lost.

Councillor Jonathan Lester proposed an amendment that Councillor Jim Kenyon be added to the membership of the Children and Young People Scrutiny Committee. Councillor Lester subsequently withdrew his amendment.

The original motion, recommendation (b) was put to the vote and was carried.  

RESOLVED: That the number of seats on each committee as set out at paragraph 11, and the allocation of those seats to political groups as set out at appendix 1 is approved.

(There was an adjournment at 11.29 a.m. due to a problem with the live stream for the meeting, the meeting reconvened at 11.45 a.m.)

Councillor David Hitchiner proposed and Councillor John Hardwick seconded the appointment of the not aligned member, Councillor Jim Kenyon, to the Planning and Regulatory Committee which was carried.

RESOLVED: That Councillor Jim Kenyon is appointed to the Planning and Regulatory Committee.

Recommendation (c)

Councillor David Hitchiner proposed and Councillor Liz Harvey seconded recommendation (c) which was carried.

RESOLVED: That the allocation of seats on outside bodies to political groups as set out at appendix 2 is approved.

Recommendation (d)

Councillor David Hitchiner proposed and Councillor Liz Harvey seconded recommendation (d).

Councillor Jonathan Lester proposed and Councillor Nigel Shaw seconded an amendment to recommendation (d) to include Councillor Jim Kenyon on the membership of the the Children and Young People Scrutiny Committee. The amendment was carried.

Councillor Gemma Davies proposed and Councillor Jennie Hewitt seconded an amendment to recommendation (d) to include a representative from the teaching sector as an additional co-optee on the Children and Young People Scrutiny Committee. The amendment was carried.

The substantive motion, inclusive of the two amendments carried above, was put to the vote and was carried.

RESOLVED: That the appointment of five  ...  view the full minutes text for item 8.

To approve the Herefordshire councillors allowances scheme having regard to the recommendations of the council’s independent remuneration panel.

Council considered a report by the Monitoring Officer to approve the Herefordshire councillors’ allowances scheme having regard to the recommendations of the council’s independent remuneration panel. A supplement to the report containing an additional recommendation had been circulated on 27 May. The following corrections to the report were outlined to Council:

·        Recommendation (b) to be changed to – a three-step mandatory training element to be included in year three of the electoral term in relation to the basic allowance;

·        In appendix g, the table on page 118 required corrections. The final column of the table should state F/Y 2024/25 and the Chairperson of the Council’s proposed allowance rates should state:

-        F/Y 2021/22 - £10,258.29

-        F/Y 2022/23 - £10,596.50

-        F/Y 2024/25 - £10,934.86

The monitoring officer explained that a dispensation had been granted to all members to enable participation in the debate and vote.

Recommendation (a)

It was proposed that a recorded vote was undertaken to agree the councillors’ allowances scheme which was supported by over eight members of the Council.

Councillor Nigel Shaw proposed and Councillor Ellie Chowns seconded option 2 for the councillors’ allowances scheme as set out in appendix (g) of the report - Council accept the Independent Remuneration Panel’s recommendation in full, but defer the new allowance scheme to begin in 2023/24 (following all-out local elections) to deliver the new increase.

Councillor Gemma Davies proposed and Councillor Ange Tyler seconded option 3 for the councillors’ allowances scheme as set out in appendix (g) of the report - Council accept the Independent Remuneration Panel’s recommendation in full, but defer the new allowances scheme to begin in 2022/23 to deliver the full increase.

Councillor Roger Phillips declared an other interest as the Vice Chairman of the National Joint Council.

Council raised the principal points below in the debate:

·        The low level of allowances currently paid to Herefordshire councillors relative to other authorities;

·        The importance of attracting young and working-age people to become councillors by providing a reasonable level of remuneration;

·        The discomfort to councillors of being legally required to set the level of allowances;

·        The absence of any uplift in the level of councillor allowances over the previous eight years;

·        Concern that any further delay to increasing councillors allowances would result in an increasing deficit between the levels paid at Herefordshire Council and other local authorities;

·        Option 2 represented a reasonable compromise between acknowledging the current economic difficulties and the need for an increase in the very low level of basic allowance paid;

·        The need to evaluate the level of basic allowance paid to councillors from urban and rural wards, particularly where there existed a large number of parish councils;

·        Confirmation that the increase to allowances would be index-linked if option 2 was supported and the uplift occurred following local elections in May 2023; and

·        Confirmation that individual councillors could choose to not receive any increase in their allowances.

Councillor David Hitchiner proposed and Councillor Gemma Davies seconded an amendment to recommendation 14 of the  ...  view the full minutes text for item 9.