MINUTES OF PENZANCE TOWN COUNCIL MEETING held in The Alverne Room, St John s Hall, Penzance on Monday 26 June 2017 at 7.00pm PRESENT Councillor R B Cliffe (Town Mayor) N G Pengelly (Deputy Mayor) Councillors K M Baker S Bosworth N C Broadhurst (left at 8.50pm) S M Cordel N A Davis J H Dixon W Elliott T L Halliday J M How B Jackson J S Lambourn R A Mann N C Roach R L Simmons P Young Also present: Hester Hunt (Town Clerk), Teresa Fogarty (Senior Administration Officer), Paula Smith (Support Services Manager/RFO), Cllr Cornelius Olivier (Cornwall Council), 7 members of the public (2 of whom joined the meeting at 7.30pm). Prayers Before commencement of the meeting, Reverend Drew offered a prayer. 16. PUBLIC PARTICIPATION TIME Two local residents raised concerns about the cycle path between Newlyn and Mousehole and the poor signage which led to cyclists using the road at a very narrow point. The Mayor responded that the issue would be raised with the relevant Cornwall Council ward member. Mr Malcolm Lawrence mentioned the presence of wheelie bins on Bread Street which caused a traffic obstruction (something he had raised on a number of occasions in the past). He went on to request that, as he was the first Town Council Civic Deputy several years ago, he would like to have a photograph taken with the Civic Deputy medallion. Mr Lawrence was informed that it is not normal practice for the Town Council to organise such photographs. Mr Michael Rabbitte complained about the lack of Town Council agendas and minutes on the website, leading to a lack of transparency. The Mayor assured Mr Rabbitte that, members and staff were aware of the issue and that this matter should be resolved within the next few weeks. - 7 -
Two further residents, who joined the meeting at 7.30pm, praised the speed at which the Town Centre was cleaned up after Mazey Day/Quay Fair Day and asked for the cost of the clean-up operation. The Mayor responded that this had been organised by Cornwall Council so the exact cost was unknown. In response to a query about the cost of the Public Liability Insurance for Golowan, the residents were informed that in previous years this had been approximately 2,000 for indemnity up to 10 million. The residents thanked the Town Council for all the hard work on behalf of the town and finally raised concerns over the number of young people out late at night over the Mazey weekend and obviously under the influence of alcohol, with no adult supervision. 17. CORNWALL COUNCILLORS REPORTS Cllr Olivier addressed the Council on the matter of the Local Government Boundary Commission (LGBC) review into the number of Councillors at Cornwall Council. The LGBC was proposing a reduction from the current 123 members to 87 but Cllr Olivier urged members to support Cornwall Council s proposal of 99 Councillors. Any fewer than this would result in the populace of Cornwall being severely under-represented and, by having to represent a greater proportion of residents, Councillors would find it more difficult to move matters forward and would be less able to influence policy. 18. APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE Councillor S J Reed, N N Waller Absent without apologies: Councillor D J Axford 19. DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST There were no declarations of interest. 20. TO RESOLVE TO EXCLUDE MEMBERS OF THE PRESS AND PUBLIC To agree any items to be dealt with after the public (including the press) have been excluded as publicity would prejudice the public interest by reason of the confidential nature of the business to be transacted Public Bodies [Admission to Meetings] Act 1960 In respect of Agenda item 16(a) Confidential report for decision Redundancy Acting Responsible Finance Officer (RFO), it was unanimously RESOLVED to exclude the public and press during discussion of this item. (Proposed: Cllr Simmons; seconded: Cllr Dixon.) 21. TO APPROVE WRITTEN REQUESTS FOR DISPENSATION No requests had been submitted. - 8 -
22. TO CONFIRM THE MINUTES OF THE TOWN COUNCIL MEETING OF 22 MAY 2017 Cllr Simmons queried Minute 13(e) Causewayhead parking the final sentence of paragraph 2 stated it would not be legal to use CCTV to tackle parking offenders. However, the Mayor confirmed it was his understanding that this was correct. The minutes having been previously circulated, it was RESOLVED to approve the minutes of the Town Council meeting held on 22 May 2017. (Proposed: Cllr Broadhurst; seconded: Cllr Halliday.) 1 abstention 23. MATTERS ARISING FOR REPORT ONLY No matters were reported. 24. TO DEAL WITH BUSINESS EXPRESSLY REQUIRED BY STATUTE TO BE DONE There were no matters to be dealt with. 25. TOWN MAYOR S ANNOUNCEMENTS Summary of Events attended since 19 May 2017 19 May Penzance Choral Society recital of Elijah (an outstanding event). 24 May Scillonian III 40 th anniversary celebrations aboard the Scillonian III. 25 May Penzance Community Flora Group (PzCFG) Tunnel Party at the John Daniel s Centre, Heamoor. 26 May League of Friends of West Cornwall Hospital AGM at West Cornwall Hospital. 27 May Launch event for the Voices of Cornwall CD at St Peter s Hall, Newlyn. 2 June Monthly meeting of the Breakwater Group. This Group, originated by Andrew George whilst our MP, is exploring options for breakwaters in Mount s Bay to both provide coastal protection for Penzance and opportunities to develop a Penzance marina. The work of this Group will be presented to the Penzance Place Shaping Group in the near future. 2 June Opening night of Stage Struck Community Youth Theatre s most recent production at the Newlyn Centre. Another outstanding event demonstrating local talent. 3 June Opening of Jubilee Pool. - 9 -
7 June Pengarth Networking Breakfast. Thank you to the new members that attended this event. It was an opportunity to meet professionals from other agencies concerned with care for elderly and disabled people in the Penwith area. 7 June Penzance/Cuxhaven Twinning Association Committee meeting in St John s Hall. 9 June Private viewing of the new Penlee House exhibition Stanhope Forbes The Father of the Newlyn School. 11 June Meeting with community activists concerning support for Crowlas Bypass (to provide a bypass for the last two remaining villages on the A30 between Exeter and Penzance). This project is a potential candidate for inclusion in the national road building programme post 2020 under RIS 2 (Road Investment Strategy 2). 14 June International Jaguar XK Club 4000 mile charity drive. Stage 3 flag off from Trereife House (in aid of Prostate Cancer UK). 17 June Alverton Big Lunch on the Alverton Recreation Field. 17 June Launch Party for Golowan 2017 at the Exchange Gallery. 18 June Feast of St John Parade & Church Service. Some Important Future Events: 29 June Penzance Business Breakfast at the Exchange Gallery (organized by Lloyds Bank plc). The Mayor will be giving a short presentation about the Council s plans and aspirations. 1 July Mayor of Concarneau informal one day visit to Penzance (see announcements). 2 July Postponed Golowan Cricket Match President s XI vs Mayor s XI (at Penzance Cricket Club, St Clare) 5-8 July Penzance Literary Festival. 50+ diverse events in a 4 day programme. 15 July Vintage Car Event on Penzance Seafront organised by Penzance Rotary Club. 6 August Mousehole Male Voice Choir Summer Festival, St Mary's Church, Penzance. Announcements Mayors & Chairs Meeting. The Mayor, Deputy Mayor and Chairs of the Standing Committees meet once per meeting cycle to organise business for future meetings and confirm progress with the implementation of past resolutions. This is an opportunity for entirely new issues to be included in the agenda of forthcoming meetings. Vice-Chairs may attend these meetings and are expected to attend in the absence of their Chairman. The next meeting of the Mayors and Chairs will be 29-10 -
June. With 12 new members there is a need for the Council to reaffirm its objectives and priorities and incorporate them into the Council s Forward Plan for the next 3 years. Visit by Mayor of Concarneau 1 July 2017. The Mayor of Concarneau is making a whistle stop visit to Penzance on 1 July. This is an informal visit and arrangements are led by the Twinning Association with Penzance Town Council in support. The draft programme includes the Mayor & Mayoress meeting him at Penlee House at 11.00 am and, after a tour of the exhibition, walking through Penzance ending up at the Jubilee Pool Café for a light lunch. The Mayor went on to report that feedback from the recent Golowan Festival was very positive and that the Civic Parade and lunch on Mazey Day had gone very well. The Town Clerk would be asked to email all Councillors requesting their individual feedback which would be important for updating the Golowan SLA for the next year. It was further reported that the application for the development of the St Clare site (129 homes and a Super Surgery) had been approved. The Penzance/Cuxhaven Twinning Association was seeking host families for visitors from Cuxhaven at the end of September/beginning of October. [7.30pm - Two members of the public joined the meeting and their comments are as recorded in Minute 16 Public Participation above.] 26. TO RECEIVE QUESTIONS FROM MEMBERS OF WHICH PRIOR WRITTEN NOTICE HAD BEEN GIVEN, IN ACCORDANCE WITH SO NO. 15 No questions had been submitted. 27. TO NOTE THE MINUTES OF THE FOLLOWING COMMITTEE MEETINGS (a) Planning Committee 24 May & 14 June 2017 The minutes of the Planning Committee meetings held on 24 May and 14 June 2017 were presented and noted. (b) Penlee House Committee 30 May 2017 The minutes of the Penlee House Committee meeting held on 30 May 2017 were presented and noted. (c) Leisure & Amenities Committee 5 June 2017 The minutes of the Leisure and Amenities Committee meeting held on 5 June 2017 were presented and noted. - 11 -
(d) Finance & General Purposes Committee 19 June 2017 The minutes of the Finance and General Purposes Committee meeting held on 19 June 2017 were presented and noted. 28. REPORTS FOR DECISION (a) Approval of Statement of Internal Controls The Statement of Internal Control, in conjunction with the Council s Standing Orders and Financial Regulations, provided the details of the methodology by which the Council afforded itself protection in the day to day operation of its accounting procedures. The Town Council s Financial Regulations had been revised and adopted at the Town Council meeting of 13 February 2017 and members were now asked to approve and adopt the Statement of Internal Controls. Cllr Lambourn raised a concern that no mention of the Council s savings was made in the report (this followed advice received at a recent Council Finance training session). The Support Services Manager/RFO mentioned that the Internal Auditor had suggested an investment strategy should be implemented and this would be reviewed in Autumn 2017 for consideration and decision by Councillors. Following further discussion of the Council s savings and proposed investment strategy, it was RESOLVED that the Town Council approve the revised Statement of Internal Controls. (Proposed: Cllr Pengelly; seconded: Cllr Simmons.) 1 against. (b) Annual Return 2016/17 The Annual Return 2016/17 had been considered by the Finance and General Purposes Committee at the meeting of 19 June and recommended for approval by the Town Council. Members were asked to approve the three sections that made up the Annual Return:- (i) Annual Internal Audit Report 2016/17 It was unanimously RESOLVED to approve the Annual Internal Audit Report for 2016/17. (Proposed: Cllr Pengelly; seconded: Cllr Roach.) (ii) Governance Statement 2016/17 Members considered and agreed responses to the 9 sections of the Governance Statement and it was unanimously - 12 -
RESOLVED to approve the Governance Statement 2016/17. (Proposed: Cllr Pengelly; seconded: Cllr Elliott.) (iii) Accounting Statement 2016/17 It was unanimously RESOLVED to approve the Accounting Statement 2016/17. (Proposed: Cllr Broadhurst; seconded: Cllr Dixon.) The Town Mayor and the Town Clerk signed the relevant documents a copy of which can be found at Appendix A to these minutes. (c) Revision of Standing Orders establishment of a working group Penzance Town Council s Standing Orders had last been adopted on 14 July 2014 and now required revision. The draft revision would then be presented to the Town Council at the 7 August 2017 meeting for adoption. Volunteers were requested to form a working group with the Mayor to review the Standing Orders and it was unanimously RESOLVED to appoint Councillors Cordel, Elliott and Reed to work with the Mayor on a review of Standing Orders. The draft revision would be presented at the Town Council meeting of 7 August 2017 for consideration and approval by all Councillors. (Proposed: Cllr Pengelly; seconded: Cllr Broadhurst.) (d) Electoral Review of Cornwall Council The Local Government Boundary Commission for England (LGBCE) had launched a four part electoral review to decide: Total number of Councillors elected to Cornwall Council Boundaries of all electoral divisions represented by Councillors Number of Councillors elected to each division The name of each division The first part of the review (total number of Councillors elected to Cornwall Council) had been launched with a consultation deadline of 7 August 2017. Currently, there were 123 Cornwall Councillors and the LGBCE proposed a reduction to 87. It was noted that Cornwall Council had suggested a total of 99 Councillors and Cllr Lambourn proposed that the Town Council should support Cornwall Council in this number. The proposal was seconded by Cllr How. Members discussed the proposals and how a reduction in the size of Cornwall Council could impact on the work of the Town Council and it was - 13 -
RESOLVED to submit a recommendation to the LGBCE that 123 Councillors should be retained. (Proposed: Cllr Simmons; seconded: Cllr Young.) 10 for; 7 against. The proposal put forward by Cllr Lambourn thereby fell. (e) Health and Safety Policy In 2016, Penzance Town Council entered into a contractual agreement with Cornwall Council for the provision of Health & Safety advice and expertise from a member of the Cornwall Council Health, Safety & Wellbeing Team. The Health Safety & Wellbeing Officer has drawn up a Health & Safety Policy tailored to the requirements of the Town Council and this had been reviewed and revised by the Town Council Management Team and Senior Administration Officer. It was unanimously RESOLVED to approve and adopt the Health and Safety Policy. (Proposed: Cllr Dixon; seconded: Cllr Pengelly.) (f) Appointment to the Board of the Jubilee Pool Community Benefits Society (JPCBS) Cllr Davis had been nominated by the Mayor and the Town Clerk to act as the Town Council s representative to the Board of the JPCBS as an interim measure until such time as the Town Council could confirm an elected representative. Cllr Davis was willing to continue as the Town Council s representative to the Board and it was noted that the Friends of Jubilee Pool would eventually be incorporated into the JPCBS. It was therefore RESOLVED to appoint Cllr Davis as the Town Council s representative on the Board of the Jubilee Pool Community Benefits Society. (Proposed: Cllr Pengelly; seconded: Cllr Elliott.) 2 abstentions [8.50pm Cllr Broadhurst left the meeting] 29. REPORTS FROM OUTSIDE BODIES No reports had been submitted. Cllr Lambourn provided a brief verbal report on the Newlyn Pier & Harbour Commissioners Advisory Board and it was noted that an important meeting would be taking place in the near future. The Town Clerk reminded members that they would be asked to supply a written report on any Outside Bodies meetings that they attended or to forward copies of minutes to the Town Council Office. - 14 -
30. REPORTS FOR INFORMATION (a) Staff Personal Development Reviews (PDRs) The Town Clerk reported that PDRs for all members of staff had been undertaken and that performance targets and training needs had been identified. Six-monthly reviews would take place in Autumn 2017. 31. CONFIDENTIAL REPORT FOR DECISION The public and press left the meeting (in accordance with the resolution taken at Minute 20. above). As the item involved staffing matters, the Mayor also left in compliance with Confidential Resolution 151(c) Code of Conduct complaint Assessment Decision Notice, taken at the Town Council meeting on 3 April 2017. (a) Redundancy Acting Responsible Finance Officer (RFO) The post of RFO had been deemed to be redundant under the Rolley Review carried out in the Spring of 2016 and adopted by Council at the Extraordinary Town Council meeting of 19 April 2016. As the Acting RFO had not applied for the newly created post of Support Services Manager/RFO, he had taken early retirement from the Council and redundancy. The payments for redundancy and holiday pay had been calculated in accordance with HMRC statutory guidelines and the cost of the package (to be taken from the General Reserves budget) had been approved by the Personnel Committee. Members were asked to ratify the decision of the Personnel Committee and it was unanimously RESOLVED that the Town Council ratify the decision of the Personnel Committee in respect of the redundancy package for the Acting RFO. (Proposed: Cllr Mann; seconded: Cllr Cordel.) The Mayor rejoined the meeting. The meeting closed at 8.55pm Town Mayor 7 August 2017-15 -