Agenda and minutes

To approve as a correct record the minutes of the meeting of the Council held on 27 November 2019.

RESOLVED that the minutes of the Council meeting held on 27 November 2019 be approved and signed by the Mayor as a correct record.

Members are asked to declare any disclosable pecuniary or affected interests in respect of any matter to be considered at this meeting.

Any Member with a Disclosable Pecuniary Interest in a matter should withdraw from the meeting when the matter is under consideration and should notify the Democratic Services Officer in attendance that they are withdrawing as they have such an interest. If the Disclosable Pecuniary Interest is not entered on the register of Members interests the Monitoring Officer must be notified of the interest within 28 days.

Any Member with an affected Interest in a matter must disclose the interest to the meeting.  There is no requirement to withdraw from the meeting when the interest is only an affected interest, but the Monitoring Officer should be notified of the interest, if not previously notified of it, within 28 days of the meeting.

There were no declarations of interest.

In accordance with Council Procedure Rule 9 (Public Participation), a deputation has been submitted by Ms C Hawkins, resident of Northcott, Hanworth on behalf of Extinction Rebellion Bracknell. The full text of the deputation is set out below:

Bracknell Extinction Rebellion calls on the Council to:

·       Declare a Climate and Ecological Emergency (CEE)

·       Pledge to make Bracknell Forest carbon neutral by 2025, taking into account both production and consumption emissions

·       Call on Westminster to provide the powers and resources to make the 2025 target possible

·       Work with other governments (both within the UK and internationally) to determine and implement best practice methods to limit Global Warming to less than 1.5°C

·       Make action on the CEE part of all of the Council’s strategies and plans, working with partners across the town and region to deliver this new goal

·       Report to Full Council within six months with the actions the Council will take to address this emergency

In accordance with Council Procedure Rule 9 (Public Participation), a deputation was submitted by Ms C Hawkins, resident of Northcott, Hanworth on behalf of Extinction Rebellion Bracknell. The full text of the deputation is set out below:

Bracknell Extinction Rebellion calls on the Council to:

·            Declare a Climate and Ecological Emergency (CEE)

·            Pledge to make Bracknell Forestcarbon neutral by 2025, taking into account both production and consumption emissions

·            Call on Westminster to provide the powers and resources to make the 2025 target possible

·            Work with other governments (both within the UK and internationally) to determine and implement best practice methods to limit Global Warming to less than 1.5°C

·            Make action on the CEE part of all of the Council’s strategies and plans, working with partners across the town and region to deliver this new goal

·            Report to Full Council within six months with the actions the Council will take to address this emergency

In speaking to the meeting Ms Hawkins referred to the Climate and Ecological emergency as the defining issue of our times and that Bracknell Extinction Rebellion called upon those present to declare a Climate and Ecological Emergency.

In response the Leader of the Council, Councillor Paul Bettison OBE thanked Extinction Rebellion, Bracknell, for raising the important issue. He stated that the Council had unanimously, by all three parties, committed itself to becoming carbon neutral by 2050. The Council was actively working on a new Climate Change strategy with Members and Officers, working together, to achieve this important objective. He added that addressing man-made climate change was not a new policy area for the Council, or the Council’s thinking and planning with formal commitment to this action since 2013. He reported that the Overview and Scrutiny Commission had embedded the review of the council’s actions in respect of these commitments throughout the four-year work programme. He cited a number of examples which demonstrated the Council’s commitment and actions taken. He stated that he believed the Council had set ambitious goals and the Council would achieve them.

He concluded that everyone in the Bracknell Forest Council area needed to embed climate changing actions into their day to day actions and behaviours.

Pride of Bracknell

Councillor Mrs Hayes MBE, Executive Member for Environment encouraged all the members present to support the initiative and consider nominating local residents for the 2020 Pride of Bracknell Award.

Mayor’s Charity Event

The Mayor invited members to attend her end of year event in aid of her chosen charity. The event was being held on 27 February 2020 at The Bull and tickets were still available.

To receive the Leader’s report on the work of the Executive since the Council meeting held on 27 November 2019.

The Leader of the Council, Councillor Bettison OBE, presented his report on the work of the Executive since that reported at the Council meeting on 27 November 2019. The Executive had met once on 17 December 2019.

The Leader highlighted the following matters that had been considered:

·        Draft revenue and capital plans for 2021/21 were agreed for consultation and discussed at Overview & Scrutiny Commission on 9 January. All other contributions to the consultation were welcome and there would be a full debate at February Council meeting.

·        The Blue Mountain Community & Health Care Hub agreed as part of planning obligations for Blue Mountain development and £2.4m funding was agreed. The long-term aspiration was to enhance facilities with Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) to provide integrated health centre. National Health England funding was not agreed for the project. The Executive agree to forward fund the full facility subject to the CCG agreeing a long-term lease to cover the overall capital cost.

·        It was agreed to offer direct cremations at Easthampstead Park Cemetery & Crematorium. This meant a no service and no mourners facility.

·        The Council Plan Overview Report was considered and progress noted against key objectives: 86% were green and 14% were amber.

To agree the Annual Pay Policy Statement for 2019/20.

The Council considered a report regarding the publication of its annual Pay Policy Statement. The 2011 Localism Act requires local authorities to publish an annual statement of their approach to pay for the relevant financial year in relation to the remuneration of their most senior employees, their lowest-paid employees and the relationship between the remuneration of the most senior employees and that of other employees.

On the proposition of Councillor Leake, Chairman of the Employment Committee, seconded by Councillor Allen it was

RESOLVED that the Pay Policy Statement for 2019/20 be agreed.

Councillor Temperton to Councillor Brunel-Walker, Executive Member for Economic Development and Regeneration

The Market is now located in Braccan Walk and will remain there. This is also the location of the Bracknell War Memorial. This memorial- an angel- is made of limestone and is fragile.  It cannot be frequently deep cleaned because of erosion. Every market day, it is now surrounded by food vans pouring out diesel and fat fumes.  Can the Council, working with relevant partners, investigate the relocation of this monument, or if it is too fragile to move, the provision of an alternative in a more suitable location?

Councillor Temperton asked Councillor Brunel-Walker, Executive Member for Economic Development and Regeneration the following published question:

The Market is now located in Braccan Walk and will remain there. This is also the location of the Bracknell War Memorial. This memorial- an angel- is made of limestone and is fragile.  It cannot be frequently deep cleaned because of erosion. Every market day, it is now surrounded by food vans pouring out diesel and fat fumes.  Can the Council, working with relevant partners, investigate the relocation of this monument, or if it is too fragile to move, the provision of an alternative in a more suitable location?

Councillor Brunel-Walker was unable to attend the meeting so the Leader of the Council, Councillor Bettison OBE read out to the meeting the response that had been prepared:

Bracknell's war memorial was erected in 1924 to commemorate the dead of World War I. and originally stood on the edge of the old town, at the junction of Binfield Road and Wokingham Road, but was moved to its present location in 1950 as part of the development of Bracknell New Town. The land the structure sits on is owned by the Council. The structure was officially added to the Historic Buildings listings on the 18th October 2012 and is Grade II listed monument.

He stated that the war memorial was of national and local importance, it also had legal protection as a listed structure. It was the focus for remembrance activities, and for many families, the war memorial was a place of focus and reflection to remember or commemorate the fallen, those have made the ultimate sacrifice Queen, or King, and Country but have no headstone.

He added that the War Memorial was owned by the local Branch of the Royal British with whom the Council worked with to arrange and undertake routine cleaning and maintenance.

He explained that moving the war memorial would be treated as requiring listed building consent for “demolition” and consultation with Historic England before re-erection. It was considered unlikely to receive consent.

Councillor Brunel-Walker had asked officers to assess the current condition of the structure and what measures were required to reduce any potential damage to the monument.

Councillor Temperton asked the following supplementary question: If the statue could not be moved then an assessment be undertaken of its condition and if the market place arrangements can be changed so that it is not subject to fat and fuel contamination and be cleaned ready for VE and JE day celebrations this year.

The Mayor confirmed that Councillor Brunel-Walker would be asked to provide a written response.

Motion 06/2019  moved by Councillor Temperton and seconded by Councillor Neil

In support of this Council’s commitment to eradicate our net contribution to climate change by 2050, I ask the Council to call upon the Executive to ensure that all future Council planning applications include an assessment  of their impact on the Council’s carbon footprint and include measures to mitigate any increase.

Motion 04/2019 was moved and seconded by Councillors Temperton and Neil respectively as follows:

In support of this Council’s commitment to eradicate our net contribution to climate change by 2050, I ask the Council to call upon the Executive to ensure that all future Council planning applications include an assessment of their impact on the Council’s carbon footprint and include measures to mitigate any increase.

On being put to the meeting the motion fell.