Agenda and minutes

No apologies were received.

There were no declarations of interest.

To consider the minutes of the previous Council meeting held on 2 March 2016.

The Mayor proposed, the Deputy Mayor seconded, and it was resolved:

That the minutes of the previous meeting held on 2 March, be agreed as a correct record and signed accordingly by the Mayor.

To receive the Mayor’s announcements.

Remembrance

Councillors stood in silent tribute to remember the late Darren Cooper, who was the Leader of Sandwell Council, Mr Joe Davies, who was a D Day veteran and who was very recently awarded the Legion D’Honneur, and the many victims of the recent terror attacks in Brussels, Lahore and Turkey.

Retiring Members of the Council

The Mayor expressed his thanks to the retiring Councillors who were not seeking re-election at the local elections in May, recognising their dedication and many years’ service.  These included:

·         Councillor Bishan Dass - St Peter’s ward 1975 to 1983, Heath Town ward 1983 to 1987, Ettingshall ward 2004 to date:

§  Mayor 1986 - 1987

§  Health Scrutiny Panel (Vice Chairman 2015-2016)

§  Pensions Committee

§  Petitions Committee (Vice Chairman 2012-14)

§  Licensing Committee

§  Children and Young People Scrutiny Panel (Vice-Chairman 2014-2015)

§  Building Schools for the Future Advisory Group

§  Schools Joint Consultative Panel

·         Councillor Richard Whitehouse, Springvale ward since 1984

·         Councillor Lorna McGregor, Oxley ward since 2012

·         Councillor Jas Dehar, Bushbury North ward since 2012

§  Adults and Safer City Scrutiny Panel (2012 to date)     

§  Children, Young People and Families Scrutiny Panel (2014 to date)

§  Confident Capable Council Scrutiny Panel (2013/14)              

§  Corporate Parenting Panel(2014 to date)           

§  Equalities Advisory Group (2014)

§  Performance, Governance & Support Services Scrutiny Panel (2012)

§  Representative on the West Midlands Fire and Rescue Authority

VE Day 2016

Councillors were advised the Central Branch of the City of Wolverhampton Royal British Legion and the Ex-Service Council would be holding a service of remembrance at the Cenotaph, St Peter's Square, on 6 May starting at 11am.

To receive the Municipal Calendar for 2016 – 2017.

Resolved:

            That the Municipal Calendar for 2016/17 be approved.

To receive the summary of executive business and Cabinet Members to answer any questions thereon.

Council received a summary of executive business in relation to:

·         Full Joint Inspection of Youth Offending Team

·         City of Wolverhampton Open Space Strategy and Action Plan Update

·         Black Country Core Strategy Review

·         City Of Wolverhampton Procurement Charter

To consider the purchase of city centre regeneration site.  (Report to follow).

Council received a report on the purchase of a city centre regeneration site, located at St George’s Parade.  Councillors were appraised of the benefits that the purchase would bring to city and the necessity to ensure that the site was purchased by the Council for development rather than the possibility of it being ‘land banked’ and remaining derelict if bought by a developer. 

The Cabinet Member for Resources, Cllr Andrew Johnson, outlined the financial implications detailed in the report and further explained that negotiations were ongoing with Sainsbury’s and the Church Commissioners.

In response to questions raised, Council were reassured that the matter would be carefully monitored.

It was moved by Councillor Johnson and seconded by Councillor Lawrence.

Resolved:

1.    The purchase of the freehold of the former Sainsbury’s site at St George’s Parade for a sum of £13.1 million be approved.

2.    The Cabinet Member for Resources, in consultation with the Director of Finance,be given delegated authority to approve the resulting changes to:

(a)  Capital budgets

(b)  Revenue budgets

(c)  Treasury management indicators and borrowing limits and prudential indicators

1.     The One Nation Approach to government

Councillor Moran to ask the Cabinet Member for Resources:

"Would the Cabinet Member for Resources agree with me that the joint impact of Government austerity cuts, and welfare benefit reforms has had a disproportionately damaging impact upon Wolverhampton Council, the City economy, and therefore Wolverhampton people, then will be the case for Oxfordshire Councils, which of course includes the Prime Minister's Witney constituency."

2.     Councillor Allowances

Councillor Whitehouse to ask the Leader of the Council

“Would the Leader consider making alterations to the members allowance scheme to include a meeting attendance element?”

The One Nation Approach to Government

Councillor Moran asked the Cabinet Member for Resources:

Would the Cabinet Member for Resources agree with me that the joint impact of Government austerity cuts, and welfare benefit reforms has had a disproportionately damaging impact upon Wolverhampton Council, the City economy, and therefore Wolverhampton people, than will be the case for Oxfordshire Councils, which of course includes the Prime Minister's Witney constituency?

Councillor Johnson responded by explaining that he agreed about the disproportionate impact on the city.  Councillors were advised that Wolverhampton was the 17^th most deprived local authority area by average indicator of multiple deprivation score out of 327 as compared to West Oxfordshire within which the Witney consistency was 315^th, the Vale of White Horse 311^th, South Oxfordshire 309^th and Oxford City 166^th.

Moreover, local government settlement tables provided by the Department for Communities and Local Government were able to show that between 2010 – 11 and 2016 – 17 Wolverhampton sustained a cash cut of £323.63 per head whereas the cash cut in Oxfordshire was just £107.48.

Further, that it was announced in January that Oxfordshire would receive £9.2 million in a so called transition grant to cushion the impact of the cuts.  In comparison Wolverhampton had faced cuts three times greater than Oxfordshire’s and had not received such a grant.

Moving forward, by 2017/18, based on the current year’s financial settlement and DCLG table,s Wolverhampton would suffer a further 5.2% cuts in core spending per dwelling in comparison to Oxfordshire’s 1.8%.

Councillor Allowances

Councillor Whitehouse asked the Leader of the Council:

Would the Leader consider making alterations to the members allowance scheme to include a meeting attendance element?

The Leader of the Council responded that Councillors allowances were recommended by the Independent Remuneration Panel and ratified at Council.  Further, that paying allowances based on attendance would be overly complex and would become an administrative burden.

Councillor Whitehouse asked the following supplementary question.

Notwithstanding the answer just given by the Leader; is he aware that the average backbencher, in addition to Full Council meetings, serves on two scrutiny panels and is expected to serve on at least one scrutiny review each year along with the annual misnamed scrutiny ‘away day’? This amounts to approximately 38 scrutiny meetings over two years and yet one member present has only attended two such meetings! A non-attendance rate of 95%. Since I know the Leader highly values the scrutiny function of the Council, does he not think that this should be rectified?

The Leader of the Council responded that Councillors were elected by their ward residents and the issue about meeting attendance was a matter for them.”