Special Council Meeting 25-02-14

Page 1 of 25 Michael Chizlett

Bournemouth Borough Council

Special Council Meeting – 25/02/14 COMMENTS MADE AT A SPECIAL COUNCIL MEETING OF BOURNEMOUTH

BOROUGH COUNCIL ON THE 25TH FEBRUARY 2014.

THIS DOCUMENT FOLLOWS THE HANSARD MODEL. WHILE EVERY EFFORT

HAS BEEN MADE TO ENSURE ITS ACCURACY THE FOLLOWING IS NOT AN

EXACT TRANSCRIPT.

THIS DOCUMENT WAS NOT PRODUCED IN AFFLIATION BOURNEMOUTH

BOROUGH COUNCIL AND IS NOT AN OFFICIAL RECORD OF THE MEETING.

THIS DOCUMENT IS PUBLISHED FOR THE BENEFIT OF BOURNEMOUTH

RESIDENTS AND WAS WRITTEN BY MICHAEL CHIZLETT (ATTENDING) IN

ASSOCIATION WITH BOURNEMOUTH LIBERAL DEMOCRATS.

PRELIMINARY NOTICES UNDER AGENDA ITEM 1

The Mayor, Cllr Dr. Rodney Cooper: Agenda item 2 apologies. Chief Executive

could you read out the apologies please.

Tony Williams, Chief Executive: Thank you Mr. Mayor. Apologies have been

received from Councillors: Adams, Chapman, Maine, West, Wakefield, Whittaker

and Wilson.

The Mayor, Cllr Dr. Rodney Cooper: I think I speak for everyone in the chamber

about the illness of both Cllr West and Whittaker and I’m sure that we’ll wish them a

speedy recovery and we shall ask the officers to pass that on please. Item 3

declarations of interests, Chief Executive please.

Tony Williams, Chief Executive: Thank you Mr Mayor. All members of the council

have previously been granted a dispensation by the Monitoring Officer to take part in

the debate about and to vote on the council’s budget and tax proposals. We have

one additional declaration from Cllr Montrose with reference to agenda item 7 on the

grounds that she is a private provider of social care contracted by the council.

The Mayor, Cllr Dr. Rodney Cooper: Thank you. Agenda item 4 there are no public

questions. Agenda item 5 there are no deputations. Agenda item 6 there are no

petitions. Agenda item 7 – to receive a report on yellow pages to deal with matters

arising thereof and requiring the approval of the council. Cllr John Beesley I call upon

you please to move the document’s recommendations from the Special Cabinet

Meeting held on the 19th February as amended by the chief finance officer’s reports

1 and 2. And Council do I have your permission for Councillor John Beesley, Leader

of the Council, to make the statement.

Special Council Meeting – 25/02/14


Council: [Murmur in the affirmative]

The Mayor, Cllr Dr. Rodney Cooper: Cllr Beesley

Cllr John Beesley, Leader of the Council: Thank you Mr. Mayor. I present the

minutes of the special Cabinet meeting held on the 19th February and ask that they

be received and adopted and in so doing Mr. Mayor I would ask council to note a

minor amendment of £2,000 to the budget since the cabinet on the 19th February this

is because in bringing forward the Cabinet’s budget’s proposals the planning

assumption that was made that the Fire Service Precept would increase by 1.99% in

the event the Fire Service actually approved an increase of 1.93% the relevant

updates have been made and all figures finalised accordingly in the special full

council meeting papers.

[Should be noted that Cllr Beesly’s written statement is available on the

Bournemouth Borough Council Website at:

http://www.bournemouth.gov.uk/CouncilDemocracy/Councillors/CouncillorCo

mmitteeMeeting/Council/2014/02/25/Reports/Leaders-Budget-Statement-14-

15.pdf ]

Mr Mayor I’m pleased to propose the 2014/15 budget to the council. I’ve made sure

on this occasion that all members have got a paper copy in front of them so that they

can follow the detail of the budget.

For the fourth year running there will be no increase in council tax bills in

Bournemouth. This has been made possible by a proposal to reduce the council’s

share of the bill for council tax by 0.4% on top of the 0.7% reduction this year,

making a total of cut of Bournemouth Council tax of 1.1% for the two years. The

financial cost of the council’s base budget is a further £300,000 in addition to the

£500,000 for this cost in the current year. We’ve done this to compensate by the

increases levied by the Police and Fire authorities. The Government have been very

clear that they expect that council’s as well as the police and fire authorities to take

the council tax freeze grants and do everything possible to ensure that council tax

bills are not increased. It has been very disappointing that there have again been

increases in the precepts levied by the police crime commissioner and the fire

authority in Dorset, this time by 1.96% and 1.93% respectively. This means that over

the two years 2013 to 2015 the police will increase their precept by 4% and fire by

10.3% that is by taking into taken the accumulated amount between the two years

and inflation linked. I’ve studied the financial proposals of both the police and fire

authority and can see no justification at all for any increase and cannot understand

why they are not both taking up council tax freeze grant from the government. I

would like to thank those Bournemouth members who have done their upmost to

hold both proposals to account in the best interests of tax payers across Dorset.

Through Bournemouth Council ensuring that council tax bills will remain frozen for

the fourth year in a row, we can be sure that this will be a welcome support to many

http://www.bournemouth.gov.uk/CouncilDemocracy/Councillors/CouncillorCommitteeMeeting/Council/2014/02/25/Reports/Leaders-Budget-Statement-14-15.pdf





working people during these continuing difficult times as well as to many retired

people who are struggling on their pensions. I’m pleased to report that we are again

in a position to take the government’s council tax freeze grant this year despite the

cumulative impact that this will have on the base budget in future years. This

pressure will amount to a further 5% reduction in funding by the end of 2014/15

equivalent to a local loss of funding of £3.6 million. In addition to the freeze in council

tax the other good news for residents in Bournemouth is that despite the severe

austerity measures being taken by the government and by many other councils up

and down the country again it will not be necessary to consider cutting frontline

services in Bournemouth. This will be particularly welcome in the present economic

climate where the elderly, the vulnerable and struggling families need support from

the council as never before. Mr Mayor the message is clear, once again, we don’t

need to cut services next year and we don’t plan to cut services in future years.

We’ve worked hard to ensure that the Bournemouth Council is in a stable financial

position. Due to careful financial planning and despite receiving much less

government grant funding year on year in each of the last five years we’ve been able

to achieve a balanced budget. In turn our financial success as a council supports

residents and the local economy in Bournemouth. Our achievement has been

despite the substantial year on year cuts made by the government in our core

revenue funding since 2010/11. This means a further reduction of almost £7.4 million

or 10.6% to spend on local services for residents in 2014/15 and yet another cut in

our grant proposed by the government in 2015/16 of a further £9.7 million or another

15%. That amounts to nearly £39 million removed from Bournemouth’s income in a

very few short years, a total loss of 47% overall that’s 3% more than the average for

all councils and far more than the 28% originally promised by the government in

setting out its comprehensive spending review plans in 2010. Yet many councils and

precept authorities face a far greater financial challenge arising from government

grant cuts, in many cases due to their delay in commencing an efficiency and

transformation programme as radical as that adopted by this council. So much so

that some are increasing council tax to almost the 2% ceiling allowed by the

government and refusing the government’s freeze grant because they maintain that

they will not be able to balance their budgets when these time limited support grants

run out in future years. Bournemouth is not in the same position due to the financial

strategy we have been following since 2007 to ensure long-term budget

sustainability.

Mr Mayor in 2007 the council embarked on a program of efficiencies founded on

three aims:

1. Achieving financial and budget stability through prudent and rigorous

financial management and control,

2. Driving out substantial savings and efficiencies by thoroughly reviewing the

costs and effectiveness of all services, and

3. Reducing waste bureaucracy and red tape wherever we find it.



This work has led to savings of nearly £37 million since 2007 with a further £34

million scheduled over the next 3 years. I’m delighted to say that this means that we

are on track to reach our target of £326 million of savings and efficiencies by

2020/21 as planned. This has ensured that the council is able to sustain the current

level and quality of the services that it provides for all residents. Of course it also

allows us to prudently build general reserves and balances over time, ensuring that

the council can manage its financial strategy over the medium term. At the same

time this has ensured that the council could remain confident in its ability to

successfully deliver an ambitious programme for the town despite the demanding

financial times. Thanks largely to this ongoing work we will continue to invest

additional resources in areas that are important to residents such as tackling anti-

social behaviour, cleaning up our streets and neighbourhoods, improving roads and

pavements, and supporting jobs and the local economy. I am pleased to be able to

announce that in addition to the base budget funding of 2014/15 the following will

also be included:

Road rescue fund of £1 million to continue tackling the urgent repair of

potholes and other damage caused by the severity of this past winter, as

well as further resourcing of the successful smarter streets campaign;

The recession fund of £500,000 to continue to give support to initiatives

which will help stimulate growth and jobs in the local economy;

The community action fund of some £290,000 to continue to fund additional

measures to combat anti-social behaviour and other priorities in the local

community; and also of course,

The local improvement fund of some £81,000 for members to spend in their

wards on the small things that matter to local residents,

A further £9,000 will be made available to support events to commemorate

the start of WW1

Mr Mayor having built a strong foundation we’ve successfully brought forward the

second phase in our financial strategy during 2013/14 this has enabled us to buck

the national trend and to continue to safeguard priority services without increasing

the costs to local council tax payers again this year. The exception to this is where

services have been provided at less than cost or below the charges made by other

councils to people who can afford to pay enough to cover the cost of the service.

Most service users will of course be unaffected.

Secure the early delivery of the council’s strategic housing ambitions growth

in terms of building council housing through investment from the housing

revenue account or through market housing in the private sector especially

that which is a portal to first-time buyers.



Facilitate growth and investment in the town to support economic

development and regeneration and to support the private sector in creating

sustainable employment.

Drive forward the council’s commitment to improving the quality of life in the

most deprived areas of Bournemouth, especially in Boscombe and West

Howe, over a shorter timescale than was previously planned.

To ensure the delivery of further organisational change within the council,

driving out further savings and efficiencies wherever possible.

To gain the best overall value for money and added value possible from the

council’s existing partnerships with BHlive, Bournemouth2026, the

Bournemouth Development Company and Mouchel.

And finally to look to diversify the council’s revenue base to secure alternative

sources of funding to better support the budget position in future years.

Mr Mayor this is an exciting and ambitious plan for economic growth and substantial

inward investment to deliver our housing and regeneration plans for the town. It

clearly demonstrates our understanding of the hugely positive role that can and

should be played by local councils in driving recovery and shaping community

regeneration in the absence of private sector growth and expansion in these

continuing difficult economic times. The need for councils to act in this way to

support economic recovery fully respects and reflects the government’s agenda. The

government and other key agencies has repeatedly demonstrated their confidence in

the ability of this council to deliver, investing more than £45 million over the past 18

months in important new schemes in services such as waste and recycling, public

transport and highways and of course tourism.

In taking forward our financial strategy we’ve been very keen to think innovatively

about how you do things differently and benefit from the creation of new income

streams to offset the large losses in government funding and the reduced value of

council tax receipts through inflation. We’re focussed on doing this to ensure that the

council can better serve Bournemouth residents and allow us to provide the services

they depend on now and in the future. With this in mind we created the Bournemouth

Group in 2013/14 which provides a new structure within which to operate a series of

council owned companies. These will be able to act commercially to the benefit of

the town unencumbered by the trading restrictions otherwise imposed on the council

as a provider of public services. This new freedom to act will allow us to generate

revenues that will go to support the future costs of public services that might

otherwise fall as an increased burden solely on our council tax payers. The first

company to be created within the group is the Bournemouth Community Finance

company. The council committed £15 million to support the development of this

initiative when setting the budget last year. The company will provide accessible

mortgages to first-time buyers as well as loans to small businesses and local

entrepreneurs who need help to get started but can’t get the finance they need from

the banking sector at this time. The company will begin lending in April this year and



this imitative will help to create greater movement in the housing market to the

benefit of residents and the local economy as a whole. It will also allow us to make a

real difference in how we are able to support young people leaving our schools and

universities who want to live and work in Bournemouth and add to the economic

vibrancy and well-being of the town in future years. I’m delighted that we’ve been

able to make such speedy progress and I expect us to be in a position to bring

forward other companies which are now in the initial planning stages just as quickly

through 2014/15.

In addition we are bringing forward our new strategic public/private partnership with

legal and general property with total investment of up to £300 million. The first

program of work worth some £25 million was approved by cabinet in December and

is about to be implemented. The initial program will see a further 100 affordable

homes being built over the next 2 years as well as helping us to address increasing

demands for specialist dementia care by financing the development of a new

purpose built 60 bed care facility in Kinson. Again investment of this type will help the

council to better serve its community and to enable us to become more self-

sufficiency financially reducing our exposure to future government funding cuts and

easing the burden for local council tax payers. Mr Mayor this budget also makes

substantial provision, yet again, for the most vulnerable in our community. Over the

last three years we have provided an additional £14.5 million for adults and

children’s services over and above the base budget, a further £2.5 million will be

allocated for children’s social care in 2014/15. This means that approximately 64% of

the council’s entire budget next year will be used to meet the costs of those statutory

demand based services for adults and children, and that’s up from about 60% this

current year. These are very necessary but costly services which the council must

shoulder in the absence of any national funding solutions to the burgeoning adult

social care problems we face nationally and particularly here in Bournemouth.

In addition we recognise that welfare reform, universal credit and the imposition of

the government’s local council tax reduction scheme may cause hardship for some.

Although there is no direct requirement for the council to do so we set aside £1

million to establish a local welfare assistance fund to provide targeted relief in

2013/14 as needed. Based on our experience of actual take up during the current

year and being mindful of competing and pressing financial priorities we are making

provision for this of £750,000 to able to meet demand in 2014/15. However we will

provide further support should it be required on the introduction of universal credit

through the deployment of the welfare reform reserve of £500,000. Mr Mayor very

few authorities are able to act in this way at this time. We’re committed to ensuring

that we support the most vulnerable members of our local community to the very

best of our ability, particularly in the areas of housing and homelessness that might

follow from the change to a system of Universal Credit. We will continue to work

closely with third sector providers, such as the local credit unions, and provide

practical support and advice to those who are struggling the most with these



changes being made by the government. There remain many uncertainties ahead

but Bournemouth is well placed to address them. The transfer of public health duties

to local government from April 2013 has gone well but the growing numbers of

elderly people and the care they need are a pressing and expensive concern here in

Bournemouth. The Better Together programme, one of only two programmes

nationally to receive such a high level of government support will help us to mitigate

further pressures. But this issue will remain a pressing matter of concern for all in

local government for the foreseeable future.

The number of children being taken into care in Bournemouth has further increased

to 280 in 2013/14 and as I have announced there will be an additional allocation of

£2.5 million in 2014/15 to reflect this increase in demand, however high unit costs

mean that even a slight increase in numbers can cause a significant financial

pressure in the system. We’ve put in place a robust risk mitigation strategy to

manage the potential financial impact of numbers increasing further during 2014/15

but clearly this remains a matter of certain and will be kept under very close review.

We know that public finances will remain under extreme pressure for the foreseeable

future and the council expects further cuts in government funding of up to £10 million

next year as a result. Our current forecast for the next three years anticipates a

cumulative resourcing gap of £40 million by the end of 2016/17 as things stand.

However we need not be daunted by the challenge that this represents. The council

has a proven track record of managing through adversity and balancing its financial

position year on year. This year we have achieved even more and will be able to

make a small but important financial contribution back to the tax payer which will be

welcome to all those struggling to make ends meet in these continuing difficult times

for many local residents. Mr Mayor the budget I’m presenting to the council today is

financially sound, protects frontline services, supports those residents most in need

of our local community: the elderly the vulnerable and children here in Bournemouth

and recognises the financial strain affecting many families. Looking to the future the

ongoing rolling out of our financial strategy means that we are now able to go further

create the potential for substantial and sustainable growth in the town to the benefit

of all our residents over the next few years.

Mr Mayor I commend this budget to the council.

Cllr Ben Grower, Labour Leader: Mr Mayor, can I please seek your guidance on a

procedural matter? My group put in two amendments to the cabinet meeting and

were advised by Democratic Services that these should move on to the next stage,

to the budget report. There are, in fact, two errors on the papers that have been put

before members. The move by Cllr Baxter should now refer to paragraph 10(b) and

not 2(a). The move by myself has left out the words: ‘that the council recognises’. It

just says ‘recognises’ it should be ‘that the council recognises’. My apologies for not

being able to attend the meeting prior to council Mr Mayor.



The Mayor, Cllr Dr. Rodney Cooper: Say again Cllr Grower, could you explain

again your changes in your one… where are you?

Cllr Ben Grower, Labour Leader: It should be ‘that the council recognises’ not

‘recognises’ it doesn’t make sense. It should be ‘that the council recognises’. And

Cllr Baxter’s move should say 10(b) not 2(a).

The Mayor, Cllr Dr. Rodney Cooper: Thank you. Cllr Baxter, I believe that you wish

to propose an amendment to the cabinet recommendations.

Cllr Ben Grower, Labour Leader: Are we on item 7 or item 8, or are we doing them

together?

The Mayor, Cllr Dr. Rodney Cooper: We are on item 7 …. [inaudible]… are you ok

Cllr Grower?

Cllr Ben Grower, Labour Leader: [inaudible]

The Mayor, Cllr Dr. Rodney Cooper: Cllr Baxter

Cllr Beryl Baxter (Labour): Thank you Mr Mayor. Over many months I’ve dealt with

extreme hardship cases. Do any of us know how we would manage on £5 a week

needed to cover food and heating? Not possible. So even an increase of £4.17 per

week, and I am referring to the increase in tenants rent, on average. Based on what

I’ve highlighted causes stress levels and anxiety. Coupled with that, facing the

prospect of having to move because of having one or two more rooms than you

need… [inaudible].

The Council has provided support for many families via the Local Welfare Assistance

Fund however there are many people who despite living in challenging

circumstances, are too proud to come forward and ask for help or wait until the 11th

hour of need, and I know that.

Under the HRA, projected for the 31st March next year, there will be a surplus of

£1.96 million. And again, whilst this is earmarked for the building of new properties

this could be reduced to help vulnerable people in austere times. I’m going to give a

couple of examples Mr Mayor. Under the Housing Renter Account, for example a

one bedroom flat in Turbury Park the increase will be £4.79 per week, that is actually

an increase of 7.2%, that’s well over the rate of inflation. And if we look at perhaps

maybe a three bedroom house, which is going to cost, again, £10 per week more

that’s an increase of 10.4% but the parity between the one bedroom flat at 7.2

increase over the three bedroom house of 10.4. I don’t somehow think Mr Mayor that

that’s equitable and that’s why I’m highlighting the fact that even a rent increase of

£4.79 per week for somebody… based on what I’ve highlighted, that example… I

wanted to bring that to the attention of council. Thank you.

The Mayor, Cllr Dr. Rodney Cooper: Thank you councillor. Can I just check that

councillors do have in front of them the wording of the amendment? Do they?



Council: [Murmur in the affirmative]

Cllr Ben Grower, Labour Leader: I’d like to formally second and reserve my right to

speak.

The Mayor, Cllr Dr. Rodney Cooper: Thank you councillor. Leader I call on you to

respond to the proposed amendment.

Cllr John Beesley, Leader of the Council: Thank you Mr Mayor. I’m surprised by

this coming from the Labour Group as I had always hoped and expected that there

would support what we’re attempting to do for housing in Bournemouth in

understanding that success will be driven by fairness for all Bournemouth’s residents

whether they are council tenants or those paying rent to private sector landlords. Mr

Mayor, however putting that aside, the government’s rent restructuring policy

requires local authorities to increase rents by a set formula each year. This

convergence criteria which was introduced by the last Labour government, a policy

with which I agree, goes some way towards trying to apply greater equity with the

private rented sector. In applying this formula however some rents would have

increased by as much £17 per week. The main reason that some council tenant’s

rents can increase more than the average £4 per week is that their actual rent is

much lower than the target rent. Meaning that they are paying too low a rent

compared to other council tenants in similar properties. The council is proposing to

cap the maximum increase at £10 per week thus reducing the impact on the very few

tenants of increases above £10 per week. In terms of the number of people affected

Mr Mayor 133 tenants out of a total of 5,107 tenants are affected of which half are

either on partial or full housing benefit. It should be noted that it is likely that some of

the remaining tenants would be able to claim housing benefit as their rent increases

and so the amount of tenants affected are probably even fewer. So to put that

numerically the very most amount of people to be affected would be 66 tenants out

of over 5,000 and I believe that actually with further tenants becoming eligible for

housing benefit that that number would fall yet further. The council’s financial

inclusion team can assist tenants increase their weekly income where they may

require assistance in accessing the relevant welfare benefits available. Furthermore

the council has been extremely proactive in ensuring that those who are vulnerable,

whether or not they are council tenants, can access support through the hardship

fund, the welfare assistance fund and discretionary housing payments, for the

coming year, Mr Mayor, that amounts to as much as £1.25 million. The real test of

whether there is hardship amongst council tenants of course is the take up of

applications to the hardship fund. Across all tenures, whether they were public

housing or private sector, this amounted to just £25,000 to date for the current year

out of a total fund of £¼ million. In the private sector there is some 22,000 household

tenancies, rent had escalated by 35% over the past five years and if there is real

hardship it is most likely to be amongst those tenants where average rents are very

much higher anyway than Bournemouth council housing rents. By way of example

Mr Mayor, just really to put a couple of figures out, they happen to about similar size



properties to those floated by the mover, if we look at a one bedroom property if

they’re paying a social rate that will be £74.07, the average private sector rent will be

£127.61. For a three bedroom property, which I think the mover referred to, council

rate: £97.00; average private sector rent £268.00 Mr Mayor. I think that that is

inequitable and I think that what we’re doing is fair and reasonable and in

compliance with government policy. Cllr Baxter referred to a number of percentages,

well our rents are increasing by 5.3%, the average for those of our statistical

neighbours is 7.2%, and in Southampton it is as high as 7% - that is of course a

Labour controlled authority. I therefore do not accept that the increase in the council

housing rent will cause severe hardship to many of our tenants, quite the reverse Mr

Mayor, indeed the fact is that the figures just don’t support the argument. I would

urge the council to vote against the move as being unnecessary and out of touch

with both what has been done and what is continuing to be done to support all those

residents who would otherwise be facing great hardship during these economically

difficult times. Thank you Mr. Mayor.

The Mayor, Cllr Dr. Rodney Cooper: Thank you Leader. I now call any member of

the council who wishes to speak to the proposed amendment. Cllr Anderson please.

Cllr Mark Anderson (Conservative): Thank you Mr Mayor. The leader has, I think,

said quite eloquently said a lot of what I intended to speak about. He has made a

point that he thinks that it is equitable that we look at having a convergence of policy

where the social housing in the borough has the same rent level. I think the fact that

that was introduced by the Labour party which I suspect that the Bournemouth

Labour Group conveniently forgot was based on a green paper that the Labour Party

produced in 2000 and I’d quite like to quote a couple of pieces of information about

it. The Housing Minister Sally Keatland … [inaudible] … in December 2001 said: “our

policy and rent construction is part of the government’s wider housing agenda the

aim is to achieve a closer gap between the rents of different social housing and as

my honourable friend said to pave the way for a greater choice of social housing

tenants.” I think that is a very good idea, it’s a very equitable way of doing it. Another

quote I had here was from Caroline Flint, now I don’t actually agree with Caroline

Flint she goes on to say that the inflation procedure was going to be finished in

2011/12 and she was looking at increasing that so it actually finished in 2016/17

which the Housing Tenant’s Association was very appreciative of.

I should also talk about the Housing Spare Room Subsidy. It’s the removal of the

Housing Spare Room Subsidy. Interestingly enough there are ¼ million homes

where people are overcrowded and I think that by removing the spare room subsidy

we are helping people move from overcrowded conditions into rooms where they

have better space for their children and the rest of their family. Thank you Mr Mayor.

The Mayor, Cllr Dr. Rodney Cooper: Cllr Greene

Cllr Nicola Greene, Deputy Leader of the Council: Thank you Mr Mayor. In

addition to the support which is available for many of our families explained by the



leader I am somewhat disappointed by the Cllr Baxter’s suggestion that we don’t

apply the surplus of £1.96 million to investment in building new council homes. I

suggest, frankly, that this might not go down so very well with the 3,500 families and

single people who are on our waiting list and who are presently struggling with

exactly those rents in the private sector which the leader has referred to.

The Mayor, Cllr Dr. Rodney Cooper: Cllr Grower would you like to respond?

Cllr Ben Grower, Labour Leader: Thank you Mr Mayor. First of all could I say to

Cllr Beesley please don’t think that the Labour Group don’t support social housing in

this town. We have done more than our fair share and I think Cllr Lawton [Cabinet

member for Housing] will agree we have been very supportive since he was the

cabinet member and his predecessors. So we have always actively supported the

provision of social housing in this town and it would really be not fair to say that we

haven’t.

The problem with what the leader has said in his reply it is statistically only for those

who are going to be on the maximum increase. The fact is overall there is going to

be an average of 5.4% increase so it is going to affect the majority of our tenants.

And although this law was brought in by the previous Labour government things do

change. The financial situation of most of our tenants has seriously changed since

that time and this sort of increase on top of the bedroom tax and council tax they are

having to pay will cause severe hardship to many of the families, that is a fact. It is

also a fact that we can increase it below the statutory figure there’s nothing that says

that we can’t and there will be possibly some penalties but if we are a caring landlord

and we do care about our tenants and we do care about the conditions they live in

and we know that they have had reduced other benefits or they have lost income or

had their wages frozen. They are going to suffer severe hardship no matter what sort

of statistics you bring up about the people at the top of the level so if you think we

should be a caring council then you should support this move. At least recognise the

fact, we’re not saying that you can’t then do it, we’re saying that you should at least

have the guts to say that it will cause severe hardship to many of our tenants.

The Mayor, Cllr Dr. Rodney Cooper: Thank you Cllr Grower. Cllr Baxter would you

like to reply to the debate?

Cllr Beryl Baxter (Labour): Well yes Mr Mayor, and again I’ve listened to all the

comments from the other side of the house and I find it quite shameful really what

the Tory government are doing which is really biting into the people the Labour

Group represent on Bournemouth Borough Council and we will continue to do that

and I hope that you will support this amendment because of what Cllr Grower said,

and that is that yes we are a caring borough council and we particularly are going to

stand up for our residents.

The Mayor, Cllr Dr. Rodney Cooper: Leader of the Council I call on you to reply to

the Labour comments on the proposed amendment.



Cllr John Beesley, Leader of the Council: Well thank you Mr Mayor. I listened

carefully to both the mover and the seconder and unsurprisingly I don’t agree with

them. I think that, although I’ve put out one or two statistics, these are statistics that

bear out the facts and the fact is that we are doing what we are required to do but we

would probably want to do this because we think it is in the best interests of those on

the waiting list as well as those who are currently tenants. Certainly any increase in

costs are unwelcome in anybody’s life but the fact is that the divergence of rents

between the public sector and the private rented sector has grown despite the

convergence criteria and that needs to be addressed and that disparity means that a

lot of the benefits are available, some of which are provided by this council, are

getting much greater take up, unsurprisingly, by those who are in the private rented

accommodation. I think I mentioned actually the lack of take up that there has been

of the hardship fund, in this current year £25,000 out of a fund of £250,000. Now if

what Cllr Grower is saying is correct then there must be an awful lot of people who fit

the criteria to claim from the hardship fund are not doing so because the logic is that

that funding is available and if those people have not got a lot of benefits to support

them and they still have a void which they require to fill in their finances that is the

route down which to go and we as a council have in addition to that, through the

welfare support that we have provided given another avenue to help those

vulnerable people. So let nobody say that this administration has not dealt with those

issues the very best they can in these very difficult times and I think it’s a bit rich for

the mover to describe this administration as shameful in that respect when we’ve

done probably more than any other council I can think of to support vulnerable

people in our community. So Mr Mayor I don’t accept that these measures are going

to cause ‘severe hardship’, those words I take it were measured, I don’t accept that.

We are a caring landlord, we’ve demonstrated that in spades and I think the point

that the deputy leader made in response to the mover with regard to the projected

surplus of £1.96 million in the Housing Revenue Account in the coming year is

absolutely right. We’ve been getting on providing the capital required to address the

council waiting list we’ve been building council housing for the last five years we’re

going to continue to do so and help those people get out of the private rented sector

and into council housing that they can afford.

I recommend that we oppose the motion.

The Mayor, Cllr Dr. Rodney Cooper: Chief Executive can I ask you now please to

take a recorded vote on the amendment.

Tony Williams, Chief Executive: Thank you Mr Mayor. Would all those members in

favour of Cllr Baxter’s amendment vote for.



Councillor For Against Abstain Mayor, Cllr Dr Rodney Cooper X

Deputy Mayor, Cllr Phillip Stanley Watts

X

Cllr Ben Grower X

Cllr Anne Rey X

Cllr Stephen Chappel X

Cllr Michael Filer X

Cllr David Smith X

Cllr Malcolm Davies X

Cllr Anne Filer X

Cllr John Beesley X

Cllr Barry Goldbart X

Cllr Sue Levell X

Cllr Beryl Baxter X

Cllr Lynda Price X

Cllr John Trickett X

Cllr Christopher Rochester X

Cllr David Kelsey X

Cllr Eddie Coope X

Cllr Jane Montrose X

Cllr Carol Ainge X

Cllr Mark Anderson X

Cllr Nicola Greene X

Cllr Linda Bailey X

Cllr Sue Anderson X

Cllr Beverly Dunlop X

Cllr Ian Lancashire X

Cllr Michael Weinhonig X

Cllr Dereck Borthwick X

Cllr Robert Lawton X

Cllr Allister Russell X

Cllr Andrew Morgan X

Cllr Cheryl Johnson X

Cllr Dennis Gritt X

Cllr Rae Stollard X

Cllr Mike Greene X

Cllr Amedeo Angiolini X

Cllr Mark Battistini X

Cllr Johann Edward X

Cllr Theo Stratton X

Cllr Lawrence Williams X

Cllr Roger Marley X

Cllr Susan Phillips X

Cllr Jane Kelly X

Cllr Blair Crawford X

Cllr David D’Orton-Gibson X

Cllr Gill Seymour X

Cllr Patrick Oakley X

5 41 1



The Mayor, Cllr Dr. Rodney Cooper: The amendment is not carried I think that is

clear. Cllr Grower I understand that you wish to propose an amendment to the

cabinet recommendation.

Cllr Ben Grower, Labour Leader: Thank you Mr Mayor, it refers to the second part

of the report of the medium term financial plan in the budget for next year. I wish to

refer to the paragraph no.12… if you’re looking at the cabinet minutes: “that the

council recognises that the proposed changes to staff terms and conditions of

employment and that this, if agreed, will enable the council to make no increase in

council tax for 2014/15”.

Mr Mayor the leader of the council has spent a lot of time and energy in recent

weeks to explain the budget and its strategy to members of the council. He’s told us

about many new and indeed exciting innovations and I compliment him and the chief

financial officer on making them. These have become necessary because the

government has reduced our funding 3% more than the average for all councils as

the leader has said. I think Mr Mayor that Eric Pickles is under some illusion that we

are in fact a Labour Council in Bournemouth and that is why we are being treated so

badly by his staff, perhaps he just needs to wait a few more years.

However the picture is not that simple indeed in the savings that are being

implemented to achieve a ‘no increase’ in council tax scenario it is proposed to

change the staff’s terms and conditions. These changes have still to be agreed with

the staff, if agreed, an annual saving will be made of £400,000. But it will be at the

cost of jobs and conditions many of which will not only affect our staff but will also

affect the service that this council delivers or will not be able to deliver in the future.

These changes include all overtime to be paid at normal hourly rates with no

enhancement, no over-time for working on bank holidays other than Christmas Day,

Boxing Day and New Year’s Day. Night-work between 10pm and 6am at normal

working rate plus only 15%, no extra payment for shift work, no extra payment for

split duties, no extra payment for working unsociable hours; these are just some of

the proposed changes and if staff refuse to agree they will be sacked and offered

new contracts incorporating the changes. Is this really the way in which our long-

serving and dedicated work force should be treated. It will of course be the option of

staff not to work overtime or unsociable hours, not to work that little bit extra without

due compensation and it is the public who will then see their services reduced.

Mr Mayor this council is once again not putting up the council tax, it is indeed

actually reducing it as it is absorbing the increase in the Police and Fire Precepts.

Absorbing these increases will cost the council approximately £300,000, and

therefore it is quite easy to see that it is the staff who are paying for this saving in

changing their pay, terms and conditions. Instead of this administration taking all the

credit for no tax increase we should be telling everyone that it is the staff who are

making a large and important sacrifice. It is their families who will bear the brunt of



lower wage packets and there are 55 that have already been made redundant since

last April and an estimated 80 will be made redundant in the coming year. In the

letter sent out to staff they have been told that a consultation will take place until the

17th March, after which they will be told their new terms and conditions of

employment and if they do not accept them they will be given notice of termination of

their employment with the council and a re-engagement letter incorporating the

changes, failure to accept re-engagement will mean that they will no longer be

employees of the council. This is not consultation it is a fate accompli. Never mind

about the service you have given to the town, never mind about your families, never

mind about your jobs, all we care is that we don’t pass on the increase in Police and

Fire Precepts just encase the public think we are putting up council tax in a year

before the local elections. Mr Mayor it is essential that we acknowledge our staff, pay

and treat them fairly and honestly, and that the public are aware that we are

intending to do what we are intending to do and we do not try to cover this up by

saying that we have been so good in our house-keeping and that our staff and their

families have made no sacrifices to enable the rest of the town to save a few pence

in council tax next year.

The Mayor, Cllr Dr. Rodney Cooper: Thank you Cllr Grower. Cllr Rey I believe you

wish to second the amendment.

Cllr Anne Rey (Independent): Thank you Mr Mayor. Yes Mr Mayor, I formally

second the move and reserve my right to speak. Thank you.

The Mayor, Cllr Dr. Rodney Cooper: Leader of the Council, I call on you to

respond to the amendment please.

Cllr John Beesley, Leader of the Council: Thank you Mr Mayor. Well a very

eloquent speech from Cllr Grower in moving, the only problem is that it is not

supported by the facts; he’s simply wrong. In bringing forward our budget this year

we’ve had to solve an £18 million resourcing gap as a result of lost revenue, forgone

taxation and an almost halving in government grant. The medium term financial plan

includes an identified saving of £400,000 in 2014/15 to be achieved by the

modernisation of our pay and remuneration arrangements as a council. So there we

are so Cllr Grower is suggesting that the £18 million gap that we filled is going to be

paid for by the staff and we’ve made a provision in the budget of £400,000 for

savings in order to get further on in our modernisation of pay and remuneration. This

represents just a mere 2% of the total amount achieved in bringing forward a

balanced budget for the council’s approval this evening. It has not been included as

a short term measure to balance a short-term budget problem as Cllr Grower’s

amendment implies nor, might I add, would anyone, anyone who understands how

the overall budget is actually constructed, no one would believe that is a simple

matter of hypothecation. This is not how it works as Cllr Grower knows only too well.

Whilst I believe that it is entirely possible to achieve some small savings on the total

cost of premium payments, the payments that Cllr Grower was referring to, the



budget anticipates just £400,000 from an overall spend of £1.8 million on premium

payments. I have no fixed expectations as to how or what will change as we are

currently in consultation with both the unions and the work force regarding the

proposal as a whole. I shall be listening very carefully to the outcome of our

consultation work as I wish to ensure that we do the right thing, for the right reasons

and at the right time both for the council tax payers at Bournemouth and our

employees. This is vital work, why on Earth would we wish to penalise the hard

working and loyal work-force of the council. What we want to do is to strengthen the

ability of the council to continue to provide excellent services. That is why we are all

working so hard to ensure that the council’s services all provide the best value for

money for the tax-payer and that our work-force remains competitive in the wider

market-place in the future. That is how you protect jobs and provide a future that is

secure for staff.

Mr. Mayor, unlike many many other councils up and down this country Bournemouth

Council is not being asked to agree a budget that would see the cutting of hundreds

or indeed thousands of jobs nor the erosion of the services it provides to the

residents of Bournemouth. Far from it, this is a budget for growth and delivery. In

bringing it forward this administration has worked tirelessly to ensure that it respects

and values its greatest asset, our staff. It is for that reason that we have chosen to

minimize staff cuts, where it is possible, and to protect and sustain the services we

provide for the town. To suggest otherwise is scaremongering with people’s jobs

simply to try to make a political point based entirely on speculation and ignoring the

facts. Perhaps Cllr Grower will grudgingly acknowledge that with this administration

safeguarding so very many council jobs through carefully planning and soundly

based finance, while also delivering a cut in our own share of council tax thus

ensuring council tax payers in Bournemouth yet again see no increases in their

council tax bills, is a huge achievement and one which he can join in commending to

this council for their approval.

Mr. Mayor similar to the previous attempt by the Labour Group I urge the council to

vote against the move as being totally unnecessary and out of touch with the solid

achievements brought forward in this budget. Thank you Mr. Mayor.

The Mayor, Cllr Dr. Rodney Cooper: Thank you leader. Would any other members

of the council like to speak to this? Cllr Greene.

Cllr Mike Greene (Conservative): Thank you Mr. Mayor. I wasn’t intending to speak

on this, primarily because I didn’t really know what the amendment meant as it was

written. But after hearing the proposer’s speech I think we can see exactly what it

means. He is asking us to, for the sake of taking out one line in a very substantial

budget which has involved very substantial savings, to go to all of Bournemouth

Council’s tax payers and say ‘we are going to give you an increased bill this year’.

That is what this amendment is about. He talks about us not being prepared to do so

because it is the year before the election. I don’t think I heard him say the same last



year when we froze council tax two years before election, the year before when it

was three years before the election, or four years before. In each case this

administration has frozen council tax to the benefit of all of Bournemouth’s Council

Tax paying residents. This council has an excellent relationship with its employees

and we’re rewarded by seeing excellent performance from those employees as I

think everyone will have seen particularly over the recent floods and storms etc. our

employees go beyond and above the call of their contract obligations. I have every

confidence that the consultation that the leader spoke about earlier will take place

sensibly and we will continue to have those excellent relationships. And I am very

disappointed that, certainly in the case of the proposer, I think it is unlikely in the

case of the seconder, but in the case of the proposer that this is a political attempt to

drive a wedge between ourselves and those excellent employees and I very much

hope that it fails.

The Mayor, Cllr Dr. Rodney Cooper: Cllr Rey

Cllr Anne Rey (Independent): Thank you Mr. Mayor. Yes, in seconding the move

I’m not making any political speeches because all I care about, and I’m sure that

everyone sitting in here tonight cares about, is our staff in whatever department they

work in. But as Cllr Grower has said year on year we are asking them to do more for

the same money or even less. And with this actual overtime and the weekend

working if that goes, and if it goes, that they make the difference whether that family,

or the bread winner, actually goes onto benefits, and that is actually happening.

When you go along and listen to the unions at the elected member engagement

group that we have at times we get a completely different story, and I’m sure Cllr

Beesley you’ll acknowledge that, and that’s why that panel is still very important to

be able to listen to the union members who represent the staff. And our staff, as you

well know, especially over the last two months, have done over and beyond their call

of duty and they’ve still got a long way to go, especially along the sea front. So in the

spirit of the move I am looking at it from the staff’s point of view that they cannot

carry on and on and on with this no raise and the fact that this could affect with their

staying with Bournemouth Council, especially where you’ve worked in a council

where you’ve had double time for Saturday and Sundays. I know it’s a hard world out

there but this could definitely make the difference whether a member of staff has to

take up benefits. Especially, let me point out, the cleansing staff the people who go

and do our streets every night, our sea front staff, they do a fantastic job, for not

much pay. So I’m coming in from a humane point of view, the fact that we’ve got to

support our staff, we don’t want to lose any more staff because of this particular

area. It is nothing to do with elections it’s the fact that we’ve got to support them and

been seen to be supporting them. And as I say going to our elected member

engagement group, you do get a different vision from the unions that come along to

that and they represent the staff.

Can I just mention one thing, I know Cllr Beesley in the previous debate did mention

about the opposition not agreeing with certain things. Can I just remind Cllr Beesley



that when you were in opposition you were very very good at putting the other side

over when you were in opposition. So please that’s what we’re here for. We don’t

often get debates Mr. Mayor and it’s a pleasure tonight that we’ve at least got some

debate going. But I hope that you will support our move tonight for the staff really.

Thank you Mr. Mayor.

The Mayor, Cllr Dr. Rodney Cooper: Thank you Cllr Rey. Cllr Grower would you

like to reply to the debates?

Cllr Ben Grower, Labour Leader: Thank you Mr. Mayor. One thing that has come

out is that I hope Cllr Beesley has learnt something from this debate. That is that he

should listen to the speech by the proposer before he writes his speech answering it.

He didn’t listen to what I was saying and had already written and made up his mind

what he was going to reply to. The problem is that he replied to things that I never

even mentioned. It is not about the proportion of this cut to the overall savings that

the council has made. I have no problem with that. I, in fact, complimented you on

many of the savings in the budget and how you’ve managed to balance the budget.

That is not a problem, I think you’ve done extremely well under the circumstances,

it’s under the circumstances that your government has placed upon you but you’ve

still done extremely well. But perhaps next time you will wait until you have heard

what I said before you write your reply.

As for Cllr Greene, well that’s very interesting. Once again he doesn’t listen to what

I’ve said he only heard what he thought he wanted to hear. I haven’t proposed to

take this £400,000 saving out of the budget, that’s not there. The move is to

recognise what we are doing to the staff. I’m not proposing any financial alteration to

the budget at all, I hope he now understands that. The reason for the council to

support this is simply that you are acknowledging what the members of staff are

going to have to put with next year if these new terms and conditions are forced

upon them. It is not about driving a wedge between the council and the staff, it is

about rebuilding the confidence between the members of staff and the council and I

think the members of staff will welcome this move and would welcome any support

or any acknowledgement that the council gave them in knowing that they are going

to have to have these changes in their terms and conditions forced upon them.

The Mayor, Cllr Dr. Rodney Cooper: Thank you Cllr Grower. Leader of the Council

can I ask you to reply to the debate please on the proposed amendment.

Cllr John Beesley, Leader of the Council: Thank you Mr. Mayor. Well I thought I

had listened to the mover but a little bit like his move obviously his ambiguity was a

little bit of a burden. I did my best but I’m sorry if I made several more points than he

wanted me to make.

This issue is about what are called premium payments. As I said earlier we are out

for consultation and I will listen and I hear what is being said but to try to hypothecate

at the cost of a freeze in council tax, indeed reducing the council’s share against



other parts of the council’s budget with future savings to be made is just not the right

way to go about looking at the detail of the budget. We all know that the budget is a

much bigger issue than just that. My pre-occupation is not just about the trade

unions it is about making sure that we do what is in the best interests of

Bournemouth residents, Bournemouth Council Tax payers and all staff. The trade

unions represent very few of those staff. I will listen to all staff but I do meet with the

trade unions on a regular basis.

Of course our staff are valued we know that they are and I would have thought that

would have been evidenced over the last several years that they are valued

extremely highly here in Bournemouth, moral is relatively high and if I need to

evidence anything at all it is about the level of redundancies suffered here in

Bournemouth compared to many many other local authorities. Just to pluck a couple

out of the air if I may. If we look at Southampton, last year 200 job loses, in the

coming year another 277 staff expected to be cut. Here in Bournemouth, well last

year compulsory and voluntary redundancies combined: 55; and the potential for

redundancies in the coming year: 50. And I suspect that most of those…

Cllr Ben Grower, Labour Leader: Mr Mayor, that is misleading it is 80. I have had

the figures confirmed to me this morning by the officer. It is 80. I had an email this

afternoon confirming that it at 80.

The Mayor, Cllr Dr. Rodney Cooper: Excuse me please.

[Mayor conferring with council officer]

The Mayor, Cllr Dr. Rodney Cooper: I have been informed that it is anything up to

80 but that it is likely to be 50. That is the information that I have been given.

Cllr John Beesley, Leader of the Council: Thank you Mr. Mayor I am glad to be

vindicated yet again. If we look at Portsmouth last year 130 posts have been axed in

the coming year another 200. If we look at Bristol, for example, 325 last year and at

stake are another 1000 jobs this year. The message Mr. Mayor is that we do look

after our staff, we do value them, it is more than about pay it is about conditions as

well but it is also about job security and managing the workforce so we don’t have to

go through a process of lots of compulsory redundancies. We’ve made sure that that

hasn’t happened in Bournemouth we will make sure it doesn’t happen in

Bournemouth and I think that the staff value that and value it very highly but we’ve

got other priorities to balance up aswell. So Mr. Mayor I would ask council to regret

this move and support the budget as it is currently stated. Thank you Mr. Mayor.

The Mayor, Cllr Dr. Rodney Cooper: Thank you leader. Chief Executive can I ask

you now to take a recorded vote please on the proposed amendment.

Tony Williams, Chief Executive: Thank you Mr Mayor. Would all members in

favour of Cllr Grower’s amendment please vote for.





X

Cllr Ben Grower X

Cllr Anne Rey X



Cllr David Smith X


Cllr Anne Filer X

Cllr John Beesley X


Cllr Sue Levell X

Cllr Beryl Baxter X

Cllr Lynda Price X



Cllr David Kelsey X

Cllr Eddie Coope X


Cllr Carol Ainge X



Cllr Linda Bailey X

Cllr Sue Anderson X

Cllr Beverly Dunlop








Cllr Dennis Gritt X

Cllr Rae Stollard X

Cllr Mike Greene X






Cllr Roger Marley X


Cllr Jane Kelly X



Cllr Gill Seymour X


6 39 1



The Mayor, Cllr Dr. Rodney Cooper: The amendment is not carried.

Cllr Ben Grower, Labour Leader: Mr. Mayor could I make a point of explanation in

fairness to the officer that I just referred to, I think it would only be fair. The email

actually said, and I really do want to be fair to an officer, it says: “current estimated

potential redundancies in 2014/15 c.80” it doesn’t say ‘though it will probably be as

low as 50.’ I would read that as being around 80. I thought it was only fair to say.

The Mayor, Cllr Dr. Rodney Cooper: Thank you councillor.

Cllr John Beesley, Leader of the Council: Mr Mayor may I respond to that in one

sentence please.

The Mayor, Cllr Dr. Rodney Cooper: Go ahead.

Cllr John Beesley, Leader of the Council: Thank you Mr. Mayor. I too saw that

email and I checked the figures which is why I stated 50 because that was the likely

figure and so therefore obviously I stand by the figure that was later given verbally.

The Mayor, Cllr Dr. Rodney Cooper: Apparently there is a new law that has come

in today and under this we now have to take a recorded vote. I shall simply read to

you: “Members of the council under regulation 2 of the Local Authorities Standing

Orders (England) (Amendment) Regulation 2014 - votes takes at key budget

meetings must now be recorded in the minutes” I shall therefore ask the Chief

Executive to take a recorded vote please on the recommendations of the Special

Cabinet Meeting held on the 19th February 2014 as amended by the Chief Finance

Officer.

Tony Williams, Chief Executive: Thank you Mr. Mayor. Would all those members

in favour of the recommendations vote for.





X

Cllr Ben Grower X

Cllr Anne Rey X



Cllr David Smith X


Cllr Anne Filer X

Cllr John Beesley X


Cllr Sue Levell X

Cllr Beryl Baxter X

Cllr Lynda Price X



Cllr David Kelsey X

Cllr Eddie Coope X


Cllr Carol Ainge X



Cllr Linda Bailey X

Cllr Sue Anderson X

Cllr Beverly Dunlop








Cllr Dennis Gritt X

Cllr Rae Stollard X

Cllr Mike Greene X






Cllr Roger Marley X


Cllr Jane Kelly X



Cllr Gill Seymour X


40 3 3



The Mayor, Cllr Dr. Rodney Cooper: I think it is quite clear that it has been carried.

Agenda item 8 to consider the report by the Executive Director of Finance on the

Council Tax for 2014/15. Cllr John Beesley I understand that you wish to formally

move the adoption of the recommendations.

Cllr John Beesley, Leader of the Council: Thank you Mr Mayor I rise to formally

move for the adoption of the recommendations set out in the report.

The Mayor, Cllr Dr. Rodney Cooper: And is there a seconder?

Cllr Nicola Greene, Deputy Leader of the Council: Thank you Mr. Mayor I rise to

support that.

The Mayor, Cllr Dr. Rodney Cooper: Is there anyone who wishes to speak? No?

Chief Executive please now take a recorded vote on the recommendations set out in

the report of the Chief Finance Officer.

Tony Williams, Chief Executive: Thank you Mr. Mayor. Would all those members

in favour of the recommendations please vote for.





X

Cllr Ben Grower X

Cllr Anne Rey X



Cllr David Smith X


Cllr Anne Filer X

Cllr John Beesley X


Cllr Sue Levell X

Cllr Beryl Baxter X

Cllr Lynda Price X



Cllr David Kelsey X

Cllr Eddie Coope X


Cllr Carol Ainge X



Cllr Linda Bailey X

Cllr Sue Anderson X

Cllr Beverly Dunlop








Cllr Dennis Gritt X

Cllr Rae Stollard X

Cllr Mike Greene X






Cllr Roger Marley X


Cllr Jane Kelly X



Cllr Gill Seymour X


41 0 4



The Mayor, Cllr Dr. Rodney Cooper: Thank you. Clearly that recommendation has

been carried with no one voting against. Agenda item 9 there are no questions.

Normally there wouldn’t be any further notices but I have been asked to simply

mention that Cllr David Kelsey will be doing a 5km run on Sunday for men’s prostate

cancer research and all donation / sponsorships will be welcome. Thank you.

END OF MEETING

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