Summary

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Agenda

1. Apologies for Absence


2. Mayor’s Announcements

The Council will be invited to observe a minute’s silence to mark Srebrenica Memorial Week

3. Declarations of Interest

All Members are reminded that they must disclose any interests they know they have in items of business on the meeting’s agenda and that they must do so at this point on the agenda or as soon as they become aware of the interest. If the interest is a Disclosable Pecuniary Interest they are also obliged to notify the Monitoring Officer within 28 days of the meeting.

 
4. Minutes of the meetings held on 27 February and 22 May 2019

5. Public Question Time

To receive questions from members of the public in accordance with Council Rules 10.1 to 10.6 on any matter for which the Council is responsible.

 
6. Cabinet Question Time

The Leader and Members of the Cabinet to answer questions submitted by Members of the Council in accordance with Council Rules 10.18 to 10.22.

 
7. Reports from the Cabinet Member for Fairer Chelmsford

  • 7.1 Capital Programme Update and Outturn 2018/19
  • 7.2 Treasury Management Outturn 2018/19

 
8. Report from the Cabinet Member for Greener Chelmsford

  • Chelmsford Draft Local Plan – Approval of Main Modifications for Consultation

 
9. Report from the Audit Committee


10. Report from the Governance Committee 


11. Report from the Overview and Scrutiny Committee 


12. Reports from the Chief Executive/Leader of the Council

  •  12.1 Appointment of Equality and Diversity Champions
  •  12.2 Membership of Committees
  •  12.3 Review of Polling Districts and Polling Stations

 
13. Notice of Motion – Review of Ward Boundaries

Pursuant to notice dully given, Councillor R T Whitehead will move:

“The City Council elections on May 2nd 2019 were conducted on ward boundaries that have not been revised since 2003.

Due to the increase in the population of Chelmsford the City Council has a number of large wards, in particular Chelmer Village & Beaulieu Park with 8157 electors and Moulsham & Central with 8783, resulting in an imbalance of workload for the local councillors compared with other wards.

The Local Government Boundary Commission conducts an electoral review
1. at the request of the Local Authority; or
2. if the Local Authority meets the Commission’s intervention criteria;
(a) If one ward has an electorate of +/- 30% from the average electorate for the authority
(b) If one ward has an electorate of +/- 10% from the average electorate for the authority.

Both test one and test two show that the intervention criteria have been triggered.

It is therefore proposed that the City Council formally requests the Local Government Boundary Commission to undertake a review of all ward boundaries.”

14. Notice of Motion – Committee System of Decision Making

Pursuant to notice duly given, Councillor R J Hyland will move:

"This Council will return to a committee led governance system where all councillors have the scope to determine key decisions of the City Council, the Officers of the Council will take most of the day to day decisions about the running of the Council and the provision of services, and the cabinet governance system will be replaced.”

15. Notice of Motion – Climate and Ecological Emergency

Pursuant to notice duly given, Councillor R J Moore will move:

“Council notes:

That the impacts of climate breakdown are already causing critical damage around the world.

That the ‘Special Report on Global Warming of 1.5°C’, published by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change in October 2018
(a) describes the enormous harm that a 2°C average rise in global temperatures is likely to cause compared with a 1.5°C rise, and
(b) confirms that limiting Global Warming to 1.5°C may still be possible with ambitious action from national and sub-national authorities, civil society and the private sector;

That all governmental bodies (national, regional and local) have a duty to act, and local governments that recognise this should not wait for national governments to change their policies;

That bold policies to cut emissions also have associated health, wellbeing and economic benefits;

That a growing number of UK local authorities have already passed 'Climate Emergency' motions.

Council therefore resolves to:

  • Declare a ‘Climate and Ecological Emergency’ that requires urgent action to
    make the Council’s activities net-zero carbon by 2030;
  • Achieve 100% low carbon energy across the Council’s full range of functions by 2030; 
  • Ensure that all strategic decisions, budgets and approaches to planning decisions are in line with a shift to net-zero carbon by 2030;
  • Support and work with all other relevant agencies towards making the City of Chelmsford and surrounding area net-zero carbon within the same timescale; 
  • Ensure that Officers and political leadership teams within Chelmsford City Council embed this work in all areas and take responsibility for reducing, as rapidly as possible, the carbon emissions resulting from the Council’s own activities;
  • Ensure that any recommendations are fully costed and that the Executive and Overview & Scrutiny bodies regularly review Council activities, taking account of production and consumption emissions, and produce an action plan within 12 months together with budget actions and a measured baseline;
  • Request that the Council's Overview & Scrutiny Committee considers the impact of Climate Change and the Environment when reviewing Council policies and strategies;
  • Work with, influence and inspire partnerships across the city to help deliver this goal through all relevant strategies, plans and shared resources by developing a series of meetings, educational events for City Council staff and the wider community and partner workshops focusing on the Climate and Ecological Emergency;
  • Request that the Council and its partners take steps to proactively include young people in the process, ensuring that they also have a voice in shaping the future;
  • Establish a Chelmsford Climate Change Partnership within the remit of the Chelmsford Policy Board, involving councillors, residents, young people below voting age, academics and other relevant parties, to prioritise carbon reduction measures, identify related benefits to employment, health, agricultural and transport sectors and develop a strategy in line with the ‘net-zero carbon by 2030’ target;
  • Establish a baseline for Chelmsford’s ecological status and monitor progress year on year; 
  • Report on the level of Council investment in the fossil-fuel industry and review the City Council’s investment strategy to give due consideration to Climate Change impacts in their investment portfolio;
  • Ensure that all reports in preparation for the 2020/21 budget cycle and investment strategy note the actions the City Council will take to address this Emergency;
  • Call on the UK Government to provide such new powers and resources as are necessary to make this possible, and to work within the LGA to encourage other councils to back this plan.”

Part II (Exempt item)

To consider whether to exclude the public from the meeting during the following matter, which contains exempt information within the category of Part 1 of Schedule 12A to the Act indicated:

16. Proposed Sale of Property in the City Centre

Category: Paragraph 3 of Part 1 of Schedule 12A to the Local Government Act 1972
Information relating to the financial or business affairs of any particular person (including the authority holding that information)

Public interest statement: The public interest in not disclosing the content or this report outweighs the public interest in disclosing it on the grounds that any publicity about the negotiation of and terms for the acquisition of land may affect the financial interests of the Council and, by extension, those of the residents of Chelmsford as well as the other parties involved in the acquisition and future development of the site. In particular, it would completely undermine the attainment of the best terms during the negotiations as other interested parties would be aware of the land owner’s financial positions and intentions in advance.

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