District Council

Minutes of A Meeting of Wychavon District Council Held In the Chamber, Civic Centre, Queen Elizabeth Drive, On Wednesday, 24 February 2016 Commencing At 6.15 p.m.

Present: Councillor Mrs V A Wood – Chairman Councillor Mrs F S Smith – Vice-Chairman

Members:-

Councillors:-

R C Adams H C Hamilton Mrs L Robinson A A J Adams A I Hardman Mrs A M Rowley K F J Barclay C D Homer T Rowley G Beale M T King Mrs J E Sandalls G S Bearcroft R Lasota Mrs A Steel Ms J H Bolton Mrs M A Lawley Mrs E K Stokes B Brookes G Mackison B A Thomas J Bulman P Middlebrough Mrs K L Tomalin A M G Darby A P Miller P Tomlinson R Davis R J Morris Mrs E B Tucker N J Dowty R E Murphy C G J Tucker Mrs L R Duffy T J Noyes D Wilkinson Mrs M C English G O'Donnell K N Wright Mrs E A Eyre Mrs C A Powell M S Goodge R W Raphael

87. Prayers

The Chairman’s Chaplain, the Reverend Claire Lording, led the Council in prayer.

88. Declarations of Interest

Councillor A M G Darby disclosed a pecuniary interest in agenda item 9 – South Development Plan as he owned one of the sites detailed in the plan. Councillor Darby indicated that he would move to the back of the room when the item was being discussed.

Councillor Darby also disclosed a pecuniary interest in agenda item 10 – Traveller and Travelling Showpeople Site Allocations Development Plan Document as one of the sites put forward needed access across his land. He indicated that he would leave the room during discussions and voting thereon.

Councillor Mrs A M Rowley disclosed a non-pecuniary interest in agenda item 16 as a director of Tibberton Community Land Trust.

Councillor B Brookes disclosed a non-pecuniary interest in agenda item 25 – Council debate as he was a director of Droitwich Salt Company Ltd.

44 CL.24.02.16 89. Apologies for Absence

There were no apologies for absence.

90. Minutes of the Previous Meeting

It was proposed by Councillor Mrs V A Wood, seconded by Councillor G O’Donnell and

Resolved

That the Minutes of the Council meeting held on 16 December 2015 be approved as a correct record of the proceedings and signed by the Chairman.

91. Chairman's Announcements

The Chairman made the following announcements:-

1. Queens Jubilee Community Recognition Award.

The Chairman announced that it gave her great pleasure to meet residents that had gone that little bit further for their communities and advised that she had presented the winner, Viv Oddy from Abbotts Morton, with the Queens Jubilee Community Recognition Award. She added that it had been very difficult to find just three winners so a joint third was created with all nominees being given a certificate.

2. Commonwealth Day 2016

The Chairman announced that the Commonwealth flag would be raised throughout the country at 10am on Monday 14 March. All members were invited to attend at the front of the Civic Centre by the flagpole.

3. Charity Fashion Show

The Chairman advised that her charity fashion show was taking place on 7 April in the Committee Rooms at the Civic Centre in aid of Dementia UK. She added that staff had volunteered to model but that she was still looking for a ladies size 12 to model if anyone would like to volunteer.

4. End of Term Reception

The Chairman announced that her end of term reception would take place on Friday 13 May in the Committee Rooms from 6.30pm with entertainment provided by the 2016 W Factor winners.

5. Events attended

The Chairman advised that she had been to too many events to mention since the last Council meeting but added that she was looking forward to attending the official opening of the new buildings at Pershore College

45 CL.24.02.16 which would be providing much needed training in not only horticulture but agri-tech for the district’s youngsters.

6. Wychavon

The Chairman advised that in 10 years Wychavon had gone from strength to strength and was now one of the best in the country despite all the challenges that had been thrown at it. She added that she was sure this would continue with the close working relationship between officers and councillors.

92. Public Participation

One member of the public had notified the Council of his intention to speak in accordance with the Council’s Constitution.

Question from Mr R Hopkins, Droitwich

“Re: Willow Court, Droitwich

Willow Court is a complex consisting of leasehold bungalows, terraced houses and a large, seriously dilapidated, house which is the subject of my question located between Park Way and Hunters Way (off Westwood Road).

The house which is (or was) a grade 2 listed building was occupied by four families until 1991 from which time it has remained empty. Planning consent was granted in 1997 and again in 2004 but no development has taken place. For the past 25 years maintenance of the property has been virtually non-existent. The windows are either boarded up or left open to the elements, the property is fenced on 3 sides, although there is evidence that the fence has been breached by children, the roof badly holed and now sagging in a number of areas creating fears that the property, if no action is taken soon, will start to collapse posing a threat to residents’ safety and their properties. The residents have not been able to sell their properties due to this eyesore plus issues relating to the ground leases on their homes which are now being addressed by your officers. Until this is resolved, the only option available to them if they need to move is either to leave the property empty as is the case with one property or to rent, neither of which is attractive.

Even though by any normal standards the property is derelict, the Council did not take action to issue an Enforcement Order against the previous owners nor has any action been taken to address the problem since the Council took over the property in 2012. My question therefore is “What does the Council propose to do with this property before it starts to collapse?” There are bats in the roof but these in my experience can be relocated so that should not be an obstacle. In its previous ownership the Council could have considered issuing an Enforcement Order which I understand is your normal practice with derelict property but now it is in your ownership it is now very much in the Council’s court to act.

Finally Councillors if any of you had the misfortune to live next to this house, I cannot believe you would not have your colleagues and officers move heaven and earth in Council to have immediate action taken on this property. It has been

46 CL.24.02.16 vandalised by neglect and the only option I feel is to pull it down. As far as people are concerned, it is a major issue.”

Response from Councillor Mrs L R Duffy, Deputy Leader and Executive Board member for Resources

“Thank you Mr Hopkins for bringing this forward. I am surprised it has not come up before. This will be a long response due to the complexity of issues.

The freehold of the properties including the bungalows and the farmhouse at Willow Court transferred to the Council in 1974. This was subject to a long lease to PL Emms (Properties) Limited which was granted in 1972. The existence of this lease has limited what the Council has been able to do until very recently. Nevertheless there is a long history of Wychavon officers attempting to resolve the issues at Willow Court.

On being granted the long lease, the farmhouse was split into six individual flats by PL Emms which were sold by way of an underlease to purchasers. However, substantial issues arose resulting from the poor condition of the building and the flats making them uninhabitable. The Council subsequently acquired the underlease of the flats by agreement in 1992.

The farmhouse was left empty because of the headlease remaining in the ownership of PL Emms. At the time the estimated costs of bringing the already much dilapidated building back into good order were significant. PL Emms went into liquidation and the headlease was assigned to Mr Emms in his personal capacity, and following his death in 2006, then vested in the Executors of his Estate.

After lengthy and difficult discussions with the Executors, terms were agreed in 2012 for the acquisition of the headlease by the Council. However, this was an extremely complicated acquisition and it was only finally completed in November 2015.

Prior to this date, acting in the public interest, the Council took action to erect safety fencing around the farmhouse and paid for additional security. In 2014, the Council commissioned structural and ecological surveys. The structural survey confirmed that the building was severely dilapidated and that the inner floors had fallen in. The ecological survey confirmed that bats were not roosting in the farmhouse.

The situation relating to the bungalows has been greatly improved by the Council’s acquisition of the headlease. This has meant that the Council is now the landlord of the tenants in the bungalows and is in a position to grant new tenancies which the tenants have been requesting. The Council is assisting with this process but ultimately will look to sell its interest in these properties.

Given the significant cost needed to bring the farmhouse back into use, the Council is now seeking further advice regarding the potential for its demolition.”

47 CL.24.02.16 93. Petitions from Members of the Council

There were no petitions from Members of the Council.

94. Notices of Motion from Members of the Council

No Notices of Motion were received from Members of the Council.

95. South Worcestershire Development Plan

Councillor A M G Darby, having disclosed a pecuniary interest in this item, moved to the back of the room and took no part in the discussion and voting thereon.

Councillor R C Adams introduced the report and highlighted key points pertaining to the process so far and advised that both Malvern Hills and Worcester City Councils had adopted the SWDP and Schedule of Main Modifications as set out at their meetings the previous evening.

He added that should Wychavon be minded to adopt the Plan this evening, the official date for adoption would be 25 February 2016. Councillor R Adams then informed members that members of the public had a right to challenge the plan in the High Court and that challenge period would end on 6 April 2016.

Members paid tribute to the hard work of the planning policy team, together with those members, both past and present, who had worked tirelessly to get the Plan to this stage.

Councillor R Adams then proposed the recommendations which were seconded by Councillor Mrs A M Rowley and it was unanimously

Resolved

1. That the content of the SWDP Inspector’s Final Report (Appendix 1) and the associated Schedule of Main Modifications (Appendix to the Final Report) be noted.

2. That the SWDP as submitted (2013) and subsequently amended by the Schedule of Main Modifications set out in the appendix to the SWDP Inspector’s Final Report (2016) be adopted.

3. That the Policies Map – which was submitted alongside the submission version of the SWDP (2013), and amended by map revisions published in support of the Main Modifications up to and including the Schedule of Main Modifications be adopted.

4. That the Strategic Environment Assessment (SEA)/Sustainability Appraisal (SA) Adoption Statement which forms Appendix 2 to the report be noted.

5. That the Head of Housing and Planning in consultation with the Leader and in collaboration with and Worcester City Councils, be delegated authority to make any minor changes to the presentation of the

48 CL.24.02.16 final SWDP document.

96. Traveller and Travelling Showpeople Site Allocations Development Plan Document - draft preferred options consultation

Councillor A M G Darby, having disclosed a pecuniary interest in this item, left the room during the discussion and voting thereon.

Councillor R C Adams introduced the report and in proposing the recommendations, reminded Members that this was just an update and seeking approval to undertake a formal consultation on the emerging Traveller and Travelling Showpeople Site Allocations Development Plan Document.

In seconding the proposals, Councillor A P Miller highlighted the need to out to consultation and involve parishes.

It was then unanimously

Resolved

1. That the progress towards developing the Traveller and Travelling Showpeople (T&TS) Site Allocations Development Plan Document (DPD) (as set out in Appendix A to the report) be noted.

2. That the T&TS Site Allocations Draft Preferred Options consultation document (as set out in Appendix E to the report), and the associated Site Assessment Background, Sustainability Appraisal and Habitats Regulations Assessment reports (as set out in Appendices B, C and D to the report) be approve for the purposes of formal consultation under Regulation 18 of the Town and Country Planning (Local Planning) () Regulations 2012.

3. That approval be delegated to the Head of Planning and Housing in consultation with the Planning portfolio holder and in collaboration with Malvern Hills District and Worcester City Councils, to make minor changes to the Draft Preferred Options consultation document and associated reports in terms of formatting, presentation and accuracy, including any changes arising from current planning applications and appeals relating to Traveller sites, prior to publication for consultation purposes.

97. Budget 2016/17 - Grow Save Charge

Councillor Mrs L R Duffy, Deputy Leader and Executive Board member for Resources introduced the report and highlighted the fact that this was a budget of firsts – the first budget of the new Council, the new Government and the potential 4 year Government finance settlement.

In proposing the recommendations, Councillor Mrs Duffy highlighted the fact that the Grow Save Charge had been revisited and updated and added that joint working with Malvern Hills and the joint procurement of the waste contract would help drive out further efficiencies.

49 CL.24.02.16 Councillor Mrs Duffy also mentioned the increase in the council tax which was necessary to deal with funding shortfalls in the short term and to assist in the move to becoming a self funded council in the longer term.

She concluded by announcing that following on from the Executive Board meeting earlier in the month where it was agreed that £150,000 be set aside from New Homes Bonus to contribute towards improvements to Droitwich High Street. She added that the Executive Board would be making a commitment that at least the same amount would be made available to both and Pershore for transport related improvements and would be looking to the Town Regeneration and Economy Advisory Panel for recommendations on how best to use this money.

Councillor Mrs A M Rowley proposed a number of amendments to the Council’s budget as put forward by the Liberal Democrat Group which were previous circulated to members and included:-

 Helping new residents integrate – the Council to create a fund to aid integration by setting aside the product of any excess over 2% increase in Council Tax Base over the next five years.

 Investing in affordable housing – that £2 million of the capital receipts from the recent sales of land at Vale Park be set aside to build affordable houses for sale and rent to be managed by Social Landlords.

Councillor C G J Tucker spoke in support of the proposed amendments, and seconded the proposals.

Councillor Mrs L R Duffy responded to the points raised and following comments from other members, a named vote was taken on the amendments, in accordance with the Council’s Constitution and voting was recorded as follows:-

Those voting for the amendment were: Councillors A M G Darby, Mrs A M Rowley, C G J Tucker, Mrs E B Tucker and K N Wright (5).

Those voting against the amendment were: Councillors A A J Adams, R C Adams, K F Barclay, G Beale, G S Bearcroft, Ms J H Bolton, B Brookes, J Bulman, R Davis, N J Dowty, Mrs L R Duffy, Mrs M C English, Mrs E A Eyre, M S Goodge, H C Hamilton, A I Hardman, C D Homer, M T King, R Lasota, Mrs M Lawley, G Mackison, P Middlebrough, A P Miller, R J Morris, R E Murphy, T J Noyes, G O’Donnell, Mrs C A Powell, R A Raphael, Mrs L Robinson, T Rowley, Mrs J E Sandalls, Mrs F S Smith, Mrs A Steel, Mrs E K Stokes, B A Thomas, Mrs K Tomalin, R P Tomlinson, D Wilkinson and Mrs V A Wood (40).

The amendment was lost. The original proposals then became the substantive motion and voting was recorded as follows:-

Those voting for the motion were: Councillors A A J Adams, R C Adams, K F Barclay, G Beale, G S Bearcroft, Ms J H Bolton, B Brookes, J Bulman, R Davis, N J Dowty, Mrs L R Duffy, Mrs M C English, Mrs E A Eyre, M S Goodge, H C Hamilton, A I Hardman, C D Homer, M T King, R Lasota, Mrs M Lawley, G Mackison, P Middlebrough, A P Miller, R J Morris, R E Murphy, T J Noyes, G

50 CL.24.02.16 O’Donnell, Mrs C A Powell, R A Raphael, Mrs L Robinson, T Rowley, Mrs J E Sandalls, Mrs F S Smith, Mrs A Steel, Mrs E K Stokes, B A Thomas, Mrs K Tomalin, R P Tomlinson, D Wilkinson and Mrs V A Wood (40).

There were no votes against.

Those who abstained were: Councillors A M G Darby, Mrs A M Rowley, C G J Tucker, Mrs E B Tucker and K N Wright (5).

Resolved

1. That the draft new Grow Save Charge Business Plan, including the updated Grow Save Charge Financial Targets 2016/17 – 2020/21, at Appendix A to the report, be approved;

2. That the revenue budgets and use of reserves and balances in 2016/17 as summarised in Appendix B be approved;

3. That the fees and charges for the year 2016/17 as detailed in the report to the Executive Board on 3 February 2016, subject to the change below, be approved:-

 VAT to be charged on supplies of CON29 search services from 4 July 2016;

4. That the Capital Programme and Capital Money Plan for 2015/16 to 2020/21 as set out in Appendix C be approved;

5. That the Prudential Indicators and Limits for 2016/17 to 2020/21 as set out in Appendix D be approved;

6. That the report of the chief financial officer (Deputy Managing Director) at Appendix E be noted, along with the revenue Money Plan summary at Appendix F indicating a council tax increase of 4.4% or £4.99 at band D in 2016/17 and increases of 2% in future years.

98. Formal council tax resolution 2016/17

Councillor Mrs L Duffy, Deputy Leader and Executive Board member for Resources introduced the report and proposed the recommendations outlined. These recommendations were seconded by Councillor Mrs L Robinson.

A named vote was taken in accordance with the Council’s Constitution and voting was recorded as follows:

Those voting for the motion were: Councillors A A J Adams, R C Adams, K F Barclay, G Beale, G S Bearcroft, Ms J H Bolton, B Brookes, J Bulman, A M G Darby, N J Dowty, Mrs L R Duffy, Mrs M C English, Mrs E A Eyre, M S Goodge, H C Hamilton, A I Hardman, C D Homer, M T King, R Lasota, Mrs M Lawley, G Mackison, P Middlebrough, A P Miller, R J Morris, R E Murphy, T J Noyes, G O’Donnell, Mrs C A Powell, R A Raphael, Mrs L Robinson, Mrs A M Rowley, Mrs J E Sandalls, Mrs F S Smith, Mrs A Steel, Mrs E K Stokes, B A Thomas, Mrs K

51 CL.24.02.16 Tomalin, R P Tomlinson, C G J Tucker, Mrs E B Tucker, D Wilkinson, Mrs V A Wood and K N Wright (44)

There were no votes against the motion.

There were no abstentions

Resolved

1) It be noted that, at its meeting on 16 December 2015, the Council resolved that no change be made to the current Council Tax Support scheme from April 2016 other than uprating for allowances in line with the Housing Benefit Regulations 2006, as amended;

2) Furthermore it be noted that, at its meeting on 6 January 2016, the Executive Board calculated the following amounts for the year 2016/17 in accordance with Regulations made under Section 31B(5) of the Local Government Finance Act 1992, as amended (‘’the Act’’):-

(a) 47,158.02 being the amount calculated by the Executive Board, in accordance with Regulation 3 of the Local Authorities (Calculation of Council Tax Base) Regulations 1992, as the Council’s council tax base for the year;

(b) Part of the Council’s area

Droitwich Town Council 8,135.13 Evesham Town Council 8,476.41 Pershore Town Council 2,761.12

Parish of: Abberton 32.84 88.55 Ashton-under-Hill 343.28 & Aldington 1,074.60 Beckford 274.62 32.84 168.15 & Throckmorton 385.07 10.94 & Bredons Norton 1,293.5 460.69 Broadway 1,558.17 89.55 Charlton 261.69 358.20 Churchill 13.93 273.63 553.22 281.59 Crowle 519.39 & 421.88 892.52 , & Pirton Drakes Broughton Ward 574.12 52 CL.24.02.16 Wadborough Ward 108.45 Pirton Ward 59.70 Eckington 549.24 Elmbridge 247.76 , & 338.30 Netherton 162.19 394.02 , & North 281.59 Piddle 139.30 & Westwood 175.12 Hanbury 442.78 1,208.93 634.81 Hill & Moor 305.47 , & 379.09 Hinton & 204.97 624.86 942.26 218.90 Kington & 210.94 150.24 79.60 North & Middle Littleton 348.25 North Claines 1,465.63 Norton & Lenchwick 366.16 Norton Juxta Kempsey 963.16 550.23 & Doverdale 1,084.55 & 129.35 367.15 251.73 262.68 Rous Lench 145.27 Saleway 538.29 352.23 South Lenches 345.26 South Litteton 458.69 Spetchley 41.79 Stock & Bradley 174.12 200.99 142.28 Tibberton 308.45 167.16 151.24 97.51 Whittington 283.57 Wick 205.96 284.57 277.60 being the amounts calculated by the Executive Board, in accordance with Regulation 6 of the Regulations, as the amounts of the council tax base for the year for dwellings in those parts of the Council’s area to which one or more special items relate;

53 CL.24.02.16 3) The Council Tax requirement for the Council’s own purposes for 2016/17 (excluding Town / Parish Precepts but including special expenses of £59,900) is £5,611,814;

4) That the following amounts be now calculated by the Council for the year 2016/17 in accordance with Sections 31 to 36 of the Act:-

(a) £69,041,845 being the aggregate of the amounts which the Council estimates for the items set out in Section 31A(2)(a) to (f) of the Act, taking into account all precepts issued to it by town and parish councils;

(b) £61,435,615 being the aggregate of the amounts which the Council estimates for the items set out in Section 31A(3)(a) to (d) of the Act;

(c) £7,606,230 being the amount by which the aggregate at 4(a) above exceeds the aggregate at 4(b) above, calculated by the Council, in accordance with Section 31A(4) of the Act, as its council tax requirement for the year;

(d) £161.29 being the amount at 4(c) above divided by the amount at 2(a) above, calculated by the Council, in accordance with Section 31B(1) of the Act, as the basic amount of its council tax for the year (including town / parish precepts and special expenses);

(e) £2,054,316 being the aggregate amount of all special items (town and parish precepts and special expenses) referred to in Section 34(1) of the Act;

(f) £117.73 being the amount at 4(d) above less the result given by dividing the amount at 4(e) above by the amount at 2(a) above, calculated by the Council, in accordance with Section 34(2) of the Act, as the basic amount of its council tax for the year for dwellings in those parts of its area to which no special items (town / parish precepts or special expenses) relate;

(g) Part of the Council’s area (District and Parish combined at Band D) £ Droitwich Town Council 159.30 Evesham Town Council 170.24 Pershore Town Council 183.91

Parish of: Abberton 117.73 Abbots Morton 182.20 Ashton-under-Hill 161.81 Badsey & Aldington 153.91 Beckford 177.23 Bickmarsh 117.73 Birlingham 148.51 Bishampton & Throckmorton 164.22

54 CL.24.02.16 Bredicot 117.73 Bredon & Bredons Norton 152.05 Bretforton 176.52 Broadway 169.20 Broughton Hackett 117.73 Charlton 163.96 Childswickham 137.28 Churchill 117.73 Cleeve Prior 192.96 Cookhill 157.07 Cropthorne 137.15 Crowle 163.19 Defford & Besford 138.65 Dodderhill 155.29 Drakes Broughton, Wadborough & Pirton Drakes Broughton Ward 142.90 Wadborough Ward 137.99 Pirton Ward 137.08 Eckington 157.55 Elmbridge 135.92 Elmley Castle, Bricklehampton & Netherton 157.79 Elmley Lovett 167.75 Fladbury 156.08 Flyford Flavell, Grafton Flyford & 153.70 Great Comberton 135.73 Hampton Lovett & Westwood 172.83 Hanbury 160.94 Hartlebury 135.51 Harvington 174.34 Hill & Moor 155.75 Hindlip, Martin Hussingtree & Salwarpe 153.03 & Aston Somerville 147.41 Honeybourne 205.79 Inkberrow 137.32 Kemerton 152.53 Kington & Dormston 142.73 Little Comberton 151.36 Naunton Beauchamp 162.21 North & Middle Littleton 169.42 North Claines 173.12 Norton & Lenchwick 145.50 Norton Juxta Kempsey 158.28 Offenham 178.80 Ombersley & Doverdale 137.92 Overbury & Conderton 140.57 Pebworth 190.59 Peopleton 148.45 Pinvin 165.14 Rous Lench 145.78 Saleway 124.10 Salwarpe see Hindlip & Martin Hussingtree Sedgeberrow 144.57 South Lenches 146.11 South Litteton 206.76 Spetchley 117.73 Stock & Bradley 154.16 Stoulton 150.31 55 CL.24.02.16 Strensham 151.59 Tibberton 179.36 Upton Snodsbury 141.08 Upton Warren 135.54 White Ladies Aston 117.73 Whittington 142.30 Wick 152.11 Wickhamford 149.95 Wyre Piddle 156.82

being the amounts given by adding to the amount at 4(f) above, the amounts of the special item or items relating to dwellings in those parts of the Council’s area mentioned above divided in each case by the amount at 2(b) above, calculated by the Council, in accordance with Section 34(3) of the Act, as the basic amounts of its council tax for the year for dwellings in those parts of its area;

(h) The amounts shown in Schedule 1 being the amount given by multiplying the amounts at 4(g) above by the number which, in the proportion set out in Section 5(1) of the Act, is applicable to dwellings listed in a particular valuation band divided by the number which in that proportion is applicable to dwellings listed in valuation Band D, calculated by the Council, in accordance with Section 36(1) of the Act, as the amounts to be taken into account for the year in respect of categories of dwellings listed in different valuation bands;

5) It be noted for the year 2016/17 that the Worcestershire County Council, the Fire and Rescue Authority and the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner for West have stated the following amounts in precepts issued to the Council, in accordance with Section 40 of the Local Government Finance Act 1992, for each of the categories of dwellings shown on the following page:-

Precepting Valuation Bands Authority A B C D E F G H £.p £.p £.p £.p £.p £.p £.p £.p

Worcestershire 1,122. 1,371. 1,621. 1,870. 2,244. 748.21 872.91 997.61 County 31 72 12 52 63 Council

Hereford & Worcester 52.00 60.67 69.33 78.00 95.33 112.67 130.00 156.00 Fire & Rescue Authority

The Office of the Police and Crime 126.40 147.47 168.54 189.60 231.74 273.87 316.01 379.21 Commissioner for West Mercia

56 CL.24.02.16 6) Having calculated the aggregate in each case of the amounts at 4(h) and 5 above, the Council, in accordance with Section 30(2) of the Local Government Finance Act 1992, hereby sets the amounts shown in Schedule 2 as the amounts of council tax for the year 2016/17 for each of the categories of dwellings shown;

7) The details in Schedule 3 i.e. Parish Precepts and grants from the Council for 2016/17, and the percentage change in the respective levies at Band D compared to 2015/16 as well as the special expenses levy at Band D be noted;

8) Employees of Civica UK Ltd working on behalf of the South Worcestershire Shared Services Partnership Joint Committee be authorised to:-

(a) collect and recover any National Non-Domestic Rates or Council Tax made by the Council, and;

(b) prosecute and to appear on behalf of the Council at the hearing of any legal proceedings in respect of unpaid National Non-Domestic Rates or Council Tax.

99. Strategy and Promises 2016-2021

The Leader, Councillor Mrs L Robinson, introduced the report of the Executive Board presenting the Board’s proposals for a new council strategy for 2016 to 2020.

In introducing the report the Leader explained the work that had gone into preparing the new strategy, including workshops, surveys, focus groups and meetings. She thanked everyone who had contributed so far, especially the Strategy team for pulling all of the suggestions together and coming up with document before members this evening.

Councillor Mrs Robinson then proposed the recommendations which were seconded by Councillor Mrs L R Duffy and it was unanimously

Resolved

1. That the new four year strategy for 2016-2020 be approved, including:-

a) The purpose, three priorities and goals as set out in section 5 of the report, which were previously agreed at a Special Council meeting on 21 October 2015.

b) The 18 promises contained in Appendix A to the report and accompanying equality impact assessment summaries.

c) The 25 corporate success measures for the next four years attached in Appendix B to the report.

2. That progress on the strategy continues to be reported through quarterly Signals of Success performance reports and that the Executive Board be

57 CL.24.02.16 asked to consider proposals to refresh the format of the reports before the end of the first quarter of 2016/17.

100. Independent Remuneration Panel - Annual Report and Recommendations

The Council considered the Independent Remuneration Panel for Worcestershire District Councils Annual Report and Recommendations for 2016/17.

It was proposed by Councillor Mrs L R Duffy, seconded by Councillor A A J Adams and with 43 votes for, none against and 1 abstention it was

Resolved

1. That the Basic Allowance for 2016/17 be increased by 1% to £4,250

2. That the Special Responsibility Allowances as set out in Appendix 1 to the report be approved.

3. That travel allowances for 2016/17 continue to be paid in accordance with the HMRC mileage allowance.

4. That subsistence allowances for 2016/17 remain unchanged.

5. That the Dependent Carer’s Allowance remains unchanged.

6. That for Parish Councils in the District, if travel and subsistence is paid, that it be paid in accordance with the rates paid by Wychavon District Council and in accordance with the relevant Regulations.

7. That the allowances for the Chairman and Vice-Chairman of the Council for 2016/17 be £6,365 and £2,625 respectively.

101. 2016/17 Pay Policy Statement

Consideration was given to the report of the Deputy Managing Director seeking approval of the Council’s Pay Policy Statement for 2016/17.

Councillor Mrs L R Duffy proposed and Councillor R J Morris seconded the recommendation and it was

Resolved

That the 2016/17 Pay Policy Statement be approved.

102. Tibberton Community Land Trust

The Council consider the report on Tibberton Community Land Trust which gave an update and amendments to the proposed scheme on Council owned land at Hawthorne Rise, Tibberton.

It was noted that the proposals would be a stop gap measure in order for the scheme to be commenced by March/April 2016 to ensure that Homes and

58 CL.24.02.16 Communities Agency (HCA) funding remained available.

Councillor R C Adams proposed the recommendations which were seconded by Councillor Mrs A M Rowley and it was unanimously

Resolved

1. That agreement be given to the transfer of Council land, partly on a freehold basis and partly on a long lease basis, to Rooftop Housing Group, rather than the Tibberton Community Land Trust, as previously agreed.

2. That the Council make a contribution of up to £250,000 from Rooftop Right to Buy receipts, earmarked for Right to Buy replacement affordable housing, towards the affordable housing element of the scheme.

103. Recommendations from Executive Board

The Leader, Councillor Mrs Robinson, proposed and Councillor Mrs L R Duffy seconded the following recommendations from the Executive Board meeting held on 3 February 2016 that required Council’s approval:-

Budget 2016/17 and Grow Save Charge

Resolved

1. That the draft target budget reductions for 2016-2021 as at Appendix A to the report be approved for inclusion in the new Grow Save Charge business plan.

2. That the following budget matters be approved:-

(a) Revenue budgets for 2016/17 as summarised in Appendix B.

(b) Proposals for fees and charges in 2016/17 as detailed in Appendix C.

(c) Capital Programme and Money Plan for 2015/16 to 2020/21 as detailed in Appendix D, including the addition of £150,000 to the capital programme towards the resurfacing of Droitwich High Street.

(d) Latest revenue Money Plan projections for 2016/17 to 2020/21 as detailed in Appendix E, including the amendment to the increase in council tax of £4.99 instead of £5.00 and the additions as detailed above relating to the installation of further renewable energy technologies in one or more of the Council’s buildings and investing £25,000 a year for three years to help attract European funding.

New council strategy 2016-2020 – promises and success measures

Resolved

That the new council strategy 2016-2021 be approved, including:

59 CL.24.02.16 (a) The amendment of the third goal under the prosperity priority to supporting and engaging with communities.

(b) The 16 promises as detailed in Appendix A including the additional two below, and that the accompanying equality impact assessment summaries be noted:-

 Under Place – set up a fund of £24,000 for installing further renewable energy technologies in one or more of the council’s buildings.

 Under Prosperity – invest £25,000 a year for three years to help attract £8 million of European funding to support business growth, new businesses, resource efficiency, development of new products and inward investment.

(c) The 25 corporate success measures for the next four years as detailed in Appendix B.

Treasury Management Strategy 2016/17

Resolved

1. That the Treasury Management Strategy for 2016/17 as at Appendix 2 to the report be approved, including suggested changes to the institutions on the counterparty list for non-specified investments.

2. That the prudential indicators and limits for 2016/17 to 2020/21 and the Minimum Revenue Provision (MRP) policy statement set out in Appendix 3 to the report be approved.

3. That the previous agreement that any urgent changes that may be necessary to the list of organisations or criteria for investment purposes included in the Treasury Management Strategy be delegated to the Deputy Managing Director in consultation with the Executive Board member for Resources, or in his or her absence, the Leader of the Council, be confirmed.

Shared Housing Service

Resolved

1. That a shared Housing Service be formed between Wychavon and Malvern Hills District Councils with effect from 1 April 2016, hosted by Wychavon District Council and managed by a shared Housing Services Manager.

2. That, in accordance with S101 of the Local Government Act 1972, Wychavon District Council accepts the delegation from Malvern Hills District Council of its Housing function in accordance with the terms to be set out in a service level agreement.

3. That the Deputy Managing Director be authorised to conclude the terms of the service level agreement, including arrangements for cost sharing, to

60 CL.24.02.16 ensure the efficient and effective delivery of the Housing Service.

Sale of land at Vale Park

Resolved

That provision be made in the Capital Programme for the construction of the building and subsequent loan to the company identified in the report.

Reports of Chairmen

104. Executive Board

The Leader advised that 2 meetings of the Executive Board had been held since the last Council meeting.

On 6 January 2016, the Board discussed 3 important matters:-

 Sale of land at Vale Park, which has resulted in inward investment and job opportunities;  Setting up of the Shared Housing Service with Malvern Hills District Council, hosted by Wychavon and agreed by Malvern Hills the previous evening. This will go live in April;  Agreeing the adoption of the Evesham Town Plan as a local information source.

On 3 February 2016 the Board expressed their concern at the recent Social Mobility report that had been in the press recently. The Leader added that Worcestershire County Council’s Overview and Scrutiny Performance Board would be undergoing a scrutiny exercise on this and Wychavon’s Partners events would possibly be a forum for further debate on this important issue.

105. Overview and Scrutiny Committee

Councillor A Adams, Chairman of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee, updated the Council on the following key messages coming out of the two Overview and Scrutiny meetings held on 20 January and 17 February 2016:-

20 January 2016

The Committee received an excellent presentation from the Housing Associations – Fortis and Rooftop. It was established that they had not suffered austerity until the latest Government announcement of a 1% reduction in rents. They are still continuing with their strategic plan regarding the number of houses and are looking at sensible policies on their maintenance.

The Committee also received presentations from Mr C Brooks. Regeneration Manager on helping the local economy and Councillor G O’Donnell explained his portfolio highlighting the need to get Wychavon active especially in the rural areas.

61 CL.24.02.16 17 February 2016

The Committee received an update on superfast broadband and noted that the BDUK team based at County Hall were on target to get 58,000 extra properties connected by June 2016.

The Committee also received presentations from Mr I Marshall on the Shared Legal Services and Councillor Mrs L Duffy gave an excellent presentation on her portfolio and resources which led on to the budget and strategy discussions.

Councillor Adams concluded by stating that good progress was being made by the Planning Enforcement Scrutiny Team.

106. Planning Committee

Councillor P Middlebrough, Chairman of the Planning Committee, updated the Council on the following key messages from the two meetings of the Committee held since the last Council meeting.

He advised that 10 applications had been discussed and public speaking had taken place on 7 of those applications.

He added that there had also been a number of policy reports discussed including one relating to Evesham Town Plan, a consultation on National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) changes and the affordable housing consultation, together with a contentious item on trees in Broad Street, Pershore.

Councillor Middlebrough concluded by raising concern that there had been no early stage neighbourhood plans coming before the Committee recently.

107. Licensing Committee

Councillor A P Miller, Chairman of the Licensing Committee, advised that whilst there had been no meetings of the full Licensing Committee since the last Council meeting, there had been 4 Licensing Sub-Committees and he had hosted a Taxi Licensing forum for all hackney carriage and private hire drivers and operators.

Whilst there was a relatively small number of attendees, good discussions took place on various policies including the use of tinted windows in hackney carriage vehicles and various ways to increase fares without putting prices up.

108. Member Conduct Committee

Councillor P Tomlinson gave an update on the key messages arising out of the Member Conduct Committee since the last Council meeting:-

 The Monitoring Officer continued to have regular dialogue with parish clerks and the CALC Executive Officer which has proved very useful.  There had been one formal complaint which related to the alleged behaviour of a parish councillor towards the parish clerk. Together with the Monitoring Officer this had now been resolved.

62 CL.24.02.16  He was extremely grateful to parish clerks and local members for securing the return of register of interest forms. There are now just a few outstanding at the present time.

109. Audit Committee

Councillor N J Dowty, Vice-Chairman of the Audit Committee, updated the Council on the following key messages:-

The Committee had met once since the last Council meeting and Councillor Dowty highlighted the 3 main items that were discussed:-

 Internal Audit Plan 2016/17  Budget 2016/17  Treasury Management Strategy.

110. Questions (if any) from Members of the Council

Councillor Mrs A Steel asked the following question, in accordance with the Council’s constitution:-

“Following the terrible events in the North over recent weeks I wish to put to the Council the reasons which I and my family have concluded, would help to improve the situation for the future. Not only in the North but across the whole country, through dredging of main rivers and clearing minor ditches and brooks.

As farmers and landowners we are responsible for the water which falls on our land and what travels along our ditches and brooks, but we don’t own it.

There is a silt load which the water carries from our land into the ditch. Some of this silt ends up sat in the bottom of the ditch and causes the water level to rise, due to less capacity.

We regularly clean out our water courses. This allows the water, that falls onto the fields, to drain from the flatter area of the field into the lower area of the ditch. This takes time, something that the water, which falls onto our buildings’ gutters, doesn’t. The water from the buildings gets into the water courses a lot quicker.

We clean our gutters, which are a bit like ditches, to stop them overflowing.

If our ditches aren’t kept clean then the results are our fault. Our land will become sodden and the water, which would normally drain away into the ditch, has nowhere to go except over ground.

A few years ago we moved a small culvert downstream in an attempt to stop the water backing up the ditch which then caused the farmhouse to flood.

We increased the size of the culvert and moved it 20 metres away downstream from the corners which the water had to flow around.

This has taken our time and expense but since we have done this the water level even upstream from the farmhouse and on the surrounding area has lowered

63 CL.24.02.16 considerably.

Even with considerable rain and rainfall from upstream of our land, all of which is low lying, the ditches have never been close to overflowing.

In our opinion, if the rivers, streams and brooks were kept cleaner then the water would have a better escape route. The people that use the rivers etc – fishermen, boatmen, know how the level has been affected by lack of dredging and that, although it might not stop certain areas getting flooded, it would reduce the area that excess water can cover.

Flood barriers are just a cheaper way of making the river deeper. Leave your gutters for 20 years and see when they overflow.

If you have listened to the long time residents of the towns and villages in the North you will have heard them say “It has not been this bad for at least 20 years.” I ask the question “When were your rivers last dredged?” and the answer is “Not for the last 20 years.”

I know that the Environment Agency and others ask – what should be done with the spoil from dredging? My father and grandfather would have been SO grateful for the opportunity to have it spread on their land. It is so nutritional and more environmentally friendly than the modern fertilizers.

Following the same type of result as the Somerset levels which had some dredging one 2 years ago, we have not heard of the amount of flooding in that area recently. I rest my case.

Our forefathers were not university graduates but they learnt by experience how to manage water, where to build ditches of varying widths and depths which they kept clear on a regular basis. This includes the mighty rivers which they dredged – also on a regular basis.

We’ve heard university professors say that dredging might not help in certain areas. In our opinion, they are not as knowledgeable as they think and most farmers and landowners have a better understanding of fluid dynamics because they get their feet wet.

As a farming family who have derived our living from the land over several generations, we have come to this conclusion – lowering the depths of the rivers can only be a good thing in the effort of keeping more water flowing. I hear you say that only allows the water to run slower. It might be slower but there will be more water flowing. This is basic fluid dynamics.

It is more important that tidal rivers have to be kept open so that when the tide goes out more water is allowed to flow away into the sea. When the tide rises the water flowing out is effectively stopped. Luckily this only lasts for 6 hours.

Please can I ask, indeed urge Wychavon District Council to lobby Central Government to put resources in place to follow the concept of our earlier generations and keep ditches, streams and rivers clean and clear through dredging, so that whatever the weather throws at us, we will at least have made

64 CL.24.02.16 the effort to help ourselves as well as others. After all if we don’t keep our ditches at home on the farm clean, Wychavon will be at liberty to make a case to charge Steels’ for doing the job for them in order to keep others from being flooded.

I invite anyone to come and have a look at what we have done. Thank you.”

Response from Councillor R Adams, Executive Board member for Planning, Infrastructure and Flooding

Thank you for sharing your views on flooding and your request to Wychavon District Council to lobby Central Government for additional resources to be put in place to help combat flooding across the district. You have raised a number of issues in your statement, some of which we as a District Council can support. Others, however, such as dredging of the main rivers, are beyond the gift of this authority to deliver; however I have sought advice from the Environment Agency in order to get their views on this complex topic.

Consequently they have responded on the matter of dredging as follows:

“Our priority is to reduce the risk of flooding to people and property and we will continue to spend taxpayers’ money where it delivers the greatest flood risk benefit.

The effectiveness of dredging in managing flood risk varies substantially for each stretch of river. We assess its value on a location by location basis, in consultation with local communities and organisations such as Internal Drainage Boards as appropriate. In some areas dredging is the most cost effective approach, however in some cases, dredging is not the best long-term solution.

Dredging can form part of a broader range of work to reduce the risk of flooding. But even if all possible measures are taken, some homes, businesses and farms may always remain vulnerable to the sort of rainfall experienced this winter.

Dredging is just one of a number of tools that can be used by the Environment Agency and landowners to manage flood risk. Other solutions could include providing better flood storage upstream, slowing down the flow of water using land management techniques or building traditional hard defences such as flood walls. There is no one size fits all approach when it comes to dredging.”

With regards to Wychavon’s position, Riparian landowners are responsible, under common law, for maintaining the bed and banks of any watercourses that run through their land in a state which avoids flooding on their neighbours’ or other land. This common law duty also extends to keeping watercourses and culverts clear of anything that could cause an obstruction, either on their own land or downstream if it is washed away.

As you are aware the Council has always taken a proactive stance on reducing flood risk across the district. I have obtained some figures of the volume of work carried out by our Engineers since 2007 at least. Since then we have dealt with almost 2200 enforcement cases and inspected over 497kms (310 miles) of ditches. All this has been done largely with the landowner’s co-operation with

65 CL.24.02.16 only one case going to court resulting in a hefty fine for the defaulting landowner.

The responsibility for policing land drainage features is very complex and not just down to one particular authority. The Environment Agency, Lead Local Flood Authority, Local Authority and Internal Drainage Boards all have their duties and powers. Whilst Wychavon’s engineers work with all these organisations and achieve favourable results, in my opinion, this leads to the spreading of what resources there are very thinly on the ground.

Officers have been aware for some time that funding for all Flood Risk Activities has been reducing in real terms and consequently I have no problem in supporting your request to lobby for additional resources. In fact the process has already started with all of the Partners in the South Worcestershire Land Drainage Partnership lobbying the MPs across Worcestershire for increased resources to reduce the flood risk.

Thank you very much for your timely question and I hope this response will provide some reassurance.”

Councillor Adams finished off by advising that Mr T Jones, Engineering Services Manager, had extended an invitation to Councillor Mrs Steel or any other member to go to the Engineering Department to ask further questions

111. Council Debate

Councillor B Brookes introduced his debated entitled “Should Wychavon make use of the rich brine heritage of Droitwich to provide district-wide benefits?”

In introducing his debate Councillor Brookes highlighted the fact that Wychavon was involved in key aspects of the brine heritage.

Councillor R Morris, Executive Board member for Economic Growth and Housing, stated that he supported the drive as brine was an asset to Wychavon. He highlighted what Wychavon had already done in support and added that it would be a good idea for the Town Regeneration and Economy Advisory Panel, which had tourism and economy within its remit, to have a look at ways to assist.

Whilst the idea of an officer to be a dedicated “Heritage Entrepreneur” to develop the possibilities of a brine scheme was supported, the need for a proper business case was discussed. Councillor Morris put forward the suggestion that the Town Council could promote a New Homes Bonus application for this.

In summing up Councillor Brookes thanked the Council for their support and positive response and added that he hoped to see an integrated approach to bringing a brine scheme back to Droitwich.

The Meeting closed at 8.26 p.m.

Chairman

66 CL.24.02.16