STOTFOLD TOWN COUNCIL

Councillors: You are hereby summoned to attend the Town Council meeting to be held in the Council Chamber, Greenacre Centre, Stotfold on Wednesday 1st September 2021 at 7.00pm for the purpose of transacting business detailed in the agenda.

Members of the public: Members of the public are invited to observe the meeting and may participate at the ‘public participation’ agenda item. As per Standing Orders, if you wish to speak, you must notify the Town Clerk of your intention prior to the start of the meeting; max 3 people with 3 minutes to speak each (contact in advance [email protected] or 01462 730064 or you will be asked at the appropriate point in the agenda if unable to give prior indication).

The Greenacre Centre remains a Covid-Secure community centre, and therefore, although not mandatory, we recommend that face coverings remain in place unless speaking, and that social distancing is maintained.

AGENDA

1. Apologies for absence To receive apologies for absence from Town Council members.

2. Disclosures of Members Interests and Dispensations a) Members to declare interests in respect of any item on the agenda b) Proper Officer to consider written requests from members for dispensations Members are reminded that if at any time during the meeting they feel they have an interest in an item being discussed, they should declare it at that point.

3. Mayor’s announcements and civic attendance

4. Public participation – questions, comments and responses Up to 3 members of the public will be given 3 minutes each to speak, after giving notice of their wish to do so to the Town Clerk prior to the meeting. Order of speakers will be in order of notification.

5. Clerk’s Report, correspondence received and matters arising for information Nothing to report as at production of agenda.

6. Council minutes To note and sign as a correct record, the minutes of the Council meeting held on Friday 25th June 2021. 1

7. Member and nominated representatives on outside bodies i) Eleemosynary Charity of William Field – Trustee The Charity currently has a Town Council appointed Trustee vacancy following the resignation of Humphrey Pickering – the Town Council has two appointed Trustee positions, with Councillor Hayes filling the second position. Councillor Mrs Hyde is currently a Charity Trustee through her role as Church Warden, however she is looking to step down from that role and therefore her position as Trustee would no longer stand. Councillor Mrs Hyde wishes to retain her link between the Charity and the Town Council, and has expressed an interest in taking the current vacant Town Council appointed Trustee position. Members are asked to consider any further nominations for the Town Council appointed Trustee position, and if there are none, to consider appointing Councillor Mrs Hyde.

ii) Roecroft Lower School – Community Governor To formally confirm that Councillor Talvinder Bhasin is the Town Council nominated Community Governor for Roecroft Lower School. She has met with the Chairman of Governors who has accepted her in the role, starting September 2021.

8. Office of Police & Crime Commissioner – Town & Parish Council Cluster Meeting i) To confirm attendees at the virtual OPCC Town & Parish Council Cluster Meeting, being held on 21st September, 6.30pm – 7.30pm, as Councillors Mrs Clarey, A Cooper, S Dhaliwal and J Talbot. The Town Clerk and Assistant Clerk are also attending. Format for the meeting will include introductions to the different parishes, the PCC’s ambitions for the parishes, questions from the parishes and the PCC’s responses.

We will be part of the ‘Orange Cluster’ and will include the following Town or Parish Councils: , , , , Clifton, Dunton, , Everton, , Fairfield, , Langford, , , , , Sandy, Shefford, Stotfold, Sutton, , & .

ii) To identify a question to be put to the Police & Crime Commissioner from the Town Council.

9. Community Governance Review In 2018, a Community Governance Review was held, where as part of the review, Town and Parish Councils were invited to consider the number of Councillors we have to present the Parish. Central Council would not have expected to carry out a further CGR for at least 5 years (i.e. 2023), however they have now received a request from one of the Town Councils seeking to reduce their councillor numbers and as a consequence, other Town and Parish Councils are being asked if they also wished for their numbers to be reviewed. Normally, a Town or parish Council would have a minimum of 7 members, and they would not be starting the process of carrying out a review until 2022 with any resultant changes being made in time for the 2023 elections. Members are asked to consider whether Stotfold Town Council wishes to review its councillor numbers.

10. EV Chargepoints At the May Council meeting, members considered potential locations for on-street electric vehicle (EV) chargepoints, as part of a residents survey conducted by Council. 2

Minute 101/21 resolved “that the town council would be willing to look at potential EV Charging Points in our car parks, perhaps The Greenacre Centre car park and Brook Street car park; payment methods via cards or telephone. These suggestions are to be put to Central Bedfordshire Council.”

Central Bedfordshire Council advises that they will shortly be seeking to procure commercial chargepoint providers with respect to their own car parks and buildings and on-street residential parking and are keen to work with Town & Parish Councils to, where possible, include our car parks and buildings within the scope of these contracts.

A Town & Parish Council specific survey has been circulated by Central Bedfordshire Council, and under a delegated decision, the Clerk has completed the survey on behalf of the Town Council, as per our previous discussions, with some additional potential locations included, as they have also now asked for car parks in parks and recreation areas.

We are not bound by these suggested locations, and indeed some may be entirely unsuitable. Central Bedfordshire Council also asked for suggestions of other non-Town Council owned locations, which might also be suitable for EV chargepoints, acknowledging that they would have to contact the landowners direct.

A copy of the EV Chargepoints FAQs is attached for information, together with the EOI form submitted by the Clerk. To approve the delegated decision taken by the Clerk in returning the Expression of Interest (EOI) form on behalf of the Council.

11. Welcome Back Fund To receive an update on the Welcome Back Fund projects.

12. Queen’s Platinum Jubilee, June 2022 To consider taking part in celebrations for the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee – report attached for members. To consider allocating funding to be included for celebrations/activities in the 2022/2023 budget setting process.

13. Reports To receive and note, reports from Central Beds Council Ward Members, Member and Nominated Representatives on Outside Bodies and Town Plan Implementation Group. a) Central Bedfordshire Council Ward Member b) Member and Nominated Representatives on Outside Bodies c) Town Plan Implementation Group (IG) d) Other Member Representative reports

14. Delegated decisions reports To note delegated decisions taken by the Clerk, in consultation with Chairman and Vice- Chairman of council and Chairman and Vice-Chairman of appropriate committee • Delegated Decision Report 22nd June to 3rd August 2021 • Delegated Decision Report 4th August to 24th August 2021

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15. Accounts a) To approve list of payments for approval in the Expenditure Report for September 2021, and note income received during August 2021 (to be presented) b) To review and note the monthly committee budget report and bank balances as at end August 2021 (to be presented)

(Note, expenditure for July and August, has been approved, expenditure made, and noted in Delegated Decision Reports as above)

16. Questions from electors on items arising from the meeting

17. Exclusion of press and public Under section 3d of Standing Orders, the Chairman will propose that the press and public are temporarily excluded whilst matters are discussed which include contractual and financial information and that they be instructed to withdraw from the meeting for the following agenda item only.

18. Stotfold Library – CONFIDENTIAL ITEM i) To receive a letter of intent from Central Bedfordshire Council, and to agree that the Stotfold Library project can proceed and issue a similar letter of intent from the Town Council. Confidential project report and supporting documents are provided for members. ii) To approve Councillors Hayes (Buildings Committee Chairman), Matthews (Buildings Committee Vice-Chairman) and the Clerk in negotiating appropriate lease conditions and rates.

19. Items for information purposes only

KA Elliott--Turner

Mrs KA Elliott-Turner Town Clerk

26th August 2021

To: All Stotfold Town Councillors, Central Bedfordshire Council Ward Members, representative of the press and electorates of Stotfold

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