Council Meeting

Date 22 January 2007

Venue Lowther Pavilion

Committee members Mayor (Councillor Harold Butler)

Deputy Mayor (Councillor Alfred Jealous NP,)

Christine Akeroyd, Timothy Ashton, Eric Bamber, John Bennett, Stephen Carpenter, Maxine Chew, Peter Collins, John Coombes, Susan Fazackerley, Patricia Fieldhouse, Richard Fulford-Brown, Peter Hardy, Howard Henshaw, Karen Henshaw, Keith Hyde, Derek Lancaster, Kiran Mulholland, Raymond Norsworthy, Linda Nulty, Elizabeth Oades, Janine Owen, Barbara Pagett, Albert Pounder, Dawn Prestwich, Simon Renwick, Louis Rigby, Paul Rigby, Roger Small, Heather Speak, Martin Taylor, Thomas Threlfall, Colin Walton, Andrea Whittaker, Fabian Wilson, Hilda Wilson, Ronald Wilson, Keith Wright

Officers Phil Woodward, Dave Joy, Ian Curtis, Allan Oldfield, Brian White, Peter Welsh, Andrew Cain, Hazel Wood, Paula Foder

Others Chief Inspector Neil Chessell and Inspector Derek ( constabulary). Geoff Hiscox (Head of Policy Development - Directorate for Children and Young People L.C.C.)

77. Declarations of interest Members were reminded that any personal/prejudicial interests should be declared as required by the Council’s Code of Conduct adopted in accordance with the Local Government Act 2000.

78. Confirmation of minutes RESOLVED: To approve the minutes of the Council meeting held on 27 November 2006 as a correct record for signature by the chairman.

79. Mayor’s announcements

1. The Mayor informed Councillors that collection of paintings was now on exhibition at the Grundy Art Gallery, .

2. Fylde Follies – The Mayor had attended this event which had been a huge success and made £800 towards the mayoral charities. The Mayor thanked councillor Fabian Wilson for her assistance with this event. Council Meeting – 22 January 2007

3. An evening of Fylde Nostalgia would be taking place on 16 January and was already oversubscribed.

4. A further evening of Fylde Nostalgia would be taking place on 27 February and had already sold out.

5. Lunch at the Lindum Hotel would take place on 28 January. (Tickets £15.00) 6. The Councillors and Officers Dinner would be held on Friday 9 February at the Clifton Arms Hotel.

7. Mayoral Ball – The Mayor confirmed that the Ball would be taking place on 16 March at Ribby Hall and tickets were £30 each and were available from the Mayors secretary.

80. Chief Executives Communications

The Chief Executive reported that there were no communications.

81. Questions From Members of the Council

There were no questions

82. Questions From the Members of Public

There were no questions

83. Presentation on Policing Proposals For Fylde 2007

Chief Inspector Neil Chessell and Inspector Derek Darwen from made a presentation on neighbourhood policing proposals for Fylde in 2007. The proposals would see an additional £300,000 per annum funding which would result in no reduction in the number of police constables in Fylde, eleven new Police Community Support Officers who service and support communities, use of police offices at Singleton and , the introduction of a team ethos and increased flexibility with recruitment of volunteers and specials which would result in dedicated neighbourhood supervision.

The structure would comprise of five neighbourhood teams consisting of-

• St Annes Town centre

• St Annes - Urban areas

• Lytham and Freckleton

• Kirkham Town centre

• Rural Fylde

At the close of the presentation the Mayor thanked Chief Inspector Neil Chessell and Inspector Derek Darwen for attending and informing members on the neighbourhood policing proposals. Council Meeting – 22 January 2007

84. Invitation to Accept Appointment As Mayor 2007/2008

It was moved by Councillor Patricia Fieldhouse and seconded by Councillor Roger Small and:

RESOLVED UNANIMOUSLY – That Councillor Colin Walton be invited to accept election by the Council at the 2007 Annual Meeting as Mayor of the of Fylde for the ensuing municipal year.

85. Local Government White Paper – Enhanced Two Tier Working

The Leader of the Council, Councillor Coombes and the Chief Executive, Phillip Woodward informed members of the latest position on the draft submission being prepared by Lancashire District Councils and Lancashire County Council to work as a pathfinder area for enhanced two-tier working. Mr Woodward informed members that numerous meetings had taken place across Lancashire since November to consider unitary proposals and what might be involved in enhanced two-tier working and that the latest information indicated that unitary bids would be submitted by Preston City Council, Lancaster City Council and jointly by and Pendle Borough Councils. The submission was a working / in-principle document and during the next 12 months work would progress with the County Council and any detailed arrangements would be circulated to all members of the council as soon as they became available.

Following a full debate the Council RESOLVED- To note the current position relating to the proposed pathfinder submission for enhanced two-tier working in Lancashire and continue to support to the proposal and for a further progress report to be presented to Council in due course. 86. Council Taxbase 2007/08

Councillor Paul Rigby (portfolio holder for Finance and Efficiency) presented the report which informed members of the taxbase for each of the parished areas and the Council as a whole for 2007/08. The taxbase was the number of equivalent band D properties in the borough.

Under the Local Government Finance Act 1992, the Council had to calculate its council taxbase for 2007/08, and notify it to the County Council and the County Police and Fire Authorities during the period 1st December to 31st January 2007.

The Council RESOLVED:

1. That the Council confirm its wish to keep the current discount on second homes at 10% in 2007/08 having been reduced from the previous level of 50% in 2004/05.

2. That pursuant to the Executive Finance Managers report and in accordance with the Local Authorities (Calculation of Council Taxbase) Regulations 1992 (as amended), the amount calculated by Fylde Borough Council as its council taxbase for the year 2007/2008 shall be 29,759.37 and that the amounts for each part of the area shall be as follows: Council Meeting – 22 January 2007

ST ANNES 10,508.20

LYTHAM 7,547.94

BRYNING-WITH-WARTON 1,278.09

ELSWICK 437.99

FRECKLETON 2,126.63

GREENHALGH-WITH-THISTLETON 182.27

LITTLE ECCLESTON-WITH-LARBRECK 213.01

MEDLAR-WITH-WESHAM 1,049.08

NEWTON-WITH CLIFTON 1,045.29

RIBBY-WITH-WREA 764.75

SINGLETON 437.96

STAINING 852.10

TREALES, ROSEACRE AND WHARLES 210.71

WEETON-WITH-PREESE 277.99

WESTBY-WITH-PLUMPTONS 539.19

KIRKHAM 2,288.17

87. Fylde Borough Council Schedule of Meetings

Councillor Susan Fazackerley (portfolio holder for Corporate Performance and Development) presented proposals for the 2007/2008 schedule of meetings together with amendments to the 2006/07 schedule. Councillor Fazackerley informed members of a number of amendments to the original draft:- Policy and Service Review Scrutiny Committee

Additional meeting on 4 June 2007

Meeting change from Monday 22 October to Thursday 25 October 2007

Scrutiny Management Board

Delete meeting scheduled for Thursday 14 June

Council Meeting – 22 January 2007

The Council RESOLVED:

To approve the schedule of meetings for 2007/08 together with amendments of the 2006/07 schedule (as amended).

88. Election Fees

Councillor Paul Rigby (portfolio holder for Finance and Efficiency) presented the report which proposed changes to the scale of fees and charges associated with the running of local elections. The basic scale of fees and charges for running local elections was agreed by the Council in 1992. Since this time the fees had been uplifted annually in line with the rate of inflation.

From 2nd January 2007 new regulations had come into effect which made significant changes to arrangements which needed to be put in place to prepare for and run local elections and it was appropriate to review the scale of fees in relation to the new requirements.

The impact of the new legislation applied equally to Borough and Parish elections. In the past the Council had resolved not to recharge parish or town councils for expenses incurred on their behalf on parish elections (apart from by-elections). However, in light of the more onerous new legislative provisions and the additional work associated with the running of elections since the last local elections it was appropriate that this position be reviewed.

The Chief Executive, Phillip Woodward informed members that if all parish and town council elections were contested the base cost would be £35,000.00. The Electoral Commission had recommended that the cost of local democracy needed to be reflected at the level where decisions were made. It was also reported that parishes could be re- charged any costs incurred at the end of the year in order that precepts could be set to cover such costs.

Following consideration the Council RESOLVED: 1. That scale of fees and charges associated with the running of elections, detailed in the report is adopted and that the scale of fees and charges is revised annually on 1st April in line with local government pay awards. 2. That parish and town councils be re-charged for costs incurred in running their elections.

89. Members Choice Debate

At a previous council meeting, Councillor Linda Nulty was selected to lead the members' choice debate.

Councillor Nulty had chosen the subject of 'Every Child Matters' and opened the debate. The Every Child Matters vision had been about since 2003 and the Children's Act 2004 made this a statutory duty. Councillor Nulty sought clarification on the role Fylde Borough Council was taking on the Every Child Matters agenda and what was happening in the communities across Fylde. There was a need for every council department to become Council Meeting – 22 January 2007 involved in the Every Child Matters vision and for the council to aim for the provision of suitable facilities for children and young people.

Councillor Nulty went on to introduce Geoff Hiscox, Head of Policy Development, Directorate for Children and Young People at Lancashire County Council. Mr Hiscox provided Members details on the background of Every Child matters and how it had evolved following the murder of Victoria Climbie in 2000.

The vision of Every Child Matters involved the radical improvement in opportunities and outcomes for children, driven by whole system reform of the delivery of children's services. Every Child Matters was about safeguarding children from risk of failure through universal services. Mr Hiscox made reference to the key element of Children's Trusts Arrangements and the key outcomes identified by children, namely, be healthy, stay safe, enjoy and achieve, make a positive contribution and achieve economic wellbeing. The County Council were already working with District Authorities by way of delivering positive outcomes, joint working, Local Area Agreements and identifying gaps and agreeing priorities.

Following the presentation a questions and answers session took place at which Members raised a number of issues including the provision of warning lights outside schools; progress on agencies actively sharing information and adequate financial budgets and staffing levels to operate effectively. In particular Members supported the need for the introduction of a dedicated telephone number which could be used by the public to report concerns over the safety of children and young people.

Councillor Renwick informed members that the comments from the debate would be used to help formulate the response by the relevant Overview and Scrutiny committee to the County Council's consultation document and also stated that there was a need for an Every Child Matters member Champion and asked for councillors who were interested in becoming the Member Champion to contact the Chief Executive.

At the close of the debate the Mayor thanked councillor Nulty for raising the profile of the Every Child Matters agenda and also thanked Mr Hiscox for his presentation.

90. Selection for the next Members choice debate Councillor Colin Walton was selected to lead the member's choice debate at the next ordinary meeting of the council.

Council Meeting – 22 January 2007

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