Annual Town Council Minutes (Signed) 18-05-2020
Minutes of the Annual Meeting of the Newmarket Town Council
held on Monday 18th May 2020 at 6.00 pm via Zoom
Attendance:
Councillor R Hood (Town Mayor) Councillor Y Fitzgerald
Councillor A Appleby Councillor W Hirst
Councillor J Borda Councillor P Hulbert
Councillor O Bowen Councillor M Jefferys
Councillor S Caesar Councillor T Kerby
Councillor J De’Ath Councillor J Lay
Councillor A Drummond Councillor C O’Neill
Councillor R Yarrow
Also Present: Deborah Sarson Acting TCM, Debbie Baines -Town Clerk, Cathy Whitaker – RFO, Gemma Colby – Admin, Julie Ashton – Minute Assistant, Robert Nobbs – WS, 1 Member of the Press and 7 Member of the Public.
Minute
| 20/05/1 ELECTION OF TOWN MAYOR
Acting TCM advised that there were two nominations for the position of Town Mayor. Cllrs Drummond and Hulbert proposed Cllr Lay and Cllrs Appleby and O’Neill proposed Cllr Jefferys for the position of Town Mayor. A recorded vote was taken, and the results were as follows: Cllr Hirst joined the meeting Votes for Cllr Jefferys Cllrs Appleby, Borda, Bowen, Fitzgerald, Hirst, Jefferys, O’Neill and Yarrow Votes for Cllr Lay Cllrs De’Ath, Drummond, Hood, Hulbert, Kerby and Lay Cllr Caesar abstained The following was agreed: 20/05/1.01 Resolved Cllr Jefferys was duly elected to serve as Town Mayor for Newmarket for 2020/21 and it was confirmed that the declaration of acceptance of office of the Town Mayor was signed. 20/05/2 ELECTION OF DEPUTY TOWN MAYOR The Mayor invited nominations for the position of Deputy Town Mayor. Acting TCM advised that one nomination had been received. |
Cllrs De’Ath, Ceasar, Appleby and O’Neill nominated Cllr Kerby for the position of Deputy Mayor. A vote was taken, and the following was agreed:
20/05/2.01 Resolved
Cllr Kerby was duly elected to serve as Deputy Town Mayor for Newmarket for 2020/21 and it was confirmed that the declaration of acceptance of office of the Deputy Town Mayor was signed.
20/05/3 WELCOME
The Mayor opened the meeting and announced that the meeting was being recorded and asked if anyone else intended to record the meeting. There were no requests.
20/05/4 APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE – LGA 1972, Section 85(1) & (2)
None noted. Cllr Anderson was absent.
20/05/5 DECLARATION OF MEMBER’S INTERESTS AND TO REMIND COUNCILLORS OF THE NEED TO KEEP UP TO DATE THEIR REGISTER OF MEMBER’S INTERESTS AND TO CONSIDER ANY REQUESTS RECEIVED FOR MEMBERS DISPENSATION
None noted.
20/05/6 TO RECEIVE AND CONFIRM THE MINUTES OF THE TOWN COUNCIL MEETING HELD ON MONDAY 4TH MAY 2020
The Mayor presented the minutes of the ordinary Town Council meeting held on Monday 4th May 2020 and the following amendment was made:
Page 2 – 20/05/5.02 it was noted that Cllrs Drummond and Lay had voted for the resolution.
Subject to the amendment being made, the following was agreed:
20/05/6.01 Resolved
That the minutes of the Town Council meeting held on Monday 4th May 2020 be adopted and signed as a correct record by the Town Mayor.
Matters arising:
Page 2 – 20/05/5.02 – A proposal was made for the External Auditor and SALC to be contacted to ascertain whether the actions of the preceding Mayor and another councillor regarding the contract of the new Town Clerk were procedurally correct.
It was noted that no resolutions can be made under matters arising and it was suggested that the proposal would be added to the next Full Council agenda.
20/05/7 PUBLIC PARTICIPATION AN INVITATION TO MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC TO PUT QUESTIONS/STATEMENTS OF NOT MORE THAN 3 MINUTES DURATION RELATING TO ITEMS LISTED IN THE PUBLIC PART OF THE AGENDA OR MATTERS RELATING TO THE BUSINESS OF THE COUNCIL
Douglas Hall – Congratulated the new Mayor and Deputy Mayor on their respective elections and thanked the outgoing Mayor for her kind words in the local paper this week. On behalf of the volunteer group he thanked councillors, staff and in particular, the Acting Town Council Manager for the huge efforts of the Council in response to the Coronavirus pandemic in Newmarket. The helpline was a huge achievement and the non-political nature of the Steering Group along with partner organisations to successfully work together lays the foundation for the future to provide support to the Newmarket Community and would be a great way to honour Cllr Kirk.
20/05/8 TO RECEIVE THE MINUTES AND CONSIDER ANY RECOMMENDATIONS FROM THE D&P COMMITTEE MEETINGS HELD ON 11TH MAY 2020
The Chairman of the Development & Planning Committee presented the report and recommendations from the Development & Planning Committee meetings held on 11th May 2020. There were no recommendations.
20/05/9 TERMS OF REFERENCE FOR WORKING GROUPS
The Terms of Reference for Working Groups were discussed, and Cllr Hood agreed to seek clarification from SALC and report back to Full Council.
20/05/10 STANDING ORDERS
Standing Orders were amended to reflect the February 2020 resolution for Committee Membership.
20/05/10.01 Resolved
That Standing Orders be amended as per the recommendations of the Committee Workshop and approved by Full Council in February 2020.
20/05/10.09 Resolved
That Forest Heath be amended to read West Suffolk.
20/05/11 COMMITTEE MEMBERSHIP
The Town Council agreed to the following Committee memberships.
1. Community Services Committee 20/05/11.01 Resolved
That Cllrs Appleby, Borda, Caesar, De’Ath, Drummond, Fitzgerald,
Hirst, Hood, Hulbert, Jefferys, Kerby and Yarrow be Members of the Community Services Committee for the year 2020/21.
- Development & Planning Committee
20/05/11.02 Resolved
That Cllrs Appleby, Caesar, Drummond, Fitzgerald, Hirst, Hood, Hulbert, Jefferys, Kerby and O’Neill be members of the Development & Planning Committee for the year 2020/21.
3. Leisure Services Committee 20/05/11.03 Resolved
That Cllrs Appleby, Borda, De’Ath, Drummond, Fitzgerald, Hirst, Hood, Hulbert, Jefferys and Kerby be Members of the Leisure Services Committee for the year 2020/21.
4. Finance & Policy Committee 20/05/11.04 Resolved
That Cllrs Appleby, Borda, Bowen, Drummond, Hood, Hirst, Jefferys, Kerby and O’Neill be members of the Finance & Policy Committee for the year 2020/21.
5. Human Resources Committee 20/05/11.05 Resolved
That Cllrs Bowen, Caesar, Drummond, Hood, Hulbert, Jefferys, Kerby and O’Neill be members of the Human Resources Committee for the year 2020/21.
Chairmen and Vice Chairmen would be elected at the first meeting of each Committee.
20/05/12 COMMITTEE TERMS OF REFERENCE
It was proposed that a Working Group be set up to review Committee Delegations, Terms of Reference and the Constitution to reflect the recommendations of the Committee Workshop held in February 2020. The Working Group would be set up when the new Town Clerk is in post.
20/05/13 TO ELECT/CONFIRM TOWN COUNCILLORS AS REPRESENTATIVES ON OTHER BODIES
20/05/12.01 Resolved
That members be elected as representatives on other bodies for 2020/21 as listed below:
| Group | Representative |
| Twinning Association (Maisons Laffitte and
Lexington Link) |
Town Mayor & Deputy Town
Mayor |
| MARPA | Cllr Hulbert |
| Newmarket Rail Group | Cllr Hulbert |
| Newmarket Vision Steering Group | Town Mayor & Dep Mayor |
| Newmarket Vision Town Centre Retail
Economy & Tourism Group |
Cllrs Kerby & Hood |
| Newmarket Vision Transport Delivery Group | Cllrs Hood & Hulbert |
| Newmarket Vision Education Group | Deputy Town Mayor, Cllr
Jefferys & Cllr O’Neill |
| Great Local Run | Cllr Jefferys |
| Chamber of Commerce Newmarket & Suffolk | All Cllrs can attend. 2
representatives to be nominated on confirmation of the meetings |
| Newmarket BID | Deputy Town Mayor |
| PCSO & Police Crime Commissioner | Town Mayor, Deputy Town
Mayor, Cllrs Drummond & O’Neill |
| Web & IT Development | Cllr Borda |
20/05/14 TO RECEIVE THE MINUTES AND ANY RECOMMENDATIONS FROM THE CORONAVIRUS RESPONSE STEERING GROUP MEETING HELD ON 5Th MAY 2020
The Chairman of the Coronavirus Response Steering Group presented the report from the Coronavirus Response Steering Group meeting held on 5th May 2020.
20/05/14.01 Resolved
That the minutes of the Coronavirus Response Steering Group held on 5th May 2020 be received and noted.
The Mayor gave thanks to Douglas Hall for his work within the Steering Group.
20/05/15 CORONAVIRUS FINANCIAL UPDATE
The Coronavirus Financial update was noted.
20/05/16 FINANCE
The Chairman of the Finance & Policy Working Group presented the report from the Finance & Policy Working Group meeting held on 11th May 2020.
20/05/16.01 Resolved (FWG/20/05/2.01 Recommendation)
That any shortfall be vired from the ‘other projects’ budget allocation in the 2020/21 financial year at the appropriate time and to the appropriate budget heading.
20/05/16.02 Resolved (FWG/20/05/3.01 Recommendation)
That the stated amounts be vired from the ‘other projects’ budget allocation in the 2020/21 financial year.
20/05/16.03 Resolved (FWG/20/05/4.01 Recommendation)
That the recommendations for allocating underspends to earmarked reserves be approved and that the remaining funds of £11,725 be transferred to general reserves.
Members reviewed CB1, CB2 and CB4 and the following was agreed:
20/05/16.04 Resolved
That the ratification of the schedules of payments for the period 01/04/2020 – 30/04/2020 (Cash Book 1 and 2) be received and adopted.
Members reviewed and noted the Income and Expenditure reports for all Committees for April 2020.
RFO advised that work had been identified to carry out essential repairs to the Cemetery wall in addition to the ongoing 30-day contract. There were sufficient funds in the budget to cover an extra 10 days, however funds were also available in the Cemetery Earmarked Reserve. The following was agreed:
20/05/16.05 Resolved
That the additional 10 days work to carry out essential repairs to the Cemetery wall be approved and that the work be funded from the Cemetery Earmarked Reserve.
20/05/17 CORONAVIRUS GOVERNMENT GUIDANCE
The current Government guidance regarding easing lockdown restrictions was considered regarding returwatning to work and the advice that those who can work from home should continue to do so was noted. The appropriate time for staff to return to work at the Memorial Hall would be reviewed as Government guidance changed.
Returning to the normal meeting schedule was considered and the following was agreed:
20/05/17.01 Resolved
That a Human Resources Committee meeting be held following the first Development & Planning Committee meeting of the month and a Finance & Policy Committee meeting be held following the second Development & Planning Committee meeting of the month starting from 8th June 2020.
20/05/18 MEMORIAL GARDENS
Members were advised that defective Splash pad surface had been resurfaced on 6th May 2020 and that the 12-month defects period had expired. The retention of funds of £11,033.65 were now due to be released and the following was agreed:
20/05/18.01 Resolved
That subject to an inspection of the splash pad by the Mayor and Deputy Mayor, the Memorial Gardens Master Plan retention funds of
£11,033.65 be released.
20/05/19 TO RECEIVE AN UPDATE ON THE WEATHERBY CROSSING
Acting TCM advised that a letter of engagement for the Barrister had been received but some amendments were required to reflect the fees previously agreed and the following was agreed:
20/05/19.01 Resolved
That the Acting TCM be approved to sign the letter of engagement on behalf of NTC once the required amendments had been made.
Members were advised that Cambridgeshire County Council had confirmed their support to keep the crossing open and would consider making a financial contribution. SCC and West Suffolk had not yet responded.
The Barrister had strongly recommended that an expert witness be appointed to provide evidence on the historical documents relating to the crossing and to appear at the inquiry. It was noted that the crossing was the third most used crossing in the Country and could become a test case. NTC may need to consider taking it to a High Court. The costs of the expert witness would be £500 per day for 3 days preparation and one day attendance at the hearing plus travel and subsistence. The following was agreed:
20/05/19.02 Resolved
That Routewise Consulting be appointed as an expert witness at a cost of £500 per day for 3 days preparation, one day attendance at the hearing plus travel and subsistence. That the costs be funded from the “other projects” allocations.
Acting TCM advised that a teleconference with the Planning Inspector had been held last week to explore the feasibility of whether the Inquiry should proceed on the current scheduled date of 28th July 2020. Network Rail advised they were ready to proceed. One of the various issues was that much of the evidence is in the Public Record Office or libraries which are all currently closed with no indication when they will open. There was also concern that many of the people who would wish to attend or give witness statements would not be able to do so either in person (shielding) or virtually (lack of technology). The Acting TCM had agreed to investigate whether the current venue or another suitable venue could accommodate social distancing for all parties including members of the public and the IT capacity to consider whether the inquiry could be held partially virtually. The Inspector had agreed that any further evidence required for the statement of case but not available by the current deadline of 26th May could be submitted at a later date. A decision from the Planning Inspector on whether to proceed on the current schedule or postpone the Inquiry was still awaited.
20/05/20 PCSO MONTHLY REPORT
The PCSO monthly report for April 2020 was received and noted. Bradley Rackham had been appointed as the new PCSO and would be invited to attend a Full Council meeting.
20/05/21 TO CONSIDER CORRESPONDENCE
None noted.
20/05/22 DATE OF NEXT MEETING
Monday 1st June 2020 at 6:00pm.
Meeting closed at 7:55pm
Signed: By the Chairman
Date: 05th June 2020