Agenda and minutes

The Chair advised the Council that the meeting was being recorded and streamed online in accordance with usual practice.

Councillor P Peacock moved and Councillor R Cozens seconded that Councillor L Tift be elected Chair of Newark & Sherwood District Council for the 2025/26 municipal year.

AGREED     (unanimously) that Councillor L Tift be elected Chair of Newark & Sherwood District Council for the 2025/26 municipal year.

Councillor L Tift signed the Declaration of Acceptance of Office and received the Chain of Office from the retiring Chair.

Councillor L Tift presented the past Chair’s badge to Councillor J Hall.

(As the newly elected Chair, Councillor L Tift took the chair for the remainder of the meeting.)

Councillor S Michael moved and Councillor P Rainbow seconded that Councillor R Jackson be elected Vice-Chair of Newark & Sherwood District Council for the 2025/26 municipal year.

AGREED     (with 35 votes for with 1 abstention) that Councillor R Jackson be elected Vice-Chair of Newark & Sherwood District Council for the 2025/26 municipal year.

Councillor R Jackson signed the Declaration of Acceptance of Office and received the Vice-Chair’s Chain of Office.

There were no declarations of interest from Members and Officers and the Council noted the interests previously declared by Members in Agenda Item No. 18 – Minutes for Noting.

AGREED      that the minutes from the meetings held on 6 March 2025 and 19 March 2025 were agreed as a correct record and signed by the Chair.

The newly elected Chair of the Council advised that her chosen charities for the forthcoming civic year were the Emmaus Trust and the Samaritans.  She also advised that she wished to introduce a ‘moment of reflection’ at the start of each Council meeting.

The Leader of the Council advised that he had extended an invitation to the new Leader of Nottinghamshire County Council to visit the District.  He also advised that there was no further update in respect of Local Government Reorganisation.  He also took the opportunity to thank all Newark & Sherwood District Council Officers who had been involved with the two unauthorised Gypsy & Traveller encampments in the District.

The Portfolio Holder for Public Protection & Community Relations provided the Council with an update on the actions taken following the isolated violent incident, in Newark.

The Portfolio Holder for Housing thanked all Housing and ICT Officers for their work on ‘HMS Sea Change’. 

In accordance with Rule No. 3.3.3 the following questions have been submitted to the Council:

Question from Councillor Pater Harris:

“The Bus Improvement Grant for 2025-6 is allocated by the East Midlands Combined County Authority. The capital element of this grant is equivalent to over £130,000 for Southwell. How is the Leader of the Council monitoring this expenditure to make sure that this money is spent on capital improvements on Southwell's bus services?”

Question from Councillor Matthew Spoors:

“What is the Council’s understanding of the impact of the withdrawal of the sustainable farming Initiative, and what will its response be?”

In accordance with Rule No. 3.3.3 two questions had been submitted to the Council from Councillor P Harris and Councillor M Spoors.  Details of the questions put forward and the responses given by Councillor P Peacock and Councillor C Penny are attached as Appendix A to the Minutes.

The Council considered the report of the Chief Executive which sought to consider the allocation of seats to political groups in accordance with the political balance rules.  A supplemental report had been published given a further change in political composition, following the publication of the agenda.

Section 15 of the Local Government & Housing Act 1989 required the Council to consider the political composition of the Council.  The Act, together with the Local Government (Committees & Political Groups) Regulations 1990, required the Council to allocate seats on committees on a proportional basis in accordance with the number of seats held on the Council by each political group.

AGREED     (with 35 votes for and 1 abstention) that the allocation of seats to Political Groups (as set out as Appendix B to these minutes) be approved.

The Council were circulated with a proposed schedule of appointments to the Council’s Committees, including the positions of Chairs and Vice-Chairs and substitute Members.

In accordance with Rule 4.6.1, Councillor J Kellas proposed and Councillor S Haynes seconded an amendment that the proposed Chairs and Vice-Chairs of the Policy & Performance Improvement Committee and the General Purposes Committee and Licensing Committees be Councillor S Haynes and Councillor T Wendels as Chair and Vice-Chair of Policy & Performance Improvement Committee and Councillor S Saddington and Councillor T Wildgust as Chair and Vice-Chair of the General Purposes and Licensing Committees.

This proposed amendment on being put to the vote was declared lost with 17 votes for and 19 against.

AGREED     (with 22 votes for, 13 against and 1 abstention) that the appointments of the Chairs and Vice-Chairs on Committees and the appointment of other Members to Committees etc. as set out in the schedule attached as Appendix C to these minutes, be approved.

(Councillor S Forde left the meeting following the vote on this item.)

The Council considered the report of the Chief Executive and Director – Customer Services & Organisational Development which sought approval of the refreshed Community Plan for 2023 to 2027. 

The Plan was the key direction setting document which outlined the priorities and vision of the Council.  Following the LGA Peer Challenge, one of the key items of feedback was to review the Community Plan with a particular focus on reducing the number of actions together with encouragement to focus to a greater extent on those functions that were the Council’s core business.  Subsequently, Portfolio Holders, Committee Chairs and Vice Chair had undertaken a comprehensive review of the Plan and developed a refreshed version.  The refreshed Plan had been presented to the Policy & Performance Improvement Committee for comment on 10 March 2025, and subsequently the Cabinet at their meeting on 1 April, where it was recommended to Full Council for approval.

AGREED     (with 19 votes for, 4 against and 12 abstentions) that the refreshed version of the Community Plan, for continued implementation between 2025 to 2027, be approved.

The Council considered the report of the Assistant Director – Legal & Democratic Services & Monitoring Officer proposing amendments to the Council’s Constitution in relation to: Financial Procedure Rules; Contract Procedure Rules; Petitions; Motions; Licensing & General Purposes Committees; Audit & Governance Committee; Planning Policy Board; Acquisitions & Disposals Policy; and some minor amendments to the Terms of Reference for Planning Committee and the Officer Scheme of Delegation in relation to the sealing of legal documents.  The proposed amendments were set out in detail in the report, and these had been considered by the Audit & Governance Committee at their meeting held on 7 May 2025, where they were recommended to full Council for approval.

In accordance with Rule No. 4.6.1, Councillor S Haynes moved and Councillor S Michael seconded an amendment to the report recommendations as follows:

“That Full Council: -

a)        adopts the Constitutional amendments set out in Appendices A, B, C, D, H, I and J and paragraph 2.8 of the report;

b)        subject to the approval of a) above, notes the adoption of templates for motions and amendments as illustrated in Appendices E and F to the report;

c)        adopts the terms of reference for a new Licensing Committee as set out in Appendix G of the report, to be implemented with effect from 15 July 2025;

d)        confirms for the Licensing Committee Terms of Reference in the Constitution to be updated accordingly once the Committee has approved any revisions to its Scheme of Delegation;

e)        approves a reduction in membership of the Audit & Governance Committee to 9 Members with effect from 15 July 2025 for a trial period, and adding two further meetings of the Committee to the Schedule of Meetings;

f)         approves the addition of ‘Principal Legal Officer’ to the Officers listed in the Council’s Constitution as having authority to seal legal documents on behalf of the Council;

g)        notes that a further report will be brought to the Full Council meeting on 15 July 2025 to consider a revised allocation of seats on committees, if the changes recommended at c) and e) above are approved;

h)        approves the convening of the Independent Remuneration Panel to undertake a desktop review of the affected full review of all Members’ Special Responsibility Allowances, if the proposed changes to Committees are agreed. and

i)          to refer the review of arrangements for Audit & Governance Committee back to the Committee, with instruction to split Audit and Governance out and create two new committees “Audit and accounts” as well as “Governance, General purposes and LGR”; bringing proposed terms of reference and size of membership to next Full Council on 15 July 2025.  Subject to those changes, the following chairs and vice chairs to be appointed from 15 July 2025:

Audit & Accounts: Chair: Councillor S Michael; Vice Chair: Councillor N Allen

Governance. General Purposes and Local Government Reorganisation: Chair: Councillor R Holloway: Vice Chair: Councillor P Rainbow

(Meeting adjourned at 7.52pm to consider the amendment, and recommenced at 8.05pm).

The amendment, on being put  ...  view the full minutes text for item 13.

The Council considered the report of the Assistant Director – Legal & Democratic Services and Monitoring Officer which detailed call-in requests received during the 2024/25 municipal year. 

AGREED     (unanimously) that the report be noted.

Minute No. 265 – Community Plan Refresh

Councillor J Lee requested an explanation as to the reasoning behind the decision taken in relation to the reallocation of funds from the Motion for the Ocean to flood mitigation measures which had occurred within a 6-month period.  The Leader of the Council advised Councillor Lee that he would provide a written response.