Agenda and minutes

Apologies for absence were submitted on behalf of Councillors Andy Gilbert, Joyce Plummer, Ethan Rawcliffe and Kate Walsh.

There were no declarations of interest or dispensations indicated on this occasion.

a)    Mayor

b)    Leader of the Council

c)    Chief Executive

The Mayor made the following announcements:

1)         Rededication of the Accrington Pals Memorial Garden

Last Saturday the Mayor had been honoured to unveil the new statute to the Accrington Pals at the rededication of the Pals Memorial Garden on Church Street.  This was a wonderful occasion for Hyndburn and it was pleasing to see so many people attending.  The rejuvenation of the Gardens was the culmination of the efforts of a large number of partner organisations and a source of great pride for the Borough.

2)         Civil Unrest

The Mayor was mindful of the threat of disturbances in the region, following the stabbings and tragic deaths of three young girls in Southport on 29^th July 2024.  He wished to thank the Police and all those who had worked closely with Lancashire Constabulary to safeguard Lancashire’s townships from thuggery and racism at that time.

3)         Setting the Right Tone

The Mayor reminded Members that he had shared some views at the last Council meeting about councillors’ conduct during debates.  The Leader of the Council and Leader of Opposition were aware of the standards of behaviour that were expected of those present within the Council Chamber.

The Leader of the Council then made the following announcements:

4)         Response to the Mayor’s Announcements

The Leader echoed the Mayor’s comments on the unveiling of the Pals sculpture and was pleased to see large numbers of people attending the rededication ceremony for the Memorial Garden.  He wished to congratulate the organisers of and key contributors to the event.

In view of the potential threat of disruption within the Borough by far right groups, the Leader had held a number of meetings.  He had worked collaboratively with Councillor Zak Khan, Leader of the Opposition, Councillor Danny Cassidy, Joint Deputy Leader of the Opposition and Councillor Shabir Fazal OBE, Green Party, to manage the situation.  The work of all those involved had produced a positive impact.  The situation had highlighted that Hyndburn was one community and that people would come together to listen and learn.

With the permission of the Mayor, the Leader invited Councillor Noordad Aziz, Deputy Leader and Portfolio Holder for Transformation, Education and Skills, to speak

5)         Wilson Sports Village

Councillor Aziz reported that last Friday it had been announced that ISG, the lead construction contractor for the Wilson Sports Village project, had filed notice to enter administration.  This had raised concerns locally about the project.  ISG was a prominent national construction company, which carried out work for the Government and other organisations across the country.

The Council wished to place on record its appreciation for the dedication and hard work of the entire construction team on site and empathised with the workers, their families and the various sub-contractors engaged on this project.

The Council’s contract for delivery of the overall project was with Alliance Leisure.  ISG were their main contractor.  Alliance had confirmed that they were in a strong position to deal with the matter and would follow an established procedure  ...  view the full minutes text for item 160.

To confirm as a correct record the minutes of the Mayor Making Council meeting held on 29^th June 2024 and the Council meeting held on 11^th July 2024 (attached).

The Minutes of the Mayor Making Council meeting held on 29^th June 2024 and the Council meeting held on 11^th July 2024 were provided.

Councillor Fazal noted the reference to Srebrenica at Section 2 of Minute 59 from 11^th July 2024.  He drew some parallels to the level of deaths currently occurring in Gaza.  He referred to the Leader’s letter to The Rt Hon David Lammy MP mentioned above and expressed the view that this did not go far enough in suggesting a course of action for the UK.

The Mayor noted the points being made, but indicated that, as these were not relevant to the accuracy of the minutes, it would be inappropriate to raise them now.  He invited Councillor Fazal to meet with him to discuss any such issues outside of the meeting.

Resolved                                    -    That the Minutes of the Mayor Making Council meeting held on 29^th June 2024 and the Council meeting held on 11^th July 2024 be approved as correct records.

To deal with any questions submitted under Council Procedure Rule A2.2(vi).

Three questions have been received (report attached).

Three questions had been received.  The Mayor read aloud the first question as shown below.

1)         Local Plan

To the Leader of the Council (Councillor Munsif Dad BEM JP)

Submitted by Councillor Zak Khan

“The Council has a proposed replacement Local Plan which it endorsed for statutory (Regulation 19) consultation in late 2023.  The plan is due for final submission to the Planning Inspectorate in coming weeks.

Does the Leader and Labour Group intend to continue with the submission, or scrap the Local Plan in order to replace it?”

Response:

The Leader indicated that work was at an advanced stage on the development of the Local Plan 2021 – 2040.  The site allocation stage had supported the need for development of some 194 dwellings per year and around 70 hectares of employment land over the lifespan of the Plan.  To date there had been three rounds of consultation under Regulation 18 and two Regulation 19 consultations under the Town and Country Planning (Local Planning) (England) Regulations 2012.

The current draft version of the Local Plan supported the Council’s settled view on certain matters, including the following:

• Huncoat Garden Village;
• The Spatial Strategy;
• Climate change;
• Housing numbers;
• Whitebirk (employment land);
• Cut Lane, Rishton (residential development); and
• Clayton-le-Moors and Altham (employment land).

This version would be sent to the Planning Inspectorate in November – December 2024 and would be subject to examination in March – April 2025.  At the examination stage there would be a hearing and further public consultations.  If the Plan was sound its was likely to be adopted in late 2025 or early 2026. 

The Council had recently received the Government’s consultation on proposed changes to the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) 2024. This included proposals to change the standard methodology for calculating annual housing need.  The new standard method generated an annual housing need figure of 313 dwellings.  It was mandatory to use this in any new Plan, but the Council could use the draft Local Plan figure if it continued to progress the existing draft Plan, given that this was at an advanced stage.  The NPPF also included the Government’s proposals on its approach to brownfield, green belt and the new policy definition of “grey belt”, as well as possible increases to fees for householder applications.

At the Annual Council Meeting the controlling group had announced that all major plans were under review.  A working group had been set up to carry out this review and the matter should be determined within the next few months.

Councillor Khan asked the following supplemental question in accordance with Council Procedure Rule A2-2.2(vi):

“Who are you consulting and how will you examine their comments?  What factors will you take into consideration?”

The Leader responded that the working group would primarily look at the options in relation to Huncoat Garden Village, which was a major part of the Local Plan.  The controlling group would listen to residents.  The Leader had already attended Huncoat Forum to listen to  ...  view the full minutes text for item 162.

To consider and give effect to requests from the various political groups, as follows:

·         Labour – the appointment of the following members to the Planning (Trees) Sub-Committee: Councillors Scott Brerton, Stephen Button and Bernard Dawson;

·         Labour – a change to the membership of the Judicial Committee (Private Hire and Hackney Carriage Licensing), to replace Councillor Dave Parkins with Councillor Vanessa Alexander;

·         Labour – a change to an appointment in the list of Outside Bodies in connection with Lancashire County Council’s Health and Adult Services Scrutiny Committee, to replace Councillor Jodi Clements with Councillor Heather Anderson; and

·         Conservative - the appointment of the following members to the Planning (Trees) Sub-Committee: Councillors Judith Addison and Peter Edwards.

Members were invited to consider and give effect to requests for various appointments from the political groups, as set out on the Agenda.

Decision                                  (1)   To approve the following appointments and changes to appointments to Committees and Outside Bodies:

·           Labour – the appointment of the following members to the Planning (Trees) Sub-Committee: Councillors Scott Brerton, Stephen Button and Bernard Dawson;

·           Labour – a change to the membership of the Judicial Committee (Private Hire and Hackney Carriage Licensing), to replace Councillor Dave Parkins with Councillor Vanessa Alexander;

·           Labour – a change to an appointment in the list of Outside Bodies in connection with Lancashire County Council’s Health and Adult Services Scrutiny Committee, to replace Councillor Jodi Clements with Councillor Heather Anderson; and

·           Conservative - the appointment of the following members to the Planning (Trees) Sub-Committee: Councillors Judith Addison and Peter Edwards.

(2)   To delegate authority to the Planning (Trees) Sub-Committee to appoint its Chair and Vice-Chair for the Municipal Year 2024/25.

Report attached.

Members considered a report of Councillor Kimberley Whitehead, Portfolio Holder for Culture, Heritage and Arts, outlining a proposal for the Council to twin Accrington with Khust, West Ukraine.

Councillor Whitehead provided a briefing introduction to the proposals.

Khust was a popular destination city situated in western Ukraine, boasting a population of a similar size to Accrington (with 90% of the population being Ukrainian, as well as a mix of Russian, Hungarian and Roma ethnicities).  The city benefited from a thriving leisure and tourism industry, bolstered by a rich industrial heritage in artistic wares like basket weaving and food production/processing, specialising in goods like the trade of honey.

The proposal to twin with Khust had initially been brought forward by one of the residents in Hyndburn on the Homes for Ukraine scheme, neurologist Dr Valeyrie Hrymchak.  In August 2023, Hyndburn Council had hosted an initial virtual meeting between Chief Executive, David Welsby, the then Leader of the Council Marlene Haworth, the Mayor and Mayoress of Hyndburn, Council officers and representatives from Khust, including the Mayor of Khust.  The following week, Hyndburn Council had hosted a civic event at Haworth Art Gallery to welcome Khust representatives Professor Mykhailo Oros and Assistant Professor Luidmyla Varha.  Both events had served to initiate a working relationship between Hyndburn Council and Khust Council.  A presentation in support of twinning was also provided at Council on 2^nd November 2023.

On 5^th August 2024 a further meeting had taken place between Council representatives and Professor Mykhailo Oros and Assistant Professor Luidmyla Varha at the Town Hall, Accrington, to reaffirm the Council’s commitment to town twinning and to discuss progress.  The meeting had been hosted by the Mayor and included the Leader of the Council, Portfolio Holders for Housing and Communities, Business and Growth and Culture, Heritage and Arts, key officers, along with a local sponsor under the Homes for Ukraine Scheme, members of the Ukrainian community in Hyndburn and the Operations Manager from Maundy Relief.  Attendees spoke of their common aims and growing sense of friendship and noted the opportunities that town twinning might bring to both communities.

Professor Oros presented the Mayor with a gift from Khust in the form a painting of a landscape in the Transcarpathian region of Ukraine.  The outcome of the meeting was very positive and resulted in a letter being sent by the Leader of the Council to Khust City Council to thank them for the gift and to confirm the Council’s commitment to twinning.

This proposal presented a unique opportunity for Hyndburn to foster international relationships, promote economic development and enhance cultural exchange.  The benefits of town twinning with Khust included:

• Economic development opportunities: There might be trade and investment opportunities arising from establishing strong connections between Ukrainian businesses and entrepreneurs and their Hyndburn counterparts.

• Tourism and hospitality: Town Twinning could significantly boost tourism and hospitality industries in both locations.  Encouraging tourists from each town to visit the other could lead to increased revenue  ...  view the full minutes text for item 164.

At its meeting on 24^th July 2024, the Cabinet noted the contents of attached report, in line with its wider quarterly financial monitoring arrangements.

Members considered a joint report ofCouncillor Noordad Aziz, Deputy Leader and Portfolio Holder for Transformation, Education and Skills, and Councillor Vanessa Alexander, Portfolio Holder for Resources and Council Operations, updating Cabinet on Treasury Management activities since the start of this financial year.  The report had previously been considered and noted by the Cabinet at its meeting held on 30^th July 2024.

Councillor Aziz provided a brief introduction to the report.

The Prudential Code for Capital Finance in Local Authorities required the Council to set Prudential Indicators annually for the forthcoming three years to demonstrate that the Council’s capital investment plans were affordable, prudent, and sustainable.  The Council had adopted its prudential indicators for 2024/2025 at its meeting in February 2024.

The Prudential Code required the Council, having agreed at least a minimum number of mandatory prudential indicators (including limits and statements), to monitor them - in a locally determined format on a quarterly basis.

The indicators were purely for internal use and not designed to be used as comparators between authorities.  If it should be necessary to revise any of the indicators during the year, the Executive Director (Resources) would report and advise the Council further.

‘Treasury Management’ related to the borrowing, investing and cash activities of the authority, and the effective management of any associated risks.  In February 2024, in the same report referred above, the Council had also set out and then approved its current Treasury Management Strategy.  This had been in accordance with the CIPFA (Chartered Institute of Public Finance & Accountancy) code of practice on treasury management in public services, the Council having previously adopted, via Cabinet, the then revised code of practice.  Associated treasury management Prudential Indicators had been included in the February 2024 report.

Prudential Indicators Monitoring 

Appendix 1 of the report set out the monitoring information for each of the prudential indicators and limits.  They related to:

• External debt overall limits;
• Affordability (e.g. implications for Council Tax);
• Prudence and sustainability (e.g. implications for external borrowing);
• Capital expenditure; and
• Other indicators for Treasury Management.

Treasury Management Update

The forecast balance sheet position at 30^th June 2024 for treasury management activities was shown in the table below.

Forecast Treasury Balance Sheet Position 2024/25

The table demonstrated that the Council was performing within the original targets set at the start of the year.  Within the prudential indicators there were a number of key indicators to ensure that the Council operated its activities within well-defined limits.  In general, the requirement was that the Capital Financing Requirement exceeded gross debt.  However, in 2024/25 the gross debt exceeded the Capital Financing Requirement.  This was due to the Council having historical debt with a maturity  ...  view the full minutes text for item 165.

Report attached.

Members considered a report of the Chairs of the Overview and Scrutiny Committees setting out the recommendations for the appointment of co-opted members to the Overview and Scrutiny Committees.

The Councils Constitution, Overview and Scrutiny Procedure Rule C2 stated:

“Up to four members of the public may be appointed to each Overview and Scrutiny Committee as non-voting co-optees, if they are deemed to have relevant experience of matters falling within the remit of that Overview and Scrutiny Committee.

(i)      Co-optees may be appointed following nomination by a councillor or following an application received directly from a member of the public.

(ii)     Applications received directly from the public will be considered first at the relevant Overview and Scrutiny Committee. The Committee will consider the knowledge and experience of the applicant relevant to the terms of reference or work programme of the Committee. If the majority of the Overview and Scrutiny members support the appointment of the applicant, the proposed appointment will be presented to Council for approval.

(iii)   Nominations received from councillors will be presented to the Council for approval, if supported by the Chair of the relevant Overview and Scrutiny Committee. In reaching a decision, the Council will consider the knowledge and experience of the nominee relevant to the terms of reference or work programme of the Committee.”

The Communities and Wellbeing Overview & Scrutiny Committee had considered 2 nominations for 4 vacant co-optee positions at its meeting on 15^th July 2024.  The Committee had voted to recommend that Council appoint Jean Battle and Jackie Rawstron as co-optees.  There remained two vacant co-optee posts on this Committee.

The Resources Overview & Scrutiny Committee had considered 2 nominations for 4 vacant co-optee positions at its meeting on 16^th July 2024.  The Committee had voted to recommend that Council appoint Richard Downie and Tim O’Kane as co-optees.  There remained two vacant co-optee posts on this Committee.

The Special Overview & Scrutiny Committee had considered 1 nomination submitted by report and 1 nomination submitted at the meeting for 2 vacant co-optee positions at its meeting on 22^nd July 2024.  The Committee had voted to recommend that Council appoint Shahed Mahmood and Andy Tatchell as co-optees.  There were no remaining co-optee vacancies on this Committee.

Councillors Jodi Clements, Heather Anderson, Steven Button, Paul Cox, Bernard Dawson, Dave Parkins and Clare Pritchard spoke in favour of particular nominees.  Councillors Zak Khan and Shabir Fazal raised no objection to the individual noiminees, but expressed concern that the appointments were being politicised, rather than being used to bring in a fresh perspective to the committees.  Councillor Whitehead responded that there was a good mix of nominees who were experienced and trusted individuals, while others brought new skills to the role.

Decision                                            (1)   That Council approves the appointment of Jackie Rawstron and Jean Battle as co-optees to the Communities and Wellbeing Overview & Scrutiny Committee.

(2)   That Council approves the appointment of  ...  view the full minutes text for item 166.

To receive the Minutes of the Cabinet meeting held on 30^th July 2024 (attached).

Rules of Debate

·         The Leader of the Council will move the Minutes, the Deputy Leader of the Council will second the Minutes.

·         Non-executive Members will be invited to make comment or ask questions on the Minutes (5 Minutes).

·         Cabinet Members will be invited to make comments and respond to any points raised (5 Minutes).

·         The Leader of the Council will be given up to 15 Minutes to respond and to answer any questions raised.

The minutes of the meeting of the Cabinet held on 30^th July 2024 were submitted.  The following matters were raised.

In respect of Minute 99 – Reports of Cabinet Members, Councillor Steven Smithson and Stewart Eaves offered their congratulations to the Pest Control Team for their success at the National Pest Awards 2024.

Also on Minute 99, Councillor Shabir Fazal, welcomed the proposed scheme regrading Warm Homes, particularly in the light of the recent restrictions on the winter fuel allowance.  Councillor Dad responded that the winter fuel restrictions were due to funding pressures inherited by the new Government.  Councillor Clare Pritchard added that a WARM Matters drop-in event was due to be held at Hyndburn Leisure Centre on 15^th October 2024 from 10am to 2pm.

Resolved                                    -    That the Minutes be received and noted.

To receive the Minutes of committees, as set out below:

Rules of Debate

·         The Leader of the Council will introduce the Minutes as a whole.

·         Any Member may raise any issue from the Minutes; the Chair of the relevant Committee may respond (5 Minutes).

·         The Leader of the Council will close the debate (5 Minutes).

The Minutes of the following meetings were submitted:

Resolved                                    -    That the Minutes be received and noted.

The Mayor thanked all for their attendance and closed the meeting.