Babergh and Mid Suffolk District Councils
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Agenda, decisions and minutes

Venue: Virtual Meeting

Note: Simultaneous meeting with BDC Cabinet 

Media

Items
No. Item

125.

ORDER OF BUSINESS

Minutes:

The Leader of the Council welcomed Cabinet Members to the meeting and advised that the order of business would be amended and Item 2 Apologies for Absence, and Item 3 Declaration of Interests by Councillors would be taken first.

126.

APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE

Minutes:

Apologies for absence were received from Councillor Harry Richardson.

127.

DECLARATION OF INTERESTS BY COUNCILLORS

Minutes:

There were no declarations of interest received.

128.

MCa/19/59 DRINKSTONE NEIGHBOURHOOD PLAN pdf icon PDF 228 KB

Cabinet Member for Planning

Decision:

It was RESOLVED:

 

1.1          That Drinkstone Parish Council be requested to make the necessary modifications to their Neighbourhood Plan in accordance with the Examiner’s recommendations.

1.2          That, subject to satisfactory completion of the above (to be agreed by the Corporate Manager for Strategic Planning), this Neighbourhood Plan be advanced to a local referendum covering the parish of Drinkstone.

Reason for Decision: To enable the Council to meet its statutory obligations under Section 17A of the  Neighbourhood Planning (General) Regulations 2012 (as amended) and to allow the Drinkstone Neighbourhood Plan to proceed to a local referendum.

Alternative Options Considered and Rejected:

1.1      The local planning authority may propose to make a decision on a recommendation that differs from that set out by the Examiner in their report. If so, it must give its reason why and undertake further consultation before issuing a final decision. As appropriate, this may require the matter to be re-examined. For the reasons set out in section 4 below, this option has been discarded.

2.2      The recommended option as set out below is that the local planning authority agree that this Neighbourhood Plan proceed to a local referendum.

Any declarations of interest declared: None

Any Dispensation Granted: None

 

Minutes:

The Cabinet Member for Planning introduced the report which provided Cabinet Members with an update on the Drinkstone Neighbourhood Plan. The recommendations were moved by Councillor Burn and seconded by Councillor Brewster.

 

Counillor Burn advised Members that due to the Postponement of Elections and Referendums Regulation which came into effect on 07 April 2020, the earliest date for this plan to go to referendum would be 06 May 2021. Government had provided further clarity through an update to Planning Practice Guidance which stated that ‘where a local planning authority has issued a decision statement detailing its intention to send a Neighbourhood Plan to referendum, that plan can be given significant weight in decision making’.

 

Councillor Otton, the Ward Member for Drinkstone, commented on the amount of work which had been put into the plan and in particular the high level of environmental issues included.

 

In response to a request from Councillor Eburne, the Neighbourhood Planning Officer confirmed that the guidance referred to by Councillor Burn would be circulated to Members and the wider communities.

 

Councillor Otton asked if the referendum could potentially be held earlier should the government guidance change. The Neighbourhood Planning Officer confirmed should the regulations change the team would respond accordingly.

 

By a unanimous vote

 

It was RESOLVED:-

 

1.1          That Drinkstone Parish Council be requested to make the necessary modifications to their Neighbourhood Plan in accordance with the Examiner’s recommendations.

1.2      That, subject to satisfactory completion of the above (to be agreed by the Corporate Manager for Strategic Planning), this Neighbourhood Plan be advanced to a local referendum covering the parish of Drinkstone.

 

Reason for Decision: To enable the Council to meet its statutory obligations under Section 17A of the Neighbourhood Planning (General) Regulations 2012 (as amended) and to allow the Drinkstone Neighbourhood Plan to proceed to a local referendum.

129.

MCa/19/60 TO CONFIRM THE MINUTES OF THE MEETING HELD ON 04 MAY 2020 pdf icon PDF 283 KB

Minutes:

The minutes of the meeting held on 04 May 2020 were confirmed as a correct record.

130.

TO RECEIVE NOTIFICATION OF PETITIONS IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE COUNCIL'S PETITION SCHEME

Minutes:

None received.

131.

QUESTIONS BY COUNCILLORS

Minutes:

 

Councillor Eburne asked Councillor Fleming, Cabinet Member for Environment

 

With regards to the overall performance of the Council, why are there still no performance measures in place relating to the Climate Emergency despite it being declared nearly a year ago in July 2019?

 

Councillor Fleming Responded

 

As all Councillors will be aware our Joint Task Force, that was formed in response to our Climate Emergency, has recently completed its work.  This work included baselining of Council Climate data; and their detailed suite of recommendations will be considered by the Cabinets in early July.  This will of course result in the adoption of relevant performance measures in order to manage our progress.

 

Councillor Eburne asked the supplementary question why is there not a simple performance measure included in the report.

 

Councillor Fleming advised that a performance measure has not yet been agreed however it would be included in future reports as soon as possible.

 

Councillor Eburne to Councillor Burn, Cabinet Member for Planning

 

With regards to planning performance, other than meeting national targets (GSP 01 and 02), what local targets does the Administration have in place to give the public confidence in the planning system for their communities?

 

Councillor Burn responded

 

The Development Management Service Plan set out objectives for 2019/20 and includes rolled forward objectives for 20/21. The service plan is accompanied by a series of transformation activities to lead the evolution of development management.

https://suffolknet.sharepoint.com/sites/connect/serviceplans/Planning%20for%20Growth/Service%20Plan%20DM%202019-20%20Interim%20Final%20Draft.pdf.

 

Working with our Customers is described on p.15 of the plan (para 8.1 to 8.5) and this includes description of our work with part of our business community through our Client Side Panel.

 

Working with our Communities is described on p.17 of the plan (para 10.1 to 10.3).

The service plan describes key performance measures for good customer service in relation to our pre-application advice service (p.20) and in relation to our communities (p.21) including making sure our communities have been made aware of development proposals and invited to comment, making those comments available online in good time and helping our Parish Councils understand the reasons for our decisions.  The measures in the service plan cascade into and are tailored to individuals roles for the purposes of staff performance objectives. 

 

The forward key performance measures for 2020/21 are detailed on p.22 -24.

The objectives in the service plan are based on measurable outcomes which are focused on ensuring we communicate effectively with our communities as represented by both Parishes, applicants and businesses. I consider that public confidence is promoted by effective communication recognising that local opinion about planning merits, which may well be antagonistic case by case, cannot be considered a reliable, objective, indicator of public confidence in the planning system.

Given the business interruption of Covid-19 we have not reviewed outcomes as yet but these will inform appraisals later in the year.

 

We have also prioritised our Parish survey around Covid-19 related circumstances and that was launched last week. This survey work does not pick up on the key performance measure related  ...  view the full minutes text for item 131.

132.

MATTERS REFERRED BY THE OVERVIEW AND SCRUTINY OR JOINT AUDIT AND STANDARDS COMMITTEES

Minutes:

There were no matters referred.

133.

FORTHCOMING DECISIONS LIST

Please note the most up to date version can be found via the website:

 

https://www.midsuffolk.gov.uk/the-council/forthcoming-decisions-list/

Minutes:

The Forthcoming Decision List was noted.

134.

MCa/19/61 QUARTER FOUR PERFORMANCE OUTCOME REPORTING pdf icon PDF 379 KB

Cabinet Member for Customers, Digital Transformation and Improvement

Additional documents:

Decision:

It was RESOLVED:-

 

That the performance report and the performance outcome information tabled at Appendices A – I of the report be agreed as reflecting Mid Suffolk District Council’s performance for Jan – Mar 2020. 

 

Reason for Decision: To provide assurance that the Council is meeting its performance objectives.

 

Alternative Options Considered and Rejected: It is a requirement to report this information to Cabinet, therefore there are no other available options.

Any Declarations of Interest Declared:None

Any Dispensation Granted: None

 

Minutes:

The Leader of the Council introduced the report and thanked Cabinet Members for their continued hard work in conjunction with the Assistant Directors. Councillor Morley moved the recommendation in the report. Councillor Flatman seconded the recommendation.

 

In response to a query from Councillor Eburne, the Assistant Director for Customer Services confirmed that a new reporting format was being prepared and would hopefully be ready for 2020/2021 Quarter 1 Reporting.

 

Councillor Eburne raised a query regarding performance indicator HP05 relating to the housing register and asked if there was a reason for the fall in numbers from quarter 3 to quarter 4. Councillor Flatman confirmed that an answer would be provided outside of the meeting.

 

Councillor Fleming commented that performance indicator WS08 of Appendix G of the report was a new measure and a target would be included in the next report.

 

Councillor Field queried the performance measures relating to Building Services and asked if there were any particular reasons behind the performance levels. Councillor Morley confirmed that a response would be provided outside of the meeting.

 

By a unanimous vote

 

It was RESOLVED:-

 

That the performance report and the performance outcome information tabled at Appendices A – I of the report be agreed as reflecting Mid Suffolk District Council’s performance for Jan – Mar 2020. 

 

Reason for Decision: To provide assurance that the Council is meeting its performance objectives.