Issue - meetings

To consider the report in respect of Medium Term Financial Planning for 2014/15 - 2016/17 and to agree the Council Tax for 2014/15

The Mayor advised the meeting that the Assistant Director Corporate Governance and Monitoring Officer – Mr Ryan would give the meeting some advice in respect of changes in regulations requiring local authorities to change their Standing Orders, as soon as practicable after these Regulations come into force, so that it must record in the minutes how each Councillor voted (including any abstentions) when determining the Council’s Budget and the level of Council Tax to be levied.

The Assistant Director Corporate Governance and Monitoring Officer – Mr Ryan advised the meeting that the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government recently published new Regulations, entitled the Local Authorities (Standing Orders) (England) (Amendment) Regulations 2014, and these Regulations came into force on 25^th February 2014.

Mr Ryan advised that the regulations required local authorities to change their Standing Orders, as soon as practicable after the Regulations come into force, so that it must record in the minutes how each Councillor voted (including any abstentions) when determining the Council’s Budget and the level of Council Tax to be levied. The Government’s interpretation of these Regulations was that it included having a recorded vote on amendments proposed at the meeting. Mr Ryan commented that whilst it was not reasonably practicable to change the Council Standing Orders before this evening’s  meeting the Council could comply with these requirements by having a recorded vote on each amendment and the substantive motion.

Mr Ryan concluded that as the only requirement was to record in the minutes of the meeting how each member voted, and given that there were 4 amendments and a substantive motion to be voted on, it could be recorded in the minutes of the meeting how each member voted, including any who had abstained, by a show of hands.

The Mayor then MOVED and it was agreed  that  the advice given be  noted and acted on when it come to the voting on this item – and that this did not preclude 8 Members from requesting a recorded vote under the current Council Procedure Rules.

Councillor Goldberg moved the budget report – Medium Term Financial Planning 2014/15 to 2016/17, and moved the recommendations contained therein. Councillor Kober seconded the MOTION and reserved her right to speak during the debate.

Councillor Strang MOVED 4 budget amendments as set out in the appendix (attached to the minutes marked ‘A’). Councillor Wilson seconded the amendments to the MOTION and reserved his right to speak during the debate.

A debate ensued and Members contributed to the discussion. 

Councillor Strang, and then Councillor Goldberg, responded to the proposals.

The amendments to the Motions were then voted on individually.

Budget amendment 1, on being put to the vote there were 18  in favour of the amendment (Councillors Beacham, Butcher, Davies, Engert, Erskine, Hare, Jenks, Newton, Reece, Reid, Schmitz, Scott, Solomon, Strang, Whyte, Williams, Wilson, and Winskill)

and 31 against (Councillors Adamou, Adje, Amin, Basu, Bevan, Browne, Bull, Christophides, Cooke, Demirci, Diakides, Dogus, Egan, Ejiofor, Goldberg, Griffith, Rahman-Khan, Kober,  ...  view the full minutes text for item 90