Agenda and minutes

Venue: Council Chamber, Wallasey Town Hall. View directions

Contact: Shirley Hudspeth  Committee and Civic Services Manager

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Items
No. Item

Prior to the meeting formally commencing and at the invitation of the Civic Mayor, Rev David Chester led the Council in prayer.

36.

DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST

Members of the Council are asked to consider whether they have any disclosable pecuniary interests and/or any other relevant interest, in connection with any matter to be debated or determined at this meeting and, if so, to declare it and state the nature of such interest.

 

Additional documents:

Minutes:

Members of the Council were invited to consider whether they had any disclosable pecuniary and/or any other relevant interest in connection with any matters to be determined at this meeting and, if so, to declare it and state

the nature of such interest.

 

Name

Item No. and Nature of Declaration

Councillor

Steve Foulkes

Item No. 3 – Council’s Green Belt Policy (Minute No. 38 refers).

Personal and prejudicial – by virtue of him being a member of Magenta Living Board.

Councillor

Anita Leech

Item No. 3 –Council’s Green Belt Policy (Minute No. 38 refers).

Personal and prejudicial – by virtue of her being a member of Magenta Living Board..

 

Councillor Jeff Green then sought advice from the Director of Governance and Assurance, Philip McCourt, as a Board Member of Magenta Living. Mr McCourt advised that those members who had declared on their Register of Interests their management or financial interest in companies and organisations including developers already mentioned had a financial interest in the outcome of the Local Plan process of which this was a part and on that basis he had advised those Members they had a prejudicial interest and should not take part in the debate.

 

Councillor

Jeff Green

Item No. 3 – Council’s Green Belt Policy (Minute No. 38 refers).

Personal and prejudicial – by virtue of him being a member of Magenta Living Board.

 

In response to a question from Councillor Chris Blakeley, Philip McCourt then advised that had the Wirral Growth Company Partnership been in existence then any Members of that body would have had to declare a prejudicial interest for the same reasons.

37.

CIVIC MAYOR'S ANNOUNCEMENTS

To receive the Civic Mayor's announcements and any apologies for absence.

 

Additional documents:

Minutes:

Having previously declared a personal and prejudicial interest in the main item of business on the agenda, Councillors Steve Foulkes, Jeff Green and Anita Leech vacated the Council Chamber and did not take part in the voting thereon (minute 38 refers).

 

The Civic Mayor noted that apologies had been received from Councillors Kate Cannon, Tony Cottier, Paul Doughty, Sharon Jones, Christina Muspratt, Tony Smith and Gill Wood.

 

The Civic Mayor then invited Councillor Mike Sullivan to make a short personal statement.

 

Councillor Mike Sullivan addressed the Council stating that it was with some sadness that he had resigned the Labour Whip and thanked Members across the Chamber from all parties for their kind words of support. Although, having voted twice for Jeremy Corbyn to be Leader of the Labour Party, it was not himself who had left the Labour Party, but the Labour Party who had left him.

 

The Leader of the Council, Councillor Phil Davies, then sought the permission of the Council to ask a question of the Director for Economic and Housing Growth.

 

A number of Conservative Members rose to request a ‘card vote’ and the Council divided as follows:

 

For the procedural motion (36) - Councillors R Abbey, J Bird, A Brame, P Brightmore, C Carubia, P Cleary, A Davies, G Davies, P Davies, W Davies, S Frost, P Gilchrist, L Grey, P Hackett, AER Jones, C Jones, T Jones, S Kelly, B Kenny, M McLaughlin, J McManus, C Meaden, D Mitchell, B Mooney, T Norbury, M Patrick, C Spriggs, J Stapleton, P Stuart, M Sullivan, T Usher, J Walsh, S Whittingham, I Williams, KJ Williams and J Williamson.

 

Against the motion (18) – Councillors T Anderson, B Berry, C Blakeley, D Burgess-Joyce, W Clements, T Cox, D Elderton, A Gardner, P Hayes, A Hodson, K Hodson, M Jordan, I Lewis, C Povall, L Rennie, L Rowlands, A Sykes and S Williams.

 

One abstention - Councillor G Watt (Civic Mayor).

 

Resolved (36:18) (One abstention) – That the Leader of the Council ask a question of the Director for Economic and Housing Growth.

 

Councillor Chris Blakeley, then with the Mayor’s permission, read out a letter from Richard Mawdsley, Director of Development, Peel Holdings, to the Leader of the Council in which Mr Mawdsley had criticised the Council for ‘grossly misrepresenting’ the figures for new homes Peel Holdings were due to deliver.

 

The Leader of the Council then asked a question of Brian Bailey, Director of Economic and Housing Growth regarding the figures quoted in two of the motions before the Council of 6,500 and 6,450 new homes attributed to Peel Holdings to be built at Wirral Waters. How much credence and confidence could the Council place in these being delivered putting the figures in the context of completing a Local Plan which would satisfy a Government Planning Inspector?

 

In advance of Mr Bailey’s response the Director of Governance and Assurance responded to a question from Councillor Ian Lewis and stated that as officers were not part of the  ...  view the full minutes text for item 37.

38.

COUNCIL'S GREEN BELT POLICY pdf icon PDF 84 KB

3a. Requisition Notice (Pages 1 – 2)

 

3b. Motions – Green Belt Policy (Pages 3 – 5)

 

 

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The Civic Mayor introduced the item on the Council’s Green Belt Policy for which three motions had been submitted. He suggested that the Council debate all three motions as one and on a motion by Councillor Phil Davies, seconded by Councillor George Davies, it was –

 

Resolved – That in accordance with Standing Order 12(2) all three motions be debated in one debate with separate votes on each.

 

In standing to move a Motion submitted in accordance with Standing Order 7, Councillor Chris Blakeley sought the agreement of the Council to the variation of the Motion. The Council gave its agreement to the variation of the Motion as required by Standing Order 12(1), such agreement being given by general consent.

 

Accordingly, Councillor Chris Blakeley moved and Councillor David Burgess-Joyce seconded the following varied Motion –

 

“Council welcomes Cabinet’s decision to finally commence preparation of the Local Plan, as first required by the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004.

 

Council further notes that Cabinet have identified potential sites for development.

 

Council recognises that there are currently 6,000 empty properties in Wirral and that Peel Holdings have stated that they are on target to provide up to 6,500 homes on Wirral Waters by 2035, with five planning applications submitted since March 2018.

 

Council welcomes and supports the Leader of the Council’s resolute commitment to protect Wirral Green Belt when he stated in 2017, "I am not prepared to allow our green belt land to be built on. I am resolute about that commitment. It is the jewel in Wirral's crown and greatly valued by our residents." (Wirral Globe 16th February 2017)

 

Council also recognises the valuable role Green Belt provides in halting urban sprawl and protecting our local environment.

 

Council welcomes both the current and draft revised versions of the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) that state that the Green Belt serves five purposes:

 

·  to check the unrestricted sprawl of large built-up areas;

 

·  to prevent neighbouring towns merging into one another;

 

·  to assist in safeguarding the countryside from encroachment;

 

·  to preserve the setting and special character of historic towns; and

 

·  to assist in urban regeneration, by encouraging the recycling of derelict and other urban land.

 

Council also notes and supports the draft revised version of the NPPF which states that local authorities should regard development of new buildings on the Green Belt as inappropriate.

 

Therefore; Council requests the Cabinet to work with empty home owners, Peel Holdings and other developers including the Wirral Growth Company, in order to deliver Wirral’s housing needs to ensure that there is no inappropriate development on Green Belt land.

 

Furthermore, Council considers that there is no requirement for any release of land for development from the Green Belt and calls on Cabinet to work to that end.”

 

Councillor Pat Cleary accepted that in light of the revised Conservative motion, his amendment was now redundant and in accordance with Standing Order 12(12), with the agreement of the seconder, Councillor Allan Brame and the Council, the amendment was withdrawn.  ...  view the full minutes text for item 38.

39.

VACANCIES

To receive nominations, in accordance with Standing Order 25(6), in respect of any proposed changes in the membership of committees, and to approve nominations for appointments to outside organisations.

 

4a. Council Committees

 

In light of the resignation of a Member of the Labour Group, Council is requested to consider changes to committee memberships (including deputies), having regard to the political proportionality requirements of the Local Government and Housing Act 1989 and the Local Government (Committees and Political Groups) Regulations 1990 and relevant case law.

 

4b. Outside Bodies

 

Liverpool City Region Employment & Skills Board – Councillor Angela Davies to replace Councillor Pat Hackett.

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The Civic Mayor asked the Council to note the changed political balance, in light of the resignation of a Member of the Labour Group, and in respect of which conversations would take place between Officers and group Leaders before the next meeting of the Council.

 

In respect of outside bodies and on a motion by Councillor Phil Davies, seconded by Councillor George Davies, it was –

 

Resolved – That Councillor Angela Davies replace Councillor Pat Hackett on the Liverpool City Region Employment and Skills Board.

 

Councillor Chris Blakeley queried whether the Leader of the Council was in a position to nominate a Chair for the Business Overview and Scrutiny Committee.

 

Although Councillor Phil Davies confirmed that he would be formally proposing Councillor Pat Hackett as Chair and Councillor Jean Stapleton as Vice-Chair, the Director of Governance and Assurance informed the Council that as there was no report before the Council, the matter would come back to the ordinary Council meeting in October.