Agenda and minutes

There were no declarations of interest made.

To receive as a correct record the minutes of the Meeting of the Council held on Thursday, 2 March 2023.

The Minutes of the meetingheld onThursday, 2 March 2023were approved as a correct record and signed by the Mayor.

Councillor Combellack, Mayor of Rushcliffe for 2022/23, welcomed all new Councillors to the Chamber for the first time and extended her commiserations to those Councillors that had not been successful in the recent election. She stated that this Council meeting ended an extraordinary and exciting year in which she had attended over 100 events and hopefully visited every ward in the Borough.

The year got off to an amazing start with an event in the city centre to welcome home the recently promoted Nottingham Forest football team, along with 40,000 rowdy football fans, tickertape, live music, and fireworks. This was swiftly followed by the Council’s very own mini-Glastonbury, Proms in the Park, and the magnificent celebrations of the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee. Councillor Combellack reported that September had seen the Tour of Britain cycle race in Nottinghamshire once again and after a spectacular start in West Bridgford, she raced up to Mansfield to view the end of the race. It was here, she said, that they learned of the very sad passing of Queen Elizabeth II. The ten days of official mourning that followed were truly humbling and the Mayor was honoured and overwhelmed to open the book of condolence at the Arena and lay flowers in Queen Elizabeth’s memory in West Bridgford. By far the most momentous event of the week was being handed the Proclamation by the High Sheriff on the banks of the River Trent, which was then brought back to the Borough and read to residents on the Croquet Lawn in West Bridgford. Councillor Combellack was struck at the time by the historic relevance of the occasion where prior to the advent of social media, this might have been the first-time residents would have heard about the passing of the monarch.

Councillor Combellack reported that she had attended many village shows across the Borough, including the scarecrow festival in her own village of Hickling. She had also opened halls, shops, and sports clubs; switched on the Christmas lights; opened the fantastic Bingham Arena; and been present at the unveiling of a new military sculpture at RAF Newton.

The Rushcliffe Community Awards reinforced that this really was a great place to live, and she informed Council of the many amazing community volunteers she had met whilst raising money for her chosen charities. Councillor Combellack reminded Council that she had been supporting the Chairman of the County Council with his fund-raising efforts on behalf of Ukrainian families displaced into the Borough and had recently participated in a charity abseil down Kingsmill Aqueduct for which her Just Giving page was still open for further generous donations.

Councillor Combellack concluded her retiring address by thanking her Deputy, Councillor Mason, for her support during the year; her consort, Councillor Clarke, for his support at events taking photographs, making sure she arrived safely and on time, and for his handbag holding skills, whilst she presented awards!  She also thanked the Reverend Canon Hippersley-Cox for his wise counsel and delivery of her civic  ...  view the full minutes text for item 3.

Councillor Clarke proposed a vote of thanks to the retiring Mayor, Councillor Combellack, and noted that she had had a fantastic year as Mayor. He informed Council that many of the events the Mayor had presided over this year had been connected to the death of Queen Elizabeth II, the accession of Prince Charles and more recently the coronation of King Charles III. As such they were once in a life-time events for many people. Having attended many of the Mayor’s events with her in his role as Consort, he was able to report that she had been an excellent ambassador for the Borough and the Council and thanked her for her commitment and service. Councillor Clarke presented the Mayor with a copy of her official portrait, a photograph album celebrating her year in office and some flowers.

Councillors J Walker and S Mallender also tendered their gratitude to the Mayor specifically mentioning the money that she had raised for two very important charities and her moments of reflection throughout the year, which had focused on the importance of communication in a neurodiverse world. Councillors Birch and Bird also offered their thanks to the outgoing Mayor.

To consider nominations for the appointment of Mayor of the Borough of Rushcliffe for the 2023/24 Civic Year.

After the vote on the election of Mayor has been carried, the new Mayor, upon making the declaration of acceptance of office, will take the Chair for the remainder of the meeting.

It was proposed by Councillor Edyvean that Councillor Mason be elected as Mayor of the Borough of Rushcliffe for the civic year 2023/24.

Councillor Edyvean stated that he was delighted to be able to propose Councillor Mason for the role of Mayor for this civic year. She had been a Councillor since 1999 and after three years finding her feet, she had joined the Council’s first Cabinet, where she remained for 18 years. He noted that this was a record that was going to take some beating. Over her extensive time with the Council, Councillor Edyvean noted that Councillor Mason had at one stage, or another overseen pretty much everything except the budget. This alone made her an excellent candidate for Mayor. Councillor Edyvean also noted Councillor Mason’s generous and giving nature that made her an excellent mentor for new Councillors. He had no doubt that she would make an excellent Mayor, attending many events over the year and raising funds for her chosen charity. He had great pleasure in proposing Councillor Mason as Mayor and the Borough’s First Citizen for the coming municipal year.

In seconding the recommendation, Councillor Inglis endorsed everything that had already been said by Councillor Edyvean, also remembering how helpful Councillor Mason had been when he first joined the Council. He informed Council that having recently acquired one of Councillor Mason’s parishes in the recent boundary review that he had heard first-hand how well respected she was within her community and how much hard work she put in every year to ensure her residents were well represented. He felt certain that she would bring the same level of energy and passion to this new role as Mayor of Rushcliffe.

It was RESOLVED that Councillor Mason be elected as Mayor of the Borough of Rushcliffe for the civic year 2023/24.

Councillor Mason then read and signed the declaration of acceptance of office and after thanking her proposer, seconder, and fellow Councillors, tookthe Chair and was invested with the Chain of Office.

The Mayor thanked her proposer and seconder for their kind words and Councillorsfor entrusting her with this position. She announced her charity for the coming year as Riding for the Disabled and highlighted to Council how important the charity was in helping both children and adults with physical and mental disabilities to gain pleasure from life.

The Mayor also drew Council’s attention to her nominated Cadet from 2425 Squadron of the Air Cadets based at Tollerton Airport and suggested that perhaps her Cadet would undertake the Mayoral Abseil on her behalf.

The Mayor concluded by recognising the tremendous efforts of her predecessor and hoped that she could at least contribute the same to the Borough during her year in office. 

To consider nominations for the appointment of Deputy Mayor of the Borough of Rushcliffe for the 2023/24 Civic Year.

It was proposed by Councillor R Walker, that Councillor Brown be elected as Deputy Mayor of the Borough of Rushcliffe for the civic year 2023/24.

Councillor Walker first congratulated the Mayor on her appointment and pledged his support for her chosen charity with which his family had a long-standing affinity. He informed Council that he was very pleased to nominate Councillor Brown for the position of Deputy Mayor for the coming municipal year. He warned Council that as Councillor Brown held a private pilot’s license his nomination speech would be peppered with aviation puns. He went on to add that as well as being a very experienced Councillor having ‘earnt his wings’ representing the Sutton Bonington ward until 2019, spending eight years on the Corporate Governance Group and representing the Council on the East Midlands Airport Independent Consultative Committee, Councillor Brown was also a County Councillor from 2013 to 2021 and had served on a broad range of committees including representing the County Council on the Combined Fire Authority. In addition, Councillor Brown drove the community bus, was a boatman at Normanton on Soar and had contributed his time in his role as a school governor. He had been a resident of the Borough for 35 years and Councillor Walker informed Council that he felt Councillor Brown had all the skills and attributes to ‘land’ this job.

Councillor Barney added his congratulations to Councillor Mason in her new role as Mayor and recognised the hard work of Councillor Combellack in the role over the past year. In seconding the recommendation, Councillor Barney stated that Councillor Brown was entirely responsible for him becoming a Borough and County Councillor. He recollected that they had first met when Councillor Brown was previously a Councillor over a local issue regarding infrastructure support for new developments in his ward. Councillor Barney was pleased to inform Council that due in part to the persistence of Councillor Brown a brand-new primary school was shortly to open in the area. Councillor Brown had also been involved in a campaign for a rural on-demand bus service, which would shortly be launched. Councillor Barney informed Council that he and Councillor Brown had also connected on several personal levels including being his co-pilot on a flight out of East Midlands Airport on Bonfire Night, which had been a very interesting experience.

It was RESOLVED that Councillor Brown be elected as Deputy Mayor of the Borough of Rushcliffe for the civic year 2023/24.

Councillor Brown congratulated the Mayor on her appointment, thanked Councillors for their vote of confidence, and stated that he would be having words with his nominees later. He was then invested with the Chain of Office by the Mayor.

It was proposed by Councillor Brennan and seconded by Councillor Virdi that Councillor Clarke be appointed to the office of Leader of the Council for the period 2023 – 2027.

It was RESOLVED that Councillor Clarke be appointed as Leader of the Council for 2023 – 2027.

The Leader of the Council congratulated the Mayor on her election and wished her well for the forthcoming year. He thanked the Council for electing him Leader and hoped that he could continue to contribute towards Rushcliffe’s Great Place, Great Lifestyle, Great Sport vision and support the Borough to prosper considering the challenges ahead.

The Leader welcomed the twenty new Borough Councillors elected at the beginning of the month and thanked a number of outgoing Councillors present in the Chamber for their service to the Borough and its residents. He particularly mentioned Simon Robinson who stepped down at the election from being Leader of the Council and recognised the outstanding contribution Simon had made to the Borough whilst leading the Council. The Leader informed Council that Simon had contributed in his final weeks to the Council being shortlisted for the Municipal Journal Local Authority of the Year award, the only district council on the shortlist.

Finally, the Leader reported that his Cabinet would be as set out below:

Councillor Neil Clarke – Leader and Portfolio Holder for Strategic and Borough-wide Leadership

Councillor Abby Brennan – Deputy Leader and Portfolio Holder for Business and Growth

Councillor Jonathan Wheeler – Portfolio Holder for Transformation, Leisure, and Wellbeing

Councillor Davinder Virdi – Portfolio Holder for Finance

Councillor Rob Inglis – Portfolio Holder for Environment and Safety

Councillor Roger Upton – Portfolio Holder for Planning and Housing.

The Chief Executive had no announcements to make.

The report of the Director – Finance and Corporate Services [To Follow]

The Leader and Portfolio Holder for Strategic and Borough-wide Leadership, Councillor Clarke presented the report of the Director – Finance and Corporate Services, outlining the nominations for the appointment of committees and member groups for 2023/24.

It was proposed by Councillor Clarke and seconded by Councillor Brennan and RESOLVED that the nominations to committees and member groups for 2023/24 be approved as follows:

A. Scrutiny Committees

CorporateOverview Group

Councillors Combellack (Chair), Edyvean, Gowland, Plant, R Walker, Way, Williams

Governance Scrutiny Group

Councillors Edyvean (Chair), Gowland (Vice Chair), Birch, Calvert, Om, Regan, Simms, Thomas, G Wheeler

Growth and Development Scrutiny Group

Councillors R Walker (Chair), Way (Vice Chair), Butler, Chewings, Cottee, Dellar, Grocock, Matthews, Soloman

Communities Scrutiny Group

CouncillorWilliams (Chair), Plant (Vice Chair), Barney, Billin, Ellis, Fletcher, R Mallender, Parekh, Phillips

B. Regulatory Committees

Licensing Committee

Councillors Matthews (Chair), Billin, Brown, Chaplain, Chewings, Fletcher, Grocock, R Mallender, Om, Parekh, Regan, Simms, Soloman, G Wheeler, Williams

Planning Committee

Councillors Butler (Chair), Wells (Vice Chair), Brown, Calvert, Chaplain, Edyvean, Georgiou, S Mallender, Parekh, Thomas, R Walker

Employment Appeals Committee

CouncillorsClarke (Chair), Bird, Brennan, J Walker, J Wheeler

Interviewing Committee

Councillors Clarke (Chair), Brennan, Dellar, Polenta, J Wheeler

Standards Committee

Councillors Simms (Chair), Bird, Birch, Matthews, Plant, Phillips

AWood (ParishMembers) and KWhite (Independent Member)

C. Member Groups

Local Development Framework Group

Councillors Upton (Chair), Butler (Vice Chair), Calvert, Chewings, Ellis, Georgiou, Gowland, S Mallender, Plant, Simms, Soloman, Thomas, R Walker, Wells, G Wheeler

Member Development Group

Councillors Soloman (Chair), Barney, Birch, Combellack, Gaunt, R Mallender, Phillips, Polenta, Williams

Rushcliffe Strategic Growth Board

Councillors Clarke (Chair), Bird, Brennan, Grocock, Upton, Virdi, J Walker, Way, J Wheeler

Civic Hospitality Panel

CouncillorMason (Chair), Brennan, Brown, Clarke, Fletcher, Georgiou

West Bridgford Special Expenses and Community Infrastructure Levy Advisory Group

CouncillorVirdi (Chair), Chaplain, Dellar, R Mallender, Matthews, Phillips, Polenta, G Wheeler, J Wheeler

The report of the Director – Finance and Corporate Services is attached.

The Leader and Portfolio Holder for Strategic and Borough-wide Leadership, Councillor Clarke presented the report of the Director – Finance and Corporate Services, setting out the timetable of meetings for the municipal year 2023/24. He also tabled an amendment to the dates in respect of the Corporate Overview Group on 6 June 2023, which would now be on 14 June 2023.

It was proposed by Councillor Clarke and seconded by Councillor Brennan and RESOLVED that the timetable of meetings for the municipal year 2023/24, as attached at the Appendix to the officer’s report, be approved.

The report of the Director - Finance and Corporate Services [To Follow]

The Leader and Portfolio Holder for Strategic and Borough-wide Leadership, Councillor Clarke presented the report of the Director – Finance and Corporate Services setting out the appointments to Outside Bodies for the municipal year 2023/24.

Councillor Clarke noted that there were three contested positions and moved that Council accept the nominations of the uncontested positions as one vote before moving on to consider the three contested positions.

Following the voting, it was RESOLVED that the appointments to Outside Bodies for the municipal year 2023/24 be as follows:

City ofNottingham and Nottinghamshire Economic Prosperity Committee

Leader / Deputy Leader (Substitute)

East MidlandsCouncils (includingother representativeroles withinthis appointment)

Leader / Deputy Leader (Substitute) 

Greater Nottingham Joint Planning Advisory Board

Appropriate Cabinet Member

Local Government Association – General Assembly (including other representative roles within this appointment)

Leader / Deputy Leader (Substitute) 

Health and Well Being Board

Appropriate Cabinet Member

D2N2 Joint Leaders Board

Leader / Deputy Leader (Substitute) 

Nottinghamshire Joint Leaders Board

Leader / Deputy Leader (Substitute) 

Nottinghamshire Police and Crime Panel

Appropriate Cabinet Member

Development Corporation Board

Leader / Deputy Leader (Substitute) 

Nottinghamshire Waste Management Board

Appropriate Cabinet Member

Freeport Board

Leader 

Deputy Leader (Alternate Board Member) 

LocalArea Forum – WestBridgford

Councillors Chaplain (Abbey ward), Philips (Compton Acres ward), Parekh (Edwalton ward), J Wheeler (Gamston ward), R Mallender (Lady Bay ward), Matthews (Lutterell Ward), Polenta (Musters ward) and Plant (Trent Bridge ward)

TrentValley InternalDrainage Board

CouncillorsBillin, Combellack, Fletcher, Wells

NottinghamshireEast MidlandsAirport IndependentConsultative Committee

Councillor Brown

Rural Community Actionfor Nottinghamshire

Councillor Inglis

Friends of RushcliffeCountry Park

Councillor Wells