Agenda and draft minutes

Link to further information in the Council’s Constitution

There were no declarations of interest made.

To receive as a correct record the minutes of the Meeting of the Council held on Thursday, 18 September 2025.

The minutes of the meeting held on Thursday, 18 September 2025 were approved as a true record and signed by the Deputy Mayor.

The Deputy Mayor thanked the children from Crossdale Drive School for coming to sing Christmas Carols, which had been very enjoyable. He also thanked everyone involved with organising the successful West Bridgford Christmas Lights Switch On, which had been very well attended.

The Leader referred to the recent event at the Sir Julien Cahn Pavilion celebrating Nottinghamshire County Cricket Club winning the championship, in conjunction with a re-launch of the refurbished Pavilion. The event was very well attended and he looked forward to the Pavilion being well used, including by the Women’s County Cricket Club.

The Leader referred to a fantastic achievement by the East Leake Community Care Association, which had been awarded the King’s Award for Voluntary Service.    

There were no Chief Executive’s Announcements.

To answer questions submitted by Citizens on the Council or its services.

No citizens’ questions were received for this meeting.

No petitions were presented at this meeting.

The report of the Director – Neighbourhoods is attached.

The Cabinet Portfolio Holder for Environment and Safety, Councillor Inglis presented the report of the Director – Neighbourhoods detailing the Rushcliffe Borough Council Hackney Carriage and Private Hire Licensing Policy 2025-2030.

Before introducing the report, Councillor Inglis proposed that he would be making an amendment to recommendation b) to read as follows, which was seconded by Councillor Regan, who reserved the right to speak.

b)       requires a review to be undertaken in respect of potential mandating of CCTV in Taxi and Private Hire vehicles within 12 months, and the findings be reported to the Licensing Committee

Councillor Soloman arrived at 7.11pm.

Councillor Inglis confirmed that the Policy had been subject to a six-week consultation, and then considered by the Licensing Committee, which had raised additional matters relating to mandating CCTV in taxis, which he would refer to later. The Committee had agreed the Policy, which proposed some significant changes to keep it legal, incorporate Government guidance and reflect the current climate of the taxi industry. It was hoped to address the decline in Hackney capacity, increase efficiency and lower costs, whilst maintaining safety standards and encourage new drivers. Councillor Inglis advised that the full summary of the proposed changes was in Annex 2 and he highlighted the main updates as detailed in Paragraph 4.2 of the report. He thanked the Assistant Director of Public Protection and his team for their continued hard work. 

Councillor Inglis referred to CCTV and stated that whilst this was not part of this Policy review, it was an issue being considered at Chief Executive level across the county. It was recognised that nationally legislation needed to be updated, to bring uniformity and consistency. Councillor Inglis referred to taxis from other authorities, who overwhelmingly outnumbered Rushcliffe’s own licensed vehicles, in particular from the City of Wolverhampton Council, and he referred to the importance of having locally licensed drivers, under Rushcliffe’s control. It was positive that a review was a Government priority; however, time scales were unknown. Councillor Inglis advised that all the Nottingham authorities had concluded that mandating CCTV must be a national policy; however, he was concerned that this might not take place before Local Government Reorganisation (LGR). Council was reminded that Rushcliffe was proud to currently promote the White Ribbon Awareness Campaign and support the campaign to end Violence against Women and Girls. It was important that drivers were protected too, so waiting for change was not an option and Rushcliffe wanted to start the process. Councillor Inglis referred to the recommendation from Licensing Committee, which had been included as recommendation b), and believed that a review was necessary before any application for a mandatory CCTV scheme could be successful. The review would include engagement, offer support to Rushcliffe’s drivers and operators and encourage voluntary implementation of a CCTV scheme. Councillor Inglis concluded by stating that he was passionate about safety for all and that this could be achieved by everyone working together.

Councillor Grocock acknowledged that this was an important issue, felt that  ...  view the full minutes text for item 43.

The report of the Chief Executive is To Follow.

The Leader and Cabinet Portfolio Holder for Strategic and Borough-wide Leadership, Councillor Clarke MBE presented the report of the Chief Executive providing an update on the political composition of the Council and committee membership.

The Leader advised that this was a technical item and moved the recommendations set out in the report.

Councillor Brennan seconded the recommendation and reserved the right to speak.

Councillor Calvert referred to Paragraph 4.3 of the report, which stated that where there was a majority party, it must have a majority of seats on all committees and referred to the rules of proportionality, as set out in Paragraph 4.7, which explained the proposed changes. He referred to the appointment of the new Vice-chair of Planning Committee, which he was happy to support; however, he felt that it was not ideal that the Chair and proposed Vice-chair represented the same ward. 

Councillor Soloman stated that she appreciated that this had not been a straightforward exercise, and thanked officers for their hard work in dealing with this process. Turning to her appointment onto the Member Development Group, she expressed her disappointment, as this was an inward facing Group, as in previous years she had been an active member across a number of committees and now she felt that she would be unable to participate and scrutinize matters which affected local residents. Nevertheless, Councillor Soloman stated that she would continue to work hard and to contribute constructively where she could, to ensure that her residents’ voices were heard.

It was RESOLVED that:

a)               the revised allocation of committee seats as set out in Appendix 1 be confirmed;

b)               the changes to the appointments of the Chair of Standards Committee and Vice-chair of Planning Committee as set out in Paragraph 4.8 of the report be confirmed; and

c)                the changes in membership of committees as set out in Appendix 2 be confirmed, in line with Group Leaders’ wishes.

To receive Notices of Motion

a)               Councillor Birch

This Council notes:

·          The recent response of the Committee for Standards in Public Life (CSPL) to the Government’s consultation on reforms to the Local Government standards regime. 

·          That the CSPL has recommended a mandatory minimum Code of Conduct, greater clarity on expected behaviours (including bullying and harassment), and new powers to suspend or, in the most serious cases, disqualify Councillors. 

·          The CSPL has further supported requiring all principal authorities to have a properly constituted Standards Committee, with Independent Persons and lay members playing a stronger role, and the creation of a fair and proportionate national or regional appeals process. 

This Council believes: 

·          Public confidence in local democracy depends upon high standards of integrity, accountability, and transparency from elected members. 

·          Current sanctions available to local authorities are insufficient to deal with the most egregious breaches of the Code of Conduct. 

·          Councillors, complainants, and the public are all best served by a clear, consistent, and enforceable standards regime with an accessible right of appeal. 

This Council therefore resolves to: 

1.                Formally support the CSPL’s recommendations for a mandatory minimum Code of Conduct, a laddered scale of sanctions (including suspension and disqualification where necessary), and an independent appeals mechanism. 

2.                Request that the Leader of the Council write to the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government to communicate this Council’s support for these reforms. 

3.                Commit to reviewing this Council’s own Code of Conduct and Standards Committee arrangements in response to any legislative changes, ensuring that they are robust, transparent, and in line with best practice. 

b)               Cllr J Walker

Council notes that: 

·          The current Leader and Cabinet system limits opportunities for non-executive members to contribute to policy development prior to Cabinet deliberations. 

·          Engagement and participation from minority group leaders in Cabinet discussions have declined, with responses to member inquiries often being procedural rather than participatory. 

·          Many local authorities have successfully introduced Policy Panels to strengthen cross-party involvement in strategy formulation and improve transparency in decision-making. 

·          While Overview and Scrutiny Groups serve to retrospectively review and challenge decisions, Policy Panels would involve all Councillors in the Council's decision-making process from a much earlier stage. 

Council believes that: 

·          Early, cross-party engagement in policy design enhances democratic legitimacy, improves policy quality, and builds trust between Councillors, Cabinet, and residents. 

·          Councillors’ ward-level knowledge and community insight are valuable assets in shaping effective and responsive policies. 

Council therefore resolves to: 

1.               Approve the establishment of Councillor Policy Panels on a pilot basis to strengthen member engagement in policy development. 

2.               Authorise the Monitoring Officer and Democratic Services to finalise detailed operating procedures for the Panels, including membership, scope, and reporting arrangements. 

3.               Request that two pilot Panels (for example, on a West Bridgford Town Council and a Participatory Budget) be launched between January and June 2026. 

4.               Request that Overview and Scrutiny review the pilot outcomes after 12 months and report findings to Cabinet in Autumn 2026. 

5.                Commit to considering full implementation of Panels from  ...  view the full agenda text for item 45.

The following notice of motion was proposed by Councillor Birch and seconded by Councillor Chewings.

This Council resolves to: 

1.                Formally support the Committee on Standards for Public Life (CPSL) recommendations for a mandatory minimum Code of Conduct, a laddered scale of sanctions (including suspension and disqualification where necessary), and an independent appeals mechanism. 

2.                Request that the Leader of the Council write to the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government to communicate this Council’s support for these reforms. 

3.                Commit to reviewing this Council’s own Code of Conduct and Standards Committee arrangements in response to any legislative changes, ensuring that they are robust, transparent, and in line with best practice. 

In moving the motion, Councillor Birch felt that these were sensible actions, and in respect of potential concerns regarding sanctions, which he shared, particularly around suspensions, the report stated that this would only be for the most egregious cases, and he hoped that everyone would endorse this.

Councillor Chewings seconded the motion and reserved the right to speak.

Councillor J Wheeler confirmed that he was happy to accept the motion and advised that the Government had responded to the consultations and it seemed that they would not be going forward with all of the recommendations, and the Council would be happy to write to the Government to ask it to reconsider. Councillor Wheeler referred to point 3. and stated that if national legislation changed, that would be implemented, and the Code of Conduct reviewed as a result of that. 

The Leader reiterated that this was likely to be become law, and as and when that happened, Rushcliffe would adhere to that, as part of its Code of Conduct.

Councillor Way supported the motion and stated that Rushcliffe already had a comprehensive Code of Conduct, which it was good to review, and to remind everyone of their responsibilities, in particular in relation to showing respect to each other, officers and the public. 

Councillor Parekh referred to the seven Nolan Principles of Public Life and stated that since becoming a Councillor and being in this Chamber, she felt that not everyone was adhering to the Code of Conduct and she hoped that those standards would be adhered to not just in Rushcliffe but everywhere.

Councillor Birch thanked everyone for supporting the motion and he agreed with Councillor Way. He stated that he had been shocked at some of the behaviour that had been levelled at him and his family during the 2023 election by a member of Cabinet and the lack of action taken by the Conservative Association. He stated that this was why the Code of Conduct needed to be followed and that the current standards system was not fit for purpose.

The motion was put to the vote and carried.

The following notice of motion was proposed by Councillor J Walker and seconded by Councillor Billin.

Council resolves to: 

1.                Approve the establishment of Councillor Policy Panels on a pilot basis to strengthen member engagement in  ...  view the full minutes text for item 45.

To answer questions submitted by Councillors

The questions from Councillors were not considered. A written response would be provided after the meeting.