Agenda and minutes

Apologies for absence were received from Councillors Branston, Choules, Laws and Newby.

The minutes of the meeting held on 15 October 2013 were taken as read and signed as a correct record.

The minutes of the Planning Committee held on 28 October 2013 were presented by the Chair, Councillor Bialyk and taken as read.

RESOLVED that the minutes of the Planning Committee held on 28 October 2013 be received.

The minutes of the Planning Committee held on 2 December 2013 were presented by the Chair, Councillor Bialyk and taken as read.

In relation to Minute 100 (Planning Application No.13/3822/03 – Exeter Golf and Country Club), Councillor Bialyk advised that discussions between the two parties involved had become protracted and at this present time there were no further updates on the position.

RESOLVED that the minutes of the Planning Committee held on 2 December 2013 be received.

The minutes of the Licensing Committee held on 19 November 2013 were presented by the Chair, Councillor Dawson and taken as read.

RESOLVED that the minutes of the Licensing Committee held on 19 November 2013 be received.

The minutes of the Scrutiny Committee – Community held on 12 November 2013 were presented by the Chair, Councillor Shiel and taken as read.

RESOLVED that the minutes of the Scrutiny Committee – Community held on 12 November 2013 be received.

The minutes of the Scrutiny Committee – Economy held on 14 November 2013 were presented by the Chair, Councillor Leadbetter and taken as read.

In relation to Minute 50 (Questions from Members of the Council under Standing Order 20), the Portfolio Holder for Economy and Culture stated that the Council was aware of the issues in relation to the Mary Arches Street Car Park. The way the car park operated would be addressed under the forthcoming Review of Car Parking throughout the city.

In relation to Minute 55 (Christmas Lights Task and Finish Group), the Portfolio Holder for Economy and Culture commented that she shared Members’ frustration regarding lack of funding from the businesses in the city centre for the Christmas Lights. The advantage of having the light switch on, on Thursday was that it could be done in conjunction with the Princeshay Light switch on at no extra cost to the Council.

RESOLVED that the minutes of the Scrutiny Committee – Economy held on 14 November 2013 be received.

The minutes of the Scrutiny Committee – Resources held on 4 December 2013 were presented by the Chair, Councillor Baldwin and taken as read.

RESOLVED that the minutes of the Scrutiny Committee – Resources held on 4 December 2013 be received.

The minutes of the Audit and Governance Committee held on 27 November 2013 were presented by the Chair, Councillor Bowkett and taken as read.

RESOLVED that the minutes of the Audit and Governance Committee held on 27 November 2013 be received.

The minutes of the Executive held on 26 November 2013 were presented by the Chair, Councillor Edwards and taken as read.

In respect of Minute 108 (Rugby World Club Funding), some Members raised concerns regarding the lack of detail with regards to the proposed budget. Whilst the majority of Members supported the proposal and the economic benefits it would bring to the City they acknowledged the need for the Council to be open and transparent.

The Leader stated that hosting the Rugby World Club would bring visitors to the city and with them economic benefits. The Fanzone would be open for the duration of the Rugby World Club which would have free entry where fans could watch all of the matches on a large screen as well as purchase food and drink.

With regards to Minute 110 (Parking Tariffs), the Portfolio Holder for Economy and Tourism commented that the use of season tickets for the car parks in the city would be addressed in the forthcoming Parking Review.

In relation to Minute 113 (Appointment of Representatives to Outside Bodies), Councillor D Henson was appointed as a representative to Exeter Municipal Charity.

RESOLVED that the minutes of the Executive held on 26 November 2013 be received and, where appropriate, adopted.

The minutes of the Executive held on 10 December 2013 were presented by the Chair, Councillor Edwards and, subject to an amendment to Minute 120 (Living Wage) recommendation (4) that the budgeted allocation be increased by £28,000, the minutes were taken as read.

With regards to Minute 120 (Living Wage), the majority of Members supported the living wage as this would bring benefits to employees and the wider economy. Some Members had concerns with regards to the affordability of the living wage for small businesses.

The Leader commented that the implementation of the living wage  would help employees to come off benefits and take people out of poverty. The cost of the salaries had been funded in part, by the reduction in the costs of the Senior Management Team.

In accordance with Standing Order 27(1), a named vote on the recommendation was called for, as follows:

Voting for:

Councillors Bialyk, Bowkett, Brock, Bull, Clark, Crew, Crow, Dawson, Denham, Donovan, Edwards, Fullam, The Deputy Lord Mayor, Leadbetter, The Right Worshipful the Mayor, Councillor Macdonald, Martin, Mitchell, Morris, Owen, Payne, Pearson, Prowse, Robson, Ruffle, Sheldon, Spackman, Sutton, Tippins and Wardle.

 (30 Members)

Abstain:

Councillors Baldwin, Henson D, Mrs Henson, Mottram, Shiel and Winterbottm.

(6 Members)

The recommendation as amended was carried.

In relation to Minute 121 (2014/15 Budget Strategy and Medium Term Financial Plan) the Leader commented that any borrowings were small in comparison to the Council’s assets and that there was a need to ‘invest to save’. The Council was already moving in this direction with the installation at the Civic Centre of LED lighting and Solar Panels.

With regards to Minute 124 (Shared ICT Services) the Members welcomed this proposal to work with East Devon and Teignbridge District Councils to take forward the ICT Service.

RESOLVED that subject to the agreed amendment to recommendation (4) of Minute 120 the minutes of the Executive held on 10 December 2013 be received and, where appropriate, adopted.

That Exeter City Council:

1)         notes that payday lenders are trapping millions of people in spirals of debt.

2)         believes that the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA)’s new proposals for regulating payday lenders are a step in the right direction, but do not go far enough.

3)         further believes:

i)          that the FCA’s proposals would not prevent payday lenders from drip feeding new loans to people who have payday debts and are struggling to pay them back

ii)         that the FCA’s proposals would not prevent people from being hit with escalating penalty fees

iii)         that the FCA’s proposals would not stop payday lenders from raiding people’s bank accounts without telling them.

4)         welcomes that some of Britain’s biggest debt, consumer and anti-poverty organisations – including Which?, Citizens Advice, StepChange Debt Charity, Church Action on Poverty and the Centre for Responsible Credit – and MPs from every Party represented at Westminster have come together to support the Charter to stop the Payday Loan Rip-Off.

5)         resolves to:

i)          endorse the Charter to Stop the Payday Loan Rip-Off which calls on the FCA to introduce tougher regulation of payday lenders.

ii)          encourage residents of Exeter to support the Charter by signing the online petition at http://www.change.org/paydayloancharter

iii)         promote and support the development of local credit unions and more affordable lending

iv)        work with partners on campaigns against increasing levels of personal debt.

6)         agrees to send a copy of this motion to Martin Wheatley, Chief Executive of the Financial Conduct Authority and to all local Members of Parliament.

Councillor Sheldon, seconded by Councillor Crew, moved a Notice of Motion in the following terms:-

That the Council:-

·         notes that payday lenders are trapping millions of people in spirals of debt;

·         believes that the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA)’s new proposals for regulating payday lenders are a step in the right direction, but do not go far enough;

·         further believes:

i)          that the FCA’s proposals would not prevent payday lenders from drip feeding new loans to people who have payday debts and are struggling to pay them back

ii)         that the FCA’s proposals would not prevent people from being hit with escalating penalty fees

iii)         that the FCA’s proposals would not stop payday lenders from raiding people’s bank accounts without telling them;

·         welcomes that some of Britain’s biggest debt, consumer and anti-poverty organisations – including Which?, Citizens Advice, StepChange Debt Charity, Church Action on Poverty and the Centre for Responsible Credit – and MPs from every Party represented at Westminster have come together to support the Charter to stop the Payday Loan Rip-Off.

Exeter City Council resolved to:-

·         endorse the Charter to Stop the Payday Loan Rip-Off which calls on  the FCA to introduce tougher regulation of payday lenders;

·         encourage residents of Exeter to support the Charter by signing the online petition at http://www.change.org/paydayloancharter;

·         promote and support the development of local credit unions and more affordable lending;

·         work with partners on campaigns against increasing levels of personal debt; and

·         agrees to send a copy of this motion to Martin Wheatley, Chief Executive of the Financial Conduct Authority and to all local Members of Parliament.

In presenting the Notice of Motion, Councillor Sheldon stated that the pay day loan companies were trapping millions of people into a spiral of debt by the exorbitantly high interest rates that they were charging vulnerable people in society. 

Councillor Crew, in seconding the motion, stated that payday lenders used unethical means to advertise and there was a need to stop this exploitation of vulnerable people in society. There was also need to support and promote the use of credit unions so that people knew there were alternatives to pay day lenders.

In supporting the motion, Councillors agreed that more should be done to prevent payday lenders from giving new loans to people who have payday debts and were struggling to pay them back and prevent people from being charged escalating penalty fees.

The Notice of Motion was put to the vote and carried unanimously.

The Council Notes:-

·         that England is now widely recognised to be the Country with the most centralised system of government in Europe;

·         that devolution has brought decisions about tax and spending and the quality of public services closer to voters in Scotland and Wales, whilst English voters have not gained comparably greater influence over decision-making that affects their taxes and services; and

Considers:-

·         that the likely scale of change in how public services are funded and provided makes it democratically unsustainable for those changes to be decided within the existing over-centralised Government model;

·         that services and their delivery need to be reformed and integrated across local agencies to enable them to take a proactive, preventative approach to problems rather than relying upon reactive solutions;

·         that voters should be given back a meaningful say on a wider range of tax and spending decisions, through place-based budgetary arrangements with the abolition of the discredited Barnett formula and the reinstatement of fair financial distribution amongst English Councils; the re-creation of a municipal bond market and the certainty of multi-year funding settlements for the life of a Parliament;

·         that central government should enable local decision-making through the joining up and reducing in size of Whitehall Departments in order to facilitate local place-based budgets by reducing Ministers’ powers to intervene in local decisions and replacing bureaucratic tick-box inspection regimes with local service user champions; and

·         that formal constitutional protection to local democracy be granted to reflect a new, more mature working arrangement between central and local government; and

The Council therefore resolves to:-

·         support the Local Government Association’s Rewiring Public Services campaign, which embodies the above objectives;

·         ask the City’s Members of Parliament to support the Rewiring Public Services campaign which will improve local voters’ influence over services, tax and spending; and

·         instruct Officers to write to the Secretary of State informing him of this Resolution.

Councillor Sutton, seconded by Councillor Edwards, moved a Notice of Motion in the following terms:-

That Exeter City Council notes:-

·         that England is now widely recognised to be the Country with the most centralised system of government in Europe;

·         that devolution has brought decisions about tax and spending and the quality of public services closer to voters in Scotland and Wales, whilst English voters have not gained comparably greater influence over decision-making that affects their taxes and services; and

Considers:-

·         that the likely scale of change in how public services are funded and provided makes it democratically unsustainable for those changes to be decided within the existing over-centralised Government model;

·         that services and their delivery need to be reformed and integrated across local agencies to enable them to take a proactive, preventative approach to problems rather than relying upon reactive solutions;

·         that voters should be given back a meaningful say on a wider range of tax and spending decisions, through place-based budgetary arrangements with the abolition of the discredited Barnett formula and the reinstatement of fair financial distribution amongst English Councils; the re-creation of a municipal bond market and the certainty of multi-year funding settlements for the life of a Parliament;

·         that central government should enable local decision-making through the joining up and reducing in size of Whitehall Departments in order to facilitate local place-based budgets by reducing Ministers’ powers to intervene in local decisions and replacing bureaucratic tick-box inspection regimes with local service user champions; and

·         that formal constitutional protection to local democracy be granted to reflect a new, more mature working arrangement between central and local government; and

Exeter City Council resolved to:-

·         support the Local Government Association’s Rewiring Public Services campaign, which embodies the above objectives;

·         ask the City’s Members of Parliament to support the Rewiring Public Services campaign which will improve local voters’ influence over services, tax and spending; and

·         instruct Officers to write to the Secretary of State informing him of this Resolution.

The Notice of Motion was put to the vote and carried unanimously.