General Purposes Committee - Tuesday 18 July 2023, 6:30pm - Feedback Tab - Tunbridge Wells Borough Council Webcasting
Agenda
Slides
Transcript
Map
Resources
Forums
Speakers
Feedback
Votes
Speaking:
Agenda item :
Start of webcast
Share this agenda point
Agenda item :
1 Apologies for Absence
Share this agenda point
Agenda item :
2 Declarations of Interest:
Share this agenda point
Agenda item :
3 Notification of Persons registered to speak (in accordance with Council Procedure Rule 18 or 19):
Share this agenda point
Agenda item :
4 Minutes of the Previous Meeting
Share this agenda point
Agenda item :
5 Review of Polling Districts and Polling Places
Agenda item :
6 Recommended change to ward name
Share this agenda point
Agenda item :
7 Urgent Business
Share this agenda point
Agenda item :
8 Date of Next Meeting
Disclaimer: This transcript was automatically generated, so it may contain errors. Please view the webcast to confirm whether the content is accurate.
Good evening, everyone welcome to this meeting of the general purposes committee on Tuesday, the 18th of July, I am Councillor Rob Wellington
and I am Chair this committee before we get onto the agenda items, please give your full attention to the following announcements.
thank you Chair good evening. Everybody in the event of a fire alarm ringing continuously must avidly immediately evacuate the building at walking pace officers will escort you via the most direct available routes. No one is to use the lift. We will make away to the fire assembly point, which is by the entrance to the Town Hall Yard car park, at Munson, Way, once outside, a check will be made to ensure everyone has left safely and no one is to re-enter the building until advise that it's safe to do so. This is a public meeting and proceedings are being webcast live online or cutting will also be available for playback on the council's website shortly afterwards. Can I remind everyone to use the microphones when speaking the red light indicates that the microphone is on
any comments that are not recorded for the webcast will not be included in the minutes of the meeting. You should be aware that any third party is able to record or film council meetings unless exempt or confidential information is being considered. The Council will not accept any liability for any third party recordings.
It is very important that the outcomes of the meeting or clear, at the end of each substantive item, the Chairman will ask whether the matter is agreed in the absence of clear majority or if the Chairman decides a full, very desirable. A vote will be taken by a show of hands.
Members should raise their hand to indicate their votes when called and keep them at hand up until the count has been announced.
members requesting recorded vote must do so before the vote is taken.
for the benefit of the recording, we are now going to take a roll call when the clock because of a name, please introduce yourself.
Councillor Brett Trowler
Crescent
Councillor Knight
present
Councillor Pope brilliant.
councillor Warmington present Councillor Pa,
councillor Barrass.
councillor Holden,
William Benson,
yes, I'm here
and Richard Beasley.
thank you.
members of the committee should be familiar with the process,
but for the benefit of any members of the public who may be watching.
I would like to explain a couple of things
committee members have had their agendas for over a week and have had the opportunity to study these and ask any factual questions of the officers ahead of the meeting.
when we come to the substantive items on the agenda this evening, the officer will first set up a report, then we will move into member discussion
at the end of the debate, I will try to summarise the Committee's view, and members should ensure that any proposals or actions are correctly captured before a vote is taken.
1 Apologies for Absence
agenda item 1 is to note any apologies for absence from members of the committee, do we have any apologies for absence?
yes, Chair, we have apologies for absence from Councillor barrington King, for the benefit of webcast, Councillor Barrett has just arrived
and Councillors, Opara and Holden are not present at the start of the meeting.
thank you
2 Declarations of Interest:
all agenda item 2 is to receive any declarations of interest in terms of the agenda, does anyone have any such declarations to make?
on to agenda item 3 them agenda, item 3 is to note any members of the public or visiting members of the Council who have registered to speak, do we have any such posts?
no one is registered to speak at this meeting Chair.
Bank.
3 Notification of Persons registered to speak (in accordance with Council Procedure Rule 18 or 19):
4 Minutes of the Previous Meeting
we now move on to agenda item 4, which is to approve the minutes of the meeting held on the 5th of December 2023, please, may I remind members that the only matter for discussion is the accuracy. no is our accuracy, no issues have been brought forward to my attention in advance, but does anyone have any amendments to these minutes?
thank you.
the motion is to agree the minutes are we agreed?
the motion is correct.
5 Review of Polling Districts and Polling Places
agenda item 5 EES review of polling districts and polling places,
William Benson, chief executive officer officer and returning officer and Richard Beasley consultant from the Association of Electoral administrators will now introduce the report.
thank you, Chairman, I'm going to invite Mr. Beasley to introduce the reports who's undertaken the work on my behalf.
thank you good evening, and Members will be aware that the Local government Boundary Commission for England has recently completed its review of borough wards for to amateurs borough. as a result, there will be a number of changes to the borough wards and, as a result of that, we need to review the polling districts and the polling places, and there's also the new parliamentary constituency boundaries coming into effect later this year, so we're taking account of those in our recommendations going forwards and for the benefit of anyone who is not familiar with the these terms of polling district of the geographical area which effectively determined to which polling station a community will vote in and the polling place is the building or location in which a polling station is placed when we come to an election
this report is setting out some draft initial proposals for consultations, so after the meeting this evening,
a consultation will start this week and run through until the beginning of September, where members of the public elected representatives of every tier of government and local community access groups will be invited to respond and give their recommendations and suggestions and any tweaks and changes to the polling places and polling district boundaries to make sure they reflect the needs of the local communities. and then the updated recommendations will be circulated to the General purposes Committee
ahead of going to Full Council with a Biddick, beginning of October at after Full Council once the final recommendations are approved, subject to amendment there, these will take effect from the beginning of December when we republish the register, thank you Chair.
thank you,
that's very clear,
we'll first
have questions and then we will move into debate, does anybody have in question?
OK, I actually have a question is really just for the purposes of no apologies, but I know we discussed the selling, but it's really just for the purposes of clarification for the whole of the committee,
we obviously are hoping to once you have carried out your work to move this to the Gen and
the full Council meeting at the beginning of October. just before the next scheduled general purposes committee, so can we just have a little bit more detail on
how the members of this committee will receive the report and respond
there?
and suddenly, thank you, yes, the updated recommendations and the report that will go to Council be circulated to this committee
electronically in advance, and so by mid-September, you have that version and will invite comments on that, in case there's anything that you think we've missed A updated like made before the chief executive takes us forward to Full Council in October.
thus very clear, thank you.
so now then
we will move on to debate,
but any would like to speak on this matter.
I am not seeing a
rush of hands going up,
but that's absolutely fine.
I was sorry, Councillor veteran.
yeah, I was just going to say I mean, obviously I don't know in my new show the areas in other in other wards to look at
there aren't a lot of them look like they are, the majority look like they're pretty much staying the same and as are so people will know where they are and when they are a few changes with some of the ward changes.
so instead of relying on people from those wards, if the new site are really not convenient or anything, I'm assuming the works being done to be able to obviously to be able to look in detail at mice.
yeah inappropriate places for the polling stations,
but from looking at it, it looks like it's fairly, why thing looks like it's fairly comprehensive and a lot of things remaining unchanged in the new ones that have
put in, as I understand it, into areas that will be agreeable,
Keith
yes, Castlebeck,
so I die just a few comments, I mean I my ward, though there are two changes to polling stations, they look quite sensible.
as I said, I've looked at the others and again they either seem to be unchanged or seem sensible, so I think the
the feedback from the the
consultation will be useful if that, if anybody identifies any issues that need to be looked at in more detail.
Councillor backs.
there's obviously you have to be very aware of your own area, much more than other places have said before, but.
one of the in the Pantelis, the polling district G, A at Christchurch is obviously where the existing polling station is,
in terms of accessibility from up the hill would Christ would Charles the Mater Church Hall be appropriate given these ma, it's more easily accessible from
Warwick Park, and it's and it's got parking,
whereas on the high street it tends to be busier and slower, and these,
I've got an interest in having a good coffee shop next to the public station, but
that aside
as far as I thought.
thank you.
thank you, Councillor Harris, now
I think that's exactly the sort of feedback
that we're looking for when we, when we come
to the consultation stage. thank you, Councillor,
yes, thank you Chair, not very much to say really, but I think I should probably say something, because the changes probably affect my ward greater than anybody else's, so really we're just delighted that with all the work that all the parishes did and particularly gout us parish, council and lamppost parish council be managed to keep Kiln down, within the same walled area and comedown hasn't been hived off into the North Atlantic, so just really, yet that's all I've got to say really so, just really pleased that all the work and thanks to everybody that worked on that thanks so much
thanks, Councillor Mike,
if there aren't any of our
other comments that people like to make, I just like to pick up on one theme that a few of you have mentioned as being a subtext that we tend to be
experts in our own area and perhaps a little less last knowledgeable about areas outside of our own patch and so please do.
when you return to your groups and discuss with them and emphasise the importance of getting back as part of this consultation,
to get to the council so that they can share their expertise
are as as as as thoroughly as possible
sorry, yes,
thank you, Chair and if I may just add to that, that it's very useful to hear where things in our draft recommendations are correct, as well as where you think we should make changes, otherwise all we ever hear is potentially the negatives and we miss the actually the majority of people think it's OK, so thank you.
thank you, that's that's really helpful, thank you.
OK, so I think
we are now moving on to the vote,
so the recommendation, as set out in the report.
it's firstly, that general purposes committee agrees to launch the public consultation on polling districts and polling places as set out in the report
and and secondly, the general purposes committee agrees that, following completion of the review, full Council shall receive and determine the final report for decision on the 4th October 2023 members of the general purposes committee shall receive the draft report and have the opportunity to respond prior to Council
all we agreed.
I think that's you know,
yes, that's unanimous challenge.
thank you.
moving on to agenda item 6 recommended change to ward name.
6 Recommended change to ward name
William Benson, chief executive and returning officer will now introduce this report
thanks very much Chairman, so as Members will be aware, the council has been subject to a review of its electoral arrangements by the Local government Boundary for
local government Boundary Commission for England and we've been through a whole kind of process of draft and final proposed recommendations and when the final report was published.
concern was expressed by a number of local parish councils that ward name set out in the draft reports which was rural Tunbridge Wells, have been changed in the final reports to Goude her slammed behest and horsemen den wards admitting two of the major settlements within the area, Brenchley and Matfield
this has been subject to a number of discussions amongst members. You know, both group leaders and with with parish and town councils, and I think the collective view is that we would much rather that the name remained, as was in the draft reports, now legally the once the review has been completed. There is no ability to change that
and that is that the the name that will be placed before parliament's
in mid-October, we anticipate, but I have been in discussion with the Local government Boundary Commission for England, and they've said that,
whilst ordinarily the way in which you would make a change to a name would be
after a five-year period, you would would have a vote in Full Council, they do have the ability at their discretion to make a change, but the process we have to go through is that request has to be made following a two thirds majority vote and Full Council following a consultation process. so we've already undertaken some light touch, consultation with the group leaders and with all of the Paris chairmen, and they've unanimously said that their view would be that the the name of Goudhurst, Lambertz and Ossman Den should revert to the name that was proposed in the original draft report rural Tunbridge Wells,
so I'm bringing this report to you,
and this evening seek your consent that we go out to consultation on that and, following that consultation that we take it to the October Council meeting now has to actually be at an extraordinary Council meeting, it has to be a sort of single agenda item but we will hold that on the same evening as the ordinary Council meeting in October so as to minimise, and the inconvenience for members and then once that decision has been taken. I can then submit it to the Local government Boundary Commission for England after the order has been made, which should be a mid-December and my hope and expectation is that if the consultation support that change and Full Council supports that that change and I write them with both the full Council request and the support of local parish town councils, ward councillors and group leaders, they would look favourably upon that request. so, as you can see, there are two recommendations, which is you agreed to launch the consultation which we would kick off tomorrow and that you
agree that, once that consultations completed that we take a report on the results of that consultation to an extraordinary meeting of full Council in October.
thank you.
we will again first have
any questions. for
curtseying in question.
then we can move into debate somebody having comments that they would like to make.
I've been aware of this for some time
snippets of some of the discussions and an agreement about going ahead with this proposal and and I'll be supporting it.
that's like any other, any of the comments from yes, Councillor.
thank you, Chair, yes, and obviously I'm disappointed that we have to go through such a orignal
costing the council money, but I do understand it's a process we have to go through, which is a shame but back to values the process as it's been explained to me softly except that obviously
what I would say obviously is ruled champion for the area I really keen that this goes through Councillor McMillan and myself her have worked really hard doing speaking to all the parish chairs and the group leaders. we've got unanimity, as, as the chief executive has just said, everyone's actually fully in agreement on this, it just seems such a press to cow through when everybody's agreed it, but we are where we are on and appreciate that we have to do it and I would just like to thank the Chief Executive for his work as I know there's been lots of them obviously I don't know that he spent a bit of time on this thanks very much indeed. Thank you.
absolutely thank you and I'd
like to to agree with that.
just for the benefit of recording Councillor para,
has entered the meeting at 18.48.
thank you, thank you, Councillor Rippon.
although any other comments that any members wish to make.
OK, that's where we can move to
the vote, then the recommendation, as set out in report,
is that the General purposes Committee agrees to launch a consultation on the proposed change to the Gareth, Hurst Land House and Horsemen Den Wood as set out.
and secondly, that the general purposes committee agrees that, following completion of the consultation, an extraordinary meeting of full Council should be convened on October R in October
2023
to consider the result
of the consultation
are we agreed?
that's unanimous to thank you,
fantastic motion is count.
so, moving on to agenda item 7 agenda, item 7 is to consider
any urgent business.
7 Urgent Business
but I can confirm that there is no such business this evening.
then, finally, agenda item 8
8 Date of Next Meeting
is the date of the next meeting at the date at the next meeting, scheduled to take place on Tuesday, 17th of October 2023 at 6.30 p.m. Thank you, the meeting is now closed.
- 1 Apologies for Absence, opens in new tab
- 2 Declarations of Interest, opens in new tab
- 3 Notification of Persons Registered to Speak, opens in new tab
- FINAL Minutes 05122022, opens in new tab
- Review of Polling Districts and Polling Places - July 2023 - Issue Manager version, opens in new tab
- Review of Polling Districts and Polling Places - Appendix A, opens in new tab
- Review of Polling Districts and Polling Places - Appendix B, opens in new tab
- July2023-TW Rural, opens in new tab
- 7 Urgent Business, opens in new tab
- 8 Date of Next Meeting, opens in new tab