Apologies had been received from Cllrs Barrell, Faragher, Mrs Fulcher, Mrs Slade, Mrs Squirrell and Trump.

No declarations of interest were made at this stage of the meeting.

The Mayor recounted some of the engagements he had undertaken since his appointment at Annual Council on 17 May 2017.

The Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) for Essex, Cllr Roger Hirst, made a presentation to Members, focusing on matters of joint interest between the Council and the PCC Office, particularly in relation to community safety.

Cllr Hirst responded to Members’ questions and requested that any further queries be sent to him via email. The Mayor thanked Cllr Hirst for his informative presentation.

The minutes of the Ordinary Council meeting held on 25 January 2017 and Annual Council meeting held on 17 May 2017 were approved as true records.

The minutes of the Ordinary Council (Budget) meeting held on 1 March 2017 were approved subject to the inclusion of an acknowledgement that Cllr Mrs Hubbard had submitted a petition regarding Warley Playing Fields.

Members were reminded that the Leader’s Statement was deferred to this meeting from Annual Council due to that meeting taking place within the pre-election period. 

Cllr Mrs McKinlay made her statement and acknowledged that through sound financial management and a skilled and dedicated workforce the difficult budget challenges faced by the authority for the move to self financing had been well handled.  Therefore she was pleased to announce that subject to formal agreement at October's Full Council meeting, all staff would receive a one-off payment of 1% of their individual annual salary, apart from the Chief Executive.

Leaders of the opposition groups, Cllrs Aspinell and Barrett, and independent Member Cllr Keeble responded to the Leader’s statement.

No questions from the public had been received. 

No notices of memorials or petitions had been received. 

Report to follow.

In accordance with the Council’s Constitution, a brief written report by each committee Chair covering their area of responsibility was included in the agenda. 

Any Member was entitled to ask a Chair a written or oral question on

(a)  Any matter included in a Chair’s written report

(b)  Any matter in relation to which the Council has powers or duties or which affected the Council’s area and which fell within the area of responsibility of the Chair’s committee. 

No written questions had been received before the prescribed deadline and the Chairs responded to oral questions put to them by Members.

Cllr Aspinell referred to his position as a member of the Town Hall Scutiny working group  and requested advice  as to whether this would prejudice his position in terms of further decision making. The Monitoring Officer agreed to contact Cllr Aspinell outside the meeting.

Report to follow.

Following a change to the Council’s Constitution in January 2017, Councillors were now appointed to a number of outside organisations by Ordinary Council.  Many of the outside organisations supported and advanced the broad objectives of the Authority.  Representations came about either through the Authority initiating the appointment, or an organisation requesting a representative being nominated or a Charity Commission rule that a Council representative was appointed.  

Cllr Mrs McKinlay MOVED and Cllr Kerslake SECONDED the recommendation in the report that the nominated representatives set out in Appendix A be approved. 

One change of nomination was proposed (Cllr Mrs Davies to replace Cllr Chilvers for Tenants Talkback), Cllr Cloke informed the Council that at the recent Montbazon AGM the required representation from the Council has been reduced to 4.

A vote was taken on a show of hands and it was:

RESOLVED UNANIMOUSLY that, subject to the change above,

The list of outside bodies and nominated representatives/point of contact for 2017/18 attached as Appendix A be approved.

(For clarity the approved list is attached to these minutes).

The Chair of the Conservators of Shenfield Common had requested that the Council ratify the appointment of a new Conservator following a resignation.

Cllr Russell MOVED and Cllr Wiles SECONDED that Mrs Debbie Foster should replace Ms Scholfield as a Conservator of Shenfield Common. A vote was taken on a show of hands and Mrs Foster’s appointment was

RESOLVED UNANIMOUSLY.

Report to follow.

Seven notices of Motion had been received.

1. Cllr Barrett MOVED and Cllr Morrissey SECONDED his first Motion as follows:

‘The War Memorials Listing Project

This Council notes:

1. In 2014, to mark the centenary of the outbreak of the First World War, Historic England embarked upon a five-year project to add 2,500 war memorials to the List (officially known as the National Heritage List for England).

2. The Government is funding this project through the Department for Culture, Media and Sport.

3. That no War Memorial is currently listed in the Borough of Brentwood.

This Council believes:

1. War memorials provide us with an enduring link to those hundreds of thousands who gave their lives in the First World War.

2. Further they remain a lasting tribute to all those who have been lost in service of their country and community.

Therefore this Council:

1. Will seek urgent listing of the War Memorial on Shenfield Road, Brentwood.

2. That further investigate all other War Memorials in the Borough for listing, to assist in achieving Historic England's ambition of listing 2,500 War Memorials.’

Following a debate a vote was taken on a show of hands and the MOTION was CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY.

2. Cllr Mrs Hubbard MOVED and Cllr Keeble SECONDED the following Motion:

‘For Brentwood Borough Council to adopt the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance definition of antisemitism

This council expresses alarm at the rise in antisemitism in recent years across the UK. This includes incidents when criticism of Israel has been expressed using antisemitic tropes. Criticism of Israel can be legitimate, but not if it employs the tropes and imagery of antisemitism.

We therefore welcome the UK Government’s announcement on December 11^th 2016 that it will sign up to the internationally recognised International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) guidelines on antisemitism which define antisemitism thus:

“Antisemitism is a certain perception of Jews, which may be expressed as hatred toward Jews. Rhetorical and physical manifestations of antisemitism are directed toward Jewish or non-Jewish individuals and/or their property, toward Jewish community institutions and religious facilities.”

The guidelines highlight manifestations of antisemitism as including:

“• Calling for, aiding, or justifying the killing or harming of Jews in the name of a radical ideology or an extremist view of religion.

• Making mendacious, dehumanizing, demonizing, or stereotypical allegations about Jews as such or the power of Jews as collective — such as, especially but not exclusively, the myth about a world Jewish conspiracy or of Jews controlling the media, economy, government or other societal institutions.

• Accusing Jews as a people of being responsible for real or imagined wrongdoing committed by a single Jewish person or group, or even for acts committed by non-Jews.

• Denying the fact, scope, mechanisms (e.g. gas chambers) or intentionality of the genocide of the Jewish people at the hands of National Socialist Germany and its supporters and accomplices during World War II (the Holocaust).

• Accusing the Jews as a people, or Israel as a state, of  ...  view the full minutes text for item 85.

An item of business may only be considered where the Chair is of the opinion that, by reason of special circumstances, which shall be specified in the Minutes, the item should be considered as a matter of urgency.

There were no items of urgent business.

The meeting concluded at 22.13