Live broadcast to start at 7pm and available for repeat viewing.

Apologies were received from Cllrs Parker, N Cuthbert, Sankey, McLaren, Bridge, Wiles, Heard, Fryd and T Barrett. 

No declarations were received.

“It was an honour as the Mayor of Brentwood to be part of the Remembrance Day Parade.  The event was humbling and I was honoured to represent the Borough of Brentwood joined by the representatives from our local branch of the Royal British Legion, the military and the cadets and organisations.  Leading the parade of almost 600 people to the War Memorial and through the High Street was an occasion I will never forget and I was proud to be the Mayor of this great Town.  The service followed at St Thomas’ Church allowed us to remember and never forget those who have fought and selflessly and gave their lives to our country.  Thank you for the organisers and those who supported the event to make it the success it was. 

We got into the festive spirit as I was joined on stage by the winners of the Mayors Christmas Card and Poem competition winners to turn on the Christmas lights in the High Street. It was an enjoyable afternoon of entertainment and great to have Lighting Up Brentwood back on the High Street.. 

I also hosted my Civic Carol Service at Brentwood Cathedral yesterday and it was such a great service surrounded by fellow Chain Gang Mayors and Chairman, Members and those in the community.  It was so lovely to be joined by the impressive choir on the evening.  A great way to get into the festive spirit.   

I am pleased to confirm that the Civic Star of Brentwood Awards nominations for 2022 are open.  Please do consider nominating or spreading the word so those individuals or organisations can be rewarded for their great achievements in our Borough.   

I look forward to attending more events in and around the Borough in the new year.  I would like to take this opportunity to wish you all Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year ahead.”

The Mayor informed Members of the sad passing of former Strategic Director, Ian Winslet and a minute silence was held. 

The Ordinary Council meeting held on 2^nd November 2022 were APPROVED.  The minutes contain a summary of the meeting, to view the full meeting, please visit https://youtu.be/oqbFCLXkrg4.

No memorials or petitions were received.

Members can ask up to two questions to two different Chairs.

Any Member may ask a Chair a written or oral question on any matter in relation to which the Council has powers or duties or which affects the Council’s area and which falls within the area of responsibility of the Chair’s committee.

The period allowed for written and oral questions and answers will not exceed 60 minutes without leave of the Mayor.

Cllr Kendall put a question to the Chair of Policy, Resources & Economic Development. 

At the recent Policy, Resources and Economic Development Committee, concerns were raised by Liberal Democrat members regarding the new evening car parking charges and a discussion took place on those challenges.  Clarification was given but can the Chair confirm are all those new charges now set in stone or following that discussion are they going to be reviewed?

Councillor Hossack, Chair of Policy, Resources and Economic Development responded:

The PRED committee approved the charges that you saw in the schedule on the night so they will go forward but what I also recall from the debate was the impact which was unquantified at this point as to whether people who are residents in the area may use that parking overnight if they haven't got available on street parking.  So the charges as we discussed in the schedules will go ahead through the budget setting process.  The question around resident parking which we did agree that we would take note and that's something that we do need to come back to you at either at a future PRED meeting or sometime sooner or I can provide you a written answer when Greg's looked into that.  That was the only issue for me that we took away from that everything else would be as approved. 

Cllr Laplain put a question to Cllr Russell, Chair of Community, Environment & Enforcement:

There has been a mattress dumped to the corner of Wash Road. It is more than just a Ward issue – It has been there for coming up to four weeks.  I have chased officers to get it removed and they suggested that there is an issue with resourcing in terms of clearing.  This troubles me as four weeks is a considerable amount of time for just one item.  Is there an issue with resourcing?  In terms of fly tipping, is there something being done to address it?

Councillor Russell, Chair of Community, Environment & Enforcement responded:

There has been some resource issues as you are aware and there has been some issues at the Depot with staff.  Without going into too much detail about that, we are reviewing the situation and there will be an update at the next Community, Environment & Enforcement Committee. 

Councillor Mynott asked a question to Cllr Tanner, the Chair of Planning & Licensing:

In relation to the issue of the land north of Roman Road, paragraph 8.1 of the planning chapter of the Constitution says that planning site visits will take place in relation to  ...  view the full minutes text for item 258.

Mrs Jan Gearon-Simm has submitted one question.

In November 2021, Boris Johnson’s government announced rules that all new homes to have an electric car charger.

Arguing against this are FTSE 100 construction firms group and Taylor Wimpey.

Transport and Environment, (T&E), a campaign group, has criticised this lobbing.

Domestic electric car charges will allow people to charge their cars overnight when energy is cheaper.

WILL THE PLANNING RULES FOR BRENTWOOD BOROUGH COUNCIL ENSURE THAT PLANNING APPROVAL IS GIVEN ONLY IF ELECTIC CAR CHARGES ARE INSTALLED ON ALL PLANNIGN APPLICATIONS?

Cllr Hossack responded as followed:

Thank you for your question. The council’s recently adopted local plan requires all new development proposals to maximise the opportunity of occupiers and visitors to use electric and low emission vehicles. This includes provision of electric vehicle charging, plug-in points and/or the space and infrastructure required to provide this in future. That is set out in Policy BE11. It is worth noting that this policy was drafted over the course of several years including through the recent local plan examination, and during that time the issue of energy consumption and electric vehicles has been very quickly changing. So, whilst the policy does not explicitly require each new home to have an EV charging point, national policy has now moved ahead.

In June 2022 an overhaul of the country’s Building Regulations came into effect. Part S of the regulation requires every new home with associated parking, including those created from a change of use, to have facilities for charging electric vehicles.

There is more detail in the regulations about how this applies to types of development and I would encourage you to review that. There are other changes to the Building Regulations that aim to increase energy efficiency in buildings across England.

It’s important to note that there is a grace period taking effect until 2023 for buildings that are currently still in the build process. If an applicant applied for a building notice or initial notice before 15 June 2022, the project would still be considered under the previous regulations, provided building work begins before 15 June 2023. But if an applicant obtained Building Regulation approval under the old regulations, they must begin work on the development by 15 June 2023 or the new regulations will apply.

We also should be mindful of the need to retrofit existing homes and the issue of providing EV charging for on-street parking. An issue I know Essex County Council and other highways authorities are considering options and rolling out solutions. But within that we know that there need to be a range of places for people to charge their electric vehicle, like at their place of work and during longer journeys. So, the issue is not restricted to residential properties.

There may be certain developers challenging the Government on these changes as you point out. That will be for the legal process to take its course and local planning authorities to react accordingly. This council will do all  ...  view the full minutes text for item 259.

The Council has recently undergone a restructure of the Leadership Team at Tiers 2 and 3 and is looking to recruit to the permanent roles of Director of People and Governance, Director of Resources and Director of Housing.

Under legislation, the Council must designate to the statutory roles of the Monitoring Officer and Section 151 Officer and the report set out the proposed designations.

Cllr Hossack MOVED and Cllr Poppy SECONDED the recommendations within the report. A vote was taken by a show of hands and was RESOLVED UNANIMOUSLY.

Members thanked Steve Summers for his support in his role as Interim Monitoring Officer. 

Recommendations

R1. Designate Andrew Hunkin as the Monitoring Officer for the Council.

R2. Designate Tim Willis as the Section 151 Officer for the Council.

R3 Authorise the Monitoring Officer to make any necessary subsequent

changes to the Council’s Constitution.

Reasons for Recommendation

The Council is required by Section 5 of the Local Government and Housing Act 1989 to designate one of its officers as its Monitoring Officer, to discharge statutory responsibilities relating to the Council’s Constitution and arrangements for effective governance.

The Council is required by Section 151 of the Local Government Act 1972 to make arrangements for the proper administration of its financial affairs and to designate one of its officers to have responsibility for the administration of those affairs.

Both designations must be approved by full Council.

The report set out the harmonisation of pay, terms and conditions as part of the #One Team Partnership with Rochford District Council and the implications and risks if the Council was to continue with the Partnership without harmonising.

Cllr Hossack MOVED and Cllr Poppy SECONDED the recommendations within the report. A vote was taken by a show of hands and was RESOLVED.

Recommendations

R1. Approve the proposed #One Team Pay Scales, as set out in Appendix A of this report, subject to the final negotiations with Unison.

R2. Approve the proposed #One Team Terms and Conditions, as set out in Appendix B of this report, subject to the final negotiations with Unison.

Reasons for Recommendations

To ensure there is a single unified pay structure, as well as terms and conditions to create parity across both this Council and Rochford District Council. This will also ensure we remain competitive within the Local government sector, minimising recruitment and retention challenges we are facing within the sector.

This motion was deferred from Ordinary Council on 2nd November 2022. 

This motion was deferred again as the mover of the motion Cllr Cloke was not present at the meeting. 

Motion 1 – Received on 13th October 2022 @ 18:07

Mover: Cllr Cloke Seconder: Cllr Laplain

Members call for the Borough Council to produce a comprehensive Cost of Living Crisis leaflet to be distributed to every home in Brentwood, signposting what support is available to Brentwood residents from the Council and various organisations offering help and advice.

This motion was deferred from Ordinary Council on 2nd November 2022.

Motion 2 – Received on 13th October 2022 @ 18:07

Mover: Cllr Kendall Seconder: Cllr M Cuthbert

The Liberal Democrat Group calls upon the Council Officers in the Economic

Development Department to organise a Brentwood Job Fair event in 2023 to support local businesses and help local residents find work within the Borough. This could be a standalone event or one held alongside the Business Showcase.

Members requested a report is brought to a future committee if agreed. 

An AMENDMENT to the motion was MOVED by Cllr White and was accepted by the original mover Cllr Kendall for the motion to read as:

Members call upon the Council Officers in the Economic

Development Department to organise a Brentwood Job Fair event in 2023 to support local businesses and help local residents find work within the Borough. This could be a standalone event or one held alongside the Business Showcase.

Following a full discussion, a vote on the motion was taken by a show of hands on the amended motion and it was RESOLVED UNANIMOUSLY.

This motion was deferred from Ordinary Council on 2nd November 2022.

Motion 3 – Received on 13th October 2022 @ 18:07

Mover: Cllr Mynott Seconder: Cllr Aspinell

The Borough Council will hold a public meeting at a suitable venue to present its Cost of Living Action Plan to local residents and will have officers and representatives from support agencies on hand to answer residents questions and listen to their concerns.

Following a full discussion, a vote on the motion was taken by a show of hands and the motion was LOST.

This motion was deferred from Ordinary Council on 2nd November 2022.

Motion 4 – Received on 14th October 2022 @ 14:43

Mover: Cllr Aspinell Seconder: Cllr Haigh

This Council resolves to investigate all avenues of available funding in order to supply and fix solar panels to our council properties, with a view to lowering energy costs borne by the Council and those Council tenants that would benefit from such an installation programme.

Additionally, the Council will investigate the installation of batteries for the storage of solar panel energy to enable continual electrical use.

The Liberal Democrat Group believe such a programme would make a positive contribution in addressing spiralling energy costs during this current cost of living crisis, but in future years as well.

An AMENDMENT to the motion was MOVED by Cllr White and  ...  view the full minutes text for item 262.

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 9pm