1 Apologies for absence.
2 To approve as a correct record the minutes of the proceeding of the meeting of the Council held on 13 January 2010.
3 To receive any announcements from the Mayor, Executive Leader, Members of the Executive or the Head of Paid Service that they may desire to lay before the Council. In particular:-
(a) Mayor’s charity update: The total raised for 2009/10 it is £22,444.05.
(b) Further issues (if any).
Open items:
4 To receive declarations of interest in any item for discussion at the meeting: see attached advice from the Service Director, Borough Solicitor.
5 Outstanding business from last Council meeting: There is none.
6 To consider the incorporation of the following issues into the Policy Framework or the Budget Framework as appropriate:-
(a) Housing Allocations Policy (minute 178 of Cabinet refers): (.pdf, 507kb) Report of the Interim Executive Director of Environmental Services enclosed. A full appendix to the report is available on the web site.
The Council is recommended to agree the Housing Allocations Policy.
(b)Implications of change of status of Schools (minute 164 of Cabinet refers): (.pdf, 42kb) Joint report of the Executive Director of Business Support Services and the Executive Director of Children and Young People’s Services enclosed.
The Council is recommended to:-
(1) note the implications for the Council of a school governing body changing the school status to foundation; and
(2) delegate to the Executive Director Business Support Services authority to approve all necessary steps to facilitate a school changing its status to a Trust School where the Council does not object to the proposals
(c) Further issues (if any).
7 To consider the following constitutional issues:-
(a) Changes in membership/appointment of Members to Committees – Audit Governance and Improvement Review Committee – Independent Members: (.pdf, 27kb) Report of the Executive Director, Business Support Services enclosed.
The Council is recommended to agree:-
To re appoint Paul Connor, William Anderton and Timothy Addison as independent non-voting members of the Audit Governance and Improvement Review Committee for a further period of three years.
(b) Appointment of Local Authority representative governors: (.pdf, 36kb) Report of the Executive Director of Children and Young People's Services enclosed.
The Council is recommended to:-
appoint the Governors as nominated and authorise the Executive Director of Children and Young People’s Services to advise the Local Authority appointed Governors of their terms of office as set out in the report.
(c) Changes in membership/appointment of Members to Outside Bodies: (.pdf, 32kb) Report of the Executive Director of Business Support Services report enclosed.
The Council is recommended to:-
(1) approve the re-appointment of Mr J Seddon and Mr D Boardman as Nominated Trustees to Leigh Educational Endowment for a five year term from September 2009; and
(2) agree that the Service Director – Borough Solicitor and the Service Director – Corporate Services be appointed as alternate Directors to the Local Education Partnership company.
(d) Single Commissioning Agency Arrangements Approvals (minute 181 of Cabinet refers): (.pdf, 272kb) Report of the Executive Director Health and Well Being enclosed.
The Council is recommended to:-
(1) To approve the recommended Single Commissioning Agency governance and funding proposals including the entry of an Agreement with Ashton Leigh and Wigan NHS Trust under S.75 of the National Health Services Act 2006 upon the terms indicated and authorises the Service Director Borough Solicitor in consultation with the Executive Director of Health and Well being and the Service Director Corporate Services to determine the detailed terms of that Agreement; and
(2) To approve the delegations to the Single Commissioning Agency Board as detailed in Paragraph 6.3 of this report.
(e) City Region Governance (minute 149 of Cabinet refers): (.pdf, 444kb) Joint report of the Chief Executive and the Service Director - Borough Solicitor enclosed.
(eii) Appendix A - Businesscase: (.pdf, 978kb)
(eiii) Appendix B - Draft letter on Review Arrangements for the establishment of a Combined Authority: (.pdf, 10kb)
(f) Quarterly monitoring of urgent items: To report that there was one urgent items taken to Cabinet under rule 16 of the access to information rules of the constitution during the period 30 September to 31 December 2009 which was as follows:-
Minute 132, Saddle Junction Relief Road Update
(g) Further issues (if any).
8 Questions and comments (if any) under rule 8(1)(b) in relation to the deliberations of the Cabinet, Committees and Panels set out in the separate minute book and circulated for information only.
9 Questions (if any) under Rule 8(1)(a).
10 Notice of Motions (.pdf, 35Kb): Report of the Chief Executive and Service Director - Borough Solicitor on the competence and lawfulness of the motions enclosed.
Motions must be about matters for which the Council has a responsibility or which affect the area, as specified in Rule of Procedure 9.3
Request for permission to alter a motion is dealt with under Rule of Procedure 11.7(a).
Request for permission to withdraw a motion is dealt with under Rule of Procedure 11.8.
Previous decisions and motions are dealt with under Rule of Procedure 13.
Requests for the suspension of Rules of Procedure are dealt with under Rule 20.1 (if any).
(1) To consider the following motion of which notice has been given by Councillor P Prescott
This Council recognises and congratulates Wigan Trading Standards on its Pioneering “Good Trader” scheme. The scheme which was launched 12 months ago with the aim of providing a list of reliable and honest traders that can be used by citizens of the Borough to ensure that they get the right person for the job.
Since the launch of this Council scheme more than 600 people have used the service and it now has more than 100 local business taking part. This Council will always endeavour to encourage schemes such as the Good Traders scheme which are mutually beneficial to its Citizens and Local businesses.
(2) To consider the following motion of which notice has been given by Councillor C Ready
This Council congratulates Aspull, New Springs and Whelley Forum on reaching over a decade of work in the community and offers special thanks to founder members Ron Conway (Chairman) and Keith Burns (President)
(3) To consider the following motion of which notice has been given by Councillor M W Winstanley
In light of the imminent General Election this Council urges the Chief Executive to make an announcement and clarify the position of the declaration of the result and the timing of the Count for the said Election in Wigan. In addition also urges the Chief Executive to ensure that the Counts for the three Parliamentary Constituencies of Wigan, Makerfield and Leigh are commenced, concluded and results declared as soon as possible following the close of Poll at 10 pm on General Election day.
(4) To consider the following motion of which notice has been given by Councillor P R C Smith
This Council welcomes the reduction in crime of 11.2% year on year as evidence of the success in the partnership between Greater Manchester Police and AGMA which has increased the number of police on the streets.
(5) To consider the following motion of which notice has been given by Councillor P R C Smith
This Council welcomes the building of over 100 new Council houses with funding for the Labour Government as help for those who need affordable homes.
(7) To consider the following motion of which notice has been given by Councillor G Wilkes
In view of the financial constraints placed on the Council, Councillors acknowledge the need to reduce costs .
As from the start of the new tax year, April 2010, this Council will no longer provide hot meals currently provided for Councillors six or more who attend meetings.
This Council will replace the current arrangement with a hot drink and a Sandwich, ordered at least 24 hours before any such meetings.
This arrangement will be reviewed annually by the Councillors service group.
(8) To consider the following motion of which notice has been given by Councillor G Wilkes
In view of the planned expenditure for Capital Projects recently discussed at the Joint Cabinet and Overview Scrutiny meeting, this Council views the planned expense for a replacement Mayoral vehicle as a waste of tax payers money.
In view of this Scrutiny, this Council will not be spending £27,000 on a replacement Mayoral vehicle, it will instead, postpone this project until the Council is in a much better financial position than it is at present.
(9) To consider the following motion of which notice has been given by Councillor J M Peet
This Council congratulates the Wigan Leisure and Culture Trust on obtaining Lottery Funding to enable the complete restoration of the Museum of Wigan Life, formally the History Shop and Wigan Central Library and the first Wigan Grammar School. This will ensure that not only will one of Wigan's finest buildings be restored to its former glory but it will ensure that Wigan children are aware of their heritage.
(10) To consider the following motion of which notice has been given by Councillor B J Fagan
This council calls for action regarding the need to find savings and prevent Council Tax increases for those many hard working families who are struggling to pay their bills during this recession.
We call for a reduction of 50% in councillors allowances right across the board and a 10% salary cut for council employees earning over £50,000 per year. This will show that councillors and senior councillor officers are prepared to lead by example and start by finding savings out of their own income at this difficult time for the economy.
(11) To consider the following motion of which notice has been given by Councillor B J Fagan
This council calls for more adequate rock salt supplies to be stored and sufficient gritting vehicles to be kept as this year the response to the snow has been a disaster with schools closing, people unable to get to work and the elderly being trapped in their homes because the pavements were lethally slippy due to not being treated with rock salt.
This council calls for more grit boxes to be located throughout the borough so they are accessible for local people during bad weather. Due to the long periods of untreated icy roads and pavements we are now experiencing high numbers of pot holes and roads breaking up like on Crossdale Road in Hindley Green where the road is crumbling and cannot be repaired until money is available in next financial year.
This is happening on many roads in the borough. Prevention is better and less expensive than having to pay for repairs.
(12) To consider the following motion of which notice has been given by Councillor J N Grundy
This Council recognises the concerns of the service users of Lowton Civic Hall with regards to the proposal to replace the Civic Hall as part of the BSF scheme for Lowton & Golborne. Consequentially, this council commits to ensuring that the replacement for Lowton Civic Hall is of an equal or superior standard than the current facilities, able to sustain all current uses the current facilities are able to sustain, and that the replacement facilities will not merely be a school hall, but a fully functioning theatre and community facility.
(13) To consider the following motion of which notice has been given by Councillor J N Grundy
This Council recognises the concerns of the residents of Lowton regarding the access to the site of the proposed new school on the current site of Lowton Civic Hall, and the potential for rat-running on the Oaklands & Meadows estate should the scheme go ahead in its current form. Furthermore, this Council recognises that Hesketh Meadow Lane is inadequate for the purposes of access to the proposed site of the school, and that alternative access should be found for the proposed site.
