Council meeting
26 October 2005
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Council meeting
26 October 2005
Crawley Borough Council
Minutes of Council
26 October 2005
Present:
Councillor B Clay (Mayor)Councillor J Stanley (Deputy Mayor)
Councillors / B K Blake, S A Blake, B J Burgess, L A M Burke, R D Burrett,
C A Cheshire, S M Cleeve, A C W Crane, D G Crow,
C L Denman, D English, M T Head, R J Hull, I T Irvine,
S J Joyce, R A Lanzer, C C Lloyd, B MeCrow, J L Millar-Smith,
J Mortimer, K Neal, T Patel, B J Quinn, A J E Quirk,
C J Redmayne, G K Seekings, L A Seekings, A Sharma,
B A Smith, J G Smith and L A Walker
Officers Present:
Michael Coughlin / Chief ExecutiveDavid Covill / Director of Resources
Daniel Hyslop / Democratic Services Officer
Jim Redwood / Director of Environment and Housing
John Thraves / Director of Community Services
35.Earthquake in North West Pakistan, India and Kashmir
The Council began the meeting by observing two minutes of silence in memory of those killed and injured in the earthquake.
36.Minutes
The minutes of the meetings of the Council held on 27 July 2005 and 29 September 2005 were approved as a correct record and signed by the Mayor.
37.Public Question Time
Members of the public made statements and asked questions relating to the consultation on a possible travellers’ site at the gas holder site in Pound Hill and the proposed pricing policy at K2. The following is a summary of the main issues raised:
Mrs Iris Billis was concerned the report by WS Planning, assessing potential sites for travellers, did not mention the hazard caused by the close proximity of a working gas station at the gas holder site. She was keen to know if Transco had been consulted.
In reply, Councillor C J Redmayne stated this would be done at the planning application stage.
Mr Roy Billis noted WS Planning’s report mentioned highway issues at other discounted sites, but failed to do so for the gas holder site, despite the proximity of a busy road. He wanted to know if the county highways officer had been consulted and whether the response would be published.
Councillor C J Redmayne said West Sussex County Council was approached, but had no objections to the site.
Councillor R D Burrett spoke in support of the questioner, asking for a detailed look at highway implications, with a county council officer visiting the site in person. He felt the Council also needed to consult more with businesses and other interested parties in the area.
Mr Andrew Whitelock wondered whether the Council was aware of fishing issues near the gas holder site. He also noted WS Planning’s report had said the site was not ideal for travellers and wanted to know what had changed.
Councillor C J Redmayne said what had changed was the growing problem of travellers in the borough and the need for a solution. So far, the Council had only been involved in crisis management.
Councillor R D Burrett felt nothing had changed in the past year. He would be willing to support a site if it met all the Council’s criteria and overcame residents’ concerns. He did not believe any of the sites in WS Planning’s report did so.
Mr Richard Hicks noted until 2003, West Sussex County Council’s programme of site provision ruled out sites in Crawley and Worthing because of the lack of suitable land in the built-up area. Given more houses had been built in the meantime, he wanted to know what had changed.
Mr Patrick Shaw pointed out the possible decrease in property prices if a travellers’ site was built. He asked whether the Council would reimburse anyone.
Councillor C J Redmayne agreed the County Council had opposed a site in Crawley, but what had changed were the court decisions going against the Council for not providing a site. There would be no compensation for decreases in property values.
Mr Alan White asked when the Council’s policy had changed to provide a permanent and a transit site.
Councillor C J Redmayne said this had been done by the Executive in July 2005 when it approved the Council’s traveller needs assessment. The policy was to provide either or both.
Councillor R A Lanzer was concerned by policy appearing to be changed by briefing note. Crawley had become even more crowded since 2003, making the argument against site provision stronger than before. Crawley could also easily have a site outside the borough.
Mr Ian Armstrong wanted to know when the residents in the northern part of Pound Hill North and other parts of the town were going to be consulted.
Another questioner asked if it was mandatory for the Council to provide a site.
Councillor C J Redmayne agreed it was not mandatory. All residents of Pound Hill North ward would soon be getting a letter from the Council. He would consider extending consultation to other areas.
Councillor R D Burrett welcomed the extension of consultation but wanted it for people throughout the eastern part of the town. Members needed to be aware of the number of people who would be affected by a site. The process would lose legitimacy if people could say they were not included.
Councillor G K Seekings supported the extension of consultation into Northgate but warned people there might strongly support the gas holder site due to the encampment at DalewoodGardens.
Mr John Hudson asked whether it was possible for the Council to have reduced off-peak prices at K2 for concessions and pensioners.
Councillor A Sharma said he had met Mr Hudson and others earlier and listened to their concerns. DC Leisure, who would run K2, were putting together a package which would allow unlimited off-peak swimming or gym use for £15 a month. It would take a few days for the final details to be sorted out.
38.Communications
(a)Apologies for Absence
Councillors: B M Brockwell, K Brockwell, D W Murdoch and D J Shreeves.
(b)Long Service Award
Councillor C C Lloyd was presented with a long service badge in recognition of his 15 years with the Council.
39.Members’ Disclosures of Interests
The following declarations of interestwere made by Members:
Member / Name and date of Executive/ Committee and Minute No. / Subject or Planning Application No. / Prejudicial orNon Prejudicial and Nature of Interest
CL Denman / Development Control Committee
18 July 2005
Minute 97 / CR/2005/0335/OUT
Land North of Apple Tree Farm Langley Green, Crawley. / Personal and prejudicial interest in the item as her brother-in-law lived next to the application site. CouncillorC L Denman withdrew from the meeting whilst the item was being discussed and took no part in the discussion.
D English / Development Control Committee
18 July 2005
Minute 97 / CR/2005/0379/TPO
20 Halland Close, ThreeBridges, Crawley / Personal and non-prejudicial interest in the item as her children went to the same school as that of the applicant.
C L Denman / Development Control Committee
5 September 2005
Minute 108 / CR/2005/0377/FUL
43 Leighlands, Pound Hill, Crawley / Personal and non-prejudicial in the item as the agent was known to her but not well.
C JRedmayne / Development Control Committee
26 September 2005
Minute 113 / CR/2005/0571/OUT
CrawleyTown Football and Social Club, Broadfield Stadium, Brighton Road, Broadfield, Crawley / Personal and non-prejudicial Interest in the item as he regularly attended football matches at Broadfield Stadium.
B J Burgess / Licensing Committee
29 September 2005
Minute 11 (d) / Confirmation of the minutes of the Sub Committee held on 23 August, 2005 (Plough) / Personal and prejudicial. Councillor Burgess was an interested party in respect of this application and withdrew from the meeting whilst this minute was being confirmed.
R J Hull / Licensing Committee
29 September 2005
Minute 11 (a) / Confirmation of the minutes of the Sub Committee held on 14 July, 2005 (Royal Oak) / Personal and non-prejudicial. Councillor Hull knew the landlord of the premises.
R J Hull / Licensing Committee
29 September 2005
Minute 11 (e) / Confirmation of the minutes of the Sub Committee held on 25 August, 2005 (Rose and Crown) / Personal and prejudicial. Councillor Hull represented an interested party at the hearing relating to this application and withdrew from the meeting whilst this minute was being confirmed.
R J Hull / Licensing Committee
29 September 2005
Minute 11 (g) / Confirmation of the minutes of the Sub Committee held on 30 August, 2005 (Rose and Crown) / Personal and prejudicial. Councillor Hull represented an interested party at the hearing relating to this application and withdrew from the meeting whilst this minute was being confirmed.
J Stanley / Licensing Committee
29 September 2005
Minute 11 (a) / Confirmation of the minutes of the Sub Committee held on 14 July, 2005 (Royal Oak) / Personal and non-prejudicial. Councillor Stanley knew the landlord of the premises.
R D Burrett / Overview and Scrutiny Commission 10 October 2005
Minute 69 / Provisional list of reports for the Commission’s following meetings (as it related to health scrutiny) / Personal and non-prejudicial interest as a Non-Executive Director of Crawley Primary Care Trust.
40.Appointments
Council noted Councillor C L Denman had resigned from the Services for the Elderly (Best Value) Scrutiny Panel and replaced by Councillor B MeCrow at the request of the Conservative group.
41.Members’ Written Questions
Questions asked in accordance with Council Procedure Rule 10.3, together with the answers, were tabled as follows:
Questioner - / Councillor A C W CraneAddressed to - / Executive Member for Housing
Subject - / Sale of Council houses
Questioner - / Councillor J Mortimer
Addressed to - / Executive Member for Continuous Improvement and Development
Subject - / Number and cost of employees at Crawley, Horsham and Mid Sussex Councils
Questioner - / Councillor A J E Quirk
Addressed to - / Executive Member for Community Engagement
Subject - / Permanent and transit sites for travellers
42.Reports by Executive Members
There were no reports by Executive Members.
43.Questions to Executive Members
The following questions were asked under Council Procedure Rule 10.1:
1.By Councillor G K Seekings to Councillor S J Joyce (Executive Member for Housing)
Councillor Seekings mentioned the sharp rise in homelessness due to house repossessions in period up to September 2005. He asked what effect this was having on the housing service and the action officers were taking to help alleviate this.
Given the figures were very new, Councillor Joyce agreed to provide a written response.
2.By Councillor R A Lanzer to Councillor C J Redmayne (Chair of the Executive)
Councillor Lanzer said several recent public events had been fronted inappropriately by officers instead of Executive Members. He felt this would mean the public believed officers to be policy makers when they were not. He asked what was going to be done about it.
Councillor Redmayne said every time an Executive Member was invited to an event, they attended. Crawley’s Comprehensive Performance Assessment had criticised the Council for being officer led and this was being addressed. He was annoyed when there was no invite or Councillor involvement in events.
3.By Councillor A C W Crane to Councillor S J Joyce (Executive Member for Housing)
Councillor Crane asked for confirmation of:
(i) Whether Members and residents would be given at least three months notice of the stock options ballot taking place
(ii) Whether the ballot question would be simple and available in advance
(iii) Whether joint tenants would both have a vote, and if so, the approximate number of the electorate
This question was notified in advance and Councillor Joyce had agreed to provide a written response.
4.By Councillor B MeCrow to Councillor A Sharma (Executive Member for Leisure and Cultural Services)
Councillor MeCrow asked why the charging system at K2 was being changed from that at the old leisure centre which had seemed to work well.
Councillor Sharma said the cost of running K2 was much higher for DC Leisure and the fees needed to be raised as a result.
5.By Councillor S A Blake to Councillor A Sharma (Executive Member for Leisure and Cultural Services)
Councillor Blake said she had been pushing for play equipment at Grattons Playing Fields for some time. She had been told it was being delayed to await the outcome of the best value review of Services for Children and Young People, but found out recently provision was now being made. She asked what had changed to allow this.
Councillor Sharma said, in spite of the best value review, there was a two to three year programme of updating all play areas. Grattons Playing Fields had been allocated equipment as part of this.
6.By Councillor D G Crow to Councillor D J Shreeves (Executive Member for Community Engagement). As Cllr Shreeves was absent, this question was answered by Councillor C J Redmayne (Chair of the Executive)
Councillor Crow pointed out Councillor Shreeves’ briefing note, attached to the minutes of the Executive on 12 October, said some travellers had strong links with the local community. He asked what these links were.
Councillor Redmayne answered there were some settled travellers in Crawley, with children in local schools and they had family who visited.
7.By Councillor B J Burgess to Councillor A Sharma (Executive Member for Leisure and Cultural Services)
Councillor Burgess asked when all areas of Crawley could expect improved play equipment.
Councillor Sharma pointed to the Best Value Review of Services for Children and Young People, which would report soon. This would show areas of greatest need.
8.Councillor J Millar-Smith to Councillor A Sharma (Executive Member for Leisure and Cultural Services)
Councillor Millar-Smith said the state of cleanliness of Crawley Leisure Centre’s changing rooms and swimming pool was poor. Leisure centres in other areas, also run by DC Leisure, were much better and employed full time cleaning staff. She asked what would be different at K2 to improve things.
Councillor Sharma answered the Council had discussed this with DC Leisure and been assured staff were cleaning all the time. Because of their age, the surfaces at Crawley Leisure Centre were deteriorating fast, which was making the problem worse. If this was not solved at K2, Members should contact him.
9.Councillor A J E Quirk to Councillor A Sharma (Executive Member for Leisure and Cultural Services)
Councillor Quirk asked about the proposed pricing arrangements for pensioners at K2 and in particular, how they would be decided.
Councillor Sharma referred him to the answer he had given to a member of the public on the same subject earlier in the meeting.
10.Councillor J Stanley to Councillor C J Redmayne (Chair of the Executive)
Councillor Stanley asked whether Councillor Redmayne would join with him in wishing the Mayor the best of luck with his fire walk on 27 October. He added sponsorship forms were available to Members.
Councillor Redmayne was happy to give his support.
11.Councillor L A Walker to Councillor A Sharma (Executive Member for Leisure and Cultural Services)
Councillor Walker was concerned about the public’s potential reaction to the combined swimming and gym off peak package for concessions at K2 costing more than what was proposed for Council staff. He asked for confirmation this was correct.
Councillor Sharma said Councillor Walker was right, but pointed out the pensioner groups he had talked to were only interested in either the gym or swimming, not both. He added final pricing was still being discussed.
12.Councillor L A Walker to Councillor A Sharma (Executive Member for Leisure and Cultural Services)
Councillor Walker noted the K2 Working Group had proposed to give any unusable fixtures and fittings at Crawley Leisure Centre to charity. He asked if anything had been allocated to private organisations or individuals. If so, he wanted to know who made the decision and if the record of the meeting concerned was available.
Councillor Sharma said the working group had agreed fixtures and fittings should go to groups that were felt worthy and a variety had been invited to approach the Council.
Councillor C A Cheshire added she had promoted this through Crawley Council for Voluntary Services. About nine organisations were likely to receive very useful equipment.
Council J G Smith was disappointed Members had not been made more widely aware of the list of articles available so they could contact charities they were involved with.
13.Councillor B A Smith to Councillor A Sharma (Executive Member for Leisure and Cultural Services)
Councillor Smith asked if Councillor Sharma and officers could reconsider the decision to put the display of sporting memorabilia into the bowling hall at K2. She felt this should be in an area where more members of the public could admire it. In addition, she was deeply disappointed an agreement had not been reached to provide a proper bus service to K2 as soon as it opened.
Councillor Sharma would discuss with officers whether a more prominent place for the memorabilia could be found. He agreed a good bus service should be provided and would do his utmost to secure it.
14.Councillor R D Burrett to Councillor C J Redmayne (Chair of the Executive)
Councillor Burrett asked for assurances when Executive Members agreed to do something at Council it was actually done.
Councillor Redmayne was happy to agree this would happen.
44.Questions to Committee Chairs
There were no questions to committee chairs.