Agenda and minutes

The Minutes of the meeting held on 20 February 2018 were agreed and signed as a true record subject to a minor amendment to the list of councillor votes on page 15. (Councillor S Thomas, should be Councillor C Thomas.)

To be presented by the Lord Mayor and Judge Lockhart, Honorary Recorder

On behalf of the City Council, the Lord Mayor presented Mr Haroon Mota with the Good Citizen Award. His citation read:

“Haroon Mota has dedicated his adult life to making a difference in people’s lives all over the world. He is a fundraising manager for Penny Appeal a humanitarian charity set up to provide poverty relief across Asia, the Middle East and Africa, the organisation offers water solutions, organises mass feedings, supports orphan care and provides emergency food and medical aid.

Haroon is also an avid Marathon runner. In the past 5 years he has completed over 30 Marathons to raise money to improve the lifestyles of some of the poorest people in the world. In 2017 Haroon ran four consecutive marathons in just 4 weeks, from Manchester to Paris, Boston (Lincolnshire) and London, totalling 105 miles, which ultimately raised £28,000 to build a solar water power centre to provide both water and electricity to poor and needy people living in Gambia.

In addition to running marathons to raise money Haroon led a team to climb Ben Nevis raising £30,000 and embarked on a challenge leading a team to climb Kilimanjaro, a challenge that raised £140,000 for Penny Appeal.  It is evident that through Haroon’s work with Penny Appeal and his voluntary work he has shown tremendous commitment to improve the lives of people who are less fortunate, his actions properly reflect his character and he is a worthy recipient of this Good Citizen Award”.

(a)  Recent Tragic Event

The Lord Mayor referred to the recent tragic deaths of the two little boys of the Platt-May family.

The Lord Mayor indicated that he had signed the Book of Condolence in Coventry Cathedral and a joint letter with the Leader had been sent to the family expressing sincere condolences on behalf of the City Council.

(b)  Death of Gordon Collins

The Lord Mayor referred to the recent death of Gordon Collins, former consort and husband to former Lord Mayor, Sheila Collins.

Members noted that a letter of sincere condolences had already been sent to Sheila.

(c)  Death of Kevin Gould

The Lord Mayor referred to the death of Kevin Gould, an Accommodation Services Officer, who died last week following a short illness. Kevin will be sadly missed by all colleagues and will be remembered fondly by everyone who had contact with him.

Members held a minutes silence as a mark of respect to remember all of those mentioned above.

(d)  Retirement of Members

The Lord Mayor referred to Councillors Hammon and Mulhall who were not standing in the forthcoming Municipal Election. 

Members of the City Council paid tribute to the work carried out by the Councillors over the years they had served as Members of the Council and wished them well for the future.

(e)  Maundy Money

The Lord Mayor on behalf of the City Council congratulated Sybil Hanson who would be receiving Maundy Money from the Queen next Maundy Thursday. Sybil was nominated for her service to education in the City. Members noted that Sybil has been a Co-opted member of the Education and Children’s Services Scrutiny Board for many years and she is also Chair of the Coventry Schools Forum.

Members congratulated Sybil on her well-deserved achievement.  

It was noted that the Lord Mayor would be sending a letter of congratulations to Sybil.  

RESOLVED: -

(1)  That petitions (a)-(c) and (e)-(i) below be referred to the appropriate City Council bodies/external organisations:

(a)  Request for an upgrade of Caludon Park playground – 41 signatures, presented by Councillor Abbott. 

(b)  Request for the intricately carved ceiling at the listed St Mary’s Guildhall not to be painted white – 1214 signatures, presented by Councillor Bailey.

(c)  Request for rear access gates for Meadfoot Road, Remembrance Road and Mary Slessor Road – 61 signatures, presented by Councillor J Mutton.

(d)  Request the Home Secretary to give more resources to the West Midlands Police Force and Coventry in particular – 38 signatures, presented by Councillor J Mutton.

(e)  Request for a grit bin on the even-numbered side of Overslade Crescent or that both sides of the road be gritted by the grit lorries – 28 signatures, presented by Councillor Williams.

(f)  Request to the City Council, in conjunction with National Express and Warwickshire County Council to find a long term solution to the No 16 and 16A bus service which ceases to operate during bad weather – 166 signatures, presented by Councillor Birdi.

(g)  Request for permanent signage, of the sort that indicates vehicle speed and the limit plus a controlled crossing either ‘Pelican or Zebra’ on the junctions of Hockley Lane, Church Lane and Upper Eastern Green Lane – 306 signatures, presented by Councillor Lepoidevin.

(h)  Request for improvements to road safety in Coundon Wedge Drive and Allesley Village and to install a ‘refuge’ in Council Wedge Drive to enable a safe crossing point for pedestrians and cyclists – 49 signatures, presented by Councillor Kershaw.

(i)  Request for the provision of badminton courts in the city centre – 80 signatures, presented by Councillor R Singh.

(2)  That petition (d) above be considered as part of the debate in relation to Minute 123 below (Debate: Cuts to Police and Budgets).

1.  Councillor L Kelly declared disclosable pecuniary interest in the matter the subject of Minute 124 below relating to “Debates – Cuts to police budgets and resources”. She left the meeting during the consideration of this item.

2.  Councillors R Auluck and T Khan declared other interests in the matter the subject of Minute 125 below relating to “Debates – Accommodation for Charities”. They left the meeting during the consideration of this item.

Further to Minute 136 of the Cabinet, the City Council considered a report of the Deputy Chief Executive (Place) which outlined Coventry’s Economic Growth and Prosperity Strategy 2018-2022.

Since 2011 Coventry has had a Jobs Strategy which set out the Council’s plan and approach to growing the number of jobs and economic opportunities in the City. In order to deliver a modern and fit-for-purpose service for the people of Coventry it was proposed to adopt a more holistic approach and support a new Economic Growth and Prosperity Strategy (EGPS) to replace the previous jobs strategies.

This five-year Strategy outlined sets out Coventry’s vision to deliver sustainable and inclusive economic growth which would enable all residents and businesses to prosper.

The report detailed what the aspirations of the Strategy were and it was anticipated that every £1 invested by the Council would create £40 of additional investment in local economic growth.

In addition, the report stated that set against three strategic themes of Business, People and Place, the EGPS would deliver directly against a number of priorities within the Council’s Plan. It would also deliver against the Coventry & Warwickshire Local Enterprise Partnership (CWLEP) Strategic Economic Plan, the West Midlands Combined Authority Strategic Economic Plan and the emerging local industrial strategy.

RESOLVED that the City Council:

1.  Approves Coventry’s Economic Growth and Prosperity Strategy 2018-2022.

2.  Agrees to receive an annual monitoring report on the progress towards the Strategy’s aspirations and targets as part of the Council’s Plan performance monitoring.

Further to Minute 139 of the Cabinet, the City Council considered a report of the Deputy Chief Executive (Place) which provided detailed works for schemes in Coventry City Centre Public Realm Phase 5, as set out in the appendices to the report and their prioritisation for implementation. The report also sought agreement to the detailed works for additional Public Realm Phase 5 schemes if further funding was secured and to the addition of £1.94m Council Capital Receipts to the 5 year Capital Programme, to contribute to the Charterhouse restoration.

Since 2011 the Council had transformed the City Centre through a £57m programme of investment in the public realm. This investment would be completed by Phase 4 of the public realm improvements due to be completed later this year, using Coventry and Warwickshire Local Enterprise Partnership (CWLEP) Local Growth Deal grant. The impact of this work had been significant, attracting developers to invest in the City, such as the developers transforming Cathedral Lanes into a vibrant restaurant quarter.

The award of UK City of Culture provided a fantastic opportunity to further enhance the City Centre in preparation for 2021 to ensure people gained a positive image of the City, and to create a lasting legacy for residents and businesses beyond 2021. Given the investment already made in public realm, Coventry has the opportunity to consider the delivery of an even more ambitious programme of public realm improvements. A series of transformational public realm improvements were proposed to be delivered under a new Public Realm Phase 5 Programme. The proposed schemes would deliver enhancements to key strategic areas of the City, improve accessibility and connectivity across the City and also enhance the setting of the key events venues and visitor attractions. 

The priority order may be amended in response to funding availability and deliverability of the projects. The aspiration was to deliver as many transformational schemes as practical by 2021, with a longer term aim to deliver the remaining schemes post 2021 to create a lasting legacy. The total programme cost was estimated to be in the region of £120m, which included the funding necessary to provide for the estimated additional 14 posts required to deliver the ambitious programme ahead of 2021. The costs were estimates at present, the list of projects wasn’t exhaustive and adequate funding to deliver the Schemes did not currently exist. It was recognised that a Programme of this significance would have impact upon the Capital Programme and external funding would need to be secured. Therefore, delegated authority was sought in order for the Deputy Chief Executive (Place), following consultation with the Cabinet Member for City Services, the Cabinet Member for Jobs and Regeneration and the Section 151 officer, to agree the detailed Programme of works should  funding become available.

Currently the Council had successfully secured £11.8M Local Growth Deal funds from CWLEP.  Of this £7.75m was allocated to deliver the initial Phase 5 of City Centre Public Realm  ...  view the full minutes text for item 116.

Further to Minute 141 of the Cabinet, the City Council considered a report of the Deputy Chief Executive (Place) which provided an update on how Coventry’s Strategic Transport Investment Strategy ‘Connecting Coventry’ had progressed over the last 14 months and sought further approvals to take forward to delivery.

Coventry’s Strategic Transport Investment Strategy ‘Connecting Coventry’ aimed to maximise the economic potential of the City through investment in transport infrastructure to support growth and jobs. The Strategy was approved by Council in January 2017 (their minute 100/16 refers). It set out an ambitious £620m Programme over the next ten years to improve the resilience of the road network, ensuring connectivity to HS2 and job opportunities around the new station, expansion of railway capacity and linking key development and employment sites.

The Strategy supported the transport infrastructure and development plans for the wider region, as detailed in Appendix 1 to the report. Coventry’s Programme was summarised in Appendix 2 to the report and outlined four key programmes Coventry South, City Centre First, Coventry North and Very Light Rail.

The award of City of Culture 2021 status to Coventry offered a fantastic opportunity to boost growth for the City and wider sub-region. Having the transport infrastructure in place was critical to facilitate and maximise the benefits of City of Culture. This had prompted a review of the Programme and it was recommended that the Station Masterplan and City Centre infrastructure improvements were brought forward to be delivered by the end of 2020. 

It was important that City Centre infrastructure improvements required to support City of Culture were delivered in time for 2021 and left a legacy for Coventry.

To showcase the City’s position as a world class centre for innovation, it was proposed to bring forward delivery of a section of the first proposed Very Light Rail route in time for the City of Culture in 2021. The feasibility of this was currently being investigated, and a further report would be brought to Council later in the spring 2018 if it was considered both deliverable and financially viable to bring forward. 

In order to deliver the Very Light Rail project in time for City of Culture, approval was sought to enter into a Contract for Services with Warwick Manufacturing Group (WMG) develop and deliver a safety certified prototype vehicle and track system. The City Council was also collaborating with Dudley Council and WMG on the creation of the Very Light Rail Innovation Centre in Dudley which would create a facility for testing vehicles and track.

It should be noted that there was a robust governance structure in place for the Programme that captured risk management for each of the projects within the overarching Programme. The budget for each project included contingency to allow for any cost increases and there was some flexibility to manage funding across the Programme, subject to approvals for any variations from funding bodies.

Further to the above, it was imperative that coordination of activities across the  ...  view the full minutes text for item 117.

Report of the Deputy Chief Executive, Place

Further to Minute 6 of the Appointments Panel, the City Council considered a report of the Deputy Chief Executive (Place) which reported on the appointment of the Head of Legal Services and Designation of Monitoring Officer.

The report set out the legal basis for the need to appoint a Monitoring Officer and a recommendation from the Appointments Panel held on 8 March 2018 was circulated, that the post of Head of Legal Services be designated as Monitoring Officer.

RESOLVED:

(1)  That the City Council appoints Julie Newman, currently Legal Services Manager and Acting Monitoring Officer at Coventry City Council, to the post of Head of Legal Services from 13 March 2018, in accordance with the City Council’s Constitution.

(2)  That the Head of Legal Services be designated as Monitoring Officer under Section 5 of the Local Government and Housing Act 1989, with effect from 13 March 2018.

Report of the Deputy Chief Executive (People)

The City Council considered a report of the Deputy Chief Executive (People) which presented the Annual Pay Policy Statement 2018/2019.

Local Authorities are required by sections 38 and 39 of the Localism Act 2011 to produce an annual Pay Policy Statement. The Statement must articulate the City Council’s policies towards a range of issues relating to the pay of the workforce, particularly the most senior staff (or “chief officers”) and the relationship of their pay to the lowest paid employees. The proposed Pay Policy Statement for 2018/2019 was attached as appendix 1 of the report.

RESOLVED that the City Council approves the Annual Pay Policy Statement 2018/19 attached at Appendix 1 of the report.

Report of the Deputy Chief Executive (Place)

The City Council considered a report of the Deputy Chief Executive (Place) which sought authority to delegate the appointment of persons to the Keresley Parish Council to the Deputy Chief Executive (Place) and the Monitoring Officer following consultation with the Leader of the Council and the Leader of the Opposition Group.

Following recent resignations by a number of councillors at Keresley Parish Council, only three remained which left the Parish Council inquorate and unable to act. In such circumstances, it was the responsibility of the Principal Council to appoint persons to fill all or any of the vacancies until other councillors were elected and took up office.  

RESOLVED that the City Council:

1.  Delegates the decision on the appointment of persons to fill all or any of the vacancies on Keresley Parish Council until other councillors are elected and take up office to the Deputy Chief Executive (Place) and the Monitoring Officer following consultation with the Leader of the Council and the leader of the Opposition Group.

2.  Authorises the Monitoring Officer to make the order enacting the appointment.

(a)  Written Question – Booklet 1

(b)  Oral Questions to Chairs of Scrutiny Boards/Chair of Scrutiny

Co-ordination Committee

(c)  Oral Questions to Chairs of other meetings

(d)  Oral Questions to Representatives on Outside Bodies

(e)  Oral Questions to Cabinet Members and Deputy Cabinet Members on any matter

Councillors provided written answers to the question set out in the Questions Booklet, together with oral responses to supplementary questions put to them at the meeting.

The following Members answered oral questions put to them by other Members as set out below, together with supplementary questions on the same matters:-

The Leader of the Council made a statement if respect of “Progress on the Combined Authority”.

Councillor Ridley responded to the statement.

"This Council notes with concern the increasing crime rate in the City.  We believe that it is the Government cuts and the damping of Police budgets which has led to the reduction in frontline police numbers and thus their inability to respond to the growing number of incidents that are reported.  We recognise the tremendous and often dangerous work carried out by our Police Officers to keep us secure and safe and this Council will continue to give our full support to the Service.

This Council calls upon the Home Secretary to reverse the cuts in Police budgets that have been made over the last few years so that the Citizens of this City have a police service that is capable of responding to their needs."

The following Motion was moved by Councillor J Mutton and seconded by Councillor S Bains:

“This Council notes with concern the increasing crime rate in the City. We believe that it is the Government cuts and the damping of Police budgets which has led to the reduction in frontline police numbers and thus their inability to respond to the growing number of incidents that are reported. We recognise the tremendous and often dangerous work carried out by our Police Officers to keep us secure and safe and this Council will continue to give our full support to the Service.

This Council calls upon the Home Secretary to reverse the cuts in Police budgets that have been made over the last few years so that the Citizens of this City have a Police service that is capable of responding to their needs”.

In moving the Motion, Councillor J Mutton referred to the petition detailed in Minute 113(d) above, and asked that it be forwarded to the Home Secretary with a copy of the Motion and Council resolution.

RESOLVED that the Motion as set out above be unanimously adopted.

“This Council resolves to use its empty property to temporarily house charities which have been evicted from Coventry Point”

The following Motion was moved by Councillor G Ridley and seconded by Councillor G Crookes:

“This Council resolves to use its empty property to temporarily house  charities which have been evicted from Coventry Point”

Councillor D Welsh proposed the following amendment, which was seconded by Councillor G Duggins and carried: 

  After the words “This Council resolve to”, delete the rest of the sentence and add the following: “continue to assist charities who seek our help and advice to find alternative accommodation”.

The amended Motion now to read:-

“This Council resolves to continue to assist charities who seek our help and advice to find alternative accommodation”.

Councillor T Sawdon proposed the following further amendment, which in accordance with the Constitution was accepted by Councillor D Welsh:-

“After the word accommodation add the following: “including the option of using empty Council property”.

RESOLVED that the amended Motion as set out below be unanimously adopted.

“This Council resolves to continue to assist charities who seek our help and advice to find alternative accommodation, including the option of using empty Council property”.

Note: In accordance with the Constitution, a recorded vote was taken in respect of the amendment, moved by Councillor D Welsh and seconded by Councillor G Duggins.

The Councillors voting for and against the Amendment were as follows:

Result: Carried

For: 28

Against: 14

Abstentions: 0

On behalf of the City Council, Councillors G Duggins and G Ridley thanked the Lord Mayor for the manner in which he had Chaired Council meetings during 2017/2018.