To consider motions received in accordance with Meeting Procedure Rule 17 as follows: -
Motion 1
To be proposed by Cllr Valerie Anslow and seconded by Cllr Anne Lee: -
“North Northamptonshire has a rich heritage in both buildings and the natural world. Among our assets are the parks and gardens which belonged to the former sovereign councils; there are conservation areas where planning rules are rigorous and aim to maintain the historic hearts of our towns and villages; tree preservation orders that can be applied to individual or groups of trees which have stood by our roadsides and in gardens and parks for many years. All of these features together help us, as a council to make decisions that are of benefit to the communities that reside here.
North Northamptonshire Council has firmly grasped the desire to be carbon neutral by 2030 and the council’s vision that acknowledges the importance of the natural world on carbon capture, flood defences, wildlife habitat and the health and wellbeing of its residents.
North Northamptonshire is also an area of growth and development which will benefit the people who live here, and getting the balance between the two, heritage and growth, can be fraught with difficulties.
One of those difficulties is evident in the way that 61 mature lime trees were due to be felled earlier this month on The Walks in Wellingborough to make way for a four-line road leading from the A509 to Stanton Walk SUE, and to move the utilities associated with the works. Following the protests of local residents, NNC negotiated a pause in the work to allow for an information event to be held by The Vistry Group, but those trees are still under threat unless, we use our authority to stop this senseless and unnecessary action and require the developers to find an alternative way.
This motion -
Ensure that reports to planning committee on applications where the granting of planning permission would involve the removal of trees protected by TPO(s) are supported by the advice of a suitably qualified officer. Furthermore, such reports to contain specific information to support decision makers to assess the weight considered appropriate by the officer to be attached to this material consideration to ensure that any resident or organisation relying on the system is treated equally and fairly, and that all local historic and natural heritage sites within NN communities are appropriately protected, while continuing the drive to provide homes and jobs for the community.
Motion 2
To be proposed by Cllr Emily Fedorowycz and seconded by Cllr Lyn Buckingham: -
“The Nene is one of NNC’s most important assets in terms of tourism and ecology and as such needs proper guardianship.
NNC has riparian responsibilities and also a major role in flood management.
This Council will:
(i) Ask the Environment Agency to provide the current levels of pollution in the Nene River and North Northants waterways;
(ii) Engage with the EA and the Canal and River Trust to create a plan to achieve Clean Water Zones, with a framework for pollution measurement;
(iii) Engage with Anglian Water and the other smaller waste management companies in North Northants to create a process for feeding in reports of pollution incidents.
(iv) Ask Anglian Water to keep NNC informed of the measures taken to control water pollution, including the amounts spent on keeping rivers clean.”
To be proposed by Cllr Mark Pengelly and seconded by Cllr Lyn Buckingham:
Many residents in Corby and North Northants will remember the horrific murder of Collette Gallacher on Friday 8th February 1986, a SIX year old school girl murdered on her way to school!
This council recognises the campaign that Collette’s loved ones have led in the family having full disclosure when murderers get released from prison and then go on to commit further crimes.
Council therefore requests that the Leader write to the Minister for Justice requesting:
(i) That the Minister notes the limited consideration of victims in the offender release decision making process
(ii) That the Minister considers introducing measures to build the views of victims into the probation decision making process to ensure victims feel heard and considered
(iii) If a decision is made by probation services to release an offender, the Minister considers the retrospective addition to the sex offenders register where the conviction pre-dates introduction of the register
Motion 4
To be proposed by Cllr Alison Dalziel and seconded by Cllr Lyn Buckingham:
“This council welcomes the recent government announcement of funding of £200m nationally for the Department of Transport to fix potholes, of which £1.494m will be allocated to North Northamptonshire. It is recognised that many of the roads and highways are in a poor state of repair, compounded by the recent winter weather.
This council also welcomes the additional £1.5m in 2022 which was earmarked for highways and road improvements, including repair of potholes, and cleaning and replacement of road signs, in addition to the £30m contract with Kier for a 7-year period.
However, this council recognises that there are significant repairs of the highways, roads and pavements in North Northamptonshire outstanding, and many of the roads require urgent attention to make them suitable and roadworthy for a variety of road users, including cars, lorries, motor cycles, mobility scooters, cyclists and pedestrians.
This motion calls upon North Northamptonshire council to review and develop a comprehensive Action Plan with Kier to address concerns over the poor state of roads, and to submit the Action Plan to the Executive in July 2023 for consideration and consultation.
Minutes:
Four Motions on Notice had been submitted. The Chair agreed the order of debate was changed.
Motion 3
Many residents in Corby and North Northants will remember the horrific murder of Collette Gallacher on Friday 8th February 1986, a SIX-year-old school girl murdered on her way to school!
This council recognises the campaign that Collette’s loved ones have led in the family having full disclosure when murderers get released from prison and then go on to commit further crimes.
Council therefore requests that the Leader write to the Minister for Justice requesting:
(i) That the Minister notes the limited consideration of victims in the offender release decision making process;
(ii) That the Minister considers introducing measures to build the views of victims into the probation decision making process to ensure victims feel heard and considered;
(iii) If a decision is made by probation services to release an offender, the Minister considers the retrospective addition to the sex offenders register where the conviction pre-dates introduction of the register.
The motion was MOVED by Councillor Mark Pengelly and SECONDED by Councillor Lyn Buckingham.
There was cross-Chamber support for the motion and the Leader of the Council indicated his full support. The role of Collette’s sisters, local media and the local MP in highlighting the campaign was acknowledged.
RESOLVED that: -
(i) The Motion be agreed.
(Councillor Pengelly left the meeting at this point).
Motion 1
North Northamptonshire has a rich heritage in both buildings and the natural world. Among our assets are the parks and gardens which belonged to the former sovereign councils; there are conservation areas where planning rules are rigorous and aim to maintain the historic hearts of our towns and villages; tree preservation orders that can be applied to individual or groups of trees which have stood by our roadsides and in gardens and parks for many years. All of these features together help us, as a council to make decisions that are of benefit to the communities that reside here.
North Northamptonshire Council has firmly grasped the desire to be carbon neutral by 2030 and the council’s vision that acknowledges the importance of the natural world on carbon capture, flood defences, wildlife habitat and the health and wellbeing of its residents.
North Northamptonshire is also an area of growth and development which will benefit the people who live here, and getting the balance between the two, heritage and growth, can be fraught with difficulties.
One of those difficulties is evident in the way that 61 mature lime trees were due to be felled earlier this month on The Walks in Wellingborough to make way for a four-line road leading from the A509 to Stanton Walk SUE, and to move the utilities associated with the works.
Following the protests of local residents, NNC negotiated a pause in the work to allow for an information event to be held by The Vistry Group, but those trees are still under threat unless, we use our authority to stop this senseless and unnecessary action and require the developers to find an alternative way.
This motion calls on this Council to -
Ensure that reports to planning committee on applications where the granting of planning permission would involve the removal of trees protected by TPO(s) are supported by the advice of a suitably qualified officer.
Furthermore, such reports to contain specific information to support decision makers to assess the weight considered appropriate by the officer to be attached to this material consideration to ensure that any resident or organisation relying on the system is treated equally and fairly, and that all local historic and natural heritage sites within NN communities are appropriately protected, while continuing the drive to provide homes and jobs for the community.
Councillor Anslow MOVED the motion, SECONDED by Councillor Lee SECONDED the motion.
In moving the motion, Councillor Anslow explained the background to bringing the motion forward to seek further “checks and balances” into the planning process to ensure that full consideration was taken in future deliberations of the consequences to the local environment including the potential for the felling of trees.
A number of Members spoke in favour of the motion, particularly with reference to recent events in Wellingborough. There was a need to ensure that decision makers were fully furnished with the facts around future applications, and the potential impact on trees.
(Councillor Best left the meeting at this point).
RESOLVED that: -
(i) The Motion be agreed.
(Councillors Griffiths and Armour left the meeting at this point).
Motion 2
Motion 2, included on the Agenda, was requested by Councillor E Fedorowycz (Mover) and Councillor Lyn Buckingham (Seconder) to be withdrawn until the next ordinary meeting.
Motion 4
This council welcomes the recent government announcement of funding of £200m nationally for the Department of Transport to fix potholes, of which £1.494m will be allocated to North Northamptonshire. It is recognised that many of the roads and highways are in a poor state of repair, compounded by the recent winter weather. This council also welcomes the additional £1.5m in 2022 which was earmarked for highways and road improvements, including repair of potholes, and cleaning and replacement of road signs, in addition to the £30m contract with Kier for a 7-year period. However, this council recognises that there are significant repairs of the highways, roads and pavements in North Northamptonshire outstanding, and many of the roads require urgent attention to make them suitable and roadworthy for a variety of road users, including cars, lorries, motor cycles, mobility scooters, cyclists and pedestrians. This motion calls upon North Northamptonshire council to review and develop a comprehensive Action Plan with Kier to address concerns over the poor state of roads, and to submit the Action Plan to the Executive in July 2023 for consideration and consultation.
Councillor Dalziel MOVED the motion, SECONDED by Councillor Lyn Buckingham. The motion requested that the Council’s highway contractors develop an action plan, in consultation with the Council, to address the issue of pot holes within the area. Any action plan developed to be presented to a future meeting of the Executive for consideration.
A recorded vote was requested.
Those voting in favour of the motion: - Councillors C Brown, Lyn Buckingham, Leanne Buckingham, R Carter, J Currall, A Dalziel, E Fedorowycz, D Dell, K Harrington, J Hakewill, A Lee, J Addison, P McEwan, J McGhee, Z McGhee, J Smyth, S Tubbs, V Anslow, K Watts.
Those voting against the motion: - Councillors L Wilkes, M Binley, J Bone, D Brackenbury, S Brown, A Weatherill, L Bunday, J-P Carr, D Howes, H Harrison, K Watt, P Irwin, I Jelley, K Lawal, J Ekins, S Edwards, C Hallam, B Jenney, H Howell, G Lawman, L Lawman, D Maxwell, P Marks, A Mercer, G Mercer, M Nichol, A Pandey, E Prentice, R Roberts, M Rowley, G Shacklock, J Smithers, C Smith-Haynes, M Tebbutt, M Ward, M Coleman.
Those abstained from voting: - Councillors B Jackson, L Henson.
RESOLVED that: -
(i) The Motion fell.